Kirk Weisler

Kirk Weisler: I never wanted to be the poop guy

Intro: Welcome to the Fast Leader Podcast, where we uncover the leadership like hat that help you to experience, break out performance faster and rocket to success. And now here’s your host, customer and employee engagement expert and certified emotional intelligence practitioner, Jim Rembach.

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Jim Rembach:    Okay, Fast Leader Legion you better hold on tight because there’s going to be a lot of energy on this episode because I have Kirk Weisler with me, who’s born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, lived in several cities in Michigan and Tyler, Texas. He was the middle of three sons and after high school Kirk loss more money than he made in two years so he joined the US Army as a ranger because he needed to gain some discipline. After giving for years to his government he decided to get two years to his God and serve a two-year mission for his search. After that went to college and was rejected by every major university that he apply to. He went to a two year college and met his lovely wife Rebecca and started on the journey that were going to learn about today. After completing his two years at community college he was finally accepted by Brigham Young University and received the degree in Organization Behavior and Youth Leadership.

Kirk is currently the chief morale officer at Team Dynamics and works with companies and organizations around the globe. He is an expert speaker, author and creator of outrageously cool workplaces over the past 17 years. Over 50,000 leaders have specifically sought out Kirk’s advice and wisdom in building teams, strengthening leaders and improving cultures. He authored the best smelling book, the dog poop initiative and the semi-sweet smeller—The Cookie Thief. Currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wonderful wife Rebecca and thank God he has a lot of energy because they are trying their best to raise six remarkable children. Kirk Weisler are you ready to help us get over the hump?

Kirk Weisler:    I sure am Jim. Thanks for letting for having me guest on the Fast Leader show, how fun. 

Jim Rembach:    I’m glad you’re here. We’ve had such incredible things to learn about you in our conversation prior to the interview and I hope we can bring a lot of those things out because I think they’re going to help a lot of us get over the hump. But for now I’ve given our listeners a little bit about you but can you tell us what your current passion is so that we can get to know you even better?

Kirk Weisler:    Obviously with six kids you’ve got to be passionate about family, I don’t think that’s unusual to any of your listeners. So as the six kids, we’ve got one in theatre, one in dancer, those kind of things are a lot of fun but the real passion that Rebecca and I share is—one thing that we think makes people the most attractive is confidence. And so the goal and the passion is to raise confident kids. Kids that are confident about who they are, confident about what their passion about and confident about life and they’ve got that sense of confidence they won’t fall into some of the things that kids fall into when they’re insecure and trying to fit in. So confident kids, that’s my passion. 

Jim Rembach:    That’s pretty huge. There was something that I was reading the other day that talks about especially for girls when the age 14 hits that whole confidence, structure, framework foundation that they may have had previous to that just kind of just crumbles.

Kirk Weisler:    It can, it certainly can. That’s why I think parents have to be, just like leaders, parents have to be very intentional. You can’t just think, well I hope my kids are confident. There’s got to have a plan, there’s got to be purpose, there’s got to be goals, there’s got to be some intentionality and all rigorous leaders and parents probably have that most are going to be (3:47 inaudible) out there. 

Jim Rembach:    That’s for sure. Listening to you talk, thanks for sharing that, you’ve shared with me that when startups we’re going wild and crazy, that you’re part of seven different startups. Some of that confidence thing, I think, came into play based on the story that you were telling me and what you decided to do, can you please share that with us?

Kirk Weisler:    You bet. Back in the early 2000’s before the.com crash and bomb, everyone is talking we’re going to do the start the best thing and so we are part of a startup that was going to create a thousand jobs in two years and we did. And that success got to be part of something else, and everyone was offering this signing check to come here, come there. And I was very flattered and was kind of caught up in this—why you can do you anything and wanted to be successful  so I would take one offer and then I would take another offer and a few years later you’re making huge dollars a month more than you’ll ever imagine. But my wife kind of pointed out something that I knew and that was, Oh! my gosh, I wasn’t happy. She said, why don’t you go back? 

