Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, and Servant Leadership with Scott Sonju

Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, and Servant Leadership with Scott Sonju

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast we welcome Scott Sonju, longtime sports executive, leadership coach, and senior advisor. Scott grew up in the sports world — his father was the founding president and general manager of the Dallas Mavericks — and he has built his own remarkable career across professional baseball, rugby, and international sports. Scott led the Frisco RoughRiders for thirteen years, where more than one hundred and twenty-five players developed before going on to play for the Texas Rangers. He helped train the Chinese national baseball team, launched the Dallas Jackals in Major League Rugby, and today teaches sports sponsorship at SMU while coaching CEOs and executives across the country. In this conversation, Scott and I talk about how blind spots show up at the highest levels of organizations and what servant leadership really looks like when you have to make the hard call. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:12 Scott Sonju Intro 01:03 Welcome Scott Sonju  01:24 Scott's Journey - Growing Up In A Sports Family  02:51 Leaving Sports To Work At A Christian Camp  03:53 Early Lessons In Servant Leadership  06:19 Rest And Restoration  07:50 Jumping Back Into Sports  09:28 Creating An Amazing Fan Experience  11:12 Early Pitfalls  12:39 The Rangers' Business Model  14:15 Players Getting Called Up To The Majors  14:53 Servant Leadership - Leading Many Different Groups  17:48 Instilling Great Leadership Skills  19:39 Helping People Thrive Professionally And Personally  20:42 After The Minor Leagues  22:43 The First Chinese National Baseball Team  23:29 Launch Of The Dallas Jackals  24:36 Experience Leading In A Different Culture  27:24 Why The Shift To Rugby?  29:10 Influencers And Sports  31:01 Changing Times For College Athletes  33:29 Opportunities And Investments In College Sports  34:39 Back Into Consulting  37:02 Leadership Blindspots  39:05 Weaknesses vs. Blind Spots  41:54 360 Stakeholder Analysis  43:15 How Aware Are Leaders Today?  44:54 Overestimating Your Communication Skills  47:19 How Great Leaders Communicate Well  50:01 Lessons From Norm Sonju  51:45 As Tender As Possible, But As Firm As Necessary  53:33 Servant Leadership - Working Behind The Scenes  55:07 Servant Leadership - Being A Strong Leader  58:01 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions  1:01:50 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast  1:02:45 Closing Learn more about Scott and SNS Advisory: https://www.snsadvisory.net/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

What 30 Years in Banking Teaches About Money with Kent Lugrand

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast we welcome Kent Lugrand, the CEO of InTouch Credit Union. For more than three decades, Kent has led InTouch Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative serving members in all fifty states and more than twenty countries. Under Kent's leadership, InTouch has built a national reputation for community-focused banking and has championed the fight against food insecurity by tying a portion of every loan payment and every debit card swipe to feeding families in the communities they serve. Kent leads from a posture of stewardship and humility — taking the blame when things go wrong, giving away the credit when things go right, and consistently putting the interests of the credit union members and his team ahead of his own. In this conversation, Kent and I talk about how to think about money and better understand how servant leaders should think about their finances. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:42 Kent Lugrand Intro 01:31 Welcome Kent Lugrand  01:40 What Makes InTouch Credit Union Different  03:10 Why Bank With A Credit Union  04:15 Is The Movement Growing?  04:49 Kent's Journey - The Path To Credit Unions  07:00 Falling In Love With The Credit Union  07:50 The Fight Against Food Insecurity  09:24 Getting Members Involved  10:17 The InTouch Community  12:36 Investing In Your People  13:13 How InTouch Thinks About Tech  14:59 A History Of Innovation  16:42 Being A Steward Of Money  18:42 Giving God What He Is Owed  21:03 Servant Leadership - Willingness To Support The Team  23:29 Servant Leadership - Give As Much As Possible  24:40 Choosing Your Fellow Leaders  27:00 Praise In Public, Be Critical In Private  29:32 The Folly Of Expecting Perfection From Humans  30:05 There Is Always Room For Growth  31:59 You Are Still A Work In Progress  33:30 Choosing Family Over PHD  36:21 How A Credit Union Works  39:25 A Nonprofit Collective  40:25 Credit Unions vs. Publicly Traded Banks  42:49 Emotionally Driven Financial Decisions  44:15 The Lottery - A Bad Investment  45:14 Sharing Financial Wisdom  47:02 Retirement Money Comes From Savings, Not Investment  47:34 The New Generation's Differing Views On Money  48:50 People Don't Plan To Fail, They Fail To Plan  51:23 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions  54:22 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 57:17 Closing Learn more about InTouch Credit Union: https://www.itcu.org/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

