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Candy Valentino
Foreign.
David Anderson
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Candy Valentino
Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the Candy Valentino Show. Thanks for tuning in with me today. I'm so excited for you to get to spend this time with the guest that we brought you today, David Anderson. And we're going to talk about his background, which I think you're going to find fascinating. And then we're also going to get into leadership principles. I think this is something so important for entrepreneurs and just professionals in general. I think that the topic of leadership isn't talked enough about because I think people think that it's just a title that you acquire when you start to manage people. And that isn't the case. So I wanted to bring on someone who is an expert in that and also they could talk about some things that are happening right now in the media. So, David Anderson, thank you so much for joining us today.
David Anderson
Thank you for having me. Glad to be here.
Candy Valentino
So before we hit play, I had to jump into your bio and say, okay, wait a second, what does this mean that you used to work at the White House? Because obviously that's not something that everyone gets to do. And I think sometimes we see, you know, whether it is Madam Secretary or some of these shows, what it looks like to actually see into the White House. And we're like, how true really are those shows? Is it worse or better? Tell us a little bit about that. I think that's fascinating.
David Anderson
That's a great question. My family hates watching those shows with me because I go, that would never happen. That would never happen.
Candy Valentino
You ruin the show.
David Anderson
Yeah, I do. I do. They're like Madam Secretary, what's the other one? Soul Survivor or whatever the one. All of those. So yeah, they're like, you have to watch that by yourself. Dad or husband or my wife just turns it off because she don't like politics in total. So I have to watch those in secret on my own.
Candy Valentino
So what did. So obviously that wouldn't have happened very much of all of that. So that would actually be fun to watch one of those with you? Because it would be like, all right, would that happen? So my husband was a former defense attorney and judge. He was a former judge. And so a lot of times on the other side of it, I'll be like, is that really what happened? Would they really get off because of doing that? You know, and he's like, no or yeah, or yes. It's actually worse than that, you know, so that's actually fascinating. But let's talk a little bit about that and tie into what. How you shifted from that role into what you're currently doing now as an entrepreneur. So you worked for both Bushes. Correct. In the administration.
David Anderson
Correct.
Candy Valentino
Got you into that. Did you transition out of college? How long was that stint? And what did you do specifically inside of the White House?
David Anderson
Yeah, well, yes, thank you. It was. It was a while ago. Both Bushes, obviously. And like, you know, so many things in life and especially as it's translated into entrepreneurship and being involved in community, a lot of life is about the opportunities that are thrown at you, quite frankly, the luck we have. Sometimes that leads to incredible journeys that we have. And so I'm an Arizona State graduate with exactly one political science class, because I had to. And I graduated from there. And within two years. I think it was two or. Yeah, about two years, I was working in the executive office of the president in the White House, traveling the world with him and Candy. It all came about out because I met a girl at a party. Yes. Swear to God. Now, I was working in politics. I was working on Capitol Hill. I was doing other things. The member I was working for ran for a governorship. The FIRST President Bush, 41, as we refer to him, the 41st president did an event, and I happened to be there. And I literally met. Her name was Kathy, at a party the next week, and we started talking. She's like, oh, they're always looking for people to help do what's called advance, advance and travel and do that. And, you know, they. They gave me a couple test drives, and I ended up doing that for four years. And then politics is a lot like the Mafia. Once you're in, they don't let you out. And so, you know, when 43 ran, a lot of the same people started going. So I kind of went back. Now, I lived in Washington, D.C. for the first one. The second one, I stayed in Arizona because I had a business by then, I had a young family. But I was called on to travel extensively internationally to help as. Whenever a president travels, there's a team that goes out. Security, military, air Force One, all of this. And I was. I would lead those trips as the White House representative domestically, internationally. I've been to Russia, I've been to the Middle East. I've been, you know, summits, NATO summits in Romania. I've been. I'm truly blessed to have had just some amazing experiences. And I was early 20s, mid-20s at that point. My greatest regret is, yeah, my greatest regret, honestly, is I didn't pay enough attention to what was going on around me. The leadership I was learning, the leadership I was seeing firsthand. And not just with presidents, but, you know, I was in motorcades, I was in events, sitting in holding rooms with chief of staff, secretaries of state, secretaries of defense, and you just get to talk to them. And again, one of the messages back, how it's helped me as a CEO, entrepreneur, all of that, is sometimes we move so fast that we don't take time to fully think about the opportunities and the luck that we have and how we can take advantage of those and what we can learn from them and how these little nuggets we take from experiences that in a lot of ways, I mean, nobody was asking me for my opinion on any world affairs whatsoever, but I was in the room, and so it was it. I wish I would have paid more attention. Now I have gone back, reflected, actually have an outline for a future book on my experiences and all of that, but being perceptive and aware of what's going around us and how we can capitalize on that. I'm not the smartest person, but I am really good at connecting dots. And we have dots thrown up in front of us every single day in this world, and it's how we connect those dots to help us achieve the things we want to.
