“Wherever you are on the spectrum of belief or thoughts, this is a conversation for everyone.”
— Ursula Mentjes (17:11-17:15)
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been having a lot of conversations about what’s going on in the world; from the tragic murder of George Floyd, how that’s impacted the world as a whole, how we recover and heal, to the pandemic impact on our business and personal lives. In this week’s episode, Ursula Mentjes speaks about freedom, entrepreneurship, and difficult conversations with Steve Miska.
Part One of ‘Freedom, Entrepreneurship and Difficult Conversations with Steve Miska’
Steve Miska is the Executive Director of First Amendment Voice, a nonpartisan effort to reinvigorate civic awareness around free expression, religious liberty, press freedom, and other first amendment issues. He founded Servant Leader Citizen (SLC) Consulting, Inc. after retiring as a Colonel with 25 years in the Army. His most recent assignment was teaching graduate students as the Army Chair at Marine Corps University. He has also served in the Obama White House as Director for Iraq on the National Security Council.
In 2007, on his second of three combat tours, Steve led a team that established an underground railroad for dozens of interpreters from Baghdad to Amman to the United States. He earned top academic honors as a Counterterrorism Fellow at the College of International Security Affairs and has taught economics at the United States Military Academy, West Point.
“There is so much more that we share than what divides us.” — Steve Miska (27:59-28:04)
Steve routinely speaks on first amendment issues and soft networks and has addressed DIA, RAND, the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Young Presidents Organization of LA, and numerous media outlets and think tanks. He holds degrees from Cornell University, National Defense University, and West Point. He and his wife of 28 years have two children and reside in Southern California.
He’s an author of multiple publications based on thesis work to protect soft networks. Steve’s pro bono work supports nonprofits that help former interpreters and educates Congress on national security implications of legislation. Steve routinely engages with the media, is a motivational speaker, discussion facilitator and actively mentors young professionals.
Part Two of ‘Freedom, Entrepreneurship and Difficult Conversations with Steve Miska’
Steve discusses how the military cultivates a character trait of humility and focuses everything on “team” which creates the unintented consequence of limiting beliefs. It’s all about their unit and how to accomplish the mission together. In turn, a lot of veterans are not equipt to enter the civilian sector because they’re coming from this environment where they don’t believe or understand the need to sell themselves as individuals. It’s a very different mentality and cultural shift that he struggled with personally when he transitioned to the private sector.
Steve went to interviews for senior positions in different places all around the country and reflected on how he would get “stuck” amid the bureaucracy because of those limiting beliefs and evertying that was embedded in his training. An then he discovered Ursula’s “Sales Camp” and it shifted everything. Sales Camp was the vehicle for him to remove those limiting beliefs and learn from mentors who have traveled the entrepreneurial path. Steve returned to humility in realizing there’s always something that we don’t know and unlocked a key to success by understanding, embracing and honing in the skill of selling.
“Keep exploring ideas, be a lifelong learner and remain understanding.” — Steve Miska (32:01-32:06)
There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to dealing with difficult conversations. First, focus on the areas closest to you in your communities or whatever level you happen to be interacting with. We’re seeing all of these major protests happening around the world and the toxic rhetoric. It’s not healthy for us as individuals, for our country or the world. Social media platforms give us the feeling of immediate confirmation of our own preconceived biases isn’t healthy for us mentally or physiologically. Try to take a step back and come from a place of curiosity and commit to becoming lifelong learner. Be the one to build a bridge and bring diverse people together where they can share in a way that’s beneficial for everyone. Be the change and stand for all people.
How to Connect More with Steve Miska:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-miska/
Resources Discussed:
Difficult Conversation’s workshop: https://difficultconversationsproject.org/
Kern’s bio here: https://difficultconversationsproject.org/the-facilitator
About Ursula Mentjes:
Ursula Mentjes is the founder of Sales Coach Now, as well as a Sales Expert, Inspirational Speaker, Author and Certified Sales Coach who specializes in NLP to help her clients double and triple their sales. Sales Coach Now delivers a unique approach to sales training and coaching designed for ultimate retention and achievement.
Discover how to transform limiting beliefs, make powerful shifts with intention, and authentically serve (sell) your clients with my free pdf, “6 Secrets to Doubling Your Sales! www.salescoachnow.com/gift
Also, Ursula would love to partner with you at your next event, conference, or sales training session. If you’re interested in coming to Sales Camp, that’s her two-day live course then, you may find out more information here: https://www.salescoachnow.com/sales-camp/.
NEXT STEPS – A GIVEAWAY ALERT!
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