High Performance Coaching Starts With Leading Yourself | Markus Ernsten

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Business with our servants' hearts. Servants home. Welcome to the podcast. Inspiration, motivation, takes. Servants. Listen to the podcast. We're all about to talk about life. Our guests will share their life story. We want you to success in life and business. We're ready and we will start shortly. We're gonna talk about life. We're gonna speak on business. You're gonna shine bright. We are gonna win Business with our servants' hearts. With host is team from moderately Inspiration, education, false. Listen to the podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Welcome everyone to doing business with a service heart podcast. I'm your host, Steve Ramona. I'm thrilled to have you join us today. This podcast is dedicated to exploring the idea of doing business and living life with a purpose, serving others and yes, achieving success. We believe when we approach our work and our lives with a service heart, we can truly make a difference. We create a show we can so you can be motivated, inspired, and educated by my wonderful guest to impact your world. Whether you're an entrepreneur, community leader, or simply want to bring purpose to your daily life, this podcast is here to support you. And while you're listening to this incredible show, I want you to think about who you're going to serve today and what uh what impact you're going to create today. That's the key word. Let's not wait till tomorrow. Let's create impact today. Today's episode is brought to you by our amazing sponsor, Pantheon, Pantheon Alliance. It's a referral marketplace mastermind where high-level income working, uh income earning business owners and entrepreneurs gather to build events, workshops, and built their networks today to grow. Imagine the heights you'll grow when you join this community. If you have any questions at all or more information, just reach out to me after the show. With that being said, impact and impact can come in many different ways, but I think from a business standpoint, coaching is one of the best ways. And this coach has done a lot in his life. He's a young man, but he's still done a lot. And he's going to talk to us about how to be high performance. Marcus, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Thank you very much, Steve. And uh thank you also for having me. Really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

You're very welcome. I want to jump into high performance. It's used a lot in sports, car racing, things like that. What's your definition and thought of high performance coaching?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Well, I think high performance uh can can be can be taken in any any discipline, whether it is sports, whether it is business, whether it is uh just let's say being a human being. Um, and the definition for that is that when uh for most of the things you need to have some physical capabilities, you you need to be good in what you are doing from a physical perspective. But then when it comes to being really the high performer, then you have to add something to your physical ability, which is uh your mental ability, which is uh finally um the understanding, the knowledge, and um the awareness that uh your your uh your physic, your body, your mind, and your soul need to be balanced in a certain way so that you can really um get to your high performance level.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

In your eyes, what does a high performance team a high performance business look like?

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Um, in my personal eyes, it is um it has a lot of meaning. It is not just the business for doing the business. Um, I think it is always uh depending on what level of value are you able to add to the lives of others? That's basically, and if you deliver the value that is perceived by your community, by your customer group as the value you would like them to perceive it, then you are at a high performance level.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Yeah, that's great. Is there a difference between a business owner that's got 5,000 employees and making 100 million a year in in sales to that solo entrepreneur when it comes to high performance?

SPEAKER_00 4:30

I don't yeah, I don't think so. Uh in in general, there is no no difference in the definition. There is obviously, or there are obviously many differences in the mechanics and and the uh the tools, the methods uh that that you would use if you are uh running a company of 5,000. It's different than being an entrepreneur or solopreneur, but in general, the definition is the same.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah, just a different same freeway, different lanes. I love that. It's just a little different. And you work with both. So you can work with a high-end multi-million dollar company, the solopreneur that does 250,000 a year as whatever they're doing. I I like that. Now, in regards to results, you talk about you improve their results. Is there specific results that you improve with a company or an entrepreneur, or is it different from each company and each entrepreneur?

SPEAKER_00 5:26

Well, uh, that's a that's a very good question. You know, first of all, we need to know that and to understand that results are results. You you can't go for results, you just go would go for your for your for the level of service, for the quality of service that you are going to deliver. And that perceived quality of your service, of your product, this is going to translate into the results, whatever then uh the measurement is. And um this is this is basically how how I put it. Um, it is determined in the value for your customers, the value for for your for your clients.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

So yeah, so it's different for you know, results are different, and that's what you find out. You talk to me as an entrepreneur, go, hey, what are your goals? What do you want your results to be? And then you craft your your uh uh coaching around that, correct?