Peak Performance with Dr. James Hewitt

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast we welcome Dr. James Hewitt — a human performance scientist who has spent the last two decades helping the world's most demanding performers do their best work without burning out in the process. His work has taken him across nineteen Formula 1 world championships, into the offices of Fortune 500s, and onto stages all around the world. He's the author of Regenerative Performance, a book born out of his own cancer diagnosis and the realization that the "more effort, more optimization" approach he had built his career on wasn’t actually how the world’s true long-term performers operated. Join us as we talk about peak performance, burnout, and better understand why most leaders are dangerously bad judges of their own capacity. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:23 Dr. James Hewitt Intro 01:06 Welcome Dr. James Hewitt 01:15 Dr. James's Journey - The Human Performance Scientist 03:33 The Cyclist Dream 05:19 A Scientific Approach 06:32 A Wrinkle In The Plan 08:19 Combining Psychological And Physical Efforts 09:31 Data Analysis Of The Human Mind 11:24 Digital Phenotyping 13:36 Single Lead ECG 16:38 Success Rate And Realistic Goals 19:01 Deconstructing The Goal To Find The Path 21:21 A Customizable Program 24:01 Our Best Ideas Come When We Least Expect Them 25:25 Regenerative Performance 27:24 Confronting Mortality 29:52 Maximize Effort AND Recovery 32:38 Servant Leadership - Increasing Capacity 34:53 The Negative Effect Of Sleep Deprivation 36:38 Avoiding Service Acting 38:19 The Wisdom Of Knowing Your Limit 39:52 Detachment Between Hours Worked And Energy Spent 41:10 Develop An Internal Dashboard 42:43 Concerns About AI Pushing "Always On" Work 45:05 3 Core Questions To Identify The Problem 46:49 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 49:57 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 51:29 Closing Learn more about Dr. James here: https://drjameshewitt.com/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

What Happens After You Hit Bottom with Paul Young

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome New York Times bestselling author Paul Young. Originally written as a Christmas gift for his children, The Shack has gone on to sell more than 25 million copies, and became a major motion picture starring Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, and Tim McGraw. Paul's journey is anything but conventional. Raised among a Stone-Age tribe in the highlands of New Guinea, he later worked three jobs while writing The Shack on a commuter train. After twenty-six publishers rejected the book, he and two friends self-published it with just three hundred dollars in marketing — and watched it become one of the most-read books of the 21st century. The real story behind The Shack is the eleven-year unraveling that came before it — a story of failure, forgiveness, and the kind of grace that only shows up when you've stopped pretending. Join us as we talk about leading through hidden pain, the cost and freedom of forgiveness, and his long-awaited sequel, Return to the Shack. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:12 Paul Young Intro 01:06 Welcome Paul Young 01:25 Paul’s Journey - A Rough Start 03:43 Bringing Troubles Into Marriage 05:21 Seeking Help And Healing 07:23 The Birth Of The Shack 09:40 Longing For Authenticity 11:19 Living Out That Authenticity 13:40 Advice For Those On The Path To Rock Bottom 15:37 Mending His Relationship With His Father 16:43 How To Live Without Expectations 19:08 Dangers Of Hiding Behind A False Persona 20:52 Being Remembered Only For Your Worst Day 23:33 The Themes Behind The Shack 25:14 From Christmas Gift To Best Seller 27:21 The Impact Of The Shack 29:07 Unrighteous Wealth Vs. Self Giving 30:54 The Film Adaptation 33:04 The Right Time To Give Away The Movie 35:11 Return To The Shack 36:57 Death Row And The Sequel 39:19 “Our Prison Is Obvious” 41:22 A Journey Into Redemption 43:54 Living A Life Of Gratitude And Forgiveness 46:15 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 48:34 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 49:06 Closing Learn more about Paul here: https://wmpaulyoung.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-paul-young-podcast/id1733287109 Preorder Return to the Shack: https://www.amazon.com/Return-Shack-Journey-into-Redemption/dp/154600887X Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

The Moral Case for Bitcoin with Jimmy Song

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome Jimmy Song. Jimmy is one of the most respected voices in the Bitcoin world and known to many as the Bitcoin cowboy. After years in the startup space, he made the jump into Bitcoin early and has since become a developer, educator, and author dedicated to helping people actually understand Bitcoin. He is the author of multiple books, including Programming Bitcoin, Thank God for Bitcoin, and FIAT Ruins Everything. What makes Jimmy's perspective stand out is that he does not talk about Bitcoin simply as a technology or an investment. He talks about money as a moral issue, about Bitcoin as a human rights tool, and about sound money as a form of stewardship. Join us as we talk about how Bitcoin works, why it's different from the money most of us use every day, and the practical first steps for people who want to understand Bitcoin and blockchain. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:29 Jimmy Song Intro 01:21 Welcome Jimmy Song 01:29 Jimmy’s Journey - The Bitcoin Cowboy 02:54 What Is Bitcoin? 06:25 Why Make The Jump? 09:57 Bitcoin vs. Standard Currency 12:18 A Fixed Supply 14:58 How Bitcoin Holds Value 18:13 The Advantage Of An Absolutely Scarce Currency 20:21 Morals And Money 21:24 Historical Analysis Of Currency 23:41 Morality With Vulnerable Currency 28:02 Bitcoin As A Human Rights Tool 31:37 Bitcoin As A Tool For Stewardship 34:41 Faith And Bitcoin 36:21 A More Subtle Approach 37:07 Application To Sharing Faith 40:35 A Tight-Knit Community In Bitcoin 43:44 Bitcoin vs. Altcoins 45:41 Double-Edged Sword Of Centralization 47:16 Unpredictability Of Market Response 49:41 How To Get Into Bitcoin Today 53:18 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 55:34 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 56:59 Closing Learn more about Jimmy here: https://jimmysong.org/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. All views and opinions expressed by the host are solely his own. Bitcoin and cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile and involve significant risk. Always do your own research and consult with a licensed professional before making any financial decisions.