Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I'm Dr. Dante Vaughn, business strategist, culture architect, guide to leaders who want more than status.
Leadership isn't just glossy headlines and perfect wins.
On Everyday Leaders Unfiltered, we bring you honest conversations about what happens behind the curtain. The real setbacks, the real pivots, real growth from culture shifts to personal mastery, from trust crises to team turnarounds. This is where leaders get raw, real, and ready.
Because a leader who's unfiltered might just become unforgettable.
Welcome to Everyday Leaders Unfiltered, the show where we strip away the highlight reels and talk honestly about leadership as it really happens. Before the titles, before the recognition, and before the wins look obvious. I'm your host, Dr. Dante Vaughn, and today's guest. We're excited to have Jordan Aswood, a Gen Z leader carving his path in sports analytics, sports management, and the highly competitive world of professional NFL sports representation. Jordan is building his career without shortcuts, without guarantees, and without the traditional playbook that most would expect.
In this first segment, we're starting at the root of. Of his journey. What it feels like to navigate this challenging field, oftentimes underestimated in our capacity to have real impact and without a clearly defined roadmap to do so. Jordan, welcome to Everyday Leaders Unfiltered.
[00:01:50] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: Thank you.
So, you know, this is about your real story.
We don't want the polished version of it. We want to really understand when others look at you as a professional, entering a very competitive field and being new in that field, how do you ensure they take you serious, that, that you're able to foster the level of, of trust and respect as a, as a professional trying to appeal to other professionals that you are the right representative for them. So the problem facing many of our audiences, they feel underestimated and, and it's a connection between their age, but also their knowledge and experience. And so how do you navigate trying to prove yourself in an industry to earn that level of respect? Let's start there.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Yeah, really just try to put in the work, man. Hard work.
Every day you gotta go and prove your value to people. Especially with athletes.
Million agents always hitting them up all the time, people always asking them for things. So really just got to go out there, show them that you're the best person for the job. Even though I'm newer, it's a little harder for me, obviously, but yeah, so
[00:03:08] Speaker A: let's unpack that further. So as a newer agent, how do
[00:03:14] Speaker B: you
[00:03:16] Speaker A: encourage other athletes to take you serious?
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Really just showing them Connections I made scouting talk to scouts, put them in the best position to succeed, to be honest and just really being honest with them. Sometimes honesty is the best policy. Telling them, hey, straight up, like, hey, you have to improve this, this and this to get to where you want to go. Some people won't do that. Sometimes creates a little friction with the athlete because obviously they think they're the best thing that's since sliced bread.
I just like to be honest. Obviously they're very talented to even be in consideration to go to the league play professionally. But you always have to be honest with them so they can get better.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: Are athletes receptive to that honesty?
[00:03:58] Speaker B: Depends on the person. Some athletes are, some athletes aren't.
The clientele I'm dealing with now is more. Since I'm newer, I'm not dealing with top end talent first, second round picks, I'm dealing more with lower ends, faith set sixth, seventh round picks, probably undrafted guys.
So there's a lot of things they can improve upon. Obviously if not they would have been the first round picks. So just being honest with them, telling them what steps they need to take to get drafted, get where they want to go, make a roster because honestly people, I kind of like dealing with them, to be honest, because they're the scrappiest, they're fighting to be on the roster. They're playing special teams, they're playing gunner, they're playing the scrappy positions, they're not going to be starters. Day one they got to earn their spot. Kind of like where I'm at right now.
[00:04:39] Speaker A: So no doubt, no doubt there are many audience and members and listeners alike who have to navigate those difficult conversations, even being relatively new in their field.
I remember being a relatively new consultant and I was deployed to British Columbia in the middle of nowhere to add a copper mine on the overnight shift. Trying, trying to advise mill workers on how to be more effective at leading the operation of a copper mill.
And when you talk about underrepresented, I promise you it was me in a 80 mile radius and it was just me, if you know what I mean. So how do, how do you navigate when individuals hear you but they're like, well listen, you don't, you don't know what you're talking about and I'm not really applying what you're speaking to.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: So yeah, if we're not a good fit, that's just how it is. Like some athletes aren't receptive to it. Maybe another agent is telling them the things they want to hear and they're going to Go with that guy. I'm just going to tell you how I see from my point of view and it's not just from my point of view. From scouts I've talked to, I definitely do my research, all that good stuff. So yeah, sometimes it just doesn't align and we're just not a good fit.
