Business
In this new episode, Tony Nash talks to Tyler Gordy, a decorated United States Army combat veteran and business executive, about his journey from battlefield to boardroom. An enlisted soldier and later a commissioned Army officer through the United States Military Academy, Tyler obtained his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is the CEO of Professional Warranty Service Corporation, a provider of new home warranty products to residential construction firms. Tyler shares how the military has shaped his life as an executive – from as simple as waking up early at 4 am, to working out and walking under the sun to set his circadian rhythm in motion. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maximizing-productivity-physical-mental-health-with/id1545953110?i=1000528586045 (Studies) show getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is vital to your mental and physical health. Tyler also shares the importance of not checking his phone immediately after waking up. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maximizing-productivity-physical-mental-health-with/id1545953110?i=1000528586045 (Science) shows that keeping yourself moving forward, especially outside, helps generate optic flow and suppress the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for anxiety. Such movements help you become alert but not anxious, focused and not too relaxed. This habit has also given him time to meditate and allowed him to start each day by taking care of himself before he takes care of the company and his team. “It’s important to stay disciplined and not do that [check my emails first thing in the morning],” adding that it helps set the tone for the rest of his day. He shares how he learned this lesson through burnout back in West Point, where he served as First Captain of the Corps of Cadets in 2010. “By that point, I worked myself to the bone. I felt I didn’t have a ton to give that year in terms of energy. I felt like I already reached the point of burn out.” On Leadership Some leadership books have made an impact on Tyler, including https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/ (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) (2014) written by Sean Covey, Jim Huling, Chris McChesney. Also referred to as 4DX, the method is a simple and repeatable formula for executing strategic priorities by following The 4 Disciplines: Focusing on the Wildly Important Acting on Lead Measures Keeping a Compelling Scoreboard Creating a Cadence of Accountability Tyler says he and his team use 4DX as part of their broader operating model. Another book that has impacted him is Stephen Covey’s https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Principle-Centered-Leadership/Stephen-R-Covey/9780671792800 (Principle-Centered Leadership) (1990), which highlights the importance of character and competence to gain others’ trust and be able to trust others. “Leadership is one of those things – it’s really easy in theory but it’s really challenging in practice. But even though I’ve known about these things, I still struggle with it.” On Listening to and Empowering People Now as a chief executive for a publicly-traded subsidiary of Kingsway Financial (NSE:KFS) , he focuses on listening to his people and seeking feedback often. “I listen often and that helps me really recalibrate and get on with the task… I’m just trying to learn and to trust and hear my people out.” He, however, admits the difficulty of acting on feedback. He cites as example one feedback that the firm is doing too much stuff. “Businesses don’t die from starvation, but from indigestion where you’re trying to take on too much. It has become critical where we’re getting to the point of burnout and we needed to adjust.” One thing he has been working on recently is how to better empower people, which he believes starts with hiring the right people, who are competent and trustworthy. This is a bit tricky to navigate as it is totally different from the military world, where he says those who don’t perform...