The Tension Podcast By cover art

The Tension Podcast

By: Tim Sweetman
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  • Summary

  • The Tension Podcast is for those of us who’ve read every single leadership book and article that gives us just only one way to do things — but we’re ready to hold opposing ideas at once. It’s an exploration of where curiosity and wonder can take us.

    www.timsweetman.com
    Tim Sweetman
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Episodes
  • Episode #43: Viktor Frankl — Man's Search for Meaning

    Episode #43: Viktor Frankl — Man's Search for Meaning
    Jun 7 2024
    In this episode, Tim Sweetman delves into the profound wisdom and insights from Viktor Frankl's influential book, "Man's Search for Meaning." As a Holocaust survivor and renowned psychiatrist, Frankl's experiences in the concentration camps served as the foundation for his groundbreaking philosophical and therapeutic approach, logotherapy. This episode explores the central themes of Frankl's work, emphasizing the significance of finding meaning in life, even in the face of unimaginable suffering and adversity.Key Takeaways:* The Importance of Tension for Personal Growth and Meaning: Frankl argues that a certain degree of tension is essential for mental health and personal development. He suggests that what humans truly need is not a tensionless state, but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal or a freely chosen task. This tension between what one has already achieved and what one still ought to accomplish is the driving force behind self-actualization and the discovery of meaning in life.* The Paradox of Happiness: One of the central ideas in Frankl's work is the paradox of happiness. He maintains that directly pursuing happiness can lead to frustration and disappointment. Instead, he suggests that happiness is a byproduct of accepting uncertainty and tension in life, and focusing on finding meaning and purpose. By dedicating oneself to a cause greater than oneself or loving another person, one can experience a profound sense of fulfillment and happiness.* Three Ways to Find Meaning in Life: Frankl identifies three primary ways in which individuals can discover meaning in their lives: * Creating a work or doing a deed: Engaging in creative pursuits or accomplishing tasks that contribute to the world around us. * Experiencing something or encountering someone: Finding meaning through the appreciation of beauty, art, nature, or forming deep connections with others through love and relationships. * The attitude taken towards unavoidable suffering: When faced with unavoidable suffering, individuals have the opportunity to find meaning by choosing their response and maintaining a courageous and dignified attitude in the face of adversity.* The Power of Choice and Human Dignity: A central theme in Frankl's work is the importance of recognizing and exercising our freedom to choose, even in the most dire circumstances. He argues that the ability to choose one's attitude and response to any given situation is what sets humans apart and allows us to maintain our dignity and find meaning, even in the darkest of times. Frankl emphasizes that while we may not always have control over our circumstances, we always have the freedom to choose how we respond to them.* Tragic Optimism: Finding Hope in the Face of Pain, Guilt, and Death Frankl introduces the concept of tragic optimism, which is the ability to remain hopeful and find meaning despite the presence of what he calls the "tragic triad": pain, guilt, and death. He suggests that by embracing tragic optimism, individuals can transcend their suffering and find purpose and significance in their lives, even when confronted with the most challenging and painful experiences.Notable Quotes:* "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." (p. 66)* "Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'." (p. 76)* "The salvation of man is through love and in love." (p. 37)* "Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning." (p. 113)* "The meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche." (p. 115)* "Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant." (p. 131)* "Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose." (p. 104)* "In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice." (p. 113)* "The point is not what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us." (p. 77)* "Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality." (p. 111)Logotherapy and Paradoxical Intention: Frankl's experiences in the concentration camps led him to develop logotherapy, a form of existential analysis that focuses on the search for meaning as the primary motivational force in human life. Logotherapy emphasizes the importance of helping individuals identify and pursue their unique purpose, even in the face of suffering and adversity.One of the key techniques used in logotherapy is paradoxical intention, which involves encouraging individuals to embrace and even exaggerate their fears or anxieties. By doing so, patients can break free from the cycle of anticipatory anxiety and self-fulfilling prophecies. Frankl ...
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    48 mins
  • Episode #42: Jodie Hylkema — Embracing the "And"

