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​Transcript
[0:01] Just turn the volume down as well. We are lost but pirate broadcast and it's an amazing day.
I just want to welcome you if you're like if you're following in the stream having the conversation with us today.

[0:15] We have some interesting people doing interesting things and today is no differential.

[0:21] You know we're going to continue this trend for as long as we can as long as it looked and let me.
So we want to make sure that you have an opportunity to discover something relation with and lots of things together.
Yes it sounds like make you have your own voice like you have your phone on the phone down.
It's awful. Nick Dorsey is he's in the Pacific Northwest about the recall.
Yes Washington is Washington. You know I'm a I'm a former Washingtonian.
You made the right move right downtown Seattle right across from the Seattle.

[1:03] OK. About 30 miles south. Yeah. So you're down in,
Bonny Lake Bonny lake. OK. Yeah I know Bunny Lake.
It's on this slope out on the peninsula too. So OK that's an area of that Navy where you made the right move.

[1:23] You know I took a detour to Houston for for about 10 years so now I'm in Arizona and cared for mom and dad here.

[1:32] So it's it's been an adventure. And speaking of adventures you know you have jumped on LinkedIn.
You're fairly new to the platform and you really kind of started to expand your brand and your message and your connections and Europe over 6000 connections don't you.

[1:53] Yeah we're approaching six thousand and it's been about since the beginning October.

[1:59] So. So let me let me get a little backstory here you know.
In Washington you're in operations you know you've been in the casino industry you've been operationally running teams and building building teams for you know.
So let's talk about leadership and how you got to this point on LinkedIn and how you've kind of developed your career up to up till now.

[2:22] Let's break it apart.

[2:23] Today I've been very fortunate coming up in the casino field I went in as a frontline employee and we had some management.

[2:33] We had a manager that was well to say it was an enjoyable and manager you want to leave. Yes.

[2:42] And my wife talked me and because I was ready to leave and she talked me into stand. She told me good things will happen.
It was hard to believe her person at that moment that person you know moved on you know whatever the situation was with the company.
They moved on somebody else came in. Lady named Pam Tyler.
One of my mentors now. And she brought me in.

[3:11] She came in took about six months saw everything it was going on saw what I can give back and before he knows a project coordinator and chief engineer I got promoted really quick and then.

[3:23] Then from that point on she told me Get on LinkedIn. Back then I got on but didn't do much.
Alex I didn't understand it yet.
She just make a profile let people see it. But I did like a post one day and a couple days later got a call about a job opportunity.
Becoming a manager slots director for another casino and facilities.

[3:45] So I was kind of scared I went in and told her and she supported me 100 percent.
She you know did my references. Talk to the recruiter. She talked to the company.

[3:57] It was amazing but they brought me up slowly and mentored me correctly where I got to learn all the ins and outs of leading people of becoming a manager how to,
you know work with people in the field and get all your paperwork done and how how to make it all work without working in an immense amount of hours.
You know just you know gosh it was really about family and where you know you've got to have a family life too you can't take away from them.

[4:24] So that was amazing then went into,
accepted that other position moved across the state into eastern Washington and took on a whole bunch of people that were very agriculture over there as you probably remember.

[4:43] City life over here. So it's kind of like who's this city boy coming in you know and how to gain their respect.
Yeah exactly. You know and I'm in a suit and everything and they're all in car hearts and T-shirts and like you you know like I but I gain their respect rebuild the culture there rebuilt the department.

[5:05] It was a lot of fun. And then.
My company I'm currently at. I used to work with the CFO and he just,
gave me a tax one day said Hey would you like to come over in about three text messages two emails and a phone call and I was hired on here and we moved back across the state,
came back into position.
They brought me in Kazu told me changing the culture of the company it was doing just like an about face after 50 years.
Fifty five years of history of the company they're like we're starting over.
So the change making now all of a sudden. Well they brought me in for that you know to help out with that.
You know it's been a big team effort but it's I mean I came in and built the facilities housekeeping department that was never here before.
So right now all the policies and procedures right and all the job descriptions you know just.
And there's one team member left over from before she's been here for 21 years but all the other team members and the departments I've hired on they're my type of people,
with the attitude I'm looking for the work ethic I'm looking for and it's been absolutely amazing they are.
This is probably the greatest team I've been involved with sorry to people in the past.

