Chip Huth on the Fast Leader Show

Chip Huth Show Notes

Charles “Chip” Huth had just been to a tactical communications class and tried to use this new communications strategy, which he just learned, on his son. When the tactics that worked in class did not work on his son, Chip become very frustrated. That’s when Chip truly realized the hump he needed to get over. Listen to Chip tell his story of how he got over the hump to move onward and upward faster.

Chip, was born in Columbus, Ohio. As a young boy, his family was constantly moving. Until he reached the sixth grade, Chip didn’t even attend the same school two years in a row. All of that instability in moving around could be why he has called call Kansas City, Missouri his home for the past 25-years.

Chip spent his early childhood in a variety of challenging environments. He’s been homeless, lived in missions and Salvation Army facilities, slept in police stations, been in foster care with several families and lived on his own since age 17.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Multi-Disciplinary Studies from Grantham University and an Associate’s Degree in Police Science from Park University.

Chip is a Captain with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and has 24-years of law enforcement experience. He currently serves as the Watch I Commander for the Central Patrol Division.

Chip is an adjunct professor for the University of Missouri—Kansas City, a part-time instructor at the Kansas City Missouri Police Leadership Academy, a consultant for the KCPD’s Office of General Counsel, the Missouri Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Chip is author, speaker, and a certified national trainer in defensive tactics, an expert witness in the field of police operations and reasonable force, and a Subject Matter Expert on police use of force.

Chip is proud to be able to serve people and wants to be remembered as someone who was “others-focused” and helpful. He is particularly interested in helping law enforcement adapt effectively to the changing expectations of their communities.

Chip is currently engaged to the most lovely person he have ever known. He has two grown sons —Christopher and Brandon, and a soon to be step-son Connor.Tweetable Quotes and Mentions

Tweetable Quotes and Mentions

Listen to @CharlesHuth1 and get over the hump on the @FastLeaderShow Click to Tweet

“When it comes to leadership there is a commonality there (people).” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“Leadership is conferred by the people that are led.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“Anyone can have rank.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“Leadership at every level is what we need.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“We must first accept that the people we’re dealing with have value.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“If everybody’s perspective matters you can get to some very interesting solutions.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“I can’t collaborate with you unless I recognize your inherent worth.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“The more you move up the ranks it’s easy to retreat within yourself.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“I’m not developing any more natural intelligence as I get promoted.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“The key is being able to inspire others to be their best selves.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“See the people around you…as people that count like you count.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“Even a compliment can become condescending when it’s insincere.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“The biggest thing in my life from a leadership perspective…my role as father.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“You don’t truly become a loser until you start blaming people.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“My goal…is to become less occupied with myself.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“Never walk past a small mistake.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“I’m able to assemble teams that make me look a lot better than I am.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

“Humility is the superpower; it’s the thing that I use to accomplish everything.” -Chip Huth Click to Tweet

Hump to Get Over

Advice for others

The key is being able to inspire others to be their best selves.

Holding him back from being an even better leader

Time management. I spread myself really thin and could use better focus.

Best Leadership Advice Received

Never walk past a small mistake.

Secret to Success

My ability to recognize talent in others.

Best tools that helps in business or Life

Humility. Humility is a superpower.

Contacting Chip

Email: Charles.Huth [at] KCPD.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-huth-85826125

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharlesHuth1

Resources

54 Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Competencies List: Emotional Intelligence has proven to be the right kind of intelligence to have if you want to move onward and upward faster. Get your free list today.

Show Transcript:

[expand title=”Click to access edited transcript”]

056: Chip Huth: The common denominator in this stuff was me

Intro: Welcome to the Fast Leader Podcast, where we explore convenient yet effective shortcuts that will help you get ahead and move forward faster by becoming a better leader. And now here’s your host, customer and employee engagement expert and certified emotional intelligence practitioner, Jim Rembach.

“Developing your company’s talent and leadership pipeline can be an overwhelming task but your burn is over with ResultPal you can use the power of practice to develop more leaders faster. Move onward and upward by going to www.resultpal.com/fast and getting a $750 performance package for free.”

Jim Rembach: Okay, Fast Leader Legion, today I have the honor of having somebody on the show who’s really making a significant difference in this world today, and boy, we need what he’s been doing now more than ever. Chip Huth was born in Columbus, Ohio. As a young boy his family was constantly moving until he reached the sixth grade, Chip didn’t even attend the same school two years in a row, all of that instability and moving around could be why he has called Kansas City, Missouri his home for the last 25 years.

