Doug Whittington Leads with Empower

"Humanity is not an individual sport." Doug Whittington Leads with Empower and brings an excitingly fresh perspective on what it means to lead effectively in business, at home, and in life. We learn about Doug's journey to (and from) the corporate world, his family's current adventure (cross country road trip since February 2021), and so much more. We hope you enjoy our conversation! 00:00: Episode Start and "Roll Call" Doug Whittington is an entrepreneur, husband of 20 years, dad of 2 daughters, and corporate team effectiveness consultant joining the Lead with Empower podcast from Lake Tahoe. If you're looking for a unique perspective on leadership and the different styles of effective leadership, look now further than our conversation with Doug Whittington "Instead of talking about the glass being half full or half empty, we talk about the part that we can drink!" We learn about Doug's connection with Joe DeRing, Founder of Empower Adventures and Empower Leadership. We also learn about Doug's current work as a consultant - "I am fed by helping people; I aim to reduce the unnecessary suffering that occurs inside of workplaces so that we can work within our natural collaborative strengths of connection and communication". 11:02: The Journey - Money Doesn't Guarantee Happiness "Companies asked me to leave certain aspects of myself at home. I worked inside of many systems that loved money and used people; and, I love people and want to use money." Doug describes the conflict of interest between how the companies he worked for made money and how Doug hoped to treat people. "I believe that you can shear a sheep many times, but you can skin it only once. If we are into skinning sheep, we are not living up to the company's values." 16:15: Discovering the "Best Version of Doug Whittington" Doug discusses his transition from "corporate life" to entrepreneurship and consulting in 2015. Doug shares how some conversations with his wife and daughter helped him decide to make the transition - "I was miserable because of private self-loathing and everyone else was getting this really angsty version of me." 20:38: Finding the Courage to Pivot, Take the Step, and Grow Doug shares some strategies he implemented to coach himself through the challenge of transitioning out of the corporate world in 2015. "Leadership to me is a service roll, it's not a place of power. It's not leadership over, it's leadership for." 24:38: The Journey, Part II - Noteworthy Experiences from Doug's Highschool, College, and Early Professional Years "I didn't have a great plan going into college, I treated it like 13th grade. I was good at art, but that doesn't mean I should be an artist." Doug discusses his love for art and the internal battle of not seeing the commercial value in it. We also learn about Doug's motivation to transition from art to "learn the science of sales". Doug shares the wisdom he would share with his 19-year old self - "money is not an end to pursue" Additionally, Doug shares some advice for those graduating high school who are uncertain as to where their passions lie - "Get out and volunteer, humanity is not an individual sport!" We also spend some time discussing Doug's passion for sales. 44:52: Leadership in Action - Looking for Opportunities in the Struggle From signing a strategic consulting partnership in 2019 to the global shutdown due to the pandemic - we learn about Doug's current consulting efforts and his family's epic cross country road trip! "Our house served us well; however, when we really felt most connected to one another and alive, was when we were out doing things as a family. We were falling in love with the experiences we were able to do as a family!" Doug gives us some insight into his family's magnificent adventure that started in February of 2021 and is ongoing. Doug also discusses his favorite area of leadership - "creating a context and understanding that perception is reality" - and what he hopes his daughters are able to take away from their family road trip adventure. 01:12:35: "Finish the Drill" and Episode Closure We wrap up the episode in traditional fashion with some rapid fire/rapid response questions! Doug shares (1) what has been his favorite location visited during your family's road trip, (2) his favorite local food experienced during their trip, (3) what he prefers to listen to while driving over 15 tons of truck and RV, (4) his definition of leadership, and (5) why he feels adventure is important. Musical Credit to Matt Jaskot Find out more at https://lead-with-empower-podcast.pinecast.co