Candy Valentino
Yeah, it's so good. And I love that you touched on that, that reflecting back. You wish you would have just been more intentional about observation. Because I often think this is a quote I share. Often. It's just oftentimes we are so focused on where we want to go that we are neglecting where we are right now. It's like, where are you right now? What do you need to pay attention to? Because if you're so focused on the next level, the next thing, the next revenue benchmark that you want to hit in your business, it's like you're missing so much opportunity, and obviously you're in your early 20s, so of course we don't that. But once you get beyond those 20s and maybe 40s, 50s and up, it's like we really understand that. And so I love that you shared that. I think it's so critically important. And what a cool opportunity for you to have had because even though maybe you weren't fully observing it the way that you wish that you would have, you're still catching things in your environment, right? That's why they always say it's caught and not taught. So you're catching a lot of that. Is there anything specifically whether like and I say in my own journey I was around a lot more successful people and wiser people around me, so I've kind of adopted some of their personalities and mirrored along the way. Is there maybe anything just reflecting back that you took from that experience is how you lead people today.
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David Anderson
Me, the single greatest, and I have a list of them, but by far the single greatest takeaway that I have is that you are only as successful as the people that you have around you. And you need to. Those people need to include those who will challenge you. Not yes people. You need a Condoleezza Rice, a Colin Powell, Andy Secretary Andy Card, Chief of Staff Josh Bolton that will say, you know, Mr. President, have you really thought through that? Or here's other ways to think about that. We need to consider this, that you need to have those people around you. If you don't build your team with people who are smarter than you. Not afraid of you. Afraid, like not physically. But you know what I mean that, oh, I don't want to lose my job. So I'm going to tell them whatever I need. You'll never reach your full potential as a leader because those are the people that push you. And the people I reported to were very much like that. That's not acceptable. We need to find another way to do it. The, you know, the president's not going to do that. Go back to, you know, so you constantly need those people would be, you know, by far my greatest takeaway. And what I've tried to implement as a CEO. Hire great people, give them the guidance they need and get out of their way in a lot of ways. You know, give the vision, the direction where you want to go, but don't micromanage it.
Candy Valentino
Right? Yeah. And if you have to do that too much and you've given them the keys to drive the car themselves and they keep coming back to ask you how to drive it, it probably wasn't the right hire. And I think that's tough too. As you know, it's really tough to like identify, oh, I either made a bad hire, this wasn't the best fit, and how do you then find that next best hire? But I love what you said. I always say that you never learn in an echo chamber. You will never evolve. Like you're never going to learn in an echo chamber. And it's also why we learn so much from our failures and our mistakes and our missteps and the no's that we hear, right? The doors that get slammed in the face, as much as we don't like them.