[00:05:58] Speaker A: Does that become discouraging?
[00:06:01] Speaker B: Not to me.
Like, if even if we were to go further and let's say he makes it to his second contract, his fifth year in the league and we're in contract negotiations with the team, I'm going to keep it on to him and be like, hey, they're only willing to pay you this. And he feels like he's worth this.
It's just, is what it is. At some point it was just going to become a problem. So just kind of, kind of keep it honest with them.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: So how do you balance this desire to meet your clients needs? But there's the reality side of this where you have to just speak truth into power. Right? So how do you balance, hey, I believe I'm worth this. This is what I have navigated and this is my experience. And why are you not advocating for me versus, hey, here's what I'm seeing and here's what I'm hearing in the industry. How do you create a balance there?
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Honestly, I always tell them it doesn't matter what I think. It matters what the scouts think, the people are drafting you think.
I always tell them like, my goal is to get you to exactly where you want to go. You want to, you want to be this. Well, hey, just because you're drafted in the fifth round instead of the third round doesn't mean you still can't be the starter on your team. You just got to work a little harder.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: I love that example.
I liken it back to my scenario. I shared about being in the middle of the British Columbia copper mine and overnight ship. And I remember having a similar conversation where I said, look, I don't, I'm not the expert in all things copper processing.
I'm here to acknowledge what's required for you to realize your goal.
And it may or may not be in alignment to what you think because sometimes what your perception is isn't always what's right or the reality or even what's necessary. So sometimes, look, we have to look at almost an impartial lens to say, yeah, the agents are speaking. This, this is what they're seeing. Here's what's required. So I love that you're, you're, you're navigating that candid dialogue right now, is there?
That takes some confidence.
It takes some, you know, courage to say, look, what gives you that level of confidence and courage to speak with so much candor about the reality of your client's circumstance?
[00:08:17] Speaker B: Honestly, before I even reach out to a client, I do a lot of research. I watch a lot of game film on just seeing from my naked eye. I'm not a scout, not a gm, barely played football growing up, but just from what I've seen, because I watch a lot of football just seeing what I think they can improve on and then just reaching out to my scouts that I have contacts with and just saying, hey, what do you think about this guy? Give me a grade. And I always tell them to be a little more harsh than what might actually be the case because I like to get the honest feedback. I don't want someone fluffing it up because then that's honestly worse. If you're an agent, you say, I think you go in the fifth round and he goes undrafted, he's going to put that on me.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: So I heard a few themes that I just want to recap for our audience, beginning with our own self reflection and understanding where our strengths and our weaknesses are entering any field is, is. Is essential. We can do all the work and all the due diligence to equip us to take the step into the door of that new field. But then acknowledging, here's where I need to acknowledge the realities of what I can and can't do, where I may need development or so on. I think with that leading with a sense of authenticity and transparency, both with ourselves, but also with the individuals we intend to have impact on or with.
So as I hear you say, this candor that you share with your clients is essential for their success and yours. And then I think a final kind of point in this segment that stands out to me when we recognize that these challenges are real, they exist not. Sometimes you accept that, hey, you may not be the right fit for me and I may not be the right fit for you to help you realize your objective. And sometimes it's not about me or you, but your objective requires you to continue the point of view of X, Y and Z. In this case, the point of view of the scouts who are going to put you in the position that you need to be on. So we have to have that real, honest conversation with ourselves and also as we reflect on where are we really trying to go with this, Right? And as long as you understand that we Both are trying to get you to that point. That's what's most important. So those things stand out to me as I think about how you enter this and really navigate the challenges.
