
Episode 163: Urs Koenig & his book, Radical Humility: Be a Badass Leader and a Good Human
ABOUT URS
Urs is a bestselling author, one of the world’s leading experts on humble leadership, a former UN peacekeeper and NATO peacekeeping commander, a highly accomplished ultraendurance champion, a widely published professor, and a seasoned executive coach and keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience helping hundreds of leaders and dozens of executive teams unlock new levels of achievement across four continents. He is the founder of the Radical Humility Leadership Institute and speaks frequently on the topic of leadership to corporations and associations across the globe. His message of Radical Humility in leadership has inspired teams from across the spectrum, including Amazon, Starbucks, the Society of Human Resource Management, HP, NATO, Vistage, and Microsoft. He holds a PhD in geography and a Master of Science from the University of Zürich, Switzerland, and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. Urs is the loving father of two teenage boys who make commanding soldiers look easy. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS
• The selfish part of service.
• What you're willing to sacrifice.
• Achieving prestige and good money -- but hating the job.
• Urs coaching in different environments -- in competition, military service, academics, executive.
• Considering what you don't want to regret.
• Moving your body for mental health.
• The purity in ultra-endurance sports.
• The downside of being too competitive.
• Tough on results, tender on people.
• Talking about real stuff.
• Humility is no replacement for incompetence.
• "Parenting is the hardest job I've ever loved."
• The Talent in the Room.
The MAIN QUESTION underlying my conversation with Urs is, How do you balance both confidence and humility in your life, work, and leadership?
FIND URS
· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urs-koenig-ab3828/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urs.koenig.7
· YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@urskoenig3484/· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koenigurs/
LinkedIn – Full Podcast Article:
CHAPTERS
00:00 - The Book Leads Podcast – Urs Koenig
00:30 - Introduction & Bio
02:03 - Who are you today? Can you provide more information about your work?
06:30 - How did your path into your career look like, and what did it look like up until now?
13:18 - The draw on Urs to ultra endurance racing.
18:26 - Urs's relationship with his father.
21:37 - How does the work you're doing today reconcile to who you were as a child?
23:47 - What do you consider your superpower?
25:13 - The origin of humility in Urs's life.
28:58 - What does leadership mean to you?
29:48 - Can you introduce us to the book we’re discussing?
33:27 - Can you provide a general overview of the book?
51:05 - What's changed in you in the process of writing this book?
53:06 - What’s next for your writing?
54:26 - What book has inspired you?
56:55 - What are you up to these days? (A way for guests to share and market their projects and work.)
This series has become my Masterclass In Humanity. I'd love for you to join me and see what you take away from these conversations.
Learn more about The Book Leads and listen to past episodes:
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· Listen on Apple Podcasts
· Read About The Book Leads – Blog Post
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