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Exactly, exactly. And we we look at goals not in terms of like we can see very often in today's, let's say, financial world, that a goal translates into a certain amount of revenue, certain percentage of profit, or whatsoever. No, these are not goals. Real goals are more towards what is it that you would like to get out of your vision. So vision is a starting point, and then you break from the vision, you break down the things you would like to see, you would like to achieve in order to be able to um to to see that you are going towards your vision. And then if there is an outcome which translates into money or other kind of materialistic um um outcomes, then that's fine. But those are then just results of what you are doing.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Yeah, I love that, Marcus. That's so well said because so many people tie their results not to their vision, and that's why businesses are failing. I need to do this, I need a million dollars, but their vision's on the other side. It's that's powerful. That's a powerful message. I believe I I could tell you leadership's a big part of it. Go ahead, you were gonna say something. Sorry, no, no, no, no. I thought you were gonna make a comment. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

I was just nodding and then agreeing to what you said, Steve. Yeah, he's from Germany.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yeah, we're still learning each other. He's he lives in Germany, that's why I love doing podcasts. We can leave learn internationally. Servant leadership. This is a servant podcast. You're a servant, I could tell. What is your definition of a servant leader?

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Um, putting your personal goals, objectives, opinions behind the ones that are good for the people you are responsible for.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Dive a little deeper in that. So give me an example of that. It's such a great comment. Give me an example that people can image have an image.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Um let's see, or let's take the um the entrepreneur who founds his business and he has the objective to grow the business, and he wants to achieve, let's say, traditional thinking, certain numbers in in terms of revenue, profits, or personal income. In order to achieve that, he could go and just force the people he is hiring, and force himself, of course, in doing what he has to do or what he he feels uh he has to do or the people have to do, um, just to achieve those goals. But if you are a servant leader, you would think about the whole thing from a higher level, from a higher perspective. You would have a uh a vision that is somehow um displaying something, contributing to a community, for instance. And in order to serve that community well and to provide that value to the community, you admit to yourself that you just say, Hey, well, it's not that important that I get that income, that I earn that money, that I achieve that revenue, that profit with my company. I just enjoy seeing the value increase for the community, for the people I'm serving. And while doing that, I'm also taking care of the people working for me by not just forcing them doing certain things in order to increase something. No, they have a true possibility to not only understand what it is that we deliver in terms of value, they also have to feel it finally, and and can really get satisfaction from that feeling and and that situation they are in. This this might be not the best example, but I think it is a good one.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

No, it's a it's a really good example, and I can people can vision. And how important, well, I'm gonna ask you this your clients you work with, are they better leaders after they're done with you, working with you?

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Um, I think so. Because what you know, my my fundamental assumption when I started this whole kind of business and the way I'm running this business was that you only can lead others well when you are able to lead yourself well. And what I try to do with my clients is to uh help them understanding and becoming better in leading themselves. So, in the moment they know what it means to lead themselves, they automatically apply these learnings into their leadership roles, which automatically leads into the results that they lead the people they are responsible for much better than before. Sometimes there is, of course, some dependencies they have to deal with because of the system they are working in. If they aren't entrepreneurs, if they are employed working for a corporation, for a big enterprise, for instance, then there are certain dynamics they have to deal with. But just from a fundamental perspective, they have a completely different understanding and very often they struggle to continue working in such an environment, I must say, as well, because the system doesn't fit to that learning, to that uh conviction they they they got after uh during the coaching.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Yeah, it's like taking a circle uh circle plot uh peg and put it in the square hole, they're just not a fit, I'll never fit. And a servant heart will say goodbye, not in a bad way, say you're not a fit here, let's either find something here or find something outside the company. And that's why it takes people. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

And there, yeah, yeah, absolutely, and there are plenty of opportunities. And and if people once have gotten the idea to open up their mind to start into that development process of growing their minds, then they will also get complete new different uh complete new and different um perspectives.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

So self-awareness sounds big here too.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

It is, it is. It's not just just self-awareness, it's awareness in in general, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Yeah, good point. And you said something earlier, just really recently, about mindset. How important is mindset and change in your mindset to be a more high performance?