Jim Rembach:    When you were doing training when you’re working with people in training and leadership development, helping people gain skills and relation to their potential you’re much happier. And when you’re happier doing that you also a happier dad and happy husband, she said, I can tell that you’re not fulfilled in your work and that bothers me as a wife. And so I said, well yeah, but I’m scared. I know I’m not happy that we’re having this conversation but I’m scared, I don’t know how to replace this income that we have now. I don’t know how to, you know. She said, why don’t you just stop doing this and go back some of the offers you (5:37 inaudible) why don’t you just become an entertainment speaker and trainer. And I said, “Okay, that’s a great idea but what if nobody calls, what if nobody wants to hear what I want to say?” And she said, ‘What if they do?” She said, “It’s time for you to kind of practice what you preach. Give it a go and risk it.” 

And so with that kind of support and encouragement that’s exactly what I did, I finally step away from things and hang up shingles as it were, call the few people that I’ve spoken to before and said, hey, this is what I’m doing now if you need someone. And Jim, no question that that first year was a little bit worrisome but at the end of the year all the bills were paid no one was calling to take things away and the next year double the first year and then 17, 18 years later now I’ve enjoyed the full calendar for 18 years essentially build on word-of-mouth referral work I don’t have any marketing plan, I don’t have any  marketing materials, I don’t have a business card, I’ve just been blessed and I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way about that. And so, that was a great chance for me to say, what do I really believe and am I going to put my actions in my beliefs? Are they going to match my words? Are they going to match my feet? And are my feet going to match my mouth? So it was a big thing. 

Jim Rembach:    That’s huge, and thanks for sharing that.  And for myself, and one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the show is because you left a very clear mark on me when I had the opportunity to see you speak—probably about 15 years ago now, so in those early stages— 

Kirk Weisler:    Back when I was pretty rough.

Jim Rembach:    But even raw it left such huge impact. And you said something without exactly quoting you to the effect that, you can’t motivate people—to think that you’re actually going to do so is ridiculous what you can do as a leader is create the environment by which people motivate themselves. 

Kirk Weisler:    Jim, that’s so huge. As a young leader I thought my job, and a lot of young leaders too they think—well I got to go motivate the team it’s my job to make sure the morale’s high, it’s my job to get you fired up like this type rally guy at a local high school pre-game show and that’s just not what leadership is. The minute that the leader can decide and realize or come to the realization that—Hey, it’s not my job to motivate people right? It’s but it’s my job to help people come to that understanding that—you know what, your personal motivation is your responsibility. The spirit and attitude and energy you bring work you got to be in charge of that. My job as a leader is to create a climate where that sense of passion can live and grow and become more and then whereas my job is make sure we’re not throwing cold water in motivation but your motivation is your job, my motivation is my job. And maybe you can help people come to that place you’ve helped them laid a foundation for taking ownership for their entire life. 

Jim Rembach:    It’s so true. And I know when you started talking about the transition that you went through about, the not being happy, being scared about the loss of income really just taking that leap, what you shared about motivation and there’s so many quotes that I start thinking about and in the show we look at those because they help us through a lot of those times and give us sometimes a beacon or way point or direction to go. Is there a quote or two that you can share with us that kind of give you a good sense of direction?

Kirk Weisler:    This is one of the unique things about your show Jim as I listen to some of your past interviews and every one of your guest shares these quotes. You have a collection of quotes that is phenomenal on your website.  A couple of quotes that I hope will be worthy of your current collection that have kind of set the best one for me. When Rebecca and I first got married and I was getting started I was very inspired by a guy name Steven Cabby, she actually want to get a job working for Steven Cabby, so she was working with the Cabby Leadership center 20 years ago and I was hoping that somehow be good enough to be hired as one of the trainers, which never happened, I just got busy with my independent work. 