David Anderson
No, it's true. But think about being, you know, a high profile individual like President. Your failures are ample, amplified around the world. Just think how much harder that is. And not only is it amplified, it's then Made fun of on T. I mean, if you stumble going up the stairs, you're on every late night show going on, you know, there, you know it. It's so you gotta have some thick skin, but you can't fear that. It. One of my greatest lessons, and unfortunately, it took me well into my career to realize that, and something I wish I. I would have done a better job I've really worked with my kids on, is accept failure, celebrate failure. And it's what you learned, you know, from it. I'm in an organization with Sarah Blakely, who, you know, started Spanx and all of that. And one of the things that I heard from her she's spoken about is around the dinner table each night, her dad asked, what did you fail at today? And what did you learn from that? What a powerful thing for us to accept and not fear.
Candy Valentino
When you were talking about failure, I was literally, when you were done making your point, gonna say, did you ever hear about Sarah Blakely in the conversation she had with her dad? Like, we're sharing a brain at the moment. That was crazy. I was like, I can't believe you just said that. Because that is. Imagine if every. Imagine if we all had that environment as children and if we didn't. Right. I always say this is the other thing people think, well, that's so great. She became a billionaire because she had that environment. I didn't have that circumstance. And. No, you didn't. And you can't change that. But you can decide what to do next. You know, you can make new decisions now based on the information that you do have. And so often people don't do that. They take the information and they still make the same decisions, and then they wonder why they don't have a different result. And so I love that you shared that. And I actually, before we get into the leadership side of things, I want to just have one more question about the White House, because, again, it's rare that you get to talk. Even though there's thousands and thousands of people that work on every administration, it's rare that you get to talk in a business and finance podcast also about the White House. And it's not a political issue. So I love this. And there was just an article that came out a couple days ago, two days ago, to be exact, from this is NBC that I'm reading. And it says that Trump White House seeks to limit staffers who have direct access to the president. Fewer people will be given the title of Assistant to the President and a designation that comes with increased Access to, to the President. And so obviously I think immediately my opinion, it's because of the assassination attempts, it's because of the increased security. But is there a lot of access traditionally given? So were you part of a lot of people that really had some direct access to President Bush and then, and.
David Anderson
Then also w. Well, my access was when we were on the road. So I was very unique in that. You know, I was right there. And again and to be clear, you know, I wasn't an advisor to him. I was more of made everything happen. But yeah, I mean, I was in the car road in front of his limo. I would, you know, help get him around. So I was fortunate to have that access if needed to be. And the access where I learned the much most from was not my interactions with either of them is what I saw going on around and you know, what it takes and all of that. So, you know, I, I hadn't heard that until you just mentioned it. It's a double edged sword, you know, why do they not want people to have that access? Maybe it limits what is being happening and what's going on and that kind of thing. But I would say from my viewpoint, just if you look at that from a CEO or an executive or other things, limited points of view. Access to limited points of view is not a healthy thing in my viewpoint. I have heard of other presidents that would want more junior staff there to hear other points of view. We make the best decisions as leaders based on the variety of information we get, the ability to ask questions about the information that is fed to us because we instinctively have historical knowledge. We, you know, our gut instinct as a, you know, entrepreneur, you know, that goes through and I'm just not a fan of limited access to people. Now, can it be a revolving door? No. And I can tell you, within the White House itself, nobody just walks into the outer office of the Oval Office and goes, hey, I want to see the President. It is extremely. Well, every single piece of paper that goes into a president's office is documented. It's, you know, that somebody's job, the staff secretary to do that. So, you know, people shouldn't think that there is a revolving door. There is levels of access, but at the end of the day, the leader decides what level of access they feel they need to make the best decisions. And that's what that'll have to be based on.
Candy Valentino
Yeah, it's fascinating too. And I'm wondering to just play the other side of the coin and play devil's advocate for a minute. Do you feel that all information and all feedback is valid? Or do you think as a leader, as a CEO, that you also have to quantify opinions? Because I see it in the reverse where some people will wait to get so many opinions and so much feedback, they paralyzes them and they don't actually take action. So it's like, it's almost like both extremes could be really negative, but where do you fall? Like what do you feel is almost the right ingredients or the right amount for the recipe of how do you qualify good opinions? Because otherwise people can take opinions off of social media.