[6:22] I love them too but these guys will take their shirt off their backs for me they'll work on weekends work overtime.
I don't even have to ask them. They just they tell me hey do I need to be here this week and do I need to be here later. Do we what do we need to do to get this done.

[6:35] So it's it's been a blessing and I just love it it makes it so much fun. It does. It does make so much fun.

[6:44] Here's the difference though is like I was in a post earlier yesterday it it's like the the whole primary goal of a leader is to create other leaders.
And when you create a culture of leaders everyone automatically knows what to do.
And that's like the whole idea of you know you can you can help each other out.
You have a common cause you have a common goal and you really looking out for each other's best interests.
So people can have a family they can have a life. They have some balance.
A lot of times you know there's such a big push in social media today. You got to grind. You got to crush it. You've got to do all these things.
And the reality is is that you know for myself I am.

[7:34] My business and my life. Just kind of one thing. You know I'm just I'm just one thing in an organization that doesn't always work because,
you know you might have an employee that has you know a sick kid that you have to work around and you have to backfill and you have to cover each other. You have to help each other out.
And that's where leadership really comes in as is where you can have each other thinking about what each other is doing right.

[8:01] Exactly and what I what I really preaches. You know we need to trust each other. We need to treat each other like family.
You know I the team lives kind of far from the properties and sometimes I will come in at night and do things.

[8:16] So they don't have to get up.

[8:17] You know I've got a couple mentality on this which is kind of bad but I'm salary so I'm like well if I go and it's free to the company then sometimes I know,
we've had long weeks with the team so I'll go in and OK I just need to reset an air compressor I need to unclog this line really quick just to get this up and up and running or something like that,
so I can do it really fast and easy now doesn't mean my wife enjoys me getting up in the middle of night leaving but,
I feel that's what builds my relationship with my team because I know I have their back also well and they know I'll fight for them and I'm there for them and I'll do stuff for them.

[8:53] You know the reality is is that you're willing to do as much or more than what you'd be asking someone else to do.
And I think that's really what it's all about is it's like they could see you stepping up producing results going up there and getting it in the night and taking care of the stuff so they don't have to.
And and I think a lot of respect is built out of that.
So it's it's phenomenal in a leadership role that we're like. It's like.
You know it's not about a do what you're told. You know you're a number here.
Pick a number. Kind of thing it's more about hey we're part of a team.
We're moving this thing forward. We're building trust we're building a little empathy towards each other's lives and what they're doing.
So you know that hats off to you.
And building a team. So you've been doing this a while now.
You started recently at LinkedIn. So did you know you're kind of doing the same thing you're kind of building some knowledge and trust across the platform and meeting a few people we've talked about Mike and I run a few others on the platform.
In fact I should probably jump in and see if anybody's in here.
Popping in on the comments Franks here. Sherry Jerry Lolli thank you so much for being here Ron. Craig hey laurie.

[10:16] Hi Ron. Curtis ride's here. Yeah. CURTIS What's up. Curtis my man Curtis.
Yeah. Good morning. Celeste.
Damon what's up Damon. He's staying with Pacific Northwest guys.
OK cool. Yeah. We hang out outside the platform so let's lie in front of him. Yeah that's a good point.

[10:38] Nick and I were talking about the opportunity to connect with some some individuals off the platform and it's amazing to think that you can actually build relationships.
You know you've been elected local in.

[10:54] Now we have it. I've talked about doing it.
Ira and I have talked about getting a group of people from actually all over together having traveled together and get together.
We thought that would be a lot of fun. That would put a little twist to it.
You know they'll be really hard to get. You know all these professionals schedules lined up you know and find a central location to meet because we're all across the country.
Well you know you could probably make it out and figure it out somehow. Yeah. So.

[11:22] Yeah I mean. You mentioned Mike and Ira Damon and Curtis.
I mean Ron of Ron's the pants guy so watch out.

