Latest / Daily Influence / 651. Leading With Generosity: The Power of an Others-Focused Life with Larry Kaufman

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651. Leading With Generosity: The Power of an Others-Focused Life with Larry Kaufman · Daily Influence

0:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Daily Influence, your daily dose of positive influence.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm Brian Smith founder of IA Business Advisors and co-author of the Iain team series.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Each day we share stories and insights to help you find be and build your influence in a positive and responsible way.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Greg Clino, partner at IA Business Advisors, and co-host of Daily Influence.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Be sure to follow, subscribe, and share Daily Influence with someone who could use a little extra positivity today.
0:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And make us part of your daily routine, whether it's during your commute, on a walk, or an quiet moment just for you, because you're influenced matters.
0:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Daily Influence.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host Greg Clino.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Today, I'm joined by someone whose life and work are a master class in responsible influence, generosity and service.
1:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Larry Kaufman is a global speaker, bestselling author of the NCG Factor.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and one of the most respected relationship builders on LinkedIn.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He lives in what he calls and others focus life, using connection, mentorship, and generosity to transform careers, open doors, and live people at every stage of life, from students to CEOs.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Beyond his professional impact, Larry has lived a fascinating life.
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[SPEAKER_00]: from appearing in classic films like Plates, Trains and Automobiles, and Backdraft, to driving Walter Payton and other sports legends, as a part-time showfire, to serving on the board of holiday heroes bringing joy to children facing serious illness.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This story is full of humanity, purpose, and heart.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Larry, welcome to Daily Influence.
1:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for having me and you made me sound quite awesome.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So thank you.
2:01
[SPEAKER_00]: There you are, quite awesome.
2:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's start with your story.
2:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to where you are today, both as a goal of a speaker, and someone going for a living on others' focused life?
2:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, my background, well, I'm here in Chicago been here all my life.
2:19
[SPEAKER_02]: And,
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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, start my career more on the sales side of things, then moved into leadership roles.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I've stayed in the professional services world in public accounting.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I like accounting, but I can't do my own taxes.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And today I'm the Regional Managing Director for the Midwest, for Jefferson Wells, part of me and power group.
2:41
[SPEAKER_02]: And basically, in my capacity, I run sales and operations.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm
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[SPEAKER_02]: I've been speaking on LinkedIn for almost 20 years.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I think almost the whole time LinkedIn has been out there.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I also wrote my book back in 2019, rolled into life as a speaker, because of LinkedIn.
3:04
[SPEAKER_02]: So did you ever pick up something?
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[SPEAKER_02]: And people don't know a lot about it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Like AI, when it first came out, if you were one of the first to know AI, it's like, oh, wow, Greg, you seem to be this expert in AI and you're like, you're talking about, you know, but you just seem to be a little head than others.
3:26
[SPEAKER_02]: So I was like they would link den, and I met a woman who was meeting once a month at a university with like 35 business owners.
3:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And she said, Larry, you seemed to know about this LinkedIn thing.
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[SPEAKER_02]: We're clueless.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Can you come in and present?
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[SPEAKER_02]: That wasn't that speaker type, but I'm like, okay, and I don't know that much.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so I presented, I thought he did a horrible job.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And she said, this was outstanding.
3:58
[SPEAKER_02]: So it was like, oh, because when you know more than everybody in the room, you're the expert.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So they had led me on the path of speaking about LinkedIn and then going down the path of connecting and helping other people, that was probably more than like 2006 when I was working at a company and someone made a connection.
4:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So Lyra, I want you to meet an IP attorney.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I was in a similar role in a mint today back in 2006.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I didn't deal with attorneys, especially IP attorney, as I said, why am I meeting an IP attorney that makes no sense to me?
4:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And she said, well, he's a connector.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And he's really, very networking.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And he has unique way of growing his practice.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So fine, I'll meet with him.
4:48
[SPEAKER_02]: That's fine, I'll give it a shot.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm open, I could do it.
4:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So we met at the end of our meeting, he said, Larry, I'm an introduced into two people, you don't know.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I said, Brian, why are you doing that?