One of the quote she brought home that hang in our refrigerator for years went like this it said: “We move towards and become that which we consistently think about and believe.” And that really invites you and I to consider something. What is it that I consistently thinking about? And what is it that I believe? If my life and my energy is moving towards my thoughts I sure my thoughts aren’t negative, I sure my aren’t cynical, I sure my thoughts aren’t belittling to myself or others, I sure my thoughts are filled with potential and power and positivity, I sure my thoughts are filled with creative energy about what can be and about the good that exist in people, so that quote helps me to be much more intentional about the characters and the acts that takes place on the stage of my mind. And so that was a big fall for me. 

Jim Rembach:    That’s huge. Thanks for elaborating and filling and giving so much more richness to that quote, I appreciate that.

Kirk Weisler:    Let me give you one more. Again I give the credit to my lovely wife, Rebecca. This is one she pulled out for the kids and that’s one that I’ve been using again and again in my work. Essentially she says, “After what you want to be and soon you become the way you act.” And she was telling this to the kids saying “You know listen, act confident, and soon you’ll become confident” what do confident act like? What is it like? And as I was sharing this idea in a seminar and sometimes you do this,  and Jim I know you done this too when you were asked to come speak to a group and some of the group wants to be there and some of the group their management made them come, so could kind of tell the difference. There’s the folks in the first few rows that have their pen out with their notebook and there’s those few people on the back row that came in last, sitting in the back row they’ve got their arms folded like—try to motivate me dude—and they kind of give me that look. So I’m with one of this groups (11:47 inaudible) they want to be there yet, so I rule out—they’re actually want to be (11:51 inaudible) and this guy’s—oh, you mean fake till you make it? Fake it till you make it. Here’s a guy that just took something potentially positive and somehow gave a negative tone. But something it could have been my mind that I responded and I said no I don’t mean fake it till you make it, I mean this, I mean choose it until you become it. Bring the power of choice into your life and choose who you want to be and practice you want to be until you become who you want to be, choose it till you become it act till we want to be. So there it is a couple of more quotes for you all there.

Jim Rembach:    That definitely I’m sure notably twitted, re-twitted and shared across many different social platform, so thank you for that. We had such great conversation and we talked about many things you even shared a story about a friend of yours that you were just amazed and thought you a huge lesson, but can you think about a time where you’ve had to get over a hump and it totally defined you and put you in a much better direction? Can you share that story?

Kirk Weisler:    You and I before talked about—really a careful and quite exploration of our history and some of our biggest aha moments where we gain confidence where shawls went back, happened after tremendous adversity, opposition in their lives, whether great or small and I think we can all tell a story—a child in the hospital, horrific accident those kind of things. Let me share a smaller and maybe a little bit more of a lighthearted story with you and your listeners. About a small adversity that really had a great impact on me and still does today, one that I didn’t foresee or intend. And the situation, and this is the true story and this is the foundation of a book that I wrote called: Dog Poop Initiative, it’s a very simple looks like (13:40 inaudible) book a five minute read, but my job Jim was I was the assistant coach dad for a group 4 and 5 year old soccer players. 

My wife was born in England so soccer has to be part of the family culture, that’s just what they do in England. So, little Josh, he’s 17 now but Josh was 5 years old he’s on the soccer team, my job as the assistant coach dad Jim is basically to keep the kids off the soccer field and on the parking lot until it’s our turn to take the field. The soccer field that we’re assigned to that day were the third set of teams assigned to that field. As we arrive, and I’ve got few of the kids in the neighborhood, I said, “Guys, stay here and I’m now watching the little kids on the field their finishing up their game, as I’m watching their games some parents sitting there watching their kids play get my attention and said, “Hey, you want the field next?” and I said, “Yes, I am.” And they point to the field and on the field on the corner of the field on one end is a huge pile of dog poop. And they pointed that us the dog poop and they say, “Tell your kids to watch out for that” and they were very, very serious about this and very dramatic and they’re very disgust with this pile of dog poop and they let me know. 