[11:35] I did Ron I asked. I asked Nick if he had his pants on.

[11:39] So you Yeah we're good now. Yeah.
Well you know the camera could stay where it's at. It's all good.

[11:50] But you know those guys with my Kelso and,
Erica and Craig from crushing B2B and Kelly from porn knows those these people and Tina Oliver which we talked about earlier you know the crazy the credit wizard and Friday Night Lights.
I mean those people have been my rock on I'm linked and so far they've had my back.
They've really told me to reach out of my comfort zone and I have and we it's been so much fun.
All of us connect outside the network to you know we text each other we talk to each other and I think that's huge for a lot of this.
I mean obviously Ira's got like 90 thousand followers.
You know there's no way he's going to connect with ninety thousand people outside the platform.
But if you can find those handful of people that you can connect with outside that can truly have your best interests and can truly help you and who are willing to help. That's what makes all this fantastic.
Well I think that's what make this platform amazing.

[12:52] That's I have to I have to. Yeah I have to agree with that because the most amazing people I've met in my life the last,
20 years through LinkedIn and the relationships that I've built to continue to,
help me out in different ways and capacities. It's just amazing to think.

[13:14] Right now you can build a community around people that are not geographically next door. You know it's not like your next door neighbor.
It's not like you're you're getting together for a barbecue in the summertime.

[13:27] Harvard is still community. It's still a real community.

[13:31] You know I I've met some people I've become really close with a lot of individuals I did and it's it's amazing to watch and see it it's like OK let's make it what you want to make it right.

[13:44] Let's organize a community around us what we're doing to our interests and our conversations.

[13:50] Agreed. You know I see people making all these posts on how you have to build your brand how you have to make your LinkedIn page and it just shocks me sometimes people like you only need people who do what you do.
I mean I'm like You're so close minded. Yeah I mean because I look at it's like I'll accept anybody.
They'll connect any if they start trolling or doing something. It's so easy just OK you're gone. Delete over on it you know because it's my page. I can control the content that's on it.
You know there's nobody else there's nobody nobody else can control what I want my page to be. It's my job to do that.
So I'll accept everybody because you never know it's that one person that you would never figure out who might not even be in your relatively large group of people.

[14:38] Yeah. And it gets harder later leaves out. They don't know what's going to come out right.

[14:42] Yeah exactly and that can just change your life forever. So I mean why not.
I would have never came across some of these other people that I have without accepting them.
I probably would never came across Tina because I have no need for what she does. Oh sorry about that.

[15:00] I went turn my thing off here.

[15:04] I have no need to do what she what she has or business.
You know it's a fantastic business but yeah we built such a great friendship and other people I've been introduced from her.
It's been amazing so I always say keep that mind open.
Go for it. You know and just explore new people. I mean look at us. Yeah. I mean we came across each other.

[15:27] I mean I can't remember what posts were on or anything but we came across each other and they're asking if I want to be a pirate.

[15:35] I like OK is this guy a creeper.

[15:39] You know but it's look at us. A week later here we are. Yeah. So fantastic.

[15:45] Here's here's the thing is is that you posted something.

[15:50] I think I looked at the stream in the conversation just said.
That sounds like an interesting individual.

[15:59] It's like I like what he's doing. I like what the conversation and it was like OK.

[16:04] We had some mutual friends mutual connections and I just.

[16:09] And what I want to do is expose people to different types of individuals doing different things.

[16:17] You know it's this I don't I've always been fascinated by what people do.

[16:22] You know you drive by these industries and you buy it. Look at a building that has some generic name on it.
And I always wonder myself like what what do what they do.

[16:32] What do they manufacture. What do they contribute. And who did they help.

[16:38] So I'm bringing people like yourself other individuals you know some of them are in my my circle of friends and some people I know and I understand what they do and a lot of marketing folks are in here and a lot of a lot of people that are you know,
contributing good things like podcasting.
You know we had one or Lord great of yesterday and then one he right.

[16:59] Scuse me. Scuse me one. And we I think it's I think if we can get.

