Becoming Better Men MUNICIPAL

"Becoming Better Men" is a conversational catalyst for a new way to think about masculinity – a new way to answer the question, “What does it mean to ‘be a man’?”

These are “teaching” conversations, the kind you might share with a young professional, a new parent, a first-time leader - someone beginning to ask the important questions about who they want to be and how they want to show up… for their families, their teams and in communities that are hungry for meaningful change.

Along the way, I have learned that they are also conversations for anyone who is alive with curiosity about this question: How do I become the best version of myself?

This week's episode is Part 2 of our season-ending compilation, “Five Questions.”

I made a decision with the very first episode to ask each of my guests the same set of 5 questions at the conclusion of our conversations:

*What's a book or movie that has changed you?
*What's a quality you wish you had more of?
*What's a quality you wish you had less of?
*What advice would you give to your younger self?
*What's something you are looking forward to?

And, in the order they appear, the voices you will hear belong to:

*Greg Knotts – Professor of Elementary Education
*Cathy Earley – Executive Coach
*Danny Hernandez – Quarterback Coach & Mentor
*Renee Smith – Founder & CEO, A Human Workplace
*Allen Carter – English teacher in training
*Jeff Shuck – Founder & Co-CEO, Plenty Consulting
*Bill Proudman – Co-founder & CEO, White Men As Full Diversity Partners
*G Cody QJ Goldberg – Founder & Executive Director, Harpers Playground
*Evan Singer – Founder, Human Speek
*Tim Russell – HR Executive & Keynote Speaker

ABOUT BECOMING BETTER MEN

David Berry, a longtime advisor to organizational leaders and the VP of People & Culture at MUNICIPAL, hosts a series of conversations about the promise of a new vision for masculinity in a world that really needs it.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2L3epws

Subscribe on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70MS450BNc3…jQQ7qpieMe1YmSvQ

As we prepare to bring Season 1 to a close, there’s a lot to be grateful for, especially the 22 guests who agreed to join me in conversation about a new way to define what it means to be a man in a world that needs it as much if not more than it ever has.

I made a decision with the very first episode to ask each of my guests the same set of five questions at the conclusion of our conversations. I had an eye towards one day publishing a compilation of those responses and that day has finally arrived. Today, the first of two episodes featuring the concluding minutes of each conversation.

The 5 questions I ask are these:

Whats a book or movie that has changed you?
Whats a quality you wish you had more of?
Whats a quality you wish you had less of?
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Whats something you are looking forward to?

And, in the order they appear, the voices you will hear belong to:

*Dave Canales – Passing Game Coach, Seattle Seahawks
*Jarod Middleton – Captain, San Jose Fire Department
*Damien Faughnan – CEO Advisor
*Joe Richardson – Racial & Economic Justice Practice Group Leader, McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP
*Ray Watts – Assoc. VP for Development, Claremont McKenna College
*Kevin Nickerson – Chaplain, Los Angeles Rams
*Tim Fiala – My summer camp counselor from 1984 (!)
*Elliot Powell – Former Director, White House Situation Room (and my daughter's middle school history teacher!)
*Dane Anthony – Spiritual Director
*Harry Arnett – Municipal Co-Founder and CEO
*Frank Shushok – VP for Student Affairs at Virginia Tech
*Zach Hoopes – Avid Outdoorsman and Long-distance Hiker

ABOUT BECOMING BETTER MEN

David Berry, a longtime advisor to organizational leaders and the VP of People & Culture at MUNICIPAL, hosts a series of conversations about the promise of a new vision for masculinity in a world that really needs it.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2L3epws

Subscribe on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70MS450BNc3…jQQ7qpieMe1YmSvQ

This week on the podcast, friend and fellow leadership development executive, Tim Russell.

The big idea I take away from our conversation is a reminder of the reciprocity of disclosure, the truth that sits at the core of every dynamic and lasting relationship. When we have the courage to share ourselves in real ways – especially with our colleagues – we create the conditions for others to do the same. In doing so we are reminded that regardless of role or title or appearance we are all, as Harry Stack Sullivan once remarked: “more human than otherwise.”

My guess is that after listening to Tim’s stories about the origins of his core values, you’ll be inclined to do that work yourself. And that you might even decide to make them the lead feature of your LinkedIn profile, a choice that Tim makes to send a clear and compelling message about the forces that guide his life.

Finally, before you get yourself convinced that Tim’s another one of those guys whose “got it all figured out” you need to know that the through-line of this conversation is his 10 years of sobriety and his resolve to apply his values in service of both his family and his community - after all, what better place to start then right where you live?

As we cautiously and hopefully emerge from the shadow of the pandemic, this affirming conversation about personal recovery and humility is exactly what I need right now and I trust that will be true for you as well.

ABOUT BECOMING BETTER MEN

David Berry, a longtime advisor to organizational leaders and the VP of People & Culture at MUNICIPAL, hosts a series of conversations about the promise of a new vision for masculinity in a world that really needs it.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2L3epws

Subscribe on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70MS450BNc3…jQQ7qpieMe1YmSvQ