The active service they’re rendering that day is to make sure that everyone knows about the poop. So I look at the poop, I acknowledge them, I thank them for their warning and then I begin to ponder what just happen. I few minutes later some parents who didn’t see me get that warning got my attention essentially gave me the same warning with the same level of drama. They’re servers for the day, their good deed has been done they let somebody know about the poop. Now I know and you know we had to clean that up, right? I know that as soon as the soccer game is over I got to clean that pile of poop out because genetically for as many generations as I can trace back in my family history, genetically Weisler’s always steps on poop, that’s just something we do. Our feet are like magnets drawn to metal and if it’s poop we’re going to step in it. So I’ve got to clean that up because I know my son will step in this, somehow he’ll be the only boy today that will find that pile and step in it, so, I’m going to clean it up.  About three minutes later Coach Coleman shows up, he’s the real coach of our team, and he shows up he got the same two warnings I got, he looked at me and I looked at him we just shrug our shoulders we both know we’re going to clean up the poop. Now the game is over we’re going to get out kids do their warm ups in the net, we’re going to clean up the poop we didn’t even discuss it we step on to the field. Then the two coaches on the field, cause at that age group the coaches are on the field with their kids, and the teenage referee in stripe shirt with a whistle who looks like he might be on some court community service time they approach us and this two adults and this young adult stop us and explain to us about the pile of poop. But the referee explains, “Don’t worry about it. If the ball start zooming towards that pile all this blow by whistle, we’ll pick up the ball and we’ll look back to the other side of the field then continue the game. They are now changing the rules of the game to play around this pile of poop. As they’re explaining about this new rule, Coach Coleman can’t take it anymore, and he shows no sign of disgust he just simply walks towards the thrash can, I followed his example I leave the huddle of poop discussion I walk towards the thrash, we find a piece of cardboard and a stick and within 90 seconds the poop is clean up, it’s thrown away and we’re ready to play the game. At which point a parent of the departing team who sees this happen, remember they sat there for an hour and watch the poop—for an hour and before that it was there for another hour for previous game. The parent of the party came, looks at me and says, “Yeah, the job somebody really needed to do that.” So I hollered back, it could been you—I mean, for an hour, for an hour, I was blown away. For the next hour Jim we played a soccer game and what did we worry about? What was one thing we did not even worry about? 

Jim Rembach:    I was trying to contain my laughter. 

Kirk Weisler:    For an hour we did even think about the pile of poop we were really, “Oh, no it’s coming on this other field—we just played the game. Now I thought I was done, I thought this is the end of it. But your question was how does this change my life? The next morning I woke up—you ever have something happened the day before its churning in the back of your subconscious, I woke up the next morning and I was just bugged. I woke up bugged and when we’re bug it’s a good thing because we’re bug about something, it’s when we’re bugged that we do something or at least we can and we can complain a point or we could take action, so I took action. So you got this great show and you’re changing the world with your Fast Leader show and your leadership and helping people share their story and inspire others. Today they call it blogging but back then it was just email. I wrote an email describing to a thousand people what did happen the day before on soccer field. And my main point in that email was simply this, I was worried that all these children, all these future leaders were watching all these adults including their parents do all this pointing. The model was pointing, it wasn’t an issue that was in scooping it was pointing and complaining. And if that’s the model we’re going to give the leaders of tomorrow, we’re not going to have good very good leaders tomorrow.

And so, I kind of describe what I just described, I set this email out and I said, “We’ve got to be better examples, people are watching.” And I thought that’s the end of it. Here how it change my life, over the next two weeks I got email, after email, after email, after email back. People had cut it off this email that I’ve written and they took it in their staff meeting at hotels, restaurants, businesses, military units and they read this poop story, it was basically four paragraphs, this little poop story it was basically four paragraphs, this little poop story, and they had meaningful discussions in their workplace what they we’re pointing at, what was the poop, and do they want to be pointers? Or do they want to be scoopers?