[17:07] A lot more interest in what we're doing around us you know looking at other people and what they're doing to find out a little bit about what people are doing that it allows us to think broader you know like we're talking about.
They'll be so close minded be open to the possibility that someone else can contribute to your life.
It's not just this person or that person.
It's all people have something to give.
You know we all have a gift. We all have a message. We all have something to contribute right.

[17:36] Exactly. I mean it's like I open my mind up to a lot of marketing people lately.
You know because my company does not market where we have our couple vendors.
We get tons of work from them. There is no question you know. So we don't market.
Well I come from casino an industry that markets a ton but never for my departments you know.
So so I've opened myself to marketing people and it's just I feel it's made me better because it's made me present myself better.
It's made me brand myself better because I've realized it's just not about what I want.
I'm hired to do it's about the the bigger circle of everything you know out there you know I can contribute to,
a bunch of different areas without even knowing what I'm doing just by talking with people just by listening just by respecting what they do and just helping out in any way I can.
So that's something Ellington's really helped out with. You know it's brought me out of my comfort zone.
You know it's I'm doing videos. I mean I'm on this live with you now.
You know it's been stuff I would never really do before I've spoken in front of people.
That was not a big deal. The guy when I did my first linked in video was freaking out because I'm thinking six hundred sixty million people on here.
Oh my God. You know it's like this.

[18:54] Yeah. And I'm like. And then I got to the point I was Kelly Robinson made this post about that,
I believe it is like the 10 things are linked in that she needs to work on or going to do for the New Year or learn from LinkedIn LinkedIn and I told her to mind where.

[19:11] Just basically be myself and when I do videos they're just spur of the moment.

[19:16] It doesn't matter what I'm wearing it doesn't matter what I look like. Pop thoughts in my head. Boom. I throw an out.
I mean I don't really I don't think about the day before about doing a video. I don't think of that.
Sometimes I just wake up in the morning and I wake up. Well that's a good thought.

[19:32] Let's put it on there. Let me. It's just. Yeah. Because that's the real me.
That's the raw me and that's that's what I want people to see. You know it's like doing a job interview or some people say you need to do this you need to do that. I get it.
But when I'm interviewing people I rather people be real because I want to hire the person that person.

[19:52] I don't want to get there and find out OK that person's fake. They absolutely faked it through the interview. They're great. I want. I didn't see that.
Exactly. You know and then that just makes it a problem from that point on.
So I know I probably have recruiters out there and hiring managers like oh but you know that's just you know it's just I'm just real I'm a person who cracks jokes.

[20:16] Yes I'm a person who has fun. So I want you to see my personality. That's that's just who I am. I'm not going to be fake towards you. So.

[20:24] Well I think that's part of leadership that I think you know being human being.

[20:29] You're not necessarily being 100 percent in control time.
You know understanding where the boundaries are and what you can do to achieve results and enhance the value that other people bring to the table because you're allowing them to be them right.
Exactly. They have a personality presence in the business.
And I think that's I think that's really important that people understand. It's like you don't know where the next valuable nugget of knowledge is going to come from that you know,
is going to take you and move you forward and your mindset because you know it could be a six year old child.
It could be somebody that you meet in line at Starbucks or something.
You know these things that you're these seeds that are planted in your in your mind set.
You come from different places. So don't put limitations on where you can achieve results.
Just be open to the possibility. That's why I look at it.

[21:26] So I agree because I believe in Steve Jobs one says why hire smart people and tell them what to do.
We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.
And I actually believe I hire electrician licensed electricians for a reason you know because they do they do that work.
You know like I always say I'll provide you with the regulations we need to do with the scope of work and the tools but you're the one doing the work.
You know I let them do the work. I don't stand over them. I ask them how they want to do it how they're going to run it.
I make sure it's to our regulations does we have strict regulations.
If we're an aerospace you know so but besides that I'm like Hey I hired you to do this do it your way get it done to code you know make sure it's going to be functional for us.
You know I mean and I want them to. I want them.

[22:18] To be a big part of that because I want them to feel like they're an important piece of the company I want them to feel like what they're doing is helping and they're contributing to our company.
So I mean I don't want to feel like they're kind of in charge.

