Meikles & Dimes

Latest Episodes:

130: Home Depot CEO Frank Blake on the Power of Recognition and Storytelling Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

Frank Blake is the former CEO and Chairman of Home Depot, where he led a massive company turn around during his tenure. Frank’s other leadership positions include serving as board member at Delta, general counsel at GE, general counsel for the EPA, deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, deputy counsel to Vice President George H. W. Bush, and law clerk for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

Frank earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a law degree from Columbia.

In this episode we discuss the following:

The single most underappreciated tool that leaders have is the recognition and gratitude they can express to people working for them, and doing it in a way that is memorable for the people who are recognized and celebrated.
Frank recognized people by bringing them up on stage and telling stories about them that demonstrated great customer service.
Frank recognized people by writing 200 handwritten personal notes every Sunday, thanking them for specific things they had done.
Just as kids will root for athletes who take the time to sign autographs, Frank generated support from his team by writing them personal letters of recognition.
Every business leader knows the phrase, “You get what you measure.” Frank’s corollary is, "You get what you recognize and celebrate."
If I say to someone, “I want you to provide great customer service” that sort of vaporizes instantaneously. But if I share a story of great customer service, everyone understands it and can apply it.
When you tell a story that illustrates great customer service, people start talking about the behaviors they're doing that are similar, and the behavior gets reinforced and you get real momentum in the organization.
More often than not, leaders are unintentional and undisciplined about how they recognize and celebrate their employees.
Frank learned the power of recognition when he worked for George H. W. Bush. As VP, George started every day by spending an hour typing out personal notes. As a staff member, when Frank got a note from the VP, he felt like he walked on air.
You can surprise people by thanking them and doing it in a specific way.

Follow Frank:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankBlake

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-blake-1a99646/

Website: https://crazygoodturns.org/blog

Follow Me:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

129: Yale Professor Laurie Santos | How To Improve Our Happiness Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Laurie Santos is the teacher of the most popular class in Yale’s history, Psychology and The Good Life. She is the host of “The Happiness Lab” podcast, which has been downloaded more than 85 million times, and she is the creator of The Science of Well-Being on Coursera, which has more than four million enrollees.

Her work has been featured in the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine, Slate and O! Magazine, among others, and Time Magazine named her a “Leading Campus Celebrity.”

In this episode we discuss the following:

We are not our thoughts, and we can change our thoughts. The way we think can affect our behavior in ways that we don't really expect.
Rather than yell at ourselves like a drill Sergeant to motivate ourselves, it can be more effective to practice self-compassion by talking to ourselves like we would talk to our friend.
To improve our happiness, we need to invest in social connection. Not only does investing in social connection make us happier, it makes us happier than we expect it will.

Follow Laurie

X: https://twitter.com/lauriesantos

Website: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/

Podcast: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/happiness-lab-podcast

Instagram: LaurieSantosOfficial

Follow Me:

X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Website: https://natemeikle.com

128: Brent Dunn | Writer, Volcano Hunter, & LSAT Instructor (Part 2) Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Brent Dunn is an exceptional teacher, who has taught more than 6,000 students how to “Ace” the LSAT. During his 27 years of teaching, his students’ average score is above the 90th percentile.

In addition to teaching people how to be smarter, Brent teaches spin classes and pottery. He also made his own (and his daughter's) wedding cakes, has biked around Iceland, collected all of the original set of Pokemon in Pokemon Go, drove a Zamboni, and poked sticks into flowing lava. He is fluent in English, Finnish, and German, with basic proficiency in French, Spanish, Italian, and Icelandic.

Brent is also a writer, and in this second episode with Brent, we discuss the book he is writing, wherein he describes his philosophy on the purpose of life and how to achieve that purpose. I loved his manuscript so much that I gifted it to my wife for Christmas. And I am so grateful that Brent graciously agreed to discuss his book here today, and I’m motivated to be a better person because of his book and this conversation.

In this episode we discuss the following:

For Brent the purpose of life is to experience joy. And he experiences joy when he sees growth in himself or others he loves.
To increase our joy, we can increase our love for others.
Combining these ideas led Brent to an equation: Joy = Growth X Love^2.
Brent’s parting phrase: “I love you! Have fun! Do your best!”

Follow Brent

Website: https://acetestprep.com/

Volcano hunting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Se7FssokU

Follow Me:

X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Website: https://natemeikle.com

127: Brent Dunn | Volcano Hunter & LSAT Instructor (Part 1) Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

Brent Dunn is one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had. And I’m sure thousands of other students feel the same way about Brent as I do. Brent teaches people how to be smarter, or at least how to think more logically and critically. And it is because of Brent that I was able to attend Stanford Law School.