    Episode #42: Jodie Hylkema — Embracing the "And"
    May 24 2024
    Jodie’s passion is investing in people. She thrives helping clients process and gain perspective, moving them forward toward personal and professional goals.At Leadership Consultancy, Jodie coaches Operators, senior leaders and their teams on setting and achieving goals, building trust, managing conflict, owning roles in the restaurant, and developing and leveraging emotional intelligence. She conducts Operator consultations, helping them identify areas of focus and creating individual and team focused development plans. She is also a contributing writer for The Operator Pathway, Leadership Consultancy’s guidebook for Operators developing deliverables for their business framework, talent cycle, and systems and processes in the restaurant. Using one of her main strengths of developer, she cultivates growth in individuals and teams as they become the best they can be.Jodie holds a bachelor’s degree in counseling from Moody Bible Institute. She spent four years as a senior leader at Chick-fil-A™ Citrus Plaza in Redlands, CA. As an executive leader specialist, she supervised all aspects of the talent cycle, including recruiting, hiring, labor allocations and scheduling, disciplinary conversations, and leadership development. She also managed receipts, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and incremental profit opportunity in a restaurant grossing 10 million in sales and experiencing consistent 18%+ growth year-over-year. Jodie's clients use CliftonStrengths®, the Enneagram, The Leadership Challenge®, EQi® 2.0 and other models to discover deeper insights and opportunities for growth.Connect with Jodie Hylkema: LinkedIn | Leadership Consultancy Selected Links From The Episode* Mitch Rales: Are You Investing Podcast* Steve Harvey: You Gotta Jump To Be SuccessfulRecommended Books:* Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great by Jim Collins* The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner * Chasing Failure: How Falling Short Sets You Up for Success by Ryan Leak* The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin* Leveling Up: 12 Questions to Elevate Your Personal and Professional Development by Ryan Leak* Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry* No One Understands You and What to Do About It by Heidi Grant Halvorson* Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown* David Gibson Book CollectionQuotes From The Interview* “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable because truly that is where the beauty of growth takes place. That is where we start to grow when we’re willing to say you know what this is a really really hard for me to say this person is probably not going to be happy with me when I hold them accountable but I think what a disservice we do to someone else to not address it and not give them the opportunity for their own growth.” - Jodie Hylkema* “The best leaders chase failures meaning they chase opportunities to learn.” - Jodie HylkemaPeople Mentioned* Jim Collins* Mitch Rales* Kobe BryantShow Notes* [00:00:00] Introduction to Jodie Hylkema* [00:03:50] Going from Chick-fil-A to coaching* [00:07:55] What sets Chick-fil-A apart from other brands and makes them successful* [00:10:12] Why aren’t other brands adopting Chick-fil-A’s vision* [00:13:14] Lessons leaders could apply and emphasis on core values* [00:19:27] Hardest part of leadership is clarity* [00:22:39] Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable* [00:27:00] Craving tension and leaning into the difficulty* [00:34:07] Embracing the “and” as leaders* [00:40:30] Examples of tension and ambition* [00:45:00] The challenge of making small changes and the output leads to success* [00:46:44] How the best leaders react to failure* [00:52:00] Failing and failing forward* [00:54:45] Finding balance between comfort and tension* [00:58:00] Helpful resources Get full access to Tension at www.timsweetman.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Episode #41: Truett Cathy — Chick-fil-A Founder's Essential Lessons from "It's Easier to Succeed Than Fail"

    Episode #41: Truett Cathy — Chick-fil-A Founder's Essential Lessons from "It's Easier to Succeed Than Fail"
    May 18 2024
    I read It’s Easier to Succeed Than to Fail to share the essential lessons from the founder of Chick-fil-A. S. Truett Cathy was founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Cathy started the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House®). Through the years, that restaurant prospered and led Cathy to further the success of his business. In 1967, Cathy founded and opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Shopping Center. Lessons from It’s Easier to Succeed Than Fail: * Things don't happen by chance, they happen by choice. Associate with winners and those with great attitudes. "Associate yourselves only with those people you can be proud of, whether they work for you or you work for them." "A less qualified individual with a good attitude would be more welcomed at my company than a highly talented individual with a bad attitude."* Generosity and care for others, even amidst business challenges, is essential. Truett was deeply moved and inspired by Gene, a blind and deaf boy he helped on a flight, saying "If I ever felt, or feel sorry for myself, I turn my thoughts to that courageous boy." "As we blessed others, we ourselves were blessed in fulfillment of Proverbs 11:25 'He who waters will also be watered himself.'"* Every problem has a solution if you persevere and get creative. When faced with shortages of building supplies after WWII, Truett said "I couldn't wait for five or six months. Ben and I had to get that building up so we could start earning a living." He drove to small towns to buy nails and scavenged wood from torn down buildings, doing whatever it took to finish construction.* Consistency is the most important aspect of business, especially in food service. "The friendliness of the staff, the expression on your face, paying attention to their special requests - all these are extremely important. People don't always go out to eat because they're hungry. They may be simply looking for fellowship or a pleasant experience."* Crisis is an opportunity in disguise. Get away from problems to find solutions. Faced with the company's first sales decrease in 1982, the executive team went on a retreat to refocus on their purpose. "As I've learned so often in life, people need to get away from a problem in order to solve it. Sitting in the midst of the trouble only makes people more conscious of the negative forces."* Craft a meaningful corporate purpose that honors God and influences others. Profit and purpose can coexist. The team developed this purpose statement: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." "We wanted to be faithful to our statements, but we also were in business to make a profit. I knew the two could work together."* Stay closed on Sundays out of spiritual principle, even if it seems illogical from a business perspective. "It was just a principle that I stand very firmly on for my business... We find closing on Sunday attracts those people who give attention to spiritual growth and are family oriented."* Embrace the power of integrative thinking - face tensions and find creative resolutions that contain elements of each side. Chick-fil-A could have expanded more rapidly through franchising or going public, but Truett decided to grow slowly, stay private, and focus on people over profits. This allowed them to be extremely generous in unconventional ways.* Success takes time and persistence, like the Chinese bamboo tree that shows no growth for 4 years then shoots up 90 feet in 6 weeks. "Life is much akin to the growing process of the Chinese bamboo tree. It is often discouraging. We seemingly do the right thing, and nothing happens. But for those who do things right and are not discouraged and are persistent, things will begin to happen. Finally, we begin to receive the rewards."* It truly is easier to succeed than to fail if you do things right. "May I assure you, who are kind enough to read this book, that it is indeed easier to succeed than to fail. That it takes time to succeed and time to fail, but more time to fail than to succeed."Truett Cathy's remarkable life and leadership demonstrate the power of uncompromising commitment to faith, generosity, relationships, and a higher purpose beyond profits. His legacy inspires us to lead organizations that honor God and serve people with consistency and care.Books: * It's Easier to Succeed Than to Fail (1989) * Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People (2002) * It's Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men (2004) * How Did You Do It, Truett?: A Recipe for Success (2007) * Wealth, Is It Worth It? (2011) * The Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure (2002)Timestamps: * 0:00 Introduction* 7:24 Things don't happen by chance, they happen by choice* 12:00 Generosity and care for others is essential* 31:00 ...
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    58 mins
Management Economics Philosophy Social Sciences
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