As leaders, it's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of success and recognition. We can become so focused on protecting our image and maintaining control that we lose sight of what truly matters — authenticity, connection, and empowering those around us.

In this episode, Adam Hill sits down with entrepreneur James Bates as he shares his powerful journey of embracing authenticity and overcoming the challenges of pride and insecurity. His story is a testament to the transformative power of self-awareness and the courage to be true to yourself, even in the face of adversity.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

• Empowering visions through technology

• Embracing authenticity in fatherhood

• Overcoming the pitfalls of pride

• James’ strategic budgeting system: the 80-10-10 rule

• Authenticity leads to transformation

• Establishing a culture of mentoring

• Leaving a legacy of impact

Episode Highlights:

[17:13] Empowering visions through technology

James expresses his passion for using technology to enable and empower people's visions and missions, seeing himself in the "people business" rather than just the technology business.

[22:57] Embracing authenticity in fatherhood

After his divorce when his son was two ywars old, James Bates became a more authentic and intentional father, prioritizing a deep bond with his son over perfection.

[32:12] Overcoming the pitfalls of pride

James reflects on how his pride and insecurity previously led him to damage relationships and fail to lead with integrity, as he prioritized results and protecting his own identity over truly serving and empowering the people around him.

[35:50] Businesses should have IT that actually cares about their mission.

James was motivated to start his IT services company Data Path because he saw a need for businesses, schools, and organizations to have IT support that truly cared about and aligned with their mission and goals, rather than just focusing on the technology itself.

[40:44] James’ strategic budgeting system

James developed the "80/10/10 rule" - where 80% of any raise or additional income would go towards paying down debt, 10% would go to savings, and 10% would be used to increase their lifestyle.

[42:53] Authenticity leads to transformation.

James’ anger and need for control previously caused him to treat people poorly when mistakes were made, as he had let his identity become too tied to the success of his business. But he has since learned to let go of that anger and control through a journey of authenticity and self-awareness.

[44:38] How his perspective shifted after facing adversity

James shares how his thyroid cancer diagnosis in 2022 was a profound wake-up call that helped him instantly reprioritize his life, relationships, and what truly matters most.

[48:19] Establishing a culture of mentoring

While James Bates believes coaching can be done on a larger scale, he has found that deep, personalized mentorship is what truly transforms individuals and creates lasting impact.

[57:34] Leave a legacy of impact

James believes that your legacy should be – How are you going to impact people along the way?

Resources Mentioned:

www.mydatapath.com

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Ready to be an outlier?

In this episode, Rodman Schley shares his insights on developing an "outlier mindset" and aligning your purpose, passions, and actions to achieve exceptional success. Rodman discusses his entrepreneurial journey, including launching over 25 businesses, and the importance of finding your "sacred checklists" to guide your decisions.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, a career professional, or someone seeking more purpose, this episode offers valuable insights to help you unlock your full potential and become an outlier in your own unique way.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

• Embrace your uniqueness and differences

• Continuously learn to shorten your learning curve

• Start a side hustle to fund your passion

• Align your actions with your core purpose

• Prioritize health, wealth, and community

• Seize opportunities to avoid regret

Episode Highlights:

[07:26] Outliers come in many forms.

An outlier mindset doesn't necessarily mean you have to be an entrepreneur, as there are many ways to be an outlier. The key is finding your passion and aligning your actions with that passion.

[09:31] The path to outlier success

Align with your purpose and passion to become an exceptional outlier, as doing what you don't want leads to average results.

[10:40] Prioritize purpose over profits.

Putting profits before your true passions and values can lead to unfulfilling business ventures that ultimately drain you.

[14:43] Define your “sacred checklist” for purposeful living

Rodman developed "sacred checklists" to identify his key priorities in life, which he uses to guide his decisions and ensure he is aligning his actions with his core purpose.

[28:06] Start a side hustle to fund your passion.

If you're not financially ready to fully commit to your entrepreneurial or outlier pursuits, start it as a side hustle while using your current job to finance and support your passion project until it can replace your primary income.

[44:12] Invest in knowledge to accelerate your success.

Invest in gaining knowledge from experts and leaders in your field in order to shorten your learning curve and accelerate your path to success.

Resources Mentioned:

www.gorodman.com

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Uncover the secrets of wealth-building with entrepreneur Aaron West. In this episode, real estate professional Aaron West opens up about his remarkable journey from humble beginnings to closing over $120 million in real estate sales.

Discover Aaron's strategies for mastering money mindset, setting impactful goals, and leveraging the transformative power of generosity. His insights will inspire you to redefine your relationship with wealth and unlock your full potential.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

• Generosity opens doors

• Overcoming a scarcity mindset

• Empowering your team to achieve their vision

• Cultivate insane curiosity

• The concept of ownership sinks stewardship

Episode Highlights:

[12:01] Mastering the art of negotiation

Nobody thinks they're a salesperson. But everybody's a salesperson, and we negotiate all of the time.

[14:31] Overcoming a scarcity mindset

Aaron reveals he was a "recovering spending-aholic" who thrived in instability and would find ways to spend any money he had, as he was afraid of the stability that saving money would bring.

[18:36] The concept of ownership sinks stewardship

If you are given a large sum of money, your natural tendency as a spender or saver will take over, but if you view the money as being held in stewardship for someone else, it changes your mindset and approach to managing that wealth.

[20:00] The power of stewardship

The key to building wealth and changing one's mindset is to create a sense of stewardship over one's money, rather than viewing it as solely one's own.

[27:13] Cultivate insane curiosity

Developing a sense of "insane curiosity" has made him more open to other people's perspectives, leading to greater calmness and depth in his interactions compared to his previous tendency to be "an inch wide and a mile deep" in conversations.

[34:40] Generosity opens doors.

Aaron emphasizes the transformative power of generosity and philanthropy, stating that they have opened more doors and created more opportunities in his life than anything else.

[40:46] A leader empowers members to achieve their vision.

Understand what each team member's goals are and then build an environment so large that they can achieve their own vision within it. If a team member ever outgrows the world he has created, it is his fault for not making that world big enough.

Resources Mentioned:

The Secrets Of Going From A 7 Figure Net Worth to 8

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