Episode 2 of the Easton Online podcast is now available! In this episode, Easton CEO Mike Tousignant comes out from behind the curtain. Mike and Eliot talk about how developing a clear vision and staying true to core values are essential elements of success for any business. Mike shares the wisdom he has learned throughout his journey from a white belt student, to manager of the Boulder academy, and ultimately CEO of Easton. Tune in and listen here:
Show Notes:
5:36 – Mike discusses education, and how many great business leaders often had trouble conforming in school. Our education system is set up to teach people to conform.
8:30 – Mike tells his back story and how he came to Easton.
12:50 – What is good management? According to Mike, it’s really just caring about your people.
15:14 – Mike and Eliot discuss the importance of values in running a business. Once you put your values out in the world, you must stick by them and be true to them, or people will lose faith in you. Eliot tells an amusing anecdote about how Renzo Gracie stood by his values when a student filed a frivolous lawsuit against his school.
21:06 – The danger of giving in to a culture built around “Fear of Missing Out” instead of values.
26:00 – Mike discusses the importance of building critical thinking skills. Making a habit of reading every day can help develop critical thinking. Even if the material you read is not related to your career or business, reading teaches you to constantly take in and analyze new information. Like any other skill, you must practice critical thinking every day in order to keep your mind sharp!
38:07 – Eliot tells an anecdote about a recent incident with a student smoking weed at the academy. It’s important to build an environment in your school where everyone feels welcome, and allowing students to bring drugs into the academy is not in line with this value. Eliot stood by his values and took a hard stand against this behavior.
44:12 – Mike and Eliot discuss the importance of building a vision and core values for your business. Core values are principles you are willing to lose friends and money over. Mike says developing Easton’s core values was a difficult exercise, but he can’t put a number on the return on investment from this process.
