Episode 01 迪斯尼CEO最看重的个人特质是什么？

Hey, what's up! Liu Yan here. I'm a firm believer in lifelong learning, and I think one of the best ways to learn is to pay attention to successful people when they do interviews. "Successful" can be a lot of things, money, power, fame, but my definition of successful basically refers to someone who has a positive outlook on life, who is good at what they do, and who influences and inspires other people to be better. If you apply even just a tiny bit of the wisdom they share to your own life, you can perhaps benefit in ways you never imagined before. 

I have certainly benefited this way a whole lot over the years, so I thought, why not share some of the best bits I've gathered? You know, pay it forward and all that. So here we are. In each episode, I'm going to play a few clips I've culled from recent interviews. I resonate with these ideas on a very deep level, and I hope you will learn something too.

So, the first clip I'm gonna share is from Bob Iger. He is chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. In case you don't know, Disney has Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Films, theme parks, cruise ships... It's a huge global empire. Of course, it's impossible for one person to manage so many things all at once. Bob Iger has to rely on other people. How does he find such people, though? What does he look for when he tries to hire somebody?

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Bob mentioned a few things, integrity, enthusiasm, curiosity and authenticity.

For sure, all of these qualities are important, but what really struck me was what he said about curiosity. He stressed its importance, and said it's such a valuable, valuable attribute in someone. I agree with that 100 percent. And honestly, if we narrow things down and just focus on English learning, I think I can get to where I am today exactly because I'm curious. I always want to know: Why do people say that? Is that standard English, or is it slang? Why do some people pronounce a word this way, others that way? Does the word have multiple pronunications, or are some people just wrong?

You get the idea. You have to be curious to motive yourself. And when you can self-motivate, success won't be too far away.

The second clip is from Kobe Bryant. I don't think he needs introduction. Even if you don't watch basketball, you know who is.

What you probably don't know is that, after he retired from professional sports, he tried something entirely different. He is now mostly involved in creative work, such as producing, storytelling and writing. He has already published two young adult novels.

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That makes perfect sense. Team sport and individual sport appeal to people for different reasons. I never gave that idea much thought before, but Kobe Bryant just crystallized it for me.

Also, I found it super inspiring that Kobe Bryant has already published two novels, and is on his way to publishing even more! If you have also dreamed of being a published writer, but find it intimidating, don't give up. Kobe fully admits that he didn't even read much when he was younger, so no one thought it would be a good idea for him to try writing. But he did, and the rest was history.

The third clip is from Laurie Santos. She is a professor at Yale University, and she teaches a course called Psychology and the Good Life. It is the most popular course in Yale's history, and one in four students there takes it.

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Laurie said research has proven that having deep, meaningful conversations, the ones where you are vulnerable, will increase your well-being. She gave a few examples. When's the last time you cried? What's something you feel guilty about in your life? What's the thing that you don't admit to people, but you are grateful for?

That really hit home for me. I have had such conversations with all my close friends. If I cannot be vulnerable in front of you, or if you cannot be vulnerable in front of me, there's no way we can have a deep connection. Brene Brown is famous for her research work in this field. To have a meaningful connection with someone, you have to be willing to be vulnerable. The common misconception is that being vulnerable equals being weak. In fact, it's the opposite. Being vulnerable is being truthful even when you are afraid of what's going to happen next. That's the epitome of being strong.

So, embrace vulnerability. Learn to be vulnerable even if it sounds terrifying.

That's it for today. I hope you have enjoyed all the nuggets I've shared. I'm Liu Yan. Let's learn and grow together. See you next time!