David Anderson
Right.
Candy Valentino
It's never built anything.
David Anderson
Yeah, yeah, we know what trouble that gets us in. You know, you have a 100% valid point, Candy. I 100% agree with you. A lot of leaders get, what's it called, analysis paralysis or whatever I've heard. Totally agree. I think it really comes in as new situations we face. You know, there's a lot of historical knowledge we get, you know, where we need less information. But as we're seeing right now with the tragedies in California and terrorist attacks in New Orleans recently, especially when you sit in the office of the President, the information can be new every single day, new stuff is coming in. You go to bed at night with nothing going on and you wake up in the morning and it's chaos, you know, so I, it, it's a leader's gut instinct that does that. What I do think is dangerous is when somebody besides the leader has the authority to limit access. A leader should absolutely know what he needs, he or she needs. But that access of information shouldn't be regulated by another person or a group of people of what gets in, what doesn't get in, because that can. We've had more than enough Senate hearings on why something went wrong and oh, I never knew. I have no recollection of such a thing, Senator, you know, so I agree with you fully. You just as a leader need to decide what that is.
Candy Valentino
It's almost like everyone has to decide what their own flavor is. And unfortunately you have to kind of do it for a long time in order till you kind of figure that out. Because I want to think that when I was first starting, I probably needed more opinions. Now I feel like I need less high, but more high quality opinions. Right. Like, so it's kind of like all of that stuff evolves as you evolve as a leader. And I'd be interested to see kind of what your thought is now. So I did research for my last book and we researched 17,000 leaders and entrepreneurs, CEOs, entrepreneurs and of other companies to find some, like, through lines like what actually makes like, is there a characteristic or something that hedges your advantage in a positive way to be a great leader? And now obviously you studied this. You've been in leadership for a long time. Is there anything that you see, you know, we've found that it's not your college background, it's not your Ivy League pedigree. Right. Those don't really have any bearing on it. It's not. If you're extroverted and super, like, you know, grandiose and flamboyant with the way that you communicate. Is there anything that you found as like, commonalities that if someone's listening and they really want to elevate their leadership style with their team, here's a few things that they can kind of start to focus on. What would that be?
David Anderson
100. Great. Quite great question. There's a few things that come to mind for me. First of all, I believe the, the leaders are the greatest listeners. Also, we have a tendency to know where we're going, what we want to do and kind of conform blinders on us or have our own ideas. So listening. And one of my favorite quotes, because I love that you've had a couple quotes already, I'm a big quote person is Stephen Covey. Seek to understand, then to be understood. And I think it's really important that leaders should take it all in and then make decisions. So the ability to listen and ask really good questions, dig deeper. And you know what? Sometimes, like with my team, I know the answers to questions, but I'm testing them. I'm making sure that they have gone as deep as I have to think about things and to go through there. I also have another rule is life is 10% what you say and 90% how you say it. And so as a leader, we. What's going on in these crazy minds of ours and what actually comes out our mouth can get totally lost in translation. And we can. We think we're saying it perfect. I'm like, I did a great job in that meeting. And then my president or one of my others will come up and be like, Dave's. Everybody's really confused. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Or, you know, if you come in with a bad attitude, you know, you, you know as well as I do as a communicator that communications. The actual words we use is less than 10. UCLA study, you know, 38 or whatever percent is tonality 55 body language whatever those numbers are that get to 100. So the 10, what you say, yeah. Have your words. Right. But it's how we say it. And it's not, not just the words we use, but it's our body language. It's the tonality that we use. It's how we. I believe how you begin and end every meeting will determine the effectiveness of a meeting that you have with a team. How you begin and end a conversation with somebody will determine the effectiveness of that conversation. And so really do that. And then for me is, you know, I know it's hard sometimes leaders, we get emotional. We have all kinds of stuff, stuff going on in our lives, but stay calm. The greatest leaders maintain their demeanor. They don't lose it. They take the information in and, you know, this has been studied and documented. But if you look at how George W. Handled 9, 11, he's sitting in a classroom reading books to kids, you know, when Andy Card walks up and says, you know, Mr. President, America is under attack, you know, and he didn't jump up, he didn't freak out, he didn't run out of the room, you know, because the world, not the U.S. the world was watching how we would react. And I think even though that's an extreme case, somebody comes in with bad news or with, you know, a change or something, our teams are looking at us every day. And how we react to stuff like that will have a huge effect on how they react and go forward.
