GS Partner Highlight: John Bates, the soft skills guy
“There will come a time when you will think everything is finished. That is the beginning.”
LOUIS L’AMOUR
The Giant Shoulders community is built on a network of talent, and some of the biggest influences on our work are behind the scenes. Our Partner Highlight interview series is an opportunity to introduce some of the amazing people in our community, including leadership mentors like John Bates.
John is an executive leadership coach, communications expert, founder of Executive Speaking Success, and a great friend and mentor in our community. Our founder Tino Chow had a chance to chat with John recently about his passions and his career.
To learn more about John and his work, visit his website, Executive Speaking Success.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
The first thing that came to mind was “Leadership Communication Fanatic.” But then I thought the three words that describe me are, “Crazy About People,” or maybe “Energetic Passionate Goofball.” So there’s three tries at three words!
How did you get started in your career? Or in other words, what is your superhero origin story?”
I was always the guy with the soft skills working with the guys with the hard skills, just trying to prove I was valuable. But when I went to TED for the first time, I saw those unbelievable talks, and I realized I’d been a public speaker my whole life.
I got really involved in the TED community, and I was at one of the very first TEDx events in Santa Monica. There was one guy I was most looking forward to seeing all day, but when he got up and started to speak, everybody in the room just checked out. He was so nervous and awkward we all thought we were going to throw up!
At first I was sad for him, then the evil part of me popped out and thought “hahaha hard skills guy is blowing it!” Everything changed when my friend walked over and said, “Dude, we’ve gotta do something to help people like this.” Something seismic shifted inside me. I realized if I could get over myself for five minutes, I could totally make a difference for that guy.
So how do you, as a soft skills guy, help people like him?
I do what I call leadership communication, training, and coaching. I assist people in getting ultra-clear on every aspect of their leadership so they can communicate with impact, and I do everything from high level strategic messaging and consulting to coaching executives in giving TED-like talks. My “why” is to bring out what’s awesome in every person so they can have the impact they want to have in the world.
What inspires and motivates you?
I get deeply inspired by what people are up to -- their personal stories, the way they’ve overcome their challenges, and the way they think and see the world. And I think that inspiration reflects back on them. One of the best ways to be inspiring is to be inspirational!
If you could go back in time and give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Years ago, I lost my company Big Words, and it almost killed me. We’d raised over 80 million dollars, and then went out of business in the dot com crash. I almost died of an autoimmune disease because I was so heartbroken. If I could go back to then, I would tell myself one of my favorite Louis L’amour quotes: “There will come a time when you will think everything is finished. That is the beginning.”
If I would have treated that failure like a beginning instead of the end of the universe, I probably would have come out the other side better. Failure’s not failure. It’s just another learning experience. And your superpower is always right next to your scar.