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Well, I think mindset is everything. Um there's one of my mentors, um, which uh gentleman I I I love to follow, it's Bob Proctor. He used to say um mindset is 95%, strategy is just five percent of success. And if you if you really think about that, then um you you very very soon come to the conclusion that um the the most and best invested time to work on yourself is to work on your mindset, on how you think about the world, how you think about other people, how you think about your job, how you think about your role in this world, right? Um everybody is here for some reason. We not always know that, or we have to sort of find out what it is, but we are here for something. And as soon as we become aware of this fact, we start a completely different thinking process. And this completely different thinking process leads to completely different results that leads to a different, completely different quality in life and and life satisfaction and these kind of things. So, this is what I what I yeah. Well, I've experienced it myself, so I can I can really tell you it's possible.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Experience is such a great teacher, it's an unbelievable teacher. Your experience and pass it on to others. I'm gonna use a football sports uh example here. Football in your Germany, it's like I love the 95%, 5% rule. We could have a play set up in football, but if none of the players believe in it, their mindset is it doesn't work, you're just saying the play's gonna fail. Your best strategy in the world, but the mindset's not there. And that just relates right to business then.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Yeah, absolutely. It's it's it's it's the same thing. I mean, look at sticking with that example uh of football, looking at a certain team, same people, two different coaches, the one very unsuccessful, the other one comes in and leads uh the team to victory. Um, what what is the difference? Um, obviously, from the outside perspective, nothing has changed. So there must be something very special that has been changed inside. And inside is a key word. Is it inside the team, is it inside us? It is always inside. Everything is inside. And the better you when you talk to a group of people, you know, the better you are able to align the insights of all the different members of that group, the better um you have, let's say, um, the forces working into one direction. And that one direction is finally the purpose, the vision, and these kind of things.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

I I love when the guest is smarter than me and there's a better example. That's a great example about coaches, because you are the CEO, you get rid of the CEO, bring a new one, and it's got a better, it's just works across the board. I always I've never asked this question, but I've had a number of international people on my show. Is there difference in let's use Germany where you're at, business done in Germany that is done in the United States? Do you have to tweak your coaching if you're working with two different countries?

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Yes, absolutely. Yeah, we it is finally we talk about culture, cultural differences. Culture, you know, culture is a keyword here. You um in Germany we have a different business culture. We also have a different, I would call it life culture than people have it in even in France or in Great Britain or the US. Um, everywhere it's different culture, and you need to have a certain understanding of that culture. We have also um certain and different understanding of let's say things like purpose, vision, and these kinds of things. It's it's not a general um that term that has the same meaning everywhere. In some cultures, it had have different meanings. If you if you go into countries uh where Buddhism is, for instance, the main, yeah, let's call it religion, it's not really one, but uh let's call it well, um, then you have to complete different mindset than in Christian or Christianity countries. It's it's absolutely different. So you have to really make sure uh that you are aware with whom you are working.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Yeah, if awareness comes back around the corner every time. And do you work with companies? You know, there's a lot of people in the United States listening to this. You work with companies in the United States as well as Germany?

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Well, I I uh used to work a lot in the United States in my past career. I used to be a salesperson, I was traveling the world, doing international business a lot in the US and worked for US American companies. Um I also um well I'm I'm approaching, let's say, um people in the US or in other countries. Um I don't I don't work within borders of just Germany. Currently I don't have a have a client actually in from the US, uh, but uh yeah, I have a lot of people from the US in my community I'm talking to and trying to explain what I'm doing and how they can benefit from what I'm doing. And uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Hey US folks, you want high performance? Reach out to my man Marcus, he will make you high performance and create the high performance that I love. In coaching, let's talk about this. In business owners, what is one mistake that's pretty standard across the board that you see with clients?

SPEAKER_00 18:39

They don't spend enough time working on themselves. They they do not sharpen their tools, let's say, right? If they they they are walking every morning in the same forest um with the same tools, with the same uh uh help and uh trying to uh get more results by just working harder. Um, I think people need to spend more time on reflecting, on analyzing what has happened in the past, what did go well in the past, what didn't go well, what are the things they wanted to achieve, but what it is uh is it that they might now want to achieve, and to adapt and adjust and to tweak all these little things and to make sure that they're toolboxes always on on the on the best or in the best shape.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

What tips do you give your clients that you see that they're not getting enough personal development growing themselves?

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Um the most important thing is make a plan of the things that uh which are important to you, um, and then allocate time for doing these important things. You know that Eisenhower matrix where he's talking about the urgent and the important things. Um, I think it is super, super, super important to understand what it is that is important to you, what is really important to you. Most people, when they talk about importance, they think of income, salary, and and cars and and these kind of things. But this is not important at all. You know, important is, for instance, your health is important. Are you dealing properly with your health? Um, important is your we talked about mindset. Do you think you have the right mindset for what you are doing? If you have no idea how to deal with that, there are people out there you can talk to and you can ask for help. They will help you, and they definitely will give you a better idea than you have now. And and just to allocate certain of these elements, these really important elements, and schedule consciously time to just work on those things. That is the most important thing, I would say, at all.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