Candy Valentino
Absolutely. Speed of the leaders, the team. Right. I don't know whose quote that is, but it's so true. You said something I know everyone's going to want, so I have to circle back. You said how you start the beating and how you end the meeting is everything. Do you have a framework or something that you teach or that you tell people or that you do in your own businesses of how you specifically start a meeting and how you end it?
David Anderson
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Yeah, for me, in the vast majority of cases, there's a lot of brain science behind this of, you know, how when you start a meeting, started on an upbeat note, come into the room in a good mood, ask questions, hey, how was the weekend? What are you guys doing? Hey, let's, you know, depending on the meeting. I mean, you can't start every meeting with an icebreaker. But if you're doing big meetings, it's like, hey, even simple things like what's your one word open today? What? You know, what's the best thing that happened to you over the weekend? Because all that serotonin and all that other stuff that I don't understand in the brain, it, it sets the tonality in the room for the people that you have. Whereas if we come in and you're like pounding the table and we got a huge problem, people are going to shut down. Try to never use the word why as a leader because just think about it. I mean my mom and dad, it was like, why did you do that? Dave, why'd you do that again? Dave, why? Yeah, exactly. Dave, this is the eighth time. Is this or a different why? I mean, why is such a defensive word so simple things. Hey, can you help me explain the decision process to get here? Hey, can you help me explain how we got here? I would like to understand. So there's a lot of things that you can do and for me, how you end the meeting is are we clear on what we need to go if people say yes? This isn't a great book. Never split the difference. It's a great negotiating tool is what does yes mean? Team. You know, if the team. Are we all on the same page where we're now going and they're saying yes, Ask the question what does yes mean? What are the next action items that we need to go? And the, the thing that Chris talks about in that book is what does yes mean? It's because we all have, we interpret things so differently. So if you want alignment as a team by simply saying you know, what does yes mean? Please define the outcomes or what did you hear so that you're on the same page. And I think it's also really important and not in a CYA atmosphere because I hate that. Whenever you can possibly do a quick bulleted summary notes after meeting, here's what we discuss. Here's what we agreed to. Here are the next action items. Bullets, boom, boom, boom, boom. You know, short, sweet, to the point, allow sets expectations and you know as well as I do in business most things go awry because there's on unmatched expectations of what is expected. You know, what, how we're Moving forward.
Candy Valentino
Well, I think as the entrepreneur, we think, oh, we communicated this right. So we don't need to. I'm so guilt. Like, oh, I already talked about this. Didn't I just say this already? So you feel like you're saying it over and over again. The person kind of probably needs to hear it three to five times in order to really capture it. Or you need to document it, which AI is great for now. You know, I used to do summaries, and it's like, now if you really need to do that, you let Otter run. Or you let some other transcription. You let them gather the notes, click review. Okay. Like, we do that for board meetings. So it's really great for that. Of just like, okay, is that what we wanted to capture? Yes, then. But yes.
David Anderson
Or if you're. Yeah. Or if you're. My wife of almost 30 years, she just gives me that look. What did you just say? You know, that made no sense whatsoever. I need that Otter to follow me around at home, too. You think I get better? Or my two boys, like, mom, what. What was dad talking about? You know, I'm like, what do you mean? You don't understand? I was perfectly clear.
Candy Valentino
Exactly.