Brent is the owner and founder of ACE Test Preparation, where he has taught more than 6,000 students how to “Ace” the LSAT. During his 27 years of teaching, his students’ average score is above the 90th percentile, and he even taught the first person who got a perfect raw score on the LSAT in the current format. Brent has lectured on the LSAT around the country, everywhere from Harvard to Hawaii.

In Brent’s free time he teaches spin classes and pottery. He also made his own (and his daughter's) wedding cakes, has biked around Iceland, collected all of the original set of Pokemon in Pokemon Go, drove a Zamboni, and poked sticks into flowing lava. He is fluent in English, Finnish, and German, with basic proficiency in French, Spanish, Italian, and Icelandic.

In this first of two episodes with Brent, we learn Brent’s history, including both how became a volcano hunter and an LSAT instructor. And then we get to learn from Brent the same methods of reasoning that he has taught thousands of students. It is these teachings on logic and reasoning, which Brent teaches so clearly and entertainingly, that have helped thousands of law students achieve their dreams of getting accepted to the most prestigious schools around the world.

This episode will be required listening for my children because it will make them smarter. It will help them think more clearly and enable them to spot logical fallacies that are so common in journalism, politics, business, and even in school.

I believe Brent has improved my brain more than anyone else on earth, so I hope you enjoy learning from Brent Dunn today, because I always do.

In this episode we discuss the following:

Brent's rejection from a premier school, his acceptance, and his expulsion from chemistry for shooting projectiles toward his teacher
Moving to Finland for a church mission
Proposing to his girlfriend two weeks after their first one-on-one date
Defaulting into a philosophy major
Chasing volcanoes
Becoming an LSAT teacher
We also covered logical fallacies:
inaccurate word strength
insufficient evidence
faulty comparisons
fallacious appeals to authority
ad hominem attacks
confusing correlation with causation

Follow Brent

Website: https://acetestprep.com/

Volcano hunting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Se7FssokU

Follow Me:

X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Website: https://natemeikle.com

126: Sundays with Tozer Episode 10 | Tozer Works for GE Astro Space and Then Moves to Idaho Falls Mar 10, 2024

Show notes

Justin Tozer is a math and science prodigy who grew up on a farm where formal education was all but prohibited. Yet, somehow Tozer would make his way to the world’s most prestigious firms, first in Silicon Valley and later in Los Alamos at the world’s preeminent scientific lab.

Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced.

In this episode we discuss the following:

LK99 Superconductor
Tozer going to work for GE Astro Space
Tozer getting recruited to work for the National Lab in Idaho

Follow Me:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

125: Sundays with Tozer Episode 9 | Tozer and His Team at IBM Invent MR Technology Mar 10, 2024

Show notes

Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced.

In this episode we discuss the following:

How Tozer and his team at IBM invented MR technology
How Tozer is better at talking to a horse than a human

Follow Me:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

124: Sundays with Tozer Episode 8 | Tozer Describes Youth He Mentored and Internships He Had Mar 10, 2024

Show notes

Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced.

In this episode we discuss the following:

Two specific examples of youth he mentored
The mental rules he uses to manage the stress of mentoring youth
Internships he had while in college

Follow Me:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

123: The World’s Longest Study of Happiness | Professor Marc Schulz Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

Marc Schulz is the associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, an 85-year study of individuals and families. He is also the author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

Marc earned an undergraduate degree from Amherst College and a Ph.D. from California Berkeley.

In this episode we discuss the following:

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed more than 2,000 people spanning more than 85 years. The one finding that stands out above all others: Relationships keep us happier and healthier through our lives.
Relationships help us navigate stress, overcome challenges, deal with emotions, figure out our path, and connect us with our past. Relationships are also where we experience our most joy, and they also predict our health and happiness.
The risk of mortality associated with loneliness is about the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
One of the biggest problems with loneliness is that it’s quite prevalent. In the United States, in a given week, 20-50% of adults report being lonely. Given that loneliness is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes/day, the surgeon general talks about this is a public health crisis.
In the past, people had to get out of their house to see whether the Jones’s where better off than them. But now we can socially compare ourselves from our phones. And most of us come out of those comparisons feeling worse about ourselves.
By going more virtual and focusing on efficiency we miss out on informal connections, like talking to people in the hallway.
Just as physical fitness is important predictor of health and happiness, so too is social fitness. By thinking about our social lives in terms of what’s working, and then prioritizing our positive social relationships, we can improve our happiness.
When people in their 80s discuss their regrets, most regrets are centered on relationships. For example, losing contact with friends, or not being as kind as they could have been to the people they loved.
Social fitness is all about making time for our friends and loved ones. Eating lunch with them, going on walks with them, or calling them. As the key finding from the 85-year Harvard Study of Adult Development shows, relationships keep us happier and healthier through our lives.