Coming up, we're going to dig into the tensions that, that you encounter when walking this path that feels sometimes very challenging, sometimes can feel lonely or, you know, unclear because this isn't a defined roadmap. You don't have all. You must take this step, this steps, this step and this step. And now you're the best agent ever, right? So lacking that sense of roadmap, there are things that you have to navigate. So we're going to unpack that in our next segment. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Welcome back to Everyday leaders unfiltered. I'm Dr. Dante Vaughn with Jordan Aswood. In this segment, we're talking about what I call the tension, like what it feels like when your career path is new. You're trying to foster respect and credibility.
What I find and what we've heard from our audience is the problem that they're facing is that they don't always feel understood, they don't always feel like they belong in the room with others and especially when it comes down to decisions being made. So I want to explore how you navigate maybe some of those challenges or other challenges that are similar and both professionally but on a personal level. Like what's, how do you navigate the strain that that has on you just as a professional in your field.
And the reality is we don't always get pats on our back or applause for the accomplishments that we, that we experience. So how do you maintain a sense of self worth and validation in this challenging field?
So to guide that, I, I want to start with the reality of you being what we would consider a Gen Z er. And as a Gen Z leader, there are stereotypes that, that, that exist. You know, I just did a webinar where I unpacked a lot of those stereotypes that we have intrinsically in our biases inform how we engage and interact. So how do you navigate those challenges that I just spoke about through the lens of, yeah, I'm a Gen Z or on, on, on the field, making things happen.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Well, I'll say first thing, I look like I'm a young black man with dread, so people automatically assume I'm under qualified for what I'm doing. So off the rip, you just have to work harder than everybody. I know that's a cliche, but it's true. Like you just have to be passionate and sharing yourself to be Honest, I just go off that and just believe in myself. Yeah, I fall in a lot, have my struggles, doubted myself. But you just got to keep pushing through.
Yeah, a lot of people don't know like you have to pay to take the Asian exam and obviously you're not guaranteed to pass. That was already in my head already like it was thousands of dollars just to be frank.
And I went to school and got my master's all to become an agent. So two years of master's program, thousand dollars to take one exam to determine whether I'm an agent or not and if not spend that thousand dollars again the next year to take it again. So definitely have my self doubt on the journey and still have it now like I'm a new agent obviously your first year you want to go for the big guys, first round pick, second round picks. It's not going to happen. I don't have the experience. I just have to be honest with myself and kind of just build my resume. Go for guys that are lower, undrafted guys that I believe in and kind of just go from there.
Keep building my connections and just putting your head down and going to work man.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: No, I love that, I love that candor because I think at some phase in all of our career journeys or just really essential life decisions, the doubt creeps in, the uncertainty creeps in, all those things are just become real.
First time parent, first time professional, whatever it may be. I want to sit here for a second because you said a lot of really important things that I think our audience needs to self reflect on. And you talk about essentially perseverance.
What equips you to be able to navigate all those emotions, the self doubt and questioning of the next move you make. How do you do that effectively? Can you share any tips or best practices that allow you to do that?
[00:15:32] Speaker B: For me, what helps eliminate the self doubt is just being over prepared like for the exam. Studying, studying my ass off to be frank, making sure I was prepared.
I've never been the best test taker so that was a worry for me and just kind of reinforcing. Surrounding yourself with people that are going to support you, not doubt you. Like talking to my family, hey, you can do this, you love sports, you've wanted to be an agent or I don't know how long, like you got this like so yeah, just surrounding yourself with people that are going to help support you as well.
[00:15:58] Speaker A: I love that, I love that. So for our audience and our listeners abroad, couple themes.
Self doubt is a reality, it's real, it's A part of our journey. It's. It's more about ensuring that instead of suppressing that emotion, accepting it, leaning into it and saying, okay, so how do I navigate this? How do I mitigate any this so that it doesn't become a barrier to me taking this step?
[00:16:29] Speaker B: I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just want to say still there. Like, I'm not saying I'm over it. Self doubt is always going to be there. It's like next year when I go and I try to go get the next hot guy from Georgia, Ohio State, self doubt's still going to be there. Am I good enough for him? I don't have the experience. Oh, this agent has way more experience. He could probably put him in a better position and the athletes can have that question. For me, I skid over that fear, ask it over the anxiety, just knowing I'm letting him know that I'm the best guy for him.
