Podcast Summary: REAL AF with Andy Frisella - Episode 803

Title: Q&AF: Dealing With A Bad Manager, Delegating Tasks & Being Honest With Your Child Athlete
Host: Andy Frisella
Guest/Contributor: Co-host
Episode Description: In this episode, Andy Frisella addresses three pressing questions from listeners, offering no-nonsense advice on leadership, business delegation, and handling challenges in youth sports. Through candid discussions, Andy emphasizes personal responsibility, ethical entrepreneurship, and the importance of perseverance.

1. Navigating Leadership Amidst Poor Management

Listener's Dilemma:
A young sales professional seeks guidance on how to ethically position himself for a sales manager role within his company, where the current manager is ineffective, and the owner remains unaware of the internal issues.

Andy's Advice:

• Lead Without a Title:
  "You don't have to have a title or a permission or acknowledgement to lead. Leading is something that leaders do on their own, regardless of what title they have." ([06:19])

• Demonstrate Unparalleled Performance:
  Andy urges the listener to excel in his role, producing results that are undeniable and surpassing company records.
  "Put up numbers that that company's never seen before ever, in the history of their company." ([07:00])

• Approach Ownership with Proven Results:
  Once significant achievements are made, approach the owner with concrete evidence of success to advocate for a leadership position.
  "If you can do what you say you can do, here's what I'd recommend putting up numbers... and then I'd recommend going to the owner himself and saying, hey, you see what I'm doing here?" ([09:00])

• Avoid Entitlement Mentality:
  Andy criticizes the entitlement often seen in younger professionals who expect rewards without proven performance.
  "If you pay me, I'd go do it. That's not how the it works." ([10:00])

Notable Quote:
"Put up or shut the fuck up. That's it. You're either putting it up, you're setting records, you're kicking ass and you're going to get paid more. Or you're coasting, you're bitching, you're whining, and you're going to be working at Taco Bell when you're 50 years old." ([10:30])

2. Effective Delegation and Overcoming Leadership Ego in Small Businesses

Listener's Challenge:
A landscaping business owner is struggling to delegate tasks, feeling overwhelmed by day-to-day operations, and battling an ego that hinders effective leadership.

Andy's Guidance:

• Value Every Role:
  Recognize that every team member's role is crucial to the business's success.
  "Without them, you ain't. So you might as well help them feel real good about what they do and help them be great at that so they can progress." ([20:08])

• Attitude Adjustment Over Delegation:
  The core issue isn't just delegation but the leader's attitude towards the work and the team.
  "This is an attitude adjustment from someone who's clearly not ready to lead, that needs to make an adjustment and say, hey, I am not going to ask my people to do anything that I cannot do at a very high level." ([21:22])

• Lead by Example:
  Engage in all aspects of the business, even the menial tasks, to show commitment and humility.
  "Every single day I go to one of our trash bins and I fucking empty it. My job as the fucking founder... is to fucking make everybody else better." ([21:30])

• Ethical Entrepreneurship:
  Emphasize caring for employees and customers as the foundation of a successful business.
  "Ethical entrepreneurship is knowing that every single person that is around you deserves your best as a founder, owner, CEO, leader." ([24:46])

Notable Quote:
"Your job is to fucking make everybody else better. That's the job." ([21:40])

3. Supporting Your Child Athlete Through Adversity

Listener's Concern:
A parent is distressed that his son, despite significant effort in football and other sports, is being sidelined in favor of another student with advantages rooted in favoritism and financial influence. The son is contemplating quitting all sports.

Andy's Perspective:

• Persevere Through Unfairness:
  Encourage the son to continue striving for excellence despite setbacks.
  "If you quit, you're going to quit everything hard in your life." ([27:48])

• Outwork the Competition:
  Emphasize that surpassing peers through hard work and dedication can overcome advantages like connections or financial backing.
  "You're getting your first taste of it here as a young man, which is actually a blessing in disguise. So my advice would be this. If you quit, you're going to quit everything hard in your life." ([28:00])

• Long-Term Commitment:
  Highlight the importance of long-term dedication and resilience in achieving goals.
  "A lot of winning has to do with us not quitting when everybody else quits. That's really it. It's a game of longevity." ([32:00])

• Real-World Lessons:
  Prepare the son for the inevitable challenges in life by teaching him to respond with strength and perseverance.
  "It just ain't fair. People with connections, people with money... We overcome that by being great." ([33:00])

Notable Quote:
"If you were my son, I wouldn't let you quit. That's it. My dad, I tried to quit when I was in high school because I didn't like the coach. You ain't quitting." ([29:36])

Key Takeaways and Insights

• Leadership is Action, Not a Title: True leaders emerge through their actions and the value they bring, not merely by holding a managerial title.

• Performance Drives Advancement: Demonstrating exceptional performance and tangible results is the most ethical and effective way to advance in any organization.

• Humility in Leadership: Successful entrepreneurs and leaders prioritize the growth and well-being of their team, recognizing that their success is intertwined with their employees' success.

• Perseverance Over Entitlement: Overcoming challenges requires relentless dedication and the willingness to push beyond perceived limits, rather than expecting rewards without effort.

• Ethical Standards in Business: Building a business grounded in ethical practices and genuine care for employees and customers lays a strong foundation for long-term success.

Conclusion

In this episode of REAL AF with Andy Frisella, listeners receive straightforward and impactful advice on overcoming managerial challenges, effective delegation in small businesses, and supporting young athletes facing unfair obstacles. Andy's emphasis on action, ethics, and perseverance serves as a guiding framework for individuals striving for personal and professional excellence.

Notable Closing Quote:
"Grow up. Realize this. There's ethical entrepreneurship and there's unethical entrepreneurship. Ethical entrepreneurship is knowing that every single person that is around you deserves your best." ([24:46])

For More Resources:

• 75 Hard Program: Dive deeper into the mental transformation program discussed by Andy. Available for free at andyforsoa.com.

• Book on Mental Toughness: Enhance your understanding of mental resilience with Andy's comprehensive book, also available at andyforsoa.com.

Thank you for tuning into REAL AF with Andy Frisella. Stay committed, stay real, and keep pushing towards your goals.