The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk - 443: Rebecca Minkoff - The New Rules For Unlocking Creativity & Courage

Duration: 1h 1m
Broadcast on: 31 Oct 2021
Audio Format: other

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Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12 https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

In 2005, Rebecca Minkoff designed her first handbag, which she dubbed the "Morning After Bag. This iconic bag ignited Rebecca's career as a handbag designer and inspired the brands' expansion into a lifestyle brand in the years to come. Actress Jenna Elfman wore her "I Heart New York" shirt on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Today, Rebecca Minkoff is a global brand with a wide range of apparel, handbags, footwear, jewelry, timepieces, eyewear, and fragrance.

When Rebecca was 8 years old, she wanted her mom to buy her a dress. Her mom said, "no, but I'll teach you to sew." From that point, Rebecca was fascinated with the idea of buying things for herself.
Rebecca doesn't love the word "mentor." She was forced to learn by doing.
She moved at age 18. Became an intern and then a designer. Eventually, she started her own business.
When Jenna Elfman wore her I heart NYC shirt on Jay Leno's show, it got her foot in the door.
"When Jenna asked if I could make her a handbag, I lied and said I could do it."
"I think everyone should get cozy with failure."
Self Care: "Work can be self-care, too." She's particularly resistant to the notion that self-care can solve burnout — the feeling of acute exhaustion that has gained more attention recently. "There is no scented candle in the world that will make that feeling go away." Self-reflection cures burnout, she argues, not self-care.
"You don't need to ask for permission. Don't seek permission. Just go for it."
Rebecca learned from her mom to be genuinely herself. "I learned to be tough, resilient, and fight back from my mom."
"Don't get scared to lead with strength."
- "Trying hard is not good enough. You must get results."
Advice for future generations? "There are no shortcuts."
"Failure is like a muscle. Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn."
"Success is the ability to keep going."
"The definition of happiness is overcoming barriers towards your goal."

Before we get to tonight's episode, I wanted to take a moment to recognize a legend. The great Bob Gregg, my high school football coach, he died last Sunday. He was 88 years old and I would say, you know, outside of my parents and my brothers, that he has had more influence on my life than any other person in the world. And I think it's important to recognize people who have done that for you and appreciate it, you know, and think about the impact they've had on you and how grateful you are that they exist and as leaders that we have the potential opportunity to be that for others. And Coach Gregg got ahold of me when I was going into my freshman year. So I was an eighth grader leading up to the summer workouts and I just expected to be a part of the freshman team. I was a pretty good player going into high school, but I wasn't even the best player on my team. But he came to me in the spring of my eighth grade year and said, I'd like you to work out with our high school guys, our varsity team going into the summer, I think it could be good for you. He didn't promise me anything. He didn't say you'll be the starting quarterback as a freshman. In fact, I never thought that that was even in the realm of possibility. I thought maybe I could dress for games on Friday nights as a freshman, like that would be really cool, but I would play with the freshman team. But he did something for me that I think is pretty cool was he believed in me. And I think taught me what it means to work and prepare and to respond to adversity. And the fact that a work ethic and dedication and a commitment to excellence can beat more talented teams. And then we went out on Friday nights under the bright lights and all of that work and all of that preparation came to bear for others to watch. And because of him and because of the great Ron Olery, our offensive coordinator who was another one of those mentors who means everything to me, we put up some staggering performances. And it all ties back to the leadership of Coach Greg and his willingness to push and push and push and get us to perform at levels that we did not think we were capable of. I learned just about everything, about what it means to be a leader from him. And I vividly remember going into my, the first game, my varsity, my freshman year, I was on the varsity team and I wasn't starting as the quarterback, but he told me he came to me before the game and he said, you're going to play. And you're going to play meaningful minutes and you're going to have to make plays for us. And he put me in early in the game and I made a few good plays, I got settled in and felt like I belonged. And he made me feel like I belonged and the final drive of that game, we were losing and he puts me in and he said, execute the offense, I've seen you do it, I know you can do it. And we called a play action pass and I threw the game winning touchdown to Neil Labs and the slot receiver, streaking in the back of the end zone, I hit him and we won. I had not even stepped foot as a student in the school yet. Our first game was the Friday before school started. So I hadn't even gone to one day of class as a freshman and I felt like he had just put me on top of the world and he means everything to me. And I would, again, I just think it's, it's important to note excellence and especially the people who get a hold of you in your formative years and he's a transformational leader. He's a transformational friend and mentor. And by definition, a transformational leader changes you.

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