[00:16:53] Speaker A: Yes. So what I heard you say, Preparation.
[00:16:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:59] Speaker A: Self reassurance, affirmation.
Right.
And accepting that this is a part of it. Right. And I think oftentimes denying that we are feeling doubt or trying to suppress it or, or not acknowledge it perpetuates it versus saying, yeah, I'm questioning a lot right now. I'm gonna do what I can and I'm gonna work through it. So I love that. I want to talk about that in the context when you are navigating a field such as yours, where, like you said, I believe someone may be better suited to position my client for success.
What do you do with that? Because that starts to bridge this conversation around effectiveness in my role. But also, is it some kind of code that says I, am I supposed to pass this person off? Like, how do you, how do you address that?
[00:18:08] Speaker B: Yeah, something I'm still working on myself. Like, what is the self doubt again? Like, what can I bring to the table that's better than the agent that's been doing this for 15 years and has had 25 first round picks, 30 first round picks, and has multiple guys on their second contract making hundreds of millions of dollars? How am I better for this client than that agent? Is for that client?
Something I'm still working on and just kind of preparing, still learning.
Today I have a call later, like, I'm going to sit in the room with an agent. He's talking to his athlete, getting, getting him ready for his pro days combine, and it's still just trying to get in the rooms. Like I want to try to get in the room where I just sit and listen to a contract negotiation. Just things that can help me down the line to where I'm not nervous in the athlete, because I feel like the athlete you'd be able to see if they're nervous. You'd be like, oh, he hasn't done this before. I don't know if he's right for me. I think I want to be able to sit in those rooms. And I feel like for me, experiences help me feel like I'm prepared for things.
Yeah. Just trying to get all those experiences out and, yeah, you're going to fall, you're going to stumble. Maybe next year I get a guy and he drops me right before the draft because he doesn't think I'm the right fit for him. You just have to learn from those experiences and just push through.
[00:19:15] Speaker A: Thank you for sharing. I think a quintessential lesson that we all sometimes forget to. To learn or apply, and that is the growth is through the failure. Failure. The learning is through the failure. It's almost a necessity.
Right. It's. It's because then that becomes a testimony of why you're the better fit.
So. So I love that you're like, look, I know I'm gonna fail. Like, that's okay too. Right. But I'm also trying to learn through others and, and both in their failures. But also you're sitting in, you're listening, you're processing. Oh, okay. That's how you do it. Right?
I love that. Now, now, I can imagine for many of our viewers, we get to this point no matter what the challenge is, where we're just like, you know what the universe, God, whatever it may be, is suggesting that maybe I should not be doing this. It is so hard that I'm not supposed to be doing this. Do you have any tips for our audience when they get to that point of pressure where quitting just seems like the better path?
[00:20:31] Speaker B: Well, for me, like I said before, like, I went and got my masters to do this.
I paid thousand dollars to take the test to do this. So why would I quit now? Like, what was the point of doing all that to quit now? And if you're thinking about quitting, you really hate it that much. What else are you going to be doing?
Everything you do that's good in life is going to have obstacles, it's going to have challenges. Nothing comes easy.
[00:20:52] Speaker A: I love that. I love that. If you could share one, like, give. Give us one most uncomfortable truth that you've learned thus far in your field or breaking into this competitive field or any Other competitive field. But, but let's, let's hone in on yours.
What would that be? This one thing that like, look, here's the reality. If you consider this path, here's a truth about it that maybe you didn't know going into it, but you've learned now.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: And I took my test in July. You don't get the results till October 1. I get the results October 1, October 2. Call it my favorite agency. I won't name them, but call it. Oh, do you guys. I mean, hey, man, there's no handouts. What athlete do you have? Well, I don't have an athlete. I just got my exams results yesterday. Oh. Nobody hung up on me. Nobody. No, nothing. I was like, hey, that's how it is in this industry. So that was my wake up call. Ah, it's not like the typical 9 to 5. You know, you get your, get your degree, you set it up. Oh, I'm gonna go work for this one. I'm gonna go work for Google.
I'm gonna do this. It's not. How do you. You have to bring something to the table of value more than just, oh, I passed my test.