Follow Marc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-schulz-20663222a/

Website: https://www.brynmawr.edu/inside/people/marc-schulz

The Good Life Book: https://amzn.to/41ShAe3

Follow Me:

X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Website: https://natemeikle.com

122: Andy Reid, Head Coach Kansas City Chiefs | Leadership Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

Andy Reid is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs where he has won three Super Bowls. After the most recent championship, his two star players had this to say about Andy as a leader:

First Travis Kelce: “I got the greatest coach this game has ever seen. He's unbelievable at not only dialing up plays and having everybody prepared, but he's one of the best leaders of men that I've ever seen in my life. I owe my entire career to that guy. I just love him man.”

Second Patrick Mahomes: “I believe he is the best coach of all time. For me, he brings out the best in me because he lets me be me. He doesn’t try to make me anyone else. I don’t think I would be the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid being my head coach.”

I can’t imagine two better endorsements of Andy and his leadership style.

In this episode we discuss the following:

When Andy thinks about the most important things he’s learned about leadership, he thinks about his role models, from church leaders to LaVell Edwards.
What Andy especially loved about LaVell Edwards is that he was never out of control, he was honest, he was a good teacher, and he was consistent.
Andy is so good at applying lessons learned from LaVell Edwards, for example, keeping control of his emotions when getting “bumped to the other side of the 50” by Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl.
Andy is so good at applying lessons learned from LaVell Edwards. For example, committing to always be honest with his players because he doesn’t believe you can be a good teacher if you’re not honest.
One of Andy’s greatest leadership strengths: He knows his players. He remembers that Chris Jones was wearing a red tuxedo 8 years ago when Chris didn’t get drafted in the first round. He knows that Travis Kelce is the oldest player on the team. He remembers drafting Kelce in his first year at Kansas City and has watched him grow up.
Andy’s greatest leadership strength: He loves his players. Andy loves Travis Kelce for his passion, even when getting yelled at and bumped in the Super Bowl. Andy loved Travis for putting his body on the line every play and for wanting to give more.Andy loves Chris Jones for committing to do all he could do to win the Super Bowl, and then reaching deep into no man’s land to make it happen. Andy loves Patrick Mahomes coming into the huddle every day saying, “Let’s be great!”
It’s important for leaders to be calm, honest, consistent, teachers. But I think Andy is one of the greatest of all time for two additional reasons: He knows his players and he loves them.

Follow Me:

X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Website: https://natemeikle.com

121: Yale Lecturer Zoe Chance on Reducing the Asking Gap Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

Zoe Chance, Yale lecturer and author of the international bestseller, INFLUENCE IS YOUR SUPERPOWER, studies persuasion, decision making, and how people can lead happier, healthier, more fulfilling lives.

At Yale, Zoe teaches one of Yale’s most popular classes, Mastering Influence and Persuasion. She also collaborates with Google and Optum Health. Prior to her engagement at Yale, Zoe marketed a $200 million segment of the Barbie brand at Mattel and developed an executive education leadership program at Harvard.

Her research has been covered in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Financial Times, and Discover.

Zoe received her doctorate from Harvard, MBA from the University of Southern California, and bachelor’s degree from Haverford College.

In this episode we discuss the following:

Those who had advantages were seven times more likely to ask for help than those who didn’t. But, if we help those who ask and don’t seek out and support those who don’t ask for help, we further perpetuate inequality.
By developing policies with an eye towards helping those who are less likely to ask for help, we can help level the playing field.
A lot of privilege in this world is a result of asking for help. But when we help those who ask for help, we can unintentionally perpetuate the Asking Gap, as we help those who already have more privilege.
An employee who had just had a child was struggling to keep up with work. So, she asked to work remotely. The manager, being kind, agreed. But the two previous mothers who had just given birth, but hadn’t asked to work remotely, were short changed. So, the company created a policy allowing all mothers the same benefit.
To reduce the Asking Gap, Zoe automatically grants a two-day extension to anyone who asks. All they have to do is send an email to an email address which automatically responds with the extension.

Follow Zoe

X: https://twitter.com/zoebchance

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoebchance/

Website: https://www.zoechance.com/

Book: INFLUENCE IS YOUR SUPERPOWER,

Follow Me:

X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Website: https://natemeikle.com