David Anderson
You probably don't have that problem. I do.
Candy Valentino
Oh, no, I'll tell you, it's. It's. I don't know when we knew that entrepreneurship also had to have part psychology degree. Like, you need communication, you need human psychology. Like, all these brain tricks of, like, gathering. It's like, oh, my gosh, I'm just trying to, like, make payroll, you know, and make sure that we're profitable or, like, open another location. But it's so true. And you mentioned your wife. It's. All of these tactics also work in relationships, which I didn't know until. Because I started a business so young. I didn't know until much later that, like, all of these same things of, like, soft starting and, you know, you don't ever want to use the word always and never. Like, you always do this or you never do that. Like, the same things apply in our relationship. So I think there's a lot of those leadership principles, if you will, that also tie into just how we interact in our human life in and out of business.
David Anderson
Yeah, I totally agree with you. You know, my book is Leaders, not a title, because we're all leaders in some way. I mean, you know, whether or not it's prevalent in business anymore, think about how much of a leader or receptionist is in your organization. Because it's the very first interaction that people are coming to, they can make or break what that day is going to look like. I'm sure in your businesses, just like mine, there's the person who is, you know, perceived as having a better relationship or not with the CEO, the bosses and that kind of stuff. Oh, you go ask them, oh, what's going on? You know, the people that have been there longer who understand us as leaders and co workers better that I call them the, the translators, you know, they're like, what, what was that meant by that? That's all a leadership role, you know, leader. That for me, and that's what my book is about, is we all lead in some way in some part of our lives. In my relationship anyway, sometimes my wife leads, sometimes I lead. It's just, it's there and there. I couldn't agree with you more of what you said. All of these things are transferable to the work we do in the office, the work that our relationships at our at home are, the things we do in the community. It's, it's, we learn from all of it.
Candy Valentino
Yeah, it's, it's so fascinating to me at this stage, so many years now doing it, how it is so intertwined and how just really elevating your acumen in one area will tie into the other areas of your life too. Right. And that's why I think leadership, such an important principle. And I love the title of your book because that is such a great thing. Like, and anyone that's listening, maybe they started out, they're starting in business and you don't even have people to lead. You still are seen in that like, role, you know. And it's funny you mentioned the receptionist. Like, I was talking with Tommy Mello who has a massive garage door company. You know Tommy?
David Anderson
Yeah, I was on his podcast a couple weeks ago. So yeah, I do know Tommy.
Candy Valentino
He's great. And we were talking about how his mom answered, used to answer the phone back in the day and that that customer and I have had brick and mortar. So I get it. Like that person that answers the phone is so important because if they're short, if they're snippy, like that is the only brand to this point before they walk in your door, they're serviced, or they buy your product that that customer has experience with. So it's like making sure that each one of those positions are so critically valued because they are important. I think is, is really killer. But I love that story. I don't know if you ever heard that his mom used to like bring in Starbucks to customers. And so then he started doing that with like, new customers. Can I bring you a Starbucks? Like those little things, that relational thing, especially in 2025, I think businesses, if they just did a fraction of that, you could really overachieve in your industry and in your market by doing some of those things. So as we go to wrap, obviously, I just want to ask you one final question. You have obviously long career, you've been around, as you said, politically, a lot of great people, a lot of great leaders. You as an entrepreneur have been around a lot of people. You mentioned Sarah Blakely. We know some of the same people. So is there anything maybe whether it was early in your career or even as of now that you heard that was just a really great piece of advice that you wish you would have heard a little sooner that really helped shape either the way you showed up in your business or as a leader. I'm just going to give you carte blanche to whatever kind of comes to mind.