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[SPEAKER_02]: He said, because it's an expansion network.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I just like adding to people's networks.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I did not make me like an instant connector.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But it was something interesting that made me think every time I'd meet with people, I thought differently.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I wasn't comfortable, but gradually started to get comfortable going, oh, Greg,
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[SPEAKER_02]: You should meet, you know, Sherry, and you should meet this person and, you know, so I started to get more comfortable and then fine tune the approach.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So you've lived an extraordinary journey and woven through it is your commitment to helping others, your book, the NCD factor teaches people how to influence their connection generosity.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and intentional relationships.
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[SPEAKER_00]: How do you develop this approach in what does responsible influence look like in the way you build, nurture, and sustain relationships?
5:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, the book about networking connecting and giving, you know, and CG.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I think the most important thing I would tell you is that many of us talk more than we listen.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so if you're going to be a giver and a connector,
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[SPEAKER_02]: and network to build authentic relationships.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You've got to learn about people.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You've got to ask great questions.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You've got to get to know them personally, and on that so much, right?
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[SPEAKER_02]: I can only ask you so much, right personally, but enough to give me insight into who you are outside of work that something may strike a chord that I can help you with a family member or write.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so that's something that we ended up talking about.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But I think it's talking,
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[SPEAKER_02]: less with good effective questions that allow the other person to talk more.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's helped me to be more of a person's able to build authentic relationships, make very precise and powerful connections.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I don't do them in mass.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I do any, it may come to me later, but the more that I learn and ask and listen, the best means I've had with people,
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[SPEAKER_02]: So, Larry, I know nothing about you, but you know all this about me.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Great, let's meet again.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm happy to talk about myself because that's my favorite topic.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's about me, you know, your influence really extends far beyond business.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You've helped people find jobs, connect opportunities, access, specialists, and even find future spouses through your network.
7:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you tell us about a moment when you made a meaningful positive impact on someone's life?
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[SPEAKER_00]: One of those experiences that reminded you, why are you doing what you do?
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[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, there's a lot like probably like every month I can come up with, you know, many.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so one sticks with me, you know, because I admit this person in a coffee shop and the suburbs of Northwest Illinois,
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I met him through a gentleman on an executive search from this person I met happened to be in transition.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And he was a CEO, and I just like, this who I am, I said, great Mike, why don't we meet separately?
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[SPEAKER_02]: And we see how can help you out?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Now everyone will do that, trying to get people to think that way.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And he said, sure, so we got together, and we just had a great meeting, but I'm not a guy that knows a lot of CEO openings.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And he was running like a 15 million dollar company.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But the nicest guy reminded me of Clark Kent.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So he's about like six, four, a dark care, blue eyes, glasses, and even during Halloween sometimes, he would dress up as Clark Kent.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Didn't that look like Superman, but Clark Kent?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Now, but great guy.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And...
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[SPEAKER_02]: But I had a meeting with someone who owned 100 million our company had a business issue and I put the two guys together and they met for like six hours in their first meeting and then I hired Mike to run his company so his president he was the other gem was CEO chairman and then they grew that company a 200 million organic and organic and then Mike was in transition again, but during that time.
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[SPEAKER_02]: We built a great relationship.
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[SPEAKER_02]: He became a client, a friend, just wonderful guy.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Like I can call him up for anything he would do it.
9:38
[SPEAKER_02]: He would knock down walls to do it.
9:40
[SPEAKER_02]: But we built this great friendship but during that five-year period, he got divorced.
9:47
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I had met a woman who was from private equity in HR who had lost her job and she was widowed.
9:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Guess you were on gum with this.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I, I thought the two of them actually should network HR and CEO, you relate to them, like it's a good networking combination.
10:06
[SPEAKER_02]: But then they're both single.
10:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I told them, I said to both of them, I want you guys in that work, but you're both single for different reasons.
10:16
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think there's something there.
10:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And so they actually did see each other for over two years in Falnlo of in travel and at great time.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then they actually broke up and tried it again for three months.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But what I always say is, I could put people together.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I can't keep them together because it's not my magic or super power.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's getting people together.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's up to them to stay together and you know, even people in love sometimes break up.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so I'll put you together.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's up to you to stay together.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I did my job, but that one kind of always sticks out there because
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[SPEAKER_02]: to the standing call Mike right now.
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[SPEAKER_02]: He would take my colleague, Drabberry, they have said, hey, I need this.
