Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It's simple: inspire, educate, and let's go change this world! 

On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest Jan Rutherford. Jan is an Executive Coach, a keynote speaker with numerous online courses, a former Green Beret, and the founder of Self Reliant Leadership, in which he leads wilderness expeditions with executives and veterans. Jan is also a podcast host and author of The Littlest Green Beret. His next book, Becoming A Self-Reliant Leader, will be released in summer 2024. 

To begin, Jan shares that his journey as a business owner began after he read the book Perfect Business by Michael LeBoeuf. At age 19, Jan was the medical instructor for the thousands of students going through the Green Beret course. Over the entire course of his career, he has maintained the goal of helping other people learn. As soon as he entered the corporate world, he knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. 

Jan shares that to be a good leader, you must prioritize taking care of others above yourself. Then, he shares his principles which guide his leadership process and business ownership. The core pillars of Self-Reliant Leadership include leading oneself, leading others, and leading the organization. He looks for 3 key things when finding people to get involved: selflessness, heroic aspirations, and willingness to take risks and be adventurous. 

The first thing he tends to ask clients is to identify what they want in life. The most common challenges he finds leaders facing today are managing their time and their effectiveness with people. Another challenge leaders face is how to personalize leadership, yet show fairness to the entire team. Because every person has different needs, personalities, and circumstances, it is impossible to treat everyone the same. Thus, it's important to take the time to understand what each person's motivations are and be sensitive to them. Jan identifies the most critical attributes of successful leaders. He believes that the best companies are great at selecting the right people for their company and investing time into their success. 

Reflecting on the course of his career, Jan identified critical moments that have shaped him into the person he is today. Working with great bosses had a major influence on his outlook. Similarly, working with bad bosses also led to a handful of useful learning experiences. He stresses the importance of always being willing to learn and have the maturity to understand that we are not always going to be right. In closing, he urges listeners to keep a journal to keep track of the day-to-day, learning experience, gratitude, and priorities. A good life is not something that is in the future, and we should figure out how to live a good life today. 

Learn more about Jeff Newkirk.

Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast