[SPEAKER_00]: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Power Being Relentless Ethics podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Michael Hanks, and today we're going to be talking about no excuses and no compromises.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think about the last time you faced a massive setback.
[SPEAKER_00]: What was your first reaction?
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you look for somebody to blame?
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you look for a reason to quit?
[SPEAKER_00]: Or did you square your shoulders, look the obstacle in the eye and say, I own this.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to explore today what it means to take absolute ownership of your results while staying anchored in your principles.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to unpack how unfiltered accountability does more than just solve problems.
[SPEAKER_00]: It builds unshakable trust and credibility with everyone around you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's start with something no one wants to really talk about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ownership.
[SPEAKER_00]: Taking ownership is not just admitting when you make a mistake.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an overreaching philosophy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It means you accept that the buck stops with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's incredibly easy to point fingers, okay?
[SPEAKER_00]: The economy's bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your team dropped the ball.
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't get the support you needed.
[SPEAKER_00]: While those things might be fractally true, dwelling on them makes you a victim of your circumstances.
[SPEAKER_00]: Being relentless means you reject a victim mentality entirely.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you make excuses, you hand over your power.
[SPEAKER_00]: You tell the world that external forces dictate your success.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you take ownership, you reclaim that power.
[SPEAKER_00]: You say, this situation is a mess, but I am the one who will clean it up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anything, anything I've ever done, the tip agency, you know what, the one account I was saying you guys about that, you know, I went in HR didn't wanna sit, nobody wanted us or supervisors, senior rent, nobody, okay?
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of that was the turnover.
[SPEAKER_00]: I took account of building for it from day one.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just the way I do.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said, this is my problem, I'm going to be the one to fix it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever happened, whoever's happened before, I'm taking full responsibility for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Understand what's going on and then I can take action, massive action to fix it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I took ownership of all the turnover.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't even know why the turnover was high at that point, but I said it's my fault.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then I went in and took steps.
[SPEAKER_00]: Found out why it was high, but if I would have never, ever taken ownership of it, I would have never been able to fix it.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I would have just bought all was the guy before me, and oh, I can't stand that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't stand it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's one reason I had to stop being an employee because for the most part, you know, they just make excuses.
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of management, a lot of leadership.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't get me wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not using the word all I said most.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of them take accountability and some of them make really good changes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of them lead some really good organizations.
[SPEAKER_00]: But for the most part, it doesn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: took a friend of mine the other day that I was an air force with and her and I were talking just sharing some things you know I was going over about addiction and she she'd read one of my books the power being relentless that I released and she was talking when they about addiction and we were going through it and she said you know there's just a lot of veterans that face that and I suggest that it's it's it's it's really sad I said you know that the you know the 22
[SPEAKER_00]: We were just talking in, yeah, I said it was just hard when I got out.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said I couldn't find work, I said there was just not a lot going on and I said, you know, I said I blame myself, you know, for using and drinking and all that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're talking back at fourth and she goes, yeah, but I believe it's bigger than that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she used this word, she said that a lot of it is because of all the, the blame in the,
[SPEAKER_00]: the lack of integrity and she said because we're veterans will see right through that and that's stuck with me I thought you know what that's right because you come from a place where you know integrity where you're held to high standards you're held to integrity um and then all of a sudden you get out in that workforce and you work yourself up and you know you're building and making a name for yourself and you get in there and you see how these organizations are on and
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's just like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought it's hard for me to do the, it's, it's really hard for me to blame somebody else from our problems.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's because I did go through an addiction and I didn't get help until the day I looked myself in the mirror and I said everything I've done, everywhere I'm at in life is because of me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I, you know, I'm not wishing a dictionary on anybody.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm really not, I really hope it doesn't affect, but when you, when you hit rock bottom like that,
[SPEAKER_00]: You, you ownership means totally something totally different to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I'm not saying all people that have recovered don't blind, but most of us don't, because we understand you've only got one person to blame when you want to, when you want to fix yourself, you only got one person to blame and that's you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pointing fingers, then do nobody, that just delays the problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: Actually, that makes a problem worse because now you're putting your, now you're putting the problem off on somebody else.
[SPEAKER_00]: That makes you the weakest leader by the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me just go ahead and get this out.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you blame somebody else for your problems, you were given that position of leadership to lead that organization.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you have a choice.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can either relate it to victory or just run it down.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you start blaming and it's everybody else's fault, you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a leader should always do this.
[SPEAKER_00]: A leader should always, especially when you first come in somewhere, you should always take accountability.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if it wasn't me, it was, you know, somebody else was running it before no, you're, you're the guy in charge now, it's your fault.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you look at it like that, and you put it the blame on yourself, I promise you your mind starts taking thoughts to fix the problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: Make changes as you need.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, when you make excuses, you hand over your power to fix the issue.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you take ownership, you reclaim that power.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, not just that one, you know, the other one I had with the pay raise, the people come to me, their pay was wrong and I just took that account over and everybody's told me, all was the other person should have done it.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, that does nothing to do with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is my fault.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is my problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't even know anything about a peak season raised but I took accountability for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I told our employees it was my fault and I earned their respect and I made it right.
[SPEAKER_00]: The book of Problurbs 2813 speaks directly to this level of honesty and ownership.
[SPEAKER_00]: No one who can see those transgressions will prosper but one who confesses in for sex
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Concealing your mistakes, making excuses for them are bearing them under a mountain of blame, cuts you off from growth.
[SPEAKER_00]: It cuts you off from prosperity, but stepping into the light, confessing where you fell short and taking changes to step your behavior brings mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It brings freedom.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to be relentless, you have to look in the mirror every single day, ask yourself that I give everything I had, did I honor my commitments?
[SPEAKER_00]: If the answer is no, own it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't dress it up, don't soften the blow, don't make excuses, own it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you do, you can own the combat.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, let's talk about the second half of this equation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so you take ownership, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: But how do you achieve those results?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where the trap of compromise lies waiting.
[SPEAKER_00]: We live in a culture that praises the hustle above all else.
[SPEAKER_00]: People will tell you to do whatever it takes to get to the cop.
[SPEAKER_00]: Cut a corner here, tell a white lie there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bend your values just a little bit to close the deal or get to promotion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Being relentless does not mean being ruthless.
[SPEAKER_00]: True relentlessness is pursuing excellence without ever selling your soul to get there.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the refusal to compromise your core principles no matter how much pressure the world applies.
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, bend in your core values.
[SPEAKER_00]: selling your integrity because that's what you're doing at a boss one time tell me to lie lot of a client about the type of people we were sending out there i didn't do that yeah you pay my you pay my paycheck i do my job i agree but you know what you're not gonna you're not gonna pay you're not paying me to lie i'm not gonna do that i mean you can have your job if you want that because you know what the
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's look at Romans 12 too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not be conformed.
[SPEAKER_00]: The world wants you to conform to the easy way out.
[SPEAKER_00]: The world tells you that a little compromise is just the cost of doing business, but your mind is renewed.
[SPEAKER_00]: You operate on a different frequency.
[SPEAKER_00]: You understand that a victory, one by compromising your balance values is actually defeat
[SPEAKER_00]: when you stay true to your principles, you've built a fortress around your character.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you might lose a client.
[SPEAKER_00]: It might mean someone else gets the credit for her project, but you keep your integrity in act.
[SPEAKER_00]: You lay your head on the pillow at night with a clear conscience, and let me tell you long-term success requires a clear conscience.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's say you're working a job in one day you and own your own business.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm going to give you an example.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's just say you're working that job and you cut corners and you're telling them little white lies and you're backstabbing and you're blaming everybody else for your problems.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now you've stepped away and you own your own business.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now you're trying to sell this service or product of whatever you've got it and you've already built the name for yourself as a liar.
[SPEAKER_00]: as a backstabber, somebody that's always gonna take blame.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those three things right there, you will never be as successful business man.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will never be as successful entrepreneur.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you're selling a product or service, and people are working hard for their money, and you're asking them for money and exchange for your services,
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about what you won't add to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: You won't them to have integrity.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't want them to blame.
[SPEAKER_00]: If they come up on a problem, you won't them to find a solution to it, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't want them to cut corners, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't want them to lie to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that right there.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's one reason I think that a lot, you know, and I'm not saying that there's business owners that don't do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, there's people that run business, that do crooked things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't support them.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't stand for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I will not attach my name to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I hold myself to very high standards.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I have a board of directors for my nonprofit, Rebuild and Rise.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are some of the most people that have the highest amount of integrity.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I say, and we're perfect, no, we're not perfect, but we do have integrity.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we do put God first in that nonprofit.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we, our core values are not for sale.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our personal core values aren't for sale.
[SPEAKER_00]: And rebuilding rises core values are not for sale.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know our boundaries, we stand on our boundaries, we do not bend our boundaries.
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't care what the outside looks like.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I might be a CEO, but you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: At the end of the day, I submit to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: One thing when I'm mentoring people that I want them to do first and foremost, I want you to create a set of core values.
[SPEAKER_00]: core values that you are not going to be in though.
[SPEAKER_00]: At least three things that root you, that root your decisions, that root your progress.
[SPEAKER_00]: You need them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it has to be that line in the sand that says no matter what, no excuses and absolutely no compromises.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you need to be firm on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because guess what, people are going to try.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to push on those boundaries.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know what, you got to stand up tall.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember that line in the sand?
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not crossing it.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so we're own in our results.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're holding the line on our principles.
[SPEAKER_00]: What happens next?
[SPEAKER_00]: The result of this relentless behavior is trust.
[SPEAKER_00]: Trust is the currency of leadership.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot demand it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to earn it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Drop by drop, action by action, and nothing builds trust faster than roundical accountability.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ask any employee out there, any employee.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right now, I'm not talking about managers, supervisors, team leads, I'm not talking about leadership.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking about employees, team members, associates.
[SPEAKER_00]: They cannot buy their leaders trust.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those employees earn it.
[SPEAKER_00]: They earn that trust by those leaders on what they say or they do on what they're saying or they not.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because broken trust will destroy leadership faster than anything out there.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, there's things out there you don't want to tell your employees.
[SPEAKER_00]: I get it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've had to do it, especially a lot
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I might have a client come to me and say, hey, look, you know, we don't have any more work.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to terminate this person's excitement.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing they were doing wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: Great workers, great attitude.
[SPEAKER_00]: Couldn't ask for anybody better.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: I had to go be direct with them and straight and say, tell them the bad news.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if I knew beforehand, I would tell them,
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they said, well, don't tell them, we're going, you know, we're going in their assignment later on on this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: I tell them, hey, look, they're going to injure a assignment on this day because there's no more work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they would always come back and they would always respect me for that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you know what, I wouldn't want somebody to do that to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would want to know, so I could start looking for another job to have some time, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just common courtesy stuff right there to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, it's integrity, but it's also common courtesy right there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about the people you admire the most.
[SPEAKER_00]: Are they flawless?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, they make mistakes.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when they mess up, they look at nine and say, I got this role.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's how I'm going to fix it.
[SPEAKER_00]: The level of transparency is magnetic.
[SPEAKER_00]: It draws people in.
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes them want to work with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Follow you and support you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because here's what I've learned.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have a lot of setbacks at that one company.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd say you were the drop the turnover because I was always looking for ways to make it better.
[SPEAKER_00]: And no, I didn't always get it right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm human.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I messed up.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what, I had to go, I had to apologize to people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, look, I messed up.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what I was trying to achieve.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't, and I would own that up right there and say, hey, look, this is what I'm working on now and I would keep them in the loop.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, this is what I've got completed so far.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where I want to go with.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what I'm going to do differently.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we don't achieve what we did last time and we make it better.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's a blueprint print for this kind of credibility.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, it comes from Luke 1610, whoever's faithful and very little is faithful also when much.
[SPEAKER_00]: And whoever's dishonest and very little is dishonest also when much.
[SPEAKER_00]: Accountability starts in the shadows.
[SPEAKER_00]: It starts with the small things.
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you show up all time?
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you do what you said you were gonna do when no one else is watching?
[SPEAKER_00]: If you build a track record of being faithful in the small things, people will trust you with big things.
[SPEAKER_00]: That right there, that's always, you know, one issue I had is, you know, people say they want to be the boss and they want to grow in a company, but then they won't even show up to work on time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or they show up with bad attitude or they're leaving earlier, you know, they don't want to stay over and work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I get it, we all have lives and no we can't stay over all the time, but you have to put a little bit of work in the dedication into what you want to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you refuse to make excuses, your colleagues know that they can rely on you.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you refuse to compromise your values, your family knows they are safe with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your credibility skyrockets because your words and your actions are perfectly aligned.
[SPEAKER_00]: You become a rock in a world full of shifting sand.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've covered a lot of ground today.
[SPEAKER_00]: The path of the relentless is not for the faint of heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: It demands everything you have.
[SPEAKER_00]: when I worked at the temp agency or even when I worked at the least on store.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, my family was at, why do you work so hard?
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to work that hard?
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not paying you that much.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not, when I'm one, I'm not doing it for a paycheck.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm giving it everything I got because I want to learn as much as I possibly can.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I can keep growing it progressive in life.
[SPEAKER_00]: This demands you to stop pointing fingers and take an ownership of your results, good and bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: It demands that you anchor yourself to your God-given principles, refusing to conform to a world that celebrates compromise.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it demands that you build a legacy of trust and credibility by being faithful and small things.
[SPEAKER_00]: This week, I challenge you to catch yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: The next time an excuse forms on your lips, swallow it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take a breath and choose ownership instead.
[SPEAKER_00]: Watch out, change your posture.
[SPEAKER_00]: Watch out, change is the way people respond to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's close our time together today by bringing our ambitions, our struggles, and our hearts.
[SPEAKER_00]: to the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord, we come before you today with grateful hearts.
[SPEAKER_00]: We thank you for the breath in our lungs and the purpose you have placed in our lives.
[SPEAKER_00]: Father, we ask for the strength to be relentless in the pursuit of your will.
[SPEAKER_00]: Give us the courage to take ownership of our actions, our failures, and our successes, and setbacks.
[SPEAKER_00]: Strip away our pride and desire to make excuses.
[SPEAKER_00]: Help us walk in the light of your truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord, protect our hearts from the temptation of compromise.
[SPEAKER_00]: When the world asks us to bend our principles for a fleeting victory, give us the grace to stand firm and new our minds daily, so that we may always discern what is good, acceptable and perfect in your eyes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Build us into men and women of unbreakable integrity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let our accountability shine as a testament to your grace, building trust and bringing peace to everyone we encounter.
[SPEAKER_00]: We ask for your continued guidance and blessing over everyone listening today.
[SPEAKER_00]: May with they go forth with courage, with faith, and with her let was spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: We ask this in your holy name.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guys, thank you so much for tuning in today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't forget to add me, it's Michael Hanks published author on Facebook.
[SPEAKER_00]: Stay strong, keep the faith, and I'll see you guys next time.