Who: Ryan Hawk

Claim To Fame: Ryan Hawk is a keynote speaker, author, advisor, and the host of The Learning Leader Show, a podcast with millions of listeners in more than 150 countries.  He is the author of the just-released Welcome To Management: How To Grow From Top Performer To Excellent Leader. A lifelong student of leadership, he rose to roles as a professional quarterback and VP of Sales at a multibillion-dollar company. Currently, as head of Brixey & Meyer’s leadership advisory practice, Ryan speaks regularly at Fortune 500 companies, works with teams and players in the NFL, NBA, and NCAA, and facilitates “Leadership Circles” that offer structured guidance and collaborative feedback to new and experienced leaders.

Where To Find Ryan: His Website, Amazon, Twitter

Praise For Ryan: “Ryan Hawk is a master of dualities: He’s a great leader, but also a ferocious learner. He’s an accomplished athlete, but he’s also excelled in the business world. He’s eminently interesting, but he’s also genuinely interested. Ryan has uncovered the secrets of what the best leaders do and how they think. If you are a new manager transitioning from player to coach, do yourself and your team a favor and read this book. WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT will teach you to lead like the pros and build a team that wins together.” – Liz Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts

When and where do you like to write? Are you the same-thing-every-day kind of writer or can you write anytime, anywhere?

I’m an early riser, so I write a lot before my family wakes up for the day, but by necessity, I also try to be flexible and find ways to prioritize writing without losing track of the other important things in my life. It’s a hard balance, for sure. In writing WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT, one quirky way I handled this involved my daughter Ella’s volleyball practices. Right after I signed my book deal with McGraw-Hill, she started playing club volleyball and practiced frequently. I spent hours alternating between writing and watching her practice. To stay productive and on track, I set manageable word-count targets (say 100 words) and rewarded myself by standing up and watching her practice for five minutes before returning to writing. I probably wrote more than a third of my 70,000-word book like that.

Additionally, I hold myself accountable and gather useful insights by booking regular sessions with one or two of my mentors. They pose questions, and then I talk through and record my thoughts. These sessions are helpful for me in terms of moving contents from my brain to the page. I go back to the notes later to fine-tune and edit the writing.

So, while I find it ideal to work in a secluded place or in the presence of mentors for big chunks of time, I try to be disciplined, balanced, and practical in finding ways to write when the factors I’d prefer aren’t my reality.

Do you have any pre-writing rituals or habits before you sit down to write?

I like to stretch my body, drink water, light candles, and listen to Patrick O’Hearn’s (instrumental) music. I also typically read for 15-30 minutes prior to writing. Words flow easier after I read…

You run one of the top leadership podcasts out there. How has the podcast helped your writing? How has your writing helped your podcast? Are there lessons you’ve been able to take from both paths and apply to the other?

Yes, it definitely works both ways.

When you regularly have conversations with a wide variety of subject matter experts, and you properly prepare for each one, you can’t help but be in a constant state of learning. THE LEARNING LEADER SHOW  does that for me, keeping me processing and prioritizing new information for myself and my audiences.

I am constantly learning from a variety of leaders, each with their own unique and valuable insights. Having recorded 350+ episodes in about 5 years, I benefit from episode frequency and diversity of interviews in terms of staying agile and appealing to wide-ranging audiences. For example, one day I interviewed Jim Collins, an established titan of the leadership industry, and then three hours later, I recorded with JJ Redick, a professional basketball player.

Additionally, part of my preparation process for guests on my show is to review their work (books, articles, TED Talks, etc.). Through the prep process, I’m studying some of the greatest thinkers/writers in the world, and while I’m soaking in their insights, I’m also absorbing their writing styles. One of the best ways to become a better writer is to be a dedicated reader.

On the flip side, writing a book has also made me a better podcast host. The Learning Leader Show has evolved over time from an interview podcast to a more conversational show. For the first couple of years, I asked questions and then got out of the way, letting the guest talk, and then moving on to the next question. Then my listeners started telling me that they were curious to hear my perspectives, so I experimented with sharing what I’ve learned, adding more of my voice, and making it more than a simple Q&A session. That turned out to resonate with my audience, and I enjoy being more involved too. The important point here though, is that I was able to do this effectively as a direct result of writing more. Writing helped to crystallize my thoughts and express them with greater clarity, making me a better conversationalist.

Given that you’ve had conversations with hundreds of the most accomplished and fascinating leaders and performers in the world, what traits, habits, routines do you think great leaders and great writers have in common?

Intellectual Humility — They’re comfortable sitting between stubbornness and gullibility. The most effective leaders and writers have beliefs, but they also have the confidence to change their mind when better evidence presents itself.

Consistent Discipline — Simply put, they show up to do the work each day, including when they don’t feel 100%.

Thoughtfulness — They’re able to sit still and think. It’s an undervalued skill.

Act with Intention/Have a Voice — They move forward, making rational, reasonable decisions. The best writers and leaders don’t just wander through life; they work with intentionality and purpose.

Welcome to Management is your first book. What were some of the key lessons you learned that you might apply to any future writing projects?

Next time, I’ll identify people who can help and ask for their assistance earlier in the process, both for product quality and visibility. I eventually hired multiple people to make my work better. One of the first book-proposal advisors (Sara Stibitz) I hired ended up making the introduction to my literary agent, Jim Levine. That was an unintended benefit that marked a critical turning point for me and showed me that the power of connections extends into the writing world, as much as it does the business world.

What books or writers have most influenced the way you think and the way you write?

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough is beautifully written. I’m in awe of the story, the entertaining, and the educational style he chose.

I owe a lot to Alex Hutchinson. Read the beginning of his book Endure to understand how to visually paint the picture of a place. He takes you there. I was so moved by his work that I asked him to help me rewrite the opening to my book (and he did!). My work is better because of Alex’s generosity.

Tim Urban (waitbutwhy.com) is the only person that I voluntarily pay (through Patreon) to read the articles he publishes for free. One mark of an intelligent person is the ability to take the complex and make it simple. And when you combine that talent with humor, you end up with the goods.

Shane Snow is an incredible storyteller who uses cliffhangers beautifully. SMARTCUTS kept me turning the page AND learning at the same time.

Anthony Bourdain. Have you read Kitchen Confidential? Whoa.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Create your personal board of advisors to read your work and offer feedback. They should be excellent writers who have a willingness to tell you the truth with specifics. They also need to know you, your voice, and the message you’re trying to convey to the audience.

Read your work out loud. When I recorded the audio version of my book, it was the first time I had read my book out loud, and I wished then that I’d done it sooner. Fortunately, we still had time for me to make some last-minute edits, but that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t read the book out loud in front of a team of audio engineers.

Like most things in life, writing is a game of repetition. Get the reps in daily. If you want to be a good writer, you need to write.  For most people, it takes a while to get to the good stuff. Be willing to push through the bad first drafts and keep going.

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