[22:32] Why not. They own it. They need to. Oh yeah exactly.

[22:35] Knowing that ownership part so it's really it's really important for that to take place and that's how I feel is why would you hire people if you're not going to let them take ownership of what they're doing what you hired them to do.
I mean it makes no sense to me. Just yeah I'm a glorified babysitter. OK whatever.
But that doesn't mean I'm a micromanager. You know that I mean yeah I oversee I mean ultimately I'm responsible for what they do and everything that's fine.
But if you build your team properly if you give them the respect they're looking for. Treat them like a human being.
They will give that back to you. There's always a handful of people that they are what they are.
And then you just find them and move on and bring somebody else in.

[23:21] Well anybody that's worked in a large organization has had the experience of toxic people possibly a toxic boss you know supervisor or coworker.
And it's unnecessary.
It really is the ones that say here's the result that we want to achieve.
Here are some parameters that we need to achieve them in own it. Figure it out.
If you need help. I'm here to help you. And here's the goal. Here's the timeline. Here's the resources you need.

[23:58] Let's get it done. I mean I agree. I mean human instinct means you want to do something you want to get it done. Yeah. You might be a little scared.

[24:07] But like for instance the old saying with men is we don't need instructions we'll just do it.
You know it's that's kind of what I tell my team. Just go out and do it.

[24:18] You know we get a little bit we don't have to think about corrections now that they all have iPads.

[24:24] They all have phones. You know it's we can fix a million dollars see and seen as seen by YouTube in a video now and watching a video.
They have all this stuff out there access to do that and then I'm there when they need me.

[24:40] You know I mean. And I'll go down and check on them. I mean I interact with the whole company daily.
I go to we have four properties I go to all four of them daily and I interact with everybody.

[24:51] But you know but I check on my team to see where they're at what they're doing because you know I've got a I've got to make a report to the CFO and the CEO.
Oh you know. So I mean it's got to make sure I know what's going on. But you have multiple properties and you're in charge of multiple people it's hard to know whatever but wherever Brees at whatever he's doing just for the fact that.
We have multiple we we take care of one hundred twenty six different pieces of equipment. I've got people all over the place you know and they've got pm schedules you know machines are down there fixing that ear we're all running all kinds of skill sets as well.
Yeah. We have welders electricians plumbers you know PM crews.

[25:30] So I mean it's there's a lot going on there you know. But it's a lot of fun.
And that's the thing and the teen has fun. I mean it's just amazing.

[25:40] I've had people who've got other job offers and they say they're not leaving because they love the culture I built and there they they're offered more money you know to me as a leader once you hear that and you know that and you believe them you know you're doing the right thing.
You know you know you're making the right direction. I mean I've mentor people and they become operation managers.
They've got higher roles at another company and I'm more than welcome to recommend them and help them get that process because it's it's helping better their life is it.

[26:10] It's going to offer a definition of leadership know when you can help somebody become a leader in another organization and watch them grow you know it's satisfying has to be satisfied. Right.

[26:22] It is one of my one of the guys I love to death.
It is nicknames cash but I mentored him over at one of my casino jobs when he was a manager at.

[26:34] We still talk. He's a great guy. He got an operation manager job somewhere else and he's just he's kicking butt and you know it.
Me as a leader I look at that.
It's not about my job descriptions by doctors scripts and everyone's like Oh you did this. I know. That's what I was paid to do.
I'm not paid to create people become leaders. But when that happens to me that's the biggest accomplishment. That's right no product. Oh my God.
It puts the biggest smile on my face. It just it makes me feel like all the hard work is working.

[27:08] You know a couple of years ago I went to a gaming convention and one of the keynote speakers said this resonates a lot with me as you remember all the good times.
And you remember all the bad times. I want you to remember all the bad times with your leaders. And people are kind of you go OK.

[27:28] No those bad times how you hated it how you quit or wanted to quit or just wanna strangle somebody and it was like Yeah NGOs.
OK. Now when you're a leader don't treat people like that. Remember those times remember how you want to be treated.
Remember how you want to be and it's just like from that point on everything is just like bam.
It's about my team. It's about taking care of them. It's about defending them.
It's about taking about the pizza every once while bringing donuts bringing them gator AIDS you know playing we do some games that were barbecues.

