EP. 67 “The world is changing and the rate of change has never been faster. We have to keep learning to keep up. If you think you have it figured out, you’re going to get disrupted and fall behind.”

Did you know that the average CEO reads 52 books a year?

According to this episode’s guest, that’s because reading is a powerful way to learn, grow, and get new ideas. But is passive learning enough to reach your full potential and are there other strategies you can explore to accelerate your growth curve?

These are some of the questions I put to Andy Storch during this deep-dive conversation.

Andy is a consultant, coach, and facilitator who helps people do the best work of their lives by enhancing their overall performance. He’s worked with a huge range of clients including Google, Red Bull, Sony, and Toyota as well as small businesses and startup CEOs.

Andy is passionate about leadership development, self-improvement, and using learning as a tool to get the max out of your life too.

So as you can imagine I couldn’t wait to dive down the rabbit hole to pull out some shots of wisdom.

Check out the episode now to discover some practical steps you can take to become your best.

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We learn best from failures, so if everything you do is successful, then you’re probably not challenging yourself enough and you aren’t reaching your true potential.

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We cover a lot in this episode including:

• The 3-part circle of learning and growth that helps us consolidate and apply new information and insights
• The unexpected power of teaching to our own personal development journey
• How failure can become an asset that actually increases your confidence
• How to differentiate between different sorts of fear so you don’t get stopped
• Why experiences are – without question – the most powerful way to learn
• The insane power of curiosity to force rapid growth
• The real reason you learn more when you’re surrounded by like-minded people

And if that’s not enough, you’ll also discover the specific strategies Andy uses to commit to his personal journey of learning.

If you know you have potential to do more, but you’re unsure how to get started, this episode for you. So tune in now and discover how to master your learning so you too can do the best work of your life.

“When you subscribe to the Stay Grounded Podcast, you help new people discover the show. And it means the podcast will automatically show up in your app of choice every time a new episode is released on Mondays.”

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If you have the right mindset, the confidence and you’re able to go out and build relationships, there is no limit to what you can accomplish.

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Time Stamped Show Notes

[4:04] Andy has worked with several top performers, in addition to helping many become top performers. I ask him what parts of the learning process do top performers follow more than others?  He says that most CEOs read 50 books a year; despite their busy schedules, they all make time for learning and that’s a common thread among all top performers.

Andy’s primary business is connecting people with really great learning solutions. As he’s gotten deeper into entrepreneurial space, two of the biggest qualities he’s noticed are entrepreneurs are curious and constantly looking for ways to grow. They’re willing to invest in themselves and invest beyond the traditional educational space, leaning more towards books, seminars, coaching, certifications, etc. Andy mentions that while it’s great to learn, we also want to put those lessons and ideas into practice. From there, if we want to level up, the next step is to get out there and start teaching these lessons.

[12:17] Andy says that failing helps us become more confident about the experiences that we have, having that perspective allows us to view failure as an asset. We need to fail as fast and as often as we can.The more  that we fail, the more resilient we become and we begin, clearing a path for us to make fewer yet smarter mistakes. Andy says we learn best when there’s failure; if we’re always successful then we aren’t challenging ourselves enough or hitting our true potential.

[22:53] I ask Andy about experiential learning and how we can incorporate more of it into our approach to knowledge. He says that lots of us are comfortable with self study: reading, listening to podcasts, watching videos, etc.. While we learn a lot from these resources, we learn so much more from experience – whether we’re directly in action or indirectly having the experience by listening to someone’s story. “Practice makes perfect,” is among the top motivational quotes – think about it? It’s rooted in experience: make the effort, fail, learn and repeat.

[31:34] I wanted to know how Andy fosters curiosity in his life. He says, like most, he’s naturally curious. He’s pushed himself to make staying curious, and hungry for growth, a part of who he is. It keeps him in a space where he’s always wanting to learn from others. He also loves making connections and that beings with his being curious and asking questions.

[43:28] Andy talks about his goals for business, his family and his personal ambitions. I ask him what’s the one thing he committed to learning, that’s helped him make improvements in all areas of his life? He says it was having a breakthrough with his mindset and his confidence. Having a mindset to not get discouraged by the opinions of others, and the confidence to get in action with pursuing his goals, has allowed him to take more chances, learn a great deal and make a lot of progress.

[48:38] Andy says his kids help him stay grounded. They give him purpose, help keep him focused and remind him of what life’s all about. He also attributes meditation with helping to keep him grounded and calm.

Andy Storch