High Speed Low Drag is a podcast in itself but that doesn’t mean that we don’t pay attention to other worthy podcasts out there.
Two amazing ones- Dose Leadership and Courageous leadership are actually run by veteran Richard Rierson.
Listen to what he has to say in this episode of High Speed Low Drag.
As previously mentioned, Richard Rierson is the host of Dose Leadership and Courageous Leadership podcast.
He helps professionals and organizations develop an authentic leadership presence, crush limiting beliefs, & overcome mediocrity; creating a more purpose driven life full of time & economic freedom.
HSLD: Can you take a minute and tell us a little about yourself?
Richard: I am the host of two podcasts but I also take pride in being a marine corp veteran. I was a marine officer from 1991 to 2001 and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t reflect back on that experience.
It has directly contributed to any amount of success I have had in the podcast world and the entrepreneur world.
That’s who I am. I’m here to help transform people’s lives and get in touch with their authentic self.
Click here to listen to Richard Rierson’s podcast on iTunes
Click here to listen to Richard Rierson’s podcast on Stitcher
HSLD: What is your success quote?
Richard: I actually got this quote from one of my students. I just love it because it hits to where I’m at as an entrepreneur.
It’s part of a prayer but the last part goes:
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really can make a difference in the world, so that you’re able to, with God’s grace, do what others claim cannot be done.
HSLD: Let’s get into your military experience and talk about a time when you were in the Corps. Tell us what was your pivotal moment in your military experience?
Richard: Getting my wings was certainly a big moment for me. Becoming an aircraft commander in record time was also a big moment.
But when I really look back, its those innocuous moments that were really pivotal.
One of the things that really stood out was when I was in my first fleet tour. I was the adjutant for the commanding officer and on this day all of the officers were out of the office as it was a Friday before a holiday weekend.
I ended up being the most senior officer in the squadron there. A young marine came and he wanted to go on leave as he needed to get home because he had some kind of emergency and it was also a long weekend.
As there was no one to sign for it I signed for it. When everyone came back on the Tuesday of the next week, everyone was talking about what happened to a certain corporal.
The corporal was fine but got into a car accident and broke his leg. This kid was supposed to leave Friday morning but left Thursday night instead before his leave officially started.
This was the kid that I signed the leave for but everyone was saying that he had forged the skipper’s signature which was my signature. I started panicking and said that that was my signature and not the skipper’s
Everyone kept on telling me that we shouldn’t tell the skipper or I was going to be done. I was literally sick to my stomach as I was new to the squadron.
At the end of it though I said I had to do the right thing. I talked to another officer on my squad and he encouraged me to go in and tell the skipper what happened.
I went in thinking my flying career was done but I told him everything. I was surprised because the skipper just gave me a good initiative but bad headwork speech but after that every time he took a trip he took me with him.
It was a lesson in integrity even when no one is looking and even if the consequences may seemingly be bad.
HSLD: Let’s go to the transition out of the military. What failures, obstacles and challenges did you face and what lessons did you learn?
Richard: The transition was voluntary when I got hired by American Airlines in 2001.
That transition wasn’t really real civilian life transition because the airline world is so many ways similar to the military life because 85% of the people in there were former military pilots.
I finished my training on September 8 2001, got 3 days off and started in American Airlines on September 11, 2001. I was on my way to work when I learned about the September 11 attack.
I feel 6 times after that and was forced out of the corporate arena. I remember being completely panicked and thinking to myself that all I knew how to do was fly airplanes.
I eventually got a job as a shipping supervisor which paid $17 an hour which is a huge difference from what I was getting in the marine corp and at the airline but I had to do something to put food on the table.
That’s when it really hit me how much the marine corp taught me about common sense leadership.
I took the mindset of adding value to my employer’s lives and asking them what they needed and that was an AHA moment for me because one of the guys told me that no one had ever asked them that before.
HSLD: Let’s talk about your life as a civilian. Tell us about one AHA moment that you’ve had as well as the steps you’ve taken after this AHA moment that allows you to turn it into success.
Richard: It was a real struggle for me coming out of the marine corp because I always felt like I was doing more useful things in the military, such as giving food to famished people.
My present life was less exciting and less purposeful it seemed- making birdfeed and wind chimes.
My AHA moment was when I realized that we “may” only be making wind chimes but 400 people are dependent on these being the best wind chimes there was.
The AHA moment was instead of being in love with the idea of leading something I should focus on being in love with just leading.
HSLD: Share with us what you’re doing presently and what you’re fired up about right now?
Richard: I’m most fired up about this idea of developing a whole leadership community. I want to gather like minded individuals and teach them leadership skills that no one has taught them before because it is common sense.
It’s about real transformation in the most gut-wrenching way.
Richard’s Lighting Round Answers:
- What was the most difficult adjustment that you had to make in the civilian world? Letting go of my ego and sense of external significance.
- What business advice would you pass along to those who are making the transition right now? Don’t bore people with your military stories because they don’t really care. Let your ego go but focus on the task at hand.
- What is one of your habits that you think contribute to your success? Decision making with partial information.
- What is the one book that you would recommend to our listeners? Level Five Leadership by Jim Collins, specifically Chapter 5
- What’s the biggest generalization that you had to overcome in the civilian world? I joined the military because I had nothing else to do and had no money for college.
Richard leaves us with this parting piece of guidance: Understand that fear and uncertainty never go away and that is a gift to all of us out there.
Don’t ever try to get rid of fear and uncertainty but try to exploit it and you may be surprised at how successful you can be.
To get in touch with Richard, go to doseofleardership.com as well as richardrierson.com
Click here to listen to Richard Rierson’s podcast on iTunes
Click here to listen to Richard Rierson’s podcast on Stitcher
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