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[SPEAKER_02]: He'd find a way to do it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And that was just wonderful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So those ripples say so much about the power of just showing up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what you did.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Ask him to help, right?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Just take in the time, the extra time, and who would have expected that I expected nothing to return, I just wanted to help him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: new mentor everyone from the young adults entering college to board members and CEOs.
11:25
[SPEAKER_00]: When you think about responsibility, something that we talk about a lot in the Indian series, what do you believe people must take ownership of to build authentic, mutually valuable relationships?
11:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, if they're saying they're going to do something they need to do it.
11:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, and so I know I helped someone who was in transition and I helped him a lot, and he was very grateful, and then I found myself in transition one day, and I emailed a group, blind carbon and mass, he was in that group and respond, and then I emailed him directly.
12:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And he didn't respond.
12:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I tried it a couple more times and I'll respond.
12:16
[SPEAKER_02]: So then when I put the message that I landed, he sent me an email, oh, Sarah is really busy.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Sarah could help you out.
12:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think some people abuse your ability to help them and to be that giver.
12:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And so there are takers that you can that convert, that they just, that's just their nature.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You get to decide for that and sometimes it's some hard lessons.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Unfortunately, I'm not perfect.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I can always figure out who that take er is.
12:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I give without expecting and some people give and they want to expect a little something.
12:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I, um, it's like going to Vegas.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If I go to spend money and game, let's right get married.
13:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I'm going to expect that I'm going to come home empty handed.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to lose money if I'm going there to win.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to be really disappointed.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so I give without expecting and return and then I'm not disappointed.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I was disappointed in that gentleman though.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And that was that was sad.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think people's responsibility is to build deeper relationships, make an effort.
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[SPEAKER_02]: and make sure that they're again, they're not doing all the talking.
13:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And that they're volunteering, you know?
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[SPEAKER_02]: I like people this, the question now, they could be helpful.
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[SPEAKER_02]: How can I help you, so?
13:39
[SPEAKER_00]: You mentioned earlier about AI.
13:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you using AI in your workplace?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And if you are, how is it supporting your speaking or your networking and mentoring?
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I mean, you know, we're a division of manpower group.
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[SPEAKER_02]: There's a big $20 billion global company.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so globally as a company internally, we use it external facing.
14:02
[SPEAKER_02]: We're trying to help deliver what we deliver to our clients and leveraging some efficiencies with AI and developing those things.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I use it all the time.
14:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Even in the presentations, I deliver to prepare.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And some maybe a screenshot something I didn't AI.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I just did was someone today delivered a presentation today.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I used AI to come up with his bio.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so he said, hey, by the way, I'm going to issue with my bio that you're sure, because I didn't ask for permission.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I just did it.
14:38
[SPEAKER_02]: You said, said something about Tennessee and that's not true.
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[SPEAKER_02]: That's not valid anymore.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's not, well, it's not the open internet somewhere, you know, but I said that proves to you AI is still that perfect.
14:50
[SPEAKER_02]: So we do like understanding what companies are doing, how they're using it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: We do all that with risk and compliance.
14:57
[SPEAKER_02]: There's some risk and how you're using AI or using the right way, but data, cyber risk, other issues, you know about that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's a part of my world for our different teams that recruit talent or that try to come prepare to meetings.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's great and it's not perfect.
15:19
[SPEAKER_02]: So that means it'll be still some jobs out there.
15:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Speaking of your career, it has been full of unexpected opportunities, movies,
15:35
[SPEAKER_00]: unique life chapters from being an extra and major films to driving Walter Payton, serving on the board at the holiday heroes.
15:45
[SPEAKER_00]: How have these experiences saved your world view and your belief in service, connection, and living with purpose?
15:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's see, a lot of that was fun and not fun.
15:58
[SPEAKER_02]: But so I'll tell you first, how do heroes,
16:05
[SPEAKER_02]: for a lot of years and people still with the organization, you know, somehow I was at a tie into some of those folks and it meant a lot to me because it was, you know, helping out these children who were sick to terminal and, you know, these, you know, hospital systems that you know and don't know.