David Anderson
That's great. You were very polite in the way you called me old. So thank you that I've been around a long time in that. So thank you very much. Candy. That was, that was well, well done. As a marketer. I give you high marks for that. Yes, there is one, and it's a John Maxwell quote that before you lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself. Before you lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself. And I think that's a really. The course I just taught at a local university, I focused a lot about that. You have to know yourself. You have to understand what you're good at, but more importantly, have to understand what you're not good at. You can't think that you know it all. You have to, you know, ask yourself the question of what I want to be led by me. You know, how I talk to people, how I act, my emotional intelligence, how do I. As you know as well as I do, leadership is about having influence over people. And when you have influence in some form, a positive way, you can motivate them. And leadership is all about the ability to motivate people to help achieve a common goal, to get things done that you want to do, to work in unison. But if you can't do that, lead yourself to understand that and have a good understanding of your strengths, limitations, what you do, what you don't do, all of the stuff that wraps into leadership. Just, you need to be really secure with yourself to be a leader before you can lead others. And I try. I, quite frankly, I still suffer from imposter syndrome and some form every single week. But, you know, I think so many of us, especially as entrepreneurs, and you were very young when you kind of started on the entrepreneurial path. And as we, we kind of go into it like we know it all or not so much we know it all but that we have to prove something to people and that we're afraid to show that we failed at something. So we turn in. We can easily turn into people and act like people that we would never work for, you know, so before you can lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself. It's one of my favorite quotes.
Candy Valentino
Such great advice. Such great quote. My gosh, I feel like we could keep going for another 40 minutes. Tell everyone, where can they find more about you? Where can they find the book, all of the things? David Anderson.
David Anderson
Oh, well, thank you. First of all, thank you very much for having me on. You got a great show. I've, you know, seen some of them before. So I want to promote you is just as much of what you do. My Dave Anderson. David Anderson. My website for my kind of coaching, speaking board of director stuff is DWA. My middle name is Wayne dwaleadership.com. you can go there, you can contact me. And the book's on Amazon Leaders, not a title by David Anderson. And reach out. Always happy to, you know, help anybody that I can. And thanks again. I appreciate what you do to help others.
Candy Valentino
Oh, thank you, David. Thank you so much for your time and for coming on. And this was actually a lot of fun. So thanks so much for this and we'll put all of your thing in the show notes for everyone to know and remember. If you love this, we go live on Thursdays on x and on YouTube. So subscribe to the show and then of course on Apple and Spotify where you get more information like this of how you can build your business, build your influence, build your leadership right here on the Candy Valentina Show. Thanks again.
Joe Saul-Sehy
Hi, I'm Joe. Saul Sehi, host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast. Every week we talk to experts about saving, investing, personal finance, trends, crypto. Can't do it.
David Anderson
You could have done all that research, all the breadcrumbs and thought, this company's never going bankrupt.
Joe Saul-Sehy
Foiled again. You never knew personal finance could be this fun. Throwing down the gauntlet.
David Anderson
I'm bringing it today. I'm only going to be off by six figures instead of seven.
Joe Saul-Sehy
Every boy has a dream, doc.
David Anderson
Every boy has a dream for sure.
Joe Saul-Sehy
Stacking Benjamins follow and listen on your favorite platform.
The Candy Valentino Show: Episode Summary
Episode Title: The Key To Becoming a Great Leader with David Anderson
Host: Candy Valentino
Guest: David Anderson
Release Date: January 20, 2025
Network: Cumulus Podcast Network
In this insightful episode of The Candy Valentino Show, host Candy Valentino welcomes David Anderson, a seasoned entrepreneur and former White House staffer, to delve deep into the essence of effective leadership. Drawing from his extensive experience in political environments and business, Anderson provides listeners with invaluable lessons on cultivating strong leadership skills that transcend industries and personal relationships.
Candy Valentino opens the conversation by highlighting David Anderson's remarkable background, particularly his tenure at the White House, working under both President Bush administrations. Anderson candidly shares how his political career, which began somewhat serendipitously after meeting a pivotal contact at a party, afforded him unparalleled opportunities to observe leadership at the highest levels.
