Category Archives: Interview

003 – Defying Limits With Dr. Dave Williams Part 2

Interview

We return to our conversation with Dr Dave Williams; astronaut, aquanaut, surgeon, and leader, with the idea that great accomplishments come from humble origins. Whether on the space shuttle or in the corporate world, truly effective leaders are humble leaders who put their people first. Being a humble leader means creating the space to learn from your team by embracing the skills and expertise of each team member. A style that Dave refers to as distributed leadership. High levels of creativity and innovation are experienced when we listen to each other and recognize the strengths and skills of each individual. Followership requires courage.

Dave reinforces that with the right mindset anything is possible and leaves us with the important reminder to not let other people define our dreams of what is possible. The episode explores the power of having a growth over fixed mindset as a key differentiator to individual and business success. It requires a lifetime commitment to continuous learning and keeping up a passion for self-development.

The episode is full of stories of what it is like to living under the sea, how Dave and his wife effectively managed the relationship between two motivated professionals, the push and pull model of inspiration and motivation, and keeping up with a spacewalk workout regimen in retirement.

Dave also mentions the book Trust by David Johnston as a current favorite. Check that out, as well as our contest on Instagram @Corporateclass to win Dr William’s own book, entitled Defying Limits: Lessons from the Edge of the Universe, to further your own passion for self-development.

To learn more about Dr. Dave Williams visit his website www.astrodavemd.ca and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @AstroDaveMD

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Do you enjoy listening to the PowerUp your Presence Podcast? If the tips, stories and interviews we share in each episode have helped you be more intentional about how you show up and lead more effectively, head over to iTunes or Spotify, subscribe to the show and leave a review to let us know!
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002 – Defying Limits With Dr. Dave Williams Part 1

Interview

Astronaut, aquanaut, jet pilot, ER doctor, scientist, CEO and father – Dr. Dave Williams has two sayings that keep him rolling “It is what it is” and “We’re all on a Journey” and those two ideas orbit around our interview with him as he explains how he got through university and med school on his own terms. Dr. Williams became an astronaut and remained resilient during setbacks and challenges along the way, including the loss of friends in the Columbia disaster and a cancer diagnosis that almost prevented him from returning to space.

Defying Limits with Dave Williams

The interview is peppered with anecdotes and lessons learned on the importance of living life to the fullest, leadership, astronaut training, living a lifetime in a moment dangling off the Canadarm, and learning how to persevere by demonstrating self-compassion.

One key piece of advice from this episode is that whether you are in surgery or on a spacewalk, when in the face of death, you have to offer solutions, not offer blame. Leading through accountability is key. There’s a cliché in management about referring to mistakes as “opportunities for growth and development” and it is true; failure is always a chance to learn and assigning fault is never particularly productive.

While he’s accomplished so much already, Dave is also the author of a series of children’s books on being an astronaut as well as a memoir entitled Defying Limits: Lessons from the Edge of the Universe that expands on many of the ideas presented here. To win a copy listen to the end of Part 2 with our interview with Dave for details on our giveaway.

Our conversation will continue in the next episode so be sure to follow this feed and not miss inspirational and uplifting lessons about life and leadership.

To learn more about Dr. Dave Williams visit his website www.astrodavemd.ca and follow him on Twitter @AstroDaveMD

Love the show? Let us know!

Do you enjoy listening to the PowerUp your Presence Podcast? If the tips, stories and interviews we share in each episode have helped you be more intentional about how you show up and lead more effectively, head over to iTunes or Spotify, subscribe to the show and leave a review to let us know!

If you are interested in learning more about our training programs, workshops or private coaching visit our website at www.corporateclassinc.com.

You can also follow our social media channels:

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook

Podcast: Play in new window | Download