Chip spent his early childhood in a variety of challenging environments, he’s been homeless, lived in missions, and Salvation Army facility, slept in police stations and had been in foster care with several families, and lived on his own since his age of 17. Because of being rescued by his uncle he was able to find a stable teenage life on the farm and join the Army. Continuing his growth after the Army, Chip got a Bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Grantham University and an Associate’s degree in Police Science from Park University. Chip is a captain with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and has 24 years of law enforcement experience. He currently serves as the Watch 1 Commander for the Central Patrol Division. Chip is an adjunct professor for the University of Missouri Kansas City, part-time instructor at the Kansas City Missouri Police Leadership Academy, a consultant for the Kansas City Police Department’s office of General Counsel the Missouri Police Officer Standards and Training Commission and the Missouri Atty. General’s office.

Chip is author, speaker and a certified national trainer in defensive tactics and expert witness in the field of police operations and reasonable force and a Subject Matter Expert on police use of force. Chip is proud to be able to serve people wants to be remembered as someone who was others-focused and helpful. He is particularly interested in helping the law-enforcement adapt effectively to the changing expectations of their communities. Chip is currently engaged to the most lovely person he’s ever known. He has two grown sons, Christopher and Brandon and has a soon-to-be stepson Connor. Chip Huth, are you ready to help us get over the hump?

Chip Huth: Jim, thank you very much, it’s a genuine honor to speak with you today.

Jim Rembach: The honor is mine and I’m glad to able to share you and your story with the Legion. I’ve given them a little bit about but can you tell us what your current passion is so that we can get to know you better?

Chip Huth: Yeah. Leadership, to be honest with you, I’m trying to develop leaders. When I got promoted to captain, it was a year ago on December 7, the goal was to start developing within our organization future leaders. I see a real need as we’re moving forward, and specially with the challenges that were all seeing today, I see a real need for strong leaders who have good character and a good sense of recognizing the personhood of the people they lead and the people they serve, and so that’s been my biggest lately. It’s a constant opportunity to mentor, opportunity to guide and steer people through and help them navigate some of these tricky situations and [3:31 inaudible] I been writing articles here and there, working on a new edition of a second edition of a book with a co-author all geared toward this very thing.

Jim Rembach: What you say too—of course it’s in context of law enforcement and police, however, the same thing applies in organizations. Now, one of the main differences, and this is definitely one of those things you have to navigate is that for you and you guys, meaning law enforcement, is that it’s so public, you have the news chasing you around everywhere. The fact is that there’s a lot of companies and organizations that are out there today that if that lens was cast upon them there’d be more atrocities that are shared on news then unfortunately what happens with law enforcement.

Chip Huth: Yeah. I can absolutely see that and I do have the privilege of working in a lot of corporate space as a consultant and I find great value on that. Some of the work I’ve done in the corporate space has really thought me a lot about leadership in our sector, in the government sector, I’m able to listen to some of these fascinating leaders that are out there in the private sector and adapt some of their strategies and technologies too. When it comes leadership there’s a common ally there, at the end of the day it’s about people. And regardless of, if you’re working in the private sector or public sector, every bit of that involves relationships and people.

Jim Rembach: And I’m so glad you said that. Again one of those other reasons I wanted to have you on the show is to make that point and to say that were in need of people to lead. It means that all ranks, it’s not just—Hey, I have the captain’s bars—it’s also I’m on patrol.

Chip Huth: Well, at the end of the day, this doesn’t matter in my opinion, always I guess it’s my opinion, but it doesn’t matter whether you’re a CEO on the board room or police captain or a chief or an officer on patrol, leadership conferred by the people that are lead, they have to volunteer to follow you. Anyone can have rank, everyone knows who the boss is, big corner offices and bars on your shoulders and that type of things driving the newest car, at the end of the day, the social environment of your corporation, or of your company, or of your department that determines whether or not you’re effective as leader. Not you and your position, so I couldn’t agree more with that statement, Jim. Leadership at every level is what we need.

Jim Rembach: And you’re right. And the whole of relationship component is a foundational piece. I had the opportunity to work with some law enforcement here not too long ago and we were doing some activities and a comment came back to me and they said, “Wow, I’ve known this person sitting next to me for 25 years and I never knew that about them. I’m not saying that that’s necessarily bad thing but sometimes we just get so caught up in what we have to do, oftentimes, we just don’t take the moments to be able to see who we need to do it with or who we want to do it with, or who if we were collaborating with that we would get more of it done.

