Episode 08: Leadership AND…Pursuing Greatness

Most of us have things we want “one day.” A healthier life. A stronger marriage. A different career. More freedom. Better relationships with our kids. A project we’ve been talking about starting for years. The problem is usually that “one day” never becomes day one. In this episode of Leadership, AND…, Josh Donovan and Patrick Ibarra get back to the heart of the Lighthouse Leadership Series to explore the pursuit of greatness, not as comparison or competition, but as becoming the greatest version of yourself so you can better show up for the people around you. They unpack the process Lighthouse uses to move from core purpose and values to BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), then all the way down to the tiny, 1% behaviors that actually move your life in that direction. This conversation gets personal as Josh and Patrick share the long-term trajectories they’re setting for their own lives, from Josh’s goal of celebrating 70 years of marriage and maintaining connected relationships with his adult daughters, to Patrick’s goal of still thriving at 91. They also get practical about what those goals look like today: burpees, date nights, journals, books, morning workouts, removing distractions, quitting coffee, building accountability, and sometimes simply deciding what to stop doing. Because a meaningful life usually isn’t built in one giant leap. It’s built 1% at a time. In This Episode * Why greatness isn’t about being better than someone else * The two questions Josh comes back to: Who are you? And what do you want? * Why imagining your own eulogy can bring surprising clarity to how you want to live * Turning “one day” into day one * What BHAGs are and why they should feel a little intimidating * Why SMART goals can sometimes unintentionally limit our outcomes * The difference between setting a goal and creating a trajectory * The WOOP framework: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan * Why identifying the obstacle before it appears matters * How 1% improvements compound over time * Why you should standardize before you optimize * The role identity plays in lasting behavior change * Why “never miss twice” may be more useful than expecting perfection * How Josh’s daily burpees became a six-year habit * The personal systems Josh uses to invest in his marriage and relationships with his daughters * Patrick’s decision to rethink technology, caffeine, and other everyday habits * Why sometimes the most effective habit is something you stop doing * Discipline as prioritizing what you want most over what you want now * How community and accountability make change easier * The four resources worth evaluating: time, money, energy, and attention * Why “I don’t have time” often means “this isn’t currently a priority” * The difference between playing offense and defense with your life * Why putting your own oxygen mask on first isn’t necessarily selfish * The habits that refill your cup so you can continue pouring into others Resources Mentioned * Atomic Habits by James Clear https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits * Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg https://tinyhabits.com/book/ * Good to Great by Jim Collins https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/76865.Good_to_Great * The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey https://www.franklincovey.com/books/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people/ * TB12 Method by Tom Brady https://www.amazon.com/TB12-Method-Lifetime-Sustained-Performance/dp/1501180738 * Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy https://www.briantracy.com/catalog/eat-that-frog?srsltid=AfmBOoqyOkq081C9SK5fmRss1nI3ZUZWoifT5AGwloClAaK-Y_OHcEUl * Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle / Start With Why https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why * The WOOP framework: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan https://woopmylife.org/ * James Clear’s 3-2-1 Newsletter https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1 * Re:Stress by Chris Failla https://lighthouseinstitute.com/publishing/ Timestamps 02:35 — The pursuit of greatness and how the podcast became a real-world example 04:47 — What do you want to be great at? 06:22 — Practicing what you preach and Patrick’s recent lifestyle changes 09:55 — Starting with why: purpose, values, and goals 12:09 — Beginning with the end in mind: the eulogy exercise 19:17 — Writing down your goals and Josh’s original BHAG to own Lighthouse 25:39 — Why people have such different relationships with goal setting 27:44 — The advantages (and potential disadvantages) of SMART goals 30:04 — Trajectory: how tiny changes create dramatically different outcomes 41:53 — Introducing the WOOP framework: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan 47:22 — Looking beyond the material goal to the feeling or outcome underneath it 52:28 — Standardize before you optimize 57:30 — Becoming aware of the everyday decisions shaping your life 1:02:03 — Identity-based habits: become the person who does the thing 1:04:13 — Lowering the bar so a new habit can actually stick 1:16:15 — What happens when your goals and values fall out of alignment 1:29:33 — Stop focusing on the gap; find the next 1% 1:31:52 — Sometimes progress starts with a “stop doing” list 1:49:17 — What is discipline, really? 1:52:18 — Identity, community, and becoming the person you want to be 1:55:00 — Better together: the power of accountability 1:58:00 — Are your time, money, energy, and attention aligned with what you say matters? About Lighthouse Institute At Lighthouse Institute, we believe better leadership starts with becoming a better human. Through leadership development, executive coaching, and transformational experiences, we help individuals and organizations build the self-awareness, skills, and relationships that create meaningful, lasting change. The Leadership, And... podcast explores leadership through the lens of real life: work, parenting, marriage, conflict, purpose, growth, and everything in between. 👉 SUBSCRIBE for more conversations about leadership, parenting, relationships, conflict, growth, and the human side of leadership. 👉 SHARE this episode with someone who's doing the work of becoming a better human and a better leader. Let's Go Shine Bright ✨