03/26/2017
Some great life lessons you can apply to business...
14 LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED COACHING Gary Vaynerchuk
For two years, I trained this guy every single day. And during that time, I learned a ton about business, hard work, family, and life.
1. OFFENSE
Sometimes I struggle to post blogs or videos out of fear they must be perfect. That is a defensive mindset. That pressure will cripple you, lead to inaction, and prevent growth. Gary taught me that putting out consistent content at 85% quality is far superior to posting “perfect” articles or videos once in a blue moon. You can’t win if you don’t play the game.
2. ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING
An eager fitness hustler offered to purchase 75 books for a five minute meeting to pitch Gary on becoming his new trainer. However, G already decided his next trainer had to be someone we already knew. The job is too personal to take a chance on a complete stranger.
Gary could have still taken the meeting. He could have nodded along for a few minutes and waltzed one step closer to the New York Times Best Seller list. Instead, he replied: "Tell him no, would feel bad taking this"
This is a behind the scenes view of someone doing the right thing when absolutely no one is watching. Pretty cool.
3. MONEY AIN'T EVERYTHING
I remember the first time I realized money probably won't be a huge problem in my life--I enjoy hard work, possess a skill set that people value, and have very few needs--my first thought was "wow, I’ll be able to do cool things like buy my parents stuff."
Excited, I brought this revelation to GV between sets of triceps accessory work. "Man, it’s gotta feel good that your family is always going to be financially secure and you provide such a nice life for them."
His nose scrunched and lips pursed, almost like he ate something too sour, which is a tell that he’s about to disagree with you. "Sure, but I am wayyy way way wayyyyyyyyy more proud of the emotional support I provide.”
Vacations and houses are cool, but giving your time and attention and emotional support is far more valuable.
4. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT
It was the first stop on his book tour. At 11pm, from the back of a Q&A was giving, I took a deep yawn, beat tired after a long day of travel.
You see, I promise my online coaching clients that I will reply to email every single day. But I hadn’t been in my inbox yet that day. I could feel myself rationalizing this mistake: "it’s okay, I'll do a quick skim for anything urgent. People will understand. It's just one day."
And you know what, they probably would have understood. But that’s bull****. I promise daily communication because I believe in it. And I would not have slept well without taking care of business first. So, when the event ended, I went to my hotel room and from 2am to 5am answered emails, assessed progress, and tweaked training and nutrition programs.
It was the right decision. I was being true to my word. And even though I didn’t sleep that night (literally, we had a 6am flight to Atlanta), I slept like a baby the following night.
5. COMMUNICATION SOLVES 99% OF PROBLEMS
Gary received a text late one night from an employee.
It felt a bit erratic to him; the employee was worried about some things. And, given the time of day and tone of the message, Gary assumed the employee had been drinking.
For me personally, an uncomfortable situation like this would have knotted my stomach to the point where I couldn’t think of anything else. GV mentally set it aside completely.
He later told me it didn’t impact him because he knew they would have a conversation in the morning and clear the air completely. And they did.
6. YOUR EMPLOYEES *SHOULD NOT* CARE AS MUCH AS YOU DO
I used to get irritated at times when walking around VaynerMedia.
People screwing around, taking two hour lunches, going on "coffee meetings" trying to hook up.
Yet, Gary has fun joking with employees when he walks through the office.
"How are you not pi**ed that everyone isn’t hustling like you???"
He gave me that black cherry warhead look again except with a flair of anger, like, you're an idiot, Mike: "Because it’s MY company. Of course they aren’t going to care about it like I do."
7. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT WHO YOU REALLY ARE
I used to want a giant business because it seemed like the cool thing to do. So, I partnered with my genius friend Brett. I failed. Then, I hired a grinder named Chris to intern for me. I failed.
At some point along the way, I realized I’m not a businessman. I enjoy coaching clients, and I enjoy creating content. So, that's what I do now :)
8. PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
There is a reason I track my own macros, always have goals, train with intensity, eat vegetables, and don’t act like I’m too cool for fitness. It’s because you learn things by actually doing them.
Don’t be a guru sitting atop the iron throne telling everyone what to do. Get your hands dirty. You will be better for it.
9. LISTENING TO YOURSELF ALWAYS WINS
Don't do what you think you "should" do. Put your blinders on. Block out the noise. Trust your gut. And act on instinct rather than other peoples' opinions.
10. GIVE 51%
"You need to reply to every single email, Mike."
It was our first 'business' talk.
And, I still heed this advice. Sometimes it takes me a week or two, but I reply to every single email. Most of the people I email with will never pay me a dollar. And I am 1000% okay with that. Here is why:
First, helping people is never a bad thing. When you look back on your life, you won’t regret lending someone a helping hand.
But second, it’s actually a good business strategy. No one expects you to help them for free these days because so few do it. Most are too transactional, short-sighted, and impatient.
Give 51.
11. THOSE ARE CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS
"Soooo many people are emailing me for advice, I'm beat"
In hindsight, I was being whiney.
"Oh, you mean you have TOO big an audience? You have TOO many people that care about what you say? That’s a champagne problem, Mike."
12. DON'T TAKE YOUR WORK PROBLEMS HOME
It is completely irrational to let a problem at work impact how you treat your kids. But most of us can’t separate work stress from our personal lives. Gary does.
One morning during a dungeon gym workout, I asked him how he does it: gratitude. He said he is so grateful that he gets to work as hard as he does that it would be massively unfair to his wife and the kids if he let work problems impact his mood and demeanor at home for even one second.
13. QUARTERBACKS TAKE THE BLAME
I have shared a backseat with Gary for a lot of internal company calls. Constantly, I would hear: "That’s my fault."
Yes, the CEO is in charge of the business therefore every issue is technically the CEO’s fault. But, that's not what I learned.
Every single one of us should be taking the heat in my life because it’s effective. First, it saves time that might have been wasted arguing over who was actually at fault. But more importantly, it wins you respect from onlookers who know it wasn’t actually your fault.
Plus, if you take responsibility for the losses, you get more glory during the wins.
14. WE ALL HAVE 24 HOURS
I remember gaining access to Gary's calendar for the first time.
After the shock of "is this even possible" wore off, my next thought was… this is a decision. Any human being can choose to do this. We all have the same amount of time.
Immediately, I audited myself. 30 minute walks around the block to “get in the zone” before writing. Nonsense Facebook scrolling to “refresh my brain” during the afternoon. There isn’t anything wrong with this, except that I thought I was a super hard worker.
Just remember we all have the same 24 hours.
And choosing how you use it is the best way to control your results.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading :)
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Thank you, Mike
