I was introduced to Adam Kirk Smith by my friend Leo Lampinen a year or two ago. Adam’s created a massive following through his blog and social media accounts.
He also knows a thing or two about leadership. He’s been a leader at Chick-Fil-A (the best chicken around) and owns his own shoe store.
When I heard Adam was releasing a new book, The Bravest You, I wanted to have him on the show. Thankfully, he agreed and now you get to benefit from our conversation.
Listen in as Adam Kirk Smith and I discuss bravery, how bravery impacts leadership, and The Bravest You.

Show Notes:
Adam, what else would you like listeners to know about you?
I’d like to give them the backstory to getting a book deal because it was full of trial and error. I started out on Xanga, if you can remember that. It went from there to me feeling like I’m doing all this writing and I need direction. So let’s do something else. I started Tumblr and gained 100 readers or so.
 
There was more community on Tumblr than Xanga. Even still, I felt like I wanted to grow this to something more. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I wanted to start a business and write about my journey.
I started blogging about business and self-help.
My advice to anyone out there to someone starting a blog or writing is to persevere.
 
You’ve been a leader at Chick-Fil-A, your own shoe store, and more. How would you define leadership?
I would define leadership as going first so other people can follow. The great leaders I remember, are the leaders who went first to influence other people to follow and tying a deep conviction to doing what is right to that.
Every leader that you go back through history and look at had a deep conviction of doing what was right to them in that moment and going first so they could influence others to follow.
 
People are looking for this one golden nugget that’s going to completely change their lives. But principles are principles for a reason. They’ve stood the test of time. It’s because principles work.
It’s always going to come back to work. You’ve got to put in the work. Ideas are ideas. They’re great but you’ve got to go do something.
These leaders we talk about and remember, can you imagine how much effort Martin Luther King Jr. put in? I’m not going to compare him to anyone else but to give listeners examples. It’s important to know who you are and put in the work.
To get the rest of today's show notes, please go to jmlalonde.com/039