So I got these emails back and then my brother, he was in the military unit—my older brother, military intelligence in fact, he said, “Kirk you said your poop story was a big hit.” And I said, “Greg, I got these emails, people are reading (20:15 inaudible) me can even believe it. He goes, “Kirk we had the most amazing discussion.” We’re all laughing so hard a story but then we realize, “Oh, my gosh, it’s about us.” Here’s the thing that we point at, here’s this broken process, here’s this broken product, here’s this work around we’ve created and we’re all pointing and complaining about it and we’re warning others about it instead of taking—the time it takes to solve it to clean it up to fix it. He said, “Kirk you’ve got to do a book about this.” And I was like, “I’m not going to do a book about poop.” He goes, “Kirk, think of this too man, you’re not thinking.” He said, “It would drive mom nuts, if the only book her three sons ever wrote was a book about poop, right? Because mom always (20:56 inaudible) raising people, that was all we talked about anyway.” 

And so with a little bit of encouragement from my brother we did this book called Dog Poop Initiative and it’s now have several languages and it’s around the world and it opened so many doors for me. I had people call me or email and say, “Hey, are you the poop guy? Which I never wanted to be the poop guy obviously but I notice some sort of the poop guy and I’ve been on some radio shows. So, let me close this story with an experience I had on the radio show that was again change of me. In my mind Jim, I thought this book was about initiative very simply. I thought the number one reason that people don’t take initiative is because—it’s not my job and I don’t want to get my hands dirty, that’s what I thought. But on the radio show, I learned a valuable lesson and it changed me. So, some disc jockey, some morning show disc jockey is having me on, he intends to talk for about five minutes about the book because he discovered the book and he thought it was really funny so it was just kind of fun, quick interview, give away a few books to the first five callers. And so, I told the story and boom! I thought I was about to be off the show. And the producer comes on and says,” Hey the phones have lit up, take some callers.” So he says, “Kirk, will you stay on and take some callers?” I didn’t expected to be on a radio show or write a book about poops—sure I’ll take the call. 

For the next 45 minutes we talked to callers about initiative. They told their stories, they told their version of the poop story about something. One young lady came on and she told a story that was a great example, I think of the theme that was in everybody’s story that day on the phone. The number one people don’t take initiative isn’t because it’s not their job and it isn’t because they don’t like it their hands dirty. The number one reason people don’t take initiative is because of peer pressure. The story that she shared Jim went like this, she said, the week before the radio show she was walking in the wharf from lunch with 6 or 7 of her co-workers they’re all coming back together they’re walking towards the front end of the building. Outside the door is a couple of trash cans, about seven people (23:17 inaudible) the thrash can is a great big double big Gulp cups just lying on the grass. A couple of her co-workers walk by the cup, she steps off the sidewalk to pick up the cup thinking I’ll just throw it in the trash can. As she bends down to pick up the cup, what happens Jim? 

Jim Rembach:    What are you doing?

Kirk Weisler:    Yeah. Her co-workers say, “What are you doing? Don’t touch that you don’t know where it’s been. Let the grounds crew get it. Now were her co-workers genuinely concerned that she might pick up some germs? What do you think that really bothered them the most with her picking up that cup? 

Jim Rembach:    They didn’t do it first. 

Kirk Weisler:    That’s exactly right. They don’t care about the germs. They didn’t want her to pick up the cups because they didn’t pick up the cup and if she did it would make them look what?

Jim Rembach:    Bad.

Kirk Weisler:    Yeah, they’re worried about themselves and their image. They didn’t do it and so I don’t want you to do it because you make me look bad. This very simple idea resonates deeply through every aspect of our lives where all of us to some degree could be guilty of stopping others from doing what needs for and needs to be done simply because we think that if they do that they’re going to make us look bad. And sometimes people are stopping us for the same motivation. If we take the initiative if we solve the problem, if we go the extra mile, we might make them look bad. It’s the most insidious mind, potential robbing form of peer pressure that’s out there. But it’s out there in droves it’s holding companies back, it’s holding things back, it’s holding entire cultures and countries back. It’s the most amazing thing and it’s been again change for me. 