Chip Huth: We can say enough about collaboration but in order to get to collaboration we must first accept that the people that were dealing with have value, they add value to what you’re trying to accomplish. If everybody’s perspective matters then you can get to all kinds of very interesting solutions to collaboration. But I can’t collaborate with you unless I recognize your inherent worth as a person. It’s easy, and especially, the more you move the ranks, and it’s easy to retreat within yourself. You start feeling this pressure to have all the answers and have all the best ideas. Unfortunately, I’m not developing anymore natural intelligence as I get promoted, I’m getting more responsibility, I getting more span of control but at the end of the day I’ve got to play with the hand that was held to me. I love the word collaboration, the key is being able to inspire others to be their best selves and to jump in to that makes with you and [8:00 inducible] starts to happen all kinds by this folks around, but you can’t get there without true collegiality and that requires you to see the people around you and the people that you lead as people who coun0t like you count.

Jim Rembach: The whole value piece is so important. It reminds me of something that I experience yesterday where somebody asked for my assistance because of the things that I’ve come to learn and what I can do as far as helping and assisting others is concerned. However, within 15 minutes the person who asked for my support and help talked about his own people in such a negative way that I almost want to just get up and walk out. I was just like, “I can help you, unless that piece is there, there’s not a whole lot to do. I’m not going to essentially bestow upon you a bigger stick, that’s not what I’m interested in and if you don’t want to quit beating then we don’t have much to talk about.”

Chip Huth: That distinction you’re talking, that’s a distinction that a lot of people miss. The distinction between the way you are and what you do. The distinction between—in Arbinger language, the company that I work with, we say it’s the difference between your behavior and your way of being. You’ve given this guy a great behavior solution, he’s asking you for behavior solutions but he’s not tending to deeper [9:26 inaudible]. Generally there’s two ways to do almost any behavior, you can do it in someone that you’re dealing with as a person that matters or you can do it in someone your dealing with as an object and the way you are in that behavior changes the whole tone of it, even a compliment can become condescending when it’s insincere and when it lacks authenticity, you hit on something. Well, and again, kudos to you for recognizing that, there’s so many people will just beat that horse trying to get those behavior strategies to folks who really can appreciate or value what’s underneath that.

For a long time for me, I was a guy who saw people as either be in my way or being helpful to me or being irrelevant and they fit in to one of those categories. And I didn’t understand that that was hampering me, my ability to lead not only professionally but most certainly as father. I didn’t see how that hamstringing me, and I’m telling you when I realize, when I finally encounter this language it help me understand it in a clear way, it was life-changing.

Jim Rembach: And I think the really big point is that—we often talk about work life and personal life and professional life, the fact is it’s life and all of that is going to hamstring us or propel us. In know talking about what you’ve gone through in your life and what you’ve been able to achieve, that resilience, that overcoming your uncle and what he did for you and your family, is that there’s a lot of humps we have to get over and needless to say that they define us and they will cause us to go on a totally different direction, a better direction, sometimes not sometimes we have to go over a couple of humps, but is there a time where you’ve had to get over a hump and you can share that story with us.

Chip Huth: Yeah. As a [11:25 inaudible]most of their talking, I was thinking about professional things, but really I’d say the biggest thing in my life from a leadership perspective probably the biggest thing for me that always comes mind when you ask that question it has to do with my role as a father. And ultimately there is no more important leadership role, especially in today’s society, I’ve literally witnessed the absence of fathers that contribute to such decline not only in morality but in order, that’s the big common denominator on all of the folks we’ve deal whenever they’re in crisis, is it lacked that kind of leadership. I guess one of the challenges that I had was the way that I used to see things, the lens in which I saw the world, in science they call it paradigm it was seeing people in terms of how they could be useful to me or whether they would get in my way, apparently that way and it’s heartbreaking to share this but it’s also honest.

I remember one day I’m in an airport and I’m waiting on a lay-over and I go in to the bookstore, I like to read I’m looking around I find this book called, Leadership and Self-deception, I like leadership and I’m a philosopher so I thought I understood self-deception at the least, this is kind of interesting, so I picked the book up and I read it and in a couple hours I’m flying to this book. I finished it up on the plane—this is what took away from the book, Jim, and this is embarrassing to say, I got to the last page I thought this book is wonderful, this book tells me what’s wrong with everybody who’s a problem in life. So, I literally started prescribing this book to people that I thought have problems, “You need to read this book, this will fix you up.” That was my mindset, this happens.