16:25
[SPEAKER_02]: And that was a bright spot for me, you know, just helping others being selfless.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And what we did is a charity for those children and their families.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It was just it was it was wonderful.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it was and I think everyone should have a film throughout the interest, find a way of support.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Financially, he's great, but when you're out there volunteering and it's it's something else and I tried to introduce that to people.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So then that was helpful too, but also the board members and the volunteers and
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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I helped out of volunteer to get a job, you know, I helped, you know, a lot of career and that really nice job.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I, I met a lot of wonderful people, people who are executives, people who aren't.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And just great, great people.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And people I have exposed to it that were executives at never anything philanthropic, which is unbelievable.
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[SPEAKER_02]: The, you know, driving, you know, sports figures around.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Those are great moments in time that
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[SPEAKER_02]: And remember, in Walter and his family, the interactions I have with them was just unbelievable.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I'll never forget those experiences in the movies, which is, that was a time where I thought maybe I won't be a business, and I'll be famous and run Howard and Bacteria to care that quickly.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So, no, so that was just fun to do, out of my system, don't ever have to do thinking.
17:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So the people who are listening, who want to lead with influence in their own lives, what message or words and encouragement would you like to share, who aspire to make a positive difference in the world, especially through service and uplifting others?
18:04
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I would say, you know, it's that sort of storyline with that, you know, give
18:18
[SPEAKER_02]: a lot of times when I present all over and I mentioned those five words I can help you a lot of people like you know that's something that I'm taking away from this because I don't ask that I don't ask it enough I ask that on my staff I ask that with my wife and my kids I can help you and it sounds so simple but you have many don't do it and then many don't execute it oh well
18:47
[SPEAKER_02]: surprise at person and do it, right?
18:48
[SPEAKER_02]: But you know, I'm not going to help you.
18:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I also think can we try to be like, I try to be indispensable to people.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I try to put it out there that want to be sort of your personal cancer year, or when you need something, you know, that you don't know where to go to.
19:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, this for me, because I built up this great, great global network that I can come through with the unusual weird requests.
19:14
[SPEAKER_02]: But I like this kind of like a challenge,
19:17
[SPEAKER_02]: scavenger hunt, you know, so I like it, you know, so, and I think I mentioned earlier about listening, all right, it'd just be a better listener, you know, that, you know, as have to talk, some people just feel like they have to talk, you know, it's okay to listen, probably better for relationship, personal, you know, dating, marriage.
19:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm still not perfect there,
19:47
[SPEAKER_02]: So those are some of the key things and, you know, and I, this is my own quote, but if you lead with yourself, you'll leave with yourself.
19:56
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, you know, trying to consume every conversation, because you're not going to get that client or you're not going to go on the next day, or, you know, life is not as good as if you're, you're really listening to other person.
20:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's so true.
20:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Larry, thank you for sharing your story, your heart, and your philosophy of living in others' focus life.
20:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Your work reminds us that responsible influence isn't about scale, it's about intention, it's about helping one person at a time and letting those access service create ripple effects that we may never fully see.
20:37
[SPEAKER_00]: If our listeners want to get in touch with you, it would be the best way to do so.
20:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Come on, LinkedIn.
20:41
[SPEAKER_02]: So you can find, you know, you have LinkedIn and Chicago, Larry Kaufman, all caps of Jefferson Wells.
20:48
[SPEAKER_02]: You can find, you know, my book on Amazon.
20:51
[SPEAKER_02]: So the NCG factor in Amazon.
20:54
[SPEAKER_02]: And those are probably the best ways to find me.
20:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm out there, just, I'm everywhere.
21:02
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll put links in the show notes, Larry.
21:04
[SPEAKER_00]: OK.
21:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much.
21:06
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so grateful for you to join in this today.
21:08
[SPEAKER_02]: No, thanks for having me.
21:09
[SPEAKER_02]: You're a fellow connector giver, and so is a pleasure and honor.
21:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
21:13
[SPEAKER_02]: I appreciate Greg.
21:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
21:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in to daily influence.
21:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope today's conversation brought you insight and inspiration.
21:22
[SPEAKER_00]: If it's spoke to you, share it with someone who could use a little positivity today.
21:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, small actions create big impact.
21:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Keep showing up, leading and growing one day to time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Until next time, stay inspired and keep having a positive, responsible influence.
21:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Bye-bye.