Episode 059: Liz Bohannon and Craig Groeschel on Beginner’s Pluck

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SUMMARY:

We all dream of living lives full of meaning and purpose. And we are bombarded with messages about finding a life purpose fueled by a big dream. While well-intentioned, this advice often can be paralyzing. In this episode of the GLS Podcast, Liz Bohannon and Craig Groeschel discuss a counter-intuitive strategy to build a life of passion and purpose—not by “finding your passion” or “dreaming big,” but by taking small steps and getting curious every day.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• As a journalism student, I became interested in the issues of impoverished women living in post-conflict zones.
• After taking a corporate job, I had a moment of realization. Although I said I was passionate about this issue, I didn’t have a single friend who was living this experience. So, I bought a one-way ticket to Uganda with a goal to learn about this issue first-hand.
• Sometimes huge global issues are so overwhelming that we feel unable to act.
• By making the issue as small it would possibly go, I didn’t have any excuses.
• Stop talking about your passion and just go out and do something.
• The most free and innovative time in my career was when I was a beginner.
• The advice to “show up,” “be confident” and “fake it till you make it” has unintended consequences.
• Really innovative leaders know that conscious incompetence is a great place to be. That’s where the learning and growth lives.
• Seek comfort in discomfort.
• Criticism is a natural reaction to fear and feeling incompetent. However, the moment I have the instinct to criticize, I have tried to train my mind to get curious.
• Really good journalists assume they don’t know the end of the story. They ask questions, and when they find something different from what they anticipated, they follow the lead.
• The places where I’m most critical are actually where I have the most to learn because I often don’t yet have the context to understand.
• There’s a phrase in Design Thinking: Instead of going for the bird’s eye view, get the worm’s eye view. Get as close as possible to the problem. Then lean in and listen.
• Passion has become my generation’s new idol. A better mentality is to build your own passion.
• It’s better to have a small dream that you are actually doing than to have a big dream that you are not acting on. That’s how we build lives of purpose and impact.
• In order to build a life of purpose and impact, you have to do the hard work of knowing what the absolute priorities in life are—your “Very Important Promises” (VIPs). There can’t be very many of them.
• We live in a world that is filled with a lot of BS: busy and should. If something is not on your VIP list, kick the “should” out of it.
• The first step for all beginners is to tell yourself, “There is no shame in your beginner’s game.” Shame keeps us from learning.
• Go out. Take risks. Make a couple of wrong calls. Turn in another direction. And build something awesome!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Liz Bohannon’s story started with an interest in issues facing impoverished women in conflict zones. What “big problem” has been of interest to you?

2. Liz’s breakthrough came when she made that big problem really small. She decided to make a friend who was impoverished and living in a conflict zone. How can you take the big problem you identified above and make it really small? (Hint: You know it is small enough when you don’t have any excuse not to take action.)

3. Looking at the small-scale problem you identified above:

• What would it look like for you act?
• How could you get curious along the way?
• How could being a beginner actually be an asset for you?

4. Stretch yourself to take action. What is ONE thing you could do this week to move forward and do something in your area of interest?

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

New York Times

Uganda

Flip Flops (that didn’t Flop)

Design Thinking

RELATED LINKS:

Liz Forkin Bohannon

Beginner’s Pluck

For the Good Podcast

Craig Groeschel

The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

Paula Faris

The Global Leadership Summit