And I pick my son Christopher from school a couple of days later and I’ve just been to a tactical communications class in in-service training. And so I’m driving to get Chris, I get him in the car he’s clearly got a problem. He has hardly sleep and really sad, he’s down and what I’m going to do as a dad, concern father, I’m going to practice this communication strategy on my son, that I just learned. So I start asking him, “Hey, son what’s going on? What’s the problem?” and he’s not giving me anything. We’re driving home and I’m certainly were frustrated cause this techniques work in class, and it’s not working. We get to the driveway, I pull in, and I put the car in park and I will never ever forget this, it’s emotional every time I talk about it. I say to Chris, “Chris why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” And Chris said, “Dad you wouldn’t understand.” And so I turned sideways on the seat towards him and I said, “Chris what makes you think I wouldn’t understand?” You see what I’m doing there, opening a question just like I was taught, and he turn on his seat and when he does his eyes are full of tears and he looks right through me an says, “Because you’re a robot, dad.” And he gets out of car and he goes in the house and I remember sitting in the driveway and what I realize in that moment, I thought back to the book that I read, Leadership and self-deception, and I realize this Chris was not responding to what I was doing, he was responding to who I was as a person. Who I was person as a person, as a dad who he knew me to be. At the level behavior I was doing everything right, if you are a behavior coach, you’re like, you’re asking open and end questions, you’ve turned your body toward him, you’re sincere—you’re appearing to be sincere, you’re doing all the things that they would tell would be perfect in a communications setting, but he’s not responding to that he’s respond to who I am and what I’m doing, that was part of the moment I suddenly realized that that books was talking to me.

Jim Rembach: That kind of make me think about some of the times where my kids would say that back to me. So when you start thinking about where you went from there, how did you change that around for you and Chris?

Chip Huth: I’ll tell you what I did, Jim. I dived into this concept of self-deception deeply. I went so far as to be become involved with the Arbinger Institute. I’m currently a senior consultant for them these people are my friends now, the founders of the company—we converse, we collaborate, I’m involved in this company deeply, I don’t mean it lightly, I feel like they saved my life I had practically destroyed two marriages single-handedly. I was married to a young woman when we were kids, the mother of my children, I was 19, 20 years old when we got married. I remember driving down the road one day and thinking, “Man, I really got a lemon here, this isn’t working out, I can’t believe this happens to such a nice guy, that I’ve got this loser for a life.” And I start to process in deconstructing this relationship all around me and we end up getting a divorce. Then I set out and seek, again being obviously romantic, I’ve not given up on love, so I go looking for another wife. I find a wife another wonderful woman totally opposite in every way from my first wife. We get married and wife goes good for a little while and the next thing you know, we’re going down the same path and we end up in divorce. And sitting around thinking about this and this comes to the common denominator in this stuff in both this marriages was me. This women were completely different in every possible way and I was the common denominator, I didn’t see it, I was blind to it. And so by understanding this concept a little bit better about self-deception, it enabled me to see so many things differently. See my role not only professionally as a leader but as a father as a partner to see it totally differently. And it was hard lesson, I think the biggest thing that that I want folks to understand is, we all—this doesn’t comes naturally to anybody—we all struggle. You’re in and out of this box and you’re trying constantly, hopefully trying constantly to improve. It’s when we become complacent and start blaming everyone around us. You don’t truly become a loser when you start blaming people, I believe that I truly do and there’s where I was at.

Jim Rembach: Thanks for sharing how you’ve had the opportunity to change that situation and what it meant for you. I would say that again, there’s so many people that have experienced that and never come to the realization that the common denominator is them. And that’s one reason why we do the Fast Leader show, is because hopefully we’ll correct that and it’ll be the situation where we can get over the hump, so thanks for sharing. I know you have a lot of things going on. You were talking about your career as a captain, congratulation again for the promotion, and author, consultant, go on and on, I know you have another book coming out, when you look out all the things on your plate what are some of your goals?

Chip Huth: My biggest goal sounds probably a little bit vague but my biggest goal is to find ways to be helpful to others. I really want to, as you said when you introduced me—thank you for that wonderful introduction—I want to be remembered and I want to be someone who’s focused on other people. A friend of mine, he’s a Navy Seal captain, and we talked about this idea and he brings a very clear point of saying, “Look, in Navy Seal training and Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL BUD/S school, which is known around the world as one of the toughest, hardest military trainings in the world, they can always tell when or who at that first of these classes are going to quit. They come from all different walks of life, they’re professional athletes, the farm boys like me and when they’re all lined up out there they’re not able to tell rule out the bad who’s going to quit. But what he said to me was very [20:00 inaudible] he said, “You can’t tell who’s going to quit, but you can generally tell when they’re going to quit,” and he said, “That’s the point when they stop focusing on the mission and their teammates and start focusing on themselves. When they start thinking about how cold, wet, tired and hungry they are it’s inevitable, it’s not a matter if they’re going to ring out that’s win.” And I’m telling you what, that is it, that is so telling. And so my goal and what I’m trying to do now is to become less occupied with myself and I find it so much rewarding trying to help others grow and trying to share credit and trying to share, as you said collaborate with people to accomplish things, that’s the biggest thing I’m working on.