[00:21:57] Speaker A: I, I love that I. To that extent because there's, there's. That's so real. I think what stands out to me and what you just said, knowing your value, speaking to your value. I can't tell you how many times I've ran in or have spoken or engaged people who could not articulate the value they bring.
Individuals who I'm paying to add value when the rubber meets the road and when we have to make decisions that make or break your. You being hired or let go or invested in or under invested in has a lot to do with your ability. Sometimes you're at the table saying, here's the value I bring and why it matters.
Did. Was there any work you did personally to be able to have the confidence enough to speak to your. The value that you bring? I don't mean the technical value and here's how many scouts I know and blah, blah, blah. But just how do you articulate that at a personal level?
[00:22:59] Speaker B: Honestly, I've tried. Even before I, when I was in getting my master's, knowing I wanted to be an agent. There's little things I try to do a marketing firm for athletes because, you know, athletes have marketing agents as well. Failed. Failed miserably doing that. So I've already been through a lot of failures doing that.
So yeah, I just failed in my life. I've tried to start other small businesses fail, doing that.
So, yeah, I've just been through a lot of failure and I think I've grown a lot from that failure and rejection, honestly, doesn't scare me. Obviously you still have that little doubt in the back of your head, but you got to push through that.
[00:23:32] Speaker A: So is it through the failure that you've connected your value as a professional?
[00:23:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
Okay.
[00:23:40] Speaker A: I love that. So for Jordan, just so that because you're sharing so many morsels of insight and information that I think is important for our viewers who want to follow your journey, just get a better sense of the work you're doing. How do even the prospective athletes who need an agent, how do they get in touch with you?
[00:24:01] Speaker B: You can search me up on Instagram, LinkedIn or if you just search my name, Jordan Astwood Whedon, nflpa, my contact info will pop up. You can just email me, text me through there as well.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: Awesome. Awesome. Up next, we're going to shift into this conversation around leadership.
How you grow when you access connections and guidance isn't always provided to you, isn't available to you. So how do you continue to navigate the complex complexities of the work that you're doing and still show up as an authority and as a leader in your field?
Tune in.
Foreign welcome back to Everyday Leaders Unfiltered. This segment is about leadership without a roadmap, learning how to build trust, build skill and grow.
When access isn't always granted, doors aren't always open. We're proving ourselves in our fields and we're going to unpack that with Jordan. More specifically, when I think about our audience and the feedback we've received, the problem facing many is they want to grow in their field, they want to grow as leaders in their field, but they don't all, they don't, they haven't built all the access points, they don't have all the network or the connections. They don't have this clear roadmap that says you take this step, then this step, then this step. Right. So I want to focus that a bit on how do you navigate what I would call more self built leadership and earning that credibility in your field. Especially when the roadmap isn't always identical for everyone, isn't always the same. And you're building, as I said earlier, you're navigating, building your skill set in your field, building your connections in your field and doing all that while you now have this portfolio of clients. Talk to me about that.
[00:26:20] Speaker B: So, yeah, so the first thing I wanted to make clear, so when you're first starting as an agent, there's a misconception that you just drop everything that you're doing. Like, I still have to work full time while being an agent because obviously I'm not making any money yet, so.
[00:26:30] Speaker A: Well said.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Secondly, it's really just one agent's path. Or in general, just career paths. In general, I think, like, one agent's path isn't going to be the same as my path. So, like, I can talk to three, four or five agents and see, oh, what did you do? What steps did you take? But ultimately, that's not guaranteeing me anything. So I kind of just have to go. I go off gut feeling, like, what I think is the best thing for me, whether that's going to build a connection with scouts traveling to these All Star Games that are happening now since the college football season's over. Building connections so people could put a face to name. Like, I'm just. Right now, I'm just a name on a screen to them, texting them, hey, what do you think about my guy? But actually going there, talking to them, building a repertoire with them. You never know who they could connect with me. Connect me with in the future. Because in business, as you know, connections are everything. Yeah, yeah.
[00:27:17] Speaker A: Spot on. Spot on. Always say it's not what you know is who you know. Right. That's. That rings so true. So to your point, right, We're. You're at the next All Star Game, you're at these different events and. And you see these networking opportunities that emerge.
