DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, Adam Outland interviews Dan Moore, a former president of Southwestern Advantage and author of the book 'Control, Influence, Accept (For Now)'. Dan shares insights from his experiences and book, including the importance of self-awareness, constructive self-talk, and maintaining perspective in challenging situations.
Dan discusses the value of being an 'intentional observer' of oneself, and the techniques he has used to develop self-awareness, such as separating his consciousness and having a 'silent observer' perspective. He also emphasizes the power of words and self-talk, and the need for it to be constructive rather than purely positive.
The interview covers various topics from Dan's book, including the concepts of 'brainset', 'mindset', and 'skillset', as well as the significance of joy and fulfillment over mere amusement. Dan also shares how he navigated challenging situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by maintaining perspective and focusing on the company's mission.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The importance of self-awareness and being an 'intentional observer' of oneself.
- The value of constructive self-talk over purely positive self-talk.
- The distinction between joy and mere amusement, and the fulfillment that can be found in difficult circumstances.
- The concepts of 'brainset', 'mindset', and 'skillset', and their role in personal growth and change.
- The power of maintaining perspective and focusing on one's mission in challenging situations.
- The significance of teamwork, leadership, and adaptability in overcoming adversity.
- The value of taking time for self-reflection and letting go of preconceived notions.
- The importance of separating one's consciousness to observe oneself objectively.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Our brains are pretty active creatures. Somebody once said, in fact, we can think about seven times faster than we can talk, which means the brain can be processing things at all kinds of different levels. So over time, I guess with Maria's guidance and through understanding yoga a little bit better, I've learned to separate myself part of my consciousness from what's going on in the rest of my consciousness, almost like an observer.“ by Dan Moore
- “For me, I made to do some thinking and talking and planning without really having an objective to come up with a conclusion at the end of it, just to have that time to realize and breathe. Okay. Things are different now, fortunately, the company's done such a brilliant job with great leadership, things are moving along in a fantastic way.“ by Dan Moore
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Episode Information
Inside Great Minds
Adam Outland
9/27/23
In this episode of Inside Great Minds with Adam Outland, we have a special guest I have looked up to as a mentor and example. Dan Moore joins me and shares incredible nuggets of inspiration from his new book, Control, Influence, Accept (For Now) Coping with a Future No One Can Predict.
Dan grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and was an honors graduate of Harvard. He holds an MBA, with honors, from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, where he was named class speaker. He started in the business world the same way many of us have: as a college student running his own business -- in the Southwestern Advantage Summer Sales and Leadership Program.
Southwestern Advantage is the oldest direct-selling company in America and the founding member of the Southwestern Family of Companies based in Nashville. Dan paid his tuition to Harvard by selling educational books door-to-door to families and building sales teams.
Dan was promoted to District Sales Manager with Southwestern Advantage upon graduation. He pioneered many roles within the company, eventually serving as Vice-President of Marketing for many years. He is credited with modernizing the company’s sales school and mission statement, developing its highly-regarded product line, and helping to launch new businesses within the company.
In July of 2007, he was named President of Southwestern. From an 18-year-old summer intern to President, he never worked anywhere else. He served on the company’s Board of Directors until his retirement in January 2023. He presently serves on the boards of the Direct Selling
Association and the Direct Selling Education Foundation. He is also a Co-Founder of SBR Consulting and Southwestern Consulting, also members of the Southwestern Family of Companies. These firms are dedicated to elevating sales globally by transforming the culture of sales and sales leadership within their client companies. In total, he taught more than 100,000 people how to sell, how to lead, and how to get on the path toward achieving their goals in life.
Dan also served as an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Business and speaks regularly to business and collegiate audiences. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the guitar and piano and is an avid runner. Since the age of 51, he has completed 24 half-marathons in four countries and also completed in the 2011 New York City Marathon finishing in the top half out of more than 46,000 runners. He is a past Master of Ceremonies for TEDx Nashville.
Dan met his wife, Maria, through selling books together when they were students. She is from Portugal. They have been married for 45 years and have three adult children and one grandchild.