If you’re going to talk about project wise, the second edition of Jack and I’s book is a big thing right now, we’ve dived deep into, Arbinger’s helping us work with that, we’ve acquired the rights from the publisher for the second edition. The goal doing behind that was, first of all, my publisher’s awesome but we can’t control the price point and our goal behind doing the second edition is we’ll be able to be able to control the price point and be able to hand the book to people and have it be more helpful. It was never about making a buck, it was sharing this philosophy and cascading it out. My heart breaks weekly when I see the news and I see how law enforcement is struggling to communicate. Our intentions to folks, and I want to be able to get that book out as kind of a platform to start a discussion with law enforcement. So many people have not been able to read it because [21:38 inaudible] it as a textbook. The average cop have to spend $50 for a book, they got families to feed, so I’m really excited about that project. So there’s a little bit of—what I’m working on personally and then what I’m working on externally if that was helpful.

Jim Rembach: It was perfect her and the fast leader legion wishes you the very best. Now before we move on let’s get a quick work from our sponsor.

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Alright here we go Fast Leader listeners it’s time for the Hump Day Hoedown. Okay Chip the Hump Day Hoedown is the part of our show where you give us good insights fast. So, I’m going to ask you several questions and your job is to give us robust yet rapid responses that are going to help us move onward and upward faster. Chip Huth are you ready to hoedown?

Chip Huth: Let’s get it on.

Jim Rembach: What do you think is holding you back from being an even better leader today?

Chip Huth: Without a doubt I’d say my biggest struggle’s time management. I spread myself really thin and I take on a lot and I really, really could use a little more focus.

Jim Rembach: What is the biggest leadership advice you have received?

Chip Huth: Oh! My God, never walk past the small mistake.

Jim Rembach: What is one of your secrets that you believe contributes to your success?

Chip Huth: Without a doubt it’s my ability to recognize talent in others. I can recognize someone, when they walk in a room I can see their potential because I was able to assemble teams that frankly make me look a lot better than I am.

Jim Rembach: What do you feel is one of your best tools that helps you lead in business and life?

Chip Huth: Humility. Without a doubt humility is the super power. It’s the thing that I leverage to accomplish everything.

Jim Rembach: What would be one book that you’d recommend to our listeners, it could be from any genre?

Chip Huth: Oh! My Lord, so many books…okay, on top of the head, American Icon by Bryce Hoffman. It’s a story of the Ford Motor Company’s turnaround under Allen Mullaly.

Jim Rembach: Okay Fast Leader listeners, you can find links to that and other bonus information from today show by going to fastleader.net/Chip Huth. Alright Chip, this is my last Hump Day Hoedown question: Imagine you were given the opportunity to go back to the age of 25 and you’ve been given the opportunity to take the knowledge and skills that you have now back with you, but you can’t take everything you can only take one thing, what skill or knowledge would you take back with you and why?

Chip Huth: Jim, that’s a great question. I would probably have to say, the skill that’s benefited me the most is the skill of listening with the intent to understand instead of the intent to respond, that’s probably the skill I’d take back.

Jim Rembach: Chip it was honor to spend time with you today, can you please share with the Fast Leader listeners how they can connect with you?

Chip Huth: Yeah. Anyone can email me anytime, it really is where to get hold of me, my primary email is charles.huth@kcpd.org and that’s the best way you can get hold of me. I return every single email even if it takes a week or two. And anyone that emails me I’m always available to be helpful, that’s probably the best way. I’m here in Kansas City, Missouri with the PD as the Watch One commander for the entire downtown area. If you’re here in Kansas City and fly down here please also say you know Chip, they’re probably going to know you’re tough, that’s another good way to get all.

Jim Rembach: Chip Huth take you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom the Fast Leader Legion honors you and take you for helping us get over the hump. Woot! Woot!

Thank you for joining me on the Fast Leader Show today. For recaps, links from every show, special offers and access to download and subscribe, if you haven’t already, head on over the www.fastleader.net so we can help you move onward and upward faster.

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