How do you build the confidence to approach and say, hey, this is what I'm doing. Here's who I am. You tell me more about what you're doing.
[00:27:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Seeing like, I'm not gonna lie, I'm nervous when I go to. Because I'm a big football fan just prior to all the NFL agent stuff. And I know I'm a nerd, man. I know all like, the GMs, the assistant GMs, assistant coaches, all that good stuff. It's like when I see a person, you might just not even know who it is. To me, it's like a celebrity. It's like a girl seeing Rihanna and walking down the street.
So, yeah, it's just going up. Just introducing myself and just getting over that fear because the more you talk to people, the more, the less nervous you'll be.
[00:28:11] Speaker A: I love that. So it's just so two things stand out for me in that. And I think that's important for a lot of our audience, no matter where they where they are in their career journey. Everyone reacts a little different when we talk about building relationship and networking.
And what stood out to me and what you said was the due diligence part of it. You said, hey, I'm a nerd about this. I know my audience before I enter the space. So I'm just leaning into that. And that, I think, almost creates a pathway of introduction that a complete stranger just simply doesn't have. Because then you can lean into a fact you know about them or a recent move or a decision that's been made. And I think that's important because we enter these networking. Even I have in my journey as an entrepreneur and business leader, I've entered these spaces.
And while many would perceive me as extroverted, I'm really not. I'm more ambiverted. So if I don't do my research, I do not work the room well. Like, I just don't. I have all these barriers. So I love that you're like, hey, I'm a nerd about this. And it doesn't mean that you have to know every moving part or every attendee or every person in the environment, but just having a sense of awareness, awareness of the industry that you're in, the type of event you're at, the potential stakeholders involved, all of that helps you overcome the fear of, let me go up and shake this person's hand. I love that. Love that.
So let's talk about trust building. Because to your point, like you said earlier, relationships are at the heartbeat of what we do as leaders in business or whatever we may be doing. And part of building relationship is building trust.
So beyond just you articulating your expertise or who or who you know, are there any tips you can give our audience in just your approach in building trust with prospective athletes or scouts or coaches?
[00:30:16] Speaker B: Honestly, it's just like a relationship with your friends. Honesty and communication.
I'm just honest with them. Like, hey, I'm a new agent.
I know a little bit from just me loving football, but is there anything you could teach me, just learning from them to be honest, just building that relationship and be like, hey, is there anything you need for me?
Do you want insight on a player?
Because, you know, I talk to players, I know if they're going to go, if they thinking about coming out or not. So I can just give scouts a little bit of value from my end as well.
[00:30:43] Speaker A: I love that. So I heard you say, of course, honesty.
I'll paraphrase this. Intentional communication, right?
And then that extra step in, how can I add value. It's not one directional, which, which I think is really important for us to kind of remember as we're building this relationship. It's mutual.
Are there any habits that you've taken on just in your role as a, as a, as an agent, as a professional? And like you said, hey, I still got a figurative 9 to 5 that I'm maintaining until I build up the portfolio.
What type of habits or things that you've adopted just to be able to balance all of this?
[00:31:24] Speaker B: It's a lot sometimes, but you know, just keeping your eye on the prize. Like I know my main goal is to go full time as an agent. So just staying, staying on course and just really during the day when I have free time from work, like obviously like I said, I have to work, but a little free time. Lunch break. Oh, let me shoot this text to this scout or let me shoot a text here or let me schedule a 15 minute call with an athlete that I'm interested in signing. Just showing them that you care. Because if you just, you know, you text and reach out and say, oh, hey, do you want to meet up? Like I'm intentional with the time. Like, hey, let's meet 15 minutes once a week at least or three times a week, however much you want. Is there anything you need for me always doing check ins like, hey, how you doing? Are you working out? Are you eating right? Are you doing things to set yourself up for success on the field so I can do my job off the field for you?
