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Find Your Big Why to Impact the World Around You
Chuck Blakeman is a “late bloomer” who has built eleven businesses in seven industries on four continents. In this episode, John and Sandra extracted precious wisdom from the business genius.
Citing his second book, Why Employees Are Always a Bad Idea, Chuck stated that the Industrial Age was one of the the best possible things that ever happened to technology, but one of the worst possible things that ever happened to humanity. It destroyed so many of the fundamentals of what it means to be human.
Chuck warned that we should take on as much counsel as we can, and then we have to be equally careful to ignore the stuff that are going to keep us from getting to where we need to go. He asserts that assessing external advice is an art, not a science.
Chuck and Sandy touched on the topic of millennials. They are the first generation to grow up without the Industrial Age mentality. Because of this mindset shift, millennials don’t want a job, they want “meaningful work”. So the best approach is to stop managing millenials and just lead them to the outcome you want them to reach.
Chuck shared his company’s somewhat unconventional 11-step hiring process. He never hires for skills and experience. Instead, he hires for talent and business beliefs. These business beliefs can be extracted via questions like: What do you believe about work? What do you believe about success? What do you believe about competition?
After asking a series of questions to job applicants, all Chuck and his team want to hear is “making meaning”, not “making money”.
While talking about school and leadership, Chuck introduced the concept of a Sudbury school, wherein there are no classrooms, no classes, no schedules, no textbooks, and no curriculum. The system teaches self-management. That concept takes education to a whole new level!
What You’ll Learn
- The transitional moment where he started looking at possibilities instead of impossibilities
- What it takes to move into action
- Why the Industrial Age was one of the worst possible things that ever happened to humanity
- The art of balancing both good and bad advice
- The reason why people don’t understand the “attitude” of millennials
- Chuck’s 11-stage hiring process that refutes everything the Industrial Age taught us
- The difference between management and leadership
- The different relationships at work: independence, co-dependence, and inter-dependence
- Advice for people who are stuck in “dehumanized” employment
- Why Central Africa is going to be leading the world in the future
- The four fundamentals of every business
- The magical component in your “big why”
Resources
- Making Money is Killing Your Business by Chuck Blakeman
- Why Employees Are Always a Bad Idea by Chuck Blakeman
- Chuck Blakeman’s website
- Crankset Group
- Crankset Online – online course by the Crankset Group
Join The Conversation
Would you hire for skills and experience or for talent and business beliefs?
Bio 
Chuck Blakeman is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, best-selling business author and world-renowned business advisor who built ten businesses in seven industries on four continents, and now uses his experience to advise others.
His company, Crankset Group, provides outcome-based mentoring and peer advisory for business leaders worldwide. Chuck sold one of his businesses to the largest consumer fulfillment company in America and led three other $10-$100 million companies. He presently leads the Crankset Group and a for-profit business based in Africa, focused on developing local economies to solve poverty.
Chuck is a results leader with decades of experience leading companies in marketing, import/export, fulfillment, call centers, website development, printing and direct mail processing.
Some of Chuck’s customers have included Microsoft, Apple, Eli Lilly, TAP Pharmaceuticals, Sun Microsystems, Tyco Healthcare, Johns Manville and many more Fortune 5000s and smaller businesses.
Chuck is a convention speaker, writer, and non-profit board member. Recent speaking appearances include Kenya, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and across the US. 100+ times a year. Recent print and online appearances include Inc. Magazine (regular contributor), Success Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, CNNMoney.com, NYTimes.com. He was recently cited in Dr. Stephen Covey’s recent book, The 3rd Alternative.
Chuck’s vision is to live well by doing good.