“Sometimes that leads to incredible journeys that we have. I was in motorcades, I was in events, sitting in holding rooms with chiefs of staff, secretaries of state…”
(02:02) – David Anderson
He reflects on the lessons he absorbed from these high-stakes environments, emphasizing the importance of being perceptive and taking advantage of opportunities to learn, even if he wasn’t always actively engaged in discussions about world affairs.
One of Anderson's fundamental takeaways is the critical role that a leader’s team plays in their success. He stresses the necessity of surrounding oneself with individuals who challenge and push boundaries, avoiding "yes people" who only offer affirmation without critical feedback.
“You are only as successful as the people that you have around you. And those people need to include those who will challenge you.”
(10:21) – David Anderson
Anderson underscores that leadership is as much about communication as it is about vision. He highlights the significance of not just what leaders say, but how they say it. This includes maintaining composure, especially during crises, and ensuring clarity to avoid misunderstandings within the team.
“Life is 10% what you say and 90% how you say it.”
(21:09) – David Anderson
He advocates for starting meetings on a positive note to set the right tone and ending them with clear action items to ensure alignment and accountability.
A pivotal point in the discussion is Anderson’s perspective on failure. He encourages leaders to accept and even celebrate failures as opportunities for growth and learning, a mindset he learned from leaders like Sarah Blakely of Spanx.
“Accept failure, celebrate failure. It’s what you learned from it.”
(12:32) – David Anderson
Candy draws parallels between business leadership and personal relationships, emphasizing that the principles Anderson discusses are universally applicable. They explore how effective communication and the ability to lead oneself are foundational not just in professional settings but also in maintaining healthy personal relationships.
“All of these tactics also work in relationships, which I didn’t know until… the same things of, like, soft starting and, you know, you don’t ever want to use the word always and never.”
(29:09) – Candy Valentino
When asked about practical frameworks for starting and ending meetings effectively, Anderson shares actionable strategies:
Start on an Upbeat Note: Begin meetings with light conversation or icebreakers to boost morale and set a positive tone.
Avoid Defensive Language: Refrain from using the word "why," which can come off as accusatory. Instead, ask constructive questions to understand processes and decisions.
Clarify Action Items: Ensure that by the end of the meeting, all participants are clear on the next steps and their respective responsibilities.
“If you want alignment as a team by simply saying what does yes mean? Please define the outcomes or what did you hear so that you’re on the same page.”
(24:58) – David Anderson
In addressing the most impactful advice he received, Anderson references a poignant quote by John Maxwell:
“Before you lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself.”
(33:32) – David Anderson
He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, understanding one’s strengths and limitations, and fostering emotional intelligence. Anderson admits to grappling with imposter syndrome, highlighting that true leadership begins with self-acceptance and continuous personal development.
David Anderson’s conversation with Candy Valentino provides a comprehensive look into the multifaceted nature of leadership. From the significance of building a challenging and supportive team to mastering communication and embracing failure, Anderson offers a blueprint for aspiring leaders. His emphasis on self-leadership serves as a reminder that effective leadership is rooted in personal growth and authenticity.
Where to Find More:
Listeners interested in further exploring David Anderson’s insights can visit his website at dwaleadership.com and check out his book, Leaders, Not a Title, available on Amazon.
Subscribe and Connect:
To stay updated with more episodes on wealth habits, business models, and leadership strategies, follow Candy Valentino on all social media platforms and subscribe to her YouTube channel. Live sessions are available every Thursday on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube for real-time interaction and additional content.
Notable Quotes:
David Anderson: “You are only as successful as the people that you have around you…” (10:21)
David Anderson: “Life is 10% what you say and 90% how you say it.” (21:09)
David Anderson: “Accept failure, celebrate failure. It’s what you learned from it.” (12:32)
John Maxwell: “Before you lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself.” (33:32)
This episode serves as a valuable resource for entrepreneurs, professionals, and anyone aspiring to enhance their leadership capabilities. David Anderson’s experiences and wisdom provide actionable insights that can be applied across various facets of life and business.