[00:32:07] Speaker A: Phenomenal. Phenomenal. The it reminds me of my. Any, any drive that's longer than 30 minutes is my time to do much of what you're speaking to just nurture relationship calling with intentionality to do just that. I'm not asking for anything, I'm checking in. Hey, can I help you with this thing that you're navigating? Past clients I could have been coaching from an executive standpoint, fellow business leaders, fellow consultants. Right. Just this idea of intentionality around maintaining that those relationships, seeing where you can add value where you can. You'd be surprised six months later, a year later, where you now have an opportunity to show up in, in, in a different way. So I, I love that.
Do you find that the. There are some common mistakes that you've observed in your field, especially among newer or younger agents in your profession, that you could recommend? Hey, don't do this. And I don't mean it just from more of a technical nuance of your industry, but just in general. Hey, I've seen This happen and it's a, it's a rabbit hole or a pit hole. Try to avoid it. Any, any insights or recommendations you could give our audience?
[00:33:24] Speaker B: I would say nothing as far as an agent. Obviously as a newer agent myself, I try to surround myself with people who have been doing it for five, ten years at least. But I'll just say in general, like for my current nine to five, I manage a part time staff and just encouraging them to be like hey. Because they always ask hey, what do I have to do to get on the full time team? And it's kind of just like establishing those habits and networking connections. When you're close to part time where you see me out on the field, come over and talk to me like, or talk to someone else like you never know when we need to hire someone down the line. First person is going to pop in your head. Someone you made a good connection with. Not just someone on paper who, oh, he has this degree. It's gonna be someone you made a connection with, sorry. And then also goes back to adding value like hey, you know if someone came up to you and just said hey I want a job, you're gonna be like oh, I don't have anything. But if they do the research and say oh I can add this to your organization, I have experience doing this and this and this and I can help your organization improve here, you're much more likely to hire them.
[00:34:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well said, well said. When I think about to, to your point, many of these best practices, this becomes really solid advice I think for anyone who is trying to establish a level of credibility and authority in what they do. Because to your point, validating what you know by act through action screams much louder than the other person who is trying to attempt a more alternative approach to being seen or recognized because it's, it's showing proof, right? And I think that is essential for those who are trying to navigate progression in their career.
Oftentimes it's less about what's written on your resume, but observe through the actions and the impact and the results that you've been able to drive. I think that's really important for our audience to just continue to remember no matter, no matter where they are in your career. So thank you for sharing that.
Coming up, we're going to close with what I call the unfiltered takeaway.
When we think about our, our young audience or our young listeners, what do they need to remember when self doubt it's hardest.
Tune in.
Foreign.
Welcome back to Everyday Leaders. Unfiltered in this final segment, we're speaking directly to those who feel like the door is closed before they even knock.
Many of our audience face this challenge of wanting to believe they belong in this career journey, in this field, on this track they're on. But it doesn't always feel like the doors are open. The doors close before they even knock.
I want to center our conversation on ownership, the belief and recognition that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing, that I know that I'm going to encounter challenges and obstacles, and I know I need to work to overcome them. So I want to start with the question that was actually recently asked of me, and so I'll phrase it slightly different.
What do you want our younger leaders or professionals to remember when they feel like, hey, I don't fit this mold that I believe exists around my field or my industry?
[00:37:14] Speaker B: I'll just say everyone feels that way. Unless, obviously, if you are the mold, but my industry, most people know that it's historically white, male dominated. To be honest, one of my favorite people, I read her book. Her name's Nicole Lynn.
Famously, I'll make it short. Famously. She went, she actually drove eight hours on her birthday to go visit a prospect to try to sign them, and he laughed in her face in the rain later, you know, I'm a Jets fan. Quinn Williams actually called her on the phone and said, hey, I saw that story about you getting rejected in the rain, driving eight hours on your birthday. I want you to be my agent. He went on to be the number three pick in the draft, and that was like her first big break. So you never know. Just go out there, put yourself out there. Good things happen.
[00:37:58] Speaker A: I love, I love that story and I've never heard it, so I need to look her up now. To your point, there's something in her that empowered her to take the eight hour drive in the rain. What do you think that is? And does that something that exists within you?
[00:38:20] Speaker B: Yeah, it's just the one she. She wanted. She. At the time, it wasn't a money thing. Like she works as a full time lawyer while she was starting up to become an agent. She just knew that's what she wanted to do. And I feel like I'm kind of the same way. So I really resonated with her book.