The next step then is accountability. That's an important aspect of this, and that's what you help with.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Yes. Yeah, capabilities and and and skills is uh I mean, I I can't recall who said it, but there was somebody um you hire, you hire for attitude, and uh you develop for skill or something like that. And and this is what I think is is pretty much uh what what it is about. You know, you if you if you have and if you deal like that with yourself, that you say, I focus on my attitude, and once I've done that, I know exactly what skill it is that I'm missing right now, what what capability it is that I need to develop in order to to become better in the subject matter that I'm that I'm delivering or that I'm producing.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Yeah, I like that. Let's talk about your book, it's a great segue to your book. Us about your book.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Well, um the book is called uh true leadership comes from within. And um besides the fact that for for I don't know, I think 20, 30 years almost, I was really um passionate about writing a book, but I never made it. And now I finally finished uh finished it, and it was kind of a uh what an how do you say that in English? Uh such an ignite moment or the celebration, yeah. Yeah, something like that when when it was finished. And I was I was really also had this moment of inspiration when I said this is exactly the content that I want to want to write about. And it is about this observation that I had that people struggle with um with what I understand as leadership. People struggle with getting direction for themselves in their lives, and people have actually not really a good understanding, I would I would say, um how they can get there. And I just have written in this book my own story because it was a roller coaster ride. Um in a yeah, I think like everyone has, but it was my personal, and so it felt much more intense for me. And then I based on that story, I had my learnings, my my whole life changed, the whole direction my I had for my life has changed, became in order, so to say, after that. And I've just written down all these different elements in that book in order to give people some some ideas on what it is that they can can work on, what they can change and the way they can change it, also.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

I I love people write books like you just did about personal experiences because it's so relatable and your passion really comes through. How can people find the book?

SPEAKER_00 24:02

I guess the the ones who who gave me feedback, they love it. They say something uh you you you spoke out of my heart, actually. That's that's one one comment I hear quite often, um, which uh which shows me that that I've done something right, that that uh it it obviously um that there are many people who have sort of the same kind of situation but not really able to either grab it or are not are not brave enough to talk about it or whatsoever. But there's yeah, I think this is what I call value.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

Yeah, that's exactly value. And this is on Amazon, they can find an Amazon.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

Yes, exactly. Okay, great. It is on Amazon, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Perfect. Well, let's finish with some fun note. I like to ask this fun question to get to know Marcus a little better. So you're in a German restaurant and there's a table of four, you occupy one of the seats, the other three seats are occupied by somebody dead or alive, and why would they occupy those seats? Why would they be sitting there? And the most important thing, what food would you order?

SPEAKER_00 25:14

Um, I think the one person you you would want me to to tell you names or concrete persons, right? Sitting this is your question.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

You can do what you want.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Okay, okay. So the one person that definitely would sit on that table is my mom. She unfortunately died a couple of years ago, and uh she definitely needs to be on that table. I love her, and I talk to her still. I always get advice from her and listen to what she would think and do in these kind of uh moments when I when I ask her for help. So she would definitely be there. The second person that will be there is Bob Brockler. He's unfortunately also passed away already, but he definitely is a person for me of high value, and uh his opinion um uh means a lot to me. And the third person I really need to think, I think I would you I would I would ask Franz Beckenbauer uh to be on the on the table. Um he was I think he's the most uh um um what is it uh or the the the most known German football player. He is he is a yeah, he is an idol for so many people. And I would just love to talk with him about football, you know. That's that's that's um, I would think um that's a good mix of of people on that table. And what I order is of course, I'm a German, I would order a schnitzel.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

Yeah, I love it. I was hoping you would say that. I love Schnitzel. I'm glad you said that. That's great. Well, that what a great table. Thanks for sharing that with us. And Marcus, you're a you're a bright star. You are God bless you, what you're doing. You're out there serving and helping businesses, and they need it more than ever now. So thank you for being on the show and sharing some insights with us tonight.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

It was my great pleasure, Steve. Um, and again, thank you very much uh for having me, for inviting me. It was a great conversation. I love it. I wish you all the best. You what you are doing is also such an important thing to the community, to the world. So please continue and um find guests like me.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

God bless you. Thank you. And everybody. God bless you, Steve. Yeah, thank you. Don't forget my TV show Fridays at 2 p.m. Pacific, 5 p.m. Eastern, together we serve, Apple TV, Roku. You see my big old head as I say on your sevenly in screen. You'll look at the guests more than me, but I have great guests there as well. And as always, me and Marcus, thank you so much for watching or listening to this podcast. And we look forward to seeing you at the next episode of Doing Business with the Server Call. You all have a great day.