Jim Rembach:    Wow, Kirk, that’s awesome. Thanks for giving us all of the insight that you gave us because I can tell you that from—even when I had the opportunity see you speak 15+ years ago to where you are today, it’s amazing to me how much depth and how much insight you’ve gained throughout the course of those years that you now can impact the world yourself, so thank you again. 

Kirk Weisler:    I think you’ve been candid, Jim but if I had any wisdom or depths it’s from people that I’ve met along the way and so teach me things on radio shows.

Jim Rembach:    That’s why I did the Fast Leader show, I’ve learned a ton. 

Kirk Weisler:    I love it, I love it. So Kirk keep doing what you’re doing because the Fast Leader Legion wishes you the very best. Now before we move on let’s get a quick word from our sponsor. 

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So here we go Fast Leader listeners. It’s time for the Hump Day Hoedown. Okay, Kirk, 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. Kirk Weisler, are you ready to hoedown?

Kirk Weisler:    I’m ready to hoedown, let’s bring it Jim. 

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

Kirk Weisler:    Definitely organization. It’s never been a strength for me to be more organize and I met that place where I’ve got to have another administrative assistant kind of step in I’m just awful on those things. Focus on the things I’m good at get rid of the things I’m not good at and to let someone else with great organizational skills carry the load. 

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

Kirk Weisler:    Never stop growing always keep yourself in the state of becoming. My wife says, “Don’t be a human being be a human becoming and a never ending state of growth and development. Remember human becoming are very becoming humans.

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

Kirk Weisler:    I think it’s always important to read a new book. I’ve been for 18 years try to read a new book every 30 days.  Now that sounds like a lot but you read (27:32 inaudible) Raving Fans, you can read those books in an hour so if you can invest at least one hour a month for your personal development, then you need to re-check your priorities. So reading a new book also, for those young leaders out there, if you work for somebody your boss, your supervisor has a favorite book, always read a book that your leader loves. Always have one or two books in common with your leader, that’s great advice. 

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

Kirk Weisler:    Authenticity. When people can sense your authentic they’re going to forgive all those shortcoming—they’ll forgive the majority of the shortcomings. When people sense to your genuine intent and you’re authentic, they’ll open the doors. It’s like you said Jim, people do business with people, people they can trust not just any person but people they can trust, authenticity resonates, be authentic. 

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

Kirk Weisler:    There’s a thousand great leadership books out there I know you talk about many of them. But one book that I still think about, reference day is the book called, Orbiting—the Giant Hairball by Gordon McKenzie. It tells about his journey working for Hallmark cards and it’s a wonderful—for me it’s a culture book, it’s a leadership book, it’s a creativity book, it’s an innovation book. Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon McKenzie, it’s a game change you’ll love it. 

Jim Rembach:    Okay Fast Leader listeners, you can find that and other bonus information by going to fastleader.net/Kirk Wiesler and I’ll even provide links to The Dog Poop Initiative and the Cookie Thief. Okay, Kirk, 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 choose one, so what one skill or piece of knowledge that you take back with you and why?

Kirk Weisler:    This is a great question Jim and an easy one answer. When I was younger I worry so much about what I didn’t know, if I can take one thing back I’d spend far less time worrying about what I didn’t know, what I felt I had to know before I was ready or worthy to try something and be a part of something new. Instead I would just dive in, believe me not so much of myself as in my ability to find, solicit and successfully put into action the expertise and advice of others. I’d be confident I could do anything and then the people would be there to help me if I would simply ask. 

Jim Rembach:    Kirk, it was an honor to spend time with you today. Can you please with the Fast Leader listeners how they can connect with you? 

Kirk Weisler:    My website is simply kirkweisler.com 

Jim Rembach:    Kirk Weisler, thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom, the Fast Leader legion honors you and thanks 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 fastleader.net so we can help you move onward and upward faster. 

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