Yeah, it's just if you something, if you really want something, you got to go get it, man.
You know, he's gonna look like the next man in the room. You know, he's not gonna be the mold, but it's kind of got to do what you got to do and kind of push past that if you
[00:38:46] Speaker A: want it bad enough.
So is there a small action that our viewers can take? I'm talking today, this week to feel more confident in their journey that they're on.
[00:39:01] Speaker B: For me, what gives me confidence is becoming prepared. So even if it's just a cold outreach to someone in your field that you admire, come in prepared, like I said earlier, bring value to the conversation, Keep it short and sweet because obviously if you admire them, they probably an important person in their field. Even just reaching out, sending an email, something like that, just to get you more comfortable talking to people that you feel like you quote, unquote, shouldn't be in the room with. That's just something I did long before. I would try to reach out to athletes and like I said in my small endeavors, trying to get into the marketing before I become an agent and I would let them know like, hey, I'm going to be an agent in the future. A couple years down the line, I still got to get my master's and everything. But I feel like that combined with. I worked in marketing when I was in school, just getting those rejections, those notes, just talking to people because as a kid I was very introverted. I don't know if you could tell now, but yeah, I was very introverted. Scared to talk to people, couldn't look people in the eye. So just overcoming, identifying your weaknesses and how you can improve to help you get to where you want to go.
[00:40:00] Speaker A: To be honest, phenomenal. We could have a whole nother segment on all those things that you talked about. I love this when to your point, right. That's a journey, overcoming the challenges that you spoke to. Like you said, that's it, that's, that's for some many years, if not a lifelong thing.
So when those personal challenges rear their ugly head and then what's met with that is self doubt, that starts to creep in.
As much as you want something as bad as you want it, for some the doubt becomes so heavy that it supersedes the desire or the will.
Are there any tips you can give our audience this when. When they're in that space?
[00:41:04] Speaker B: I would just say goes back to reflection, look at your weaknesses. Is there anything that you can do that you can improve on, Help you get out of that mindset? Maybe you have that mindset because maybe you don't like talking to people in, in your field. You need to talk to people or you feel like, let's say you're in whatever field you want to get into, honestly, just improve on your weaknesses. I feel like that for me personally that helps lower my self doubt.
[00:41:31] Speaker A: Sure, sure. When I hear that, I take it a step further to say to slowly help me navigate. So if it's overcoming the fear of networking in order to build relationship, maybe my first step is to attend a virtual networking event where all I have to do is type my name in and listen. And then maybe the next time I'm actually going to attend another virtual event, I'll type my name in, I'll listen, but I actually may acknowledge my presence. And then the next step may be I'll go from the virtual event to I'll do it in person, but I'm probably going to be in the corner somewhere, but at least. Right. Sometimes those steps start to embolden us and empower us. Right. So to your point, set that plan and take. Set the buoys. Right. The buoys are those small incremental steps that we can take to get to the bigger objective. Otherwise that's a long journey that can be very scary and lonely. But hey, if I'm tracking the buoys while I pass five buoys. Right. So I love that.
I want to make sure for our viewers, you know, who want to follow your journey and stay connected, please share again. How should they reach you?
[00:42:45] Speaker B: You can reach out to me on Instagram, Jordan jdn. As to it, astwod on Instagram. Okay. Yeah, that's the best way to reach.
[00:42:54] Speaker A: Awesome. So follow Jordan on Instagram. He mentioned LinkedIn as well. He said just Google him. He's out there.
With that being said, I think what you've shared is so powerful, so essential for our audience to. To hear and just for all of us, even for me to, to. To just remember what's required. Right. That nothing's easy in this world. It takes due diligence. It takes work. It takes acknowledging. I want to thank Jordan for his honesty and for the reality that so many of us, especially our young leaders, are living right now. Today's conversation really reminds us that leadership doesn't start with permission. It starts with persistence.
I'm Dr. Dante with Everyday Leaders Unfiltered, where real leadership begins long before the spotlight finds you. Thanks for tuning in.