[27:59] You know it's just it's just you know you just got to keep them there.
You know you got to keep them happy. That's the biggest thing.
I keep them happy and they keep me happy you know and that's what comes around goes around a big circle.

[28:13] It is a big circle and it's it's amazing what you can achieve with a little just a little bit of kindness a little bit of gratitude.
You know a little bit of empathy in the workplace that travels for miles.

[28:28] Nick I want to make sure that I highlight a couple of people you know Jill Brown Kiara Nikki O'Neil Ron Craig still coming up with going to do the lift and traveling pants people now.

[28:39] All right.

[28:42] Wendy Shelly Shelly everyone.

[28:49] You know the people that are here are the people that have a little bit of kindness. They have gratitude.
I mean I love the individuals that I've connected with.
And it really makes a difference in my world when I can bring interesting people like yourself to the table and show a different dimension to what people do.
And what interesting things are taking place in their lives and you know I appreciate the plot the fact that you're here. It's early in Washington because it's a standard time.
And so thank you so much for making the effort to be here.
So what's the I know you're you have a new arrival in the family. You've got big plans for the weekend. What's taking place over the weekend.

[29:35] Well this weekend it's taking down all the Christmas stuff which we have a ton of stuff. We go all out for Christmas.
You know we have now we have two grandkids in the house you know. So it's fun having a six year old in the house for Christmas. It's been absolutely amazing.
Right after Halloween was over the first thing out of her mouth the next day as Santas come in. So it was on since then.
And then a big shout out to my daughter she was a trooper on New Year's Eve brought in our new granddaughter.
Just read it all. Thank you. And that stuff so much fun. You know and it's.

[30:20] You know just last night I was telling you before we came on she just sitting on my chest for like an hour just making all those little noises not cry and you know trying to figure out,
what the hell she's in now because you're so used to darken water for nine months you know and move it around her arms and you know trying to keep her from scratched her face you know so putting a little mittens on and just all the little movements and stretches it just was absolute.
It's been just a blessing you know an amazing.
It is. And you don't realize that life's in your hand how much I mean they just depend on you for this time.
You know it's just you're their whole world and you know just my whole family and both sides of the family where there's big time supported and I'm just I'm so happy for her and I'm just,
I appreciate everybody's support and everything they did because it's just it's a blessing to the family and it's gonna be a lot of fun.

[31:18] Well thank you. Thank you so much for being here. You know I believe every day is a gift.
So you know open it with presence you know.
Yes like the. Is actually available right now for the people around you and make sure that they can impact on life.
And so Nick it's been a pleasure talking to you.
If you're not connected to Nick get connected reach out make sure that you build a bridge that that relationship and others in his network you know there's a lot of people just love this.
Ron's comments as of.
So there has to be humor in our lives that has to be a little bit lovely. So we we have a lot.

[32:01] We have a lot of fun. Our network. Yeah it's Follow Me Friday. Friday Night Lights Tonight with Tina.
It's it's a good time always on Friday night if if you stay home like some of us do.
You know we make the best out of it. So.

[32:17] Fantastic. Well thank you so much for being here and everyone else that was here. I appreciate you all the gratitude in the world.

[32:25] And if you have questions for Nick if you're dropping the comments I'm sure that he'll get around to replying. Sometimes I get there late.
Sometimes I get there early just if you want more information.
You know you can always follow me on Russ Jones dot com and you know this episode will be up for the end of the day podcast along with it.
It'll be on YouTube it'll be on Facebook and be I liked it.
So whatever your your choices for consuming your content whatever happens to to appeal to you.
It's available and I want to make it easy for you to access new individuals interesting people doing interesting things.
So and you know what I say.

[33:12] Kindness is cool smiles of free to enjoy other day.
Thank you. My official pirate now.

[33:22] Nick you're an official pirate now in waiting.

[33:27] You have a great weekend man. Thank you so much I appreciate it. Take care. You too.