Decoding Success Secrets: Dr. Ruth Gotian Reveals High Achievers' Mindsets and Habits

They do that by opening their minds up to new knowledge. And if we're able to do that, if we're able to open our minds up to new knowledge, we can start making those connections. So Warren Buffett and Bill Gates and Mark Cuban, they can read three to eight hours a day. And look, I love reading. I wrote books for Brian Outlaw. But there are other ways that you can open your mind up to new knowledge. You can read shorter forms such as articles, you can take LinkedIn learning courses. I have a bunch on there for those who like taking LinkedIn learning courses. There are webinars, there are podcasts, hopefully listeners are learning something new here today. There's so many ways that you can open your mind up to new knowledge. So the key is to keep doing that and trying new ways of doing it. Welcome to Super Entrepreneurs Podcast. I'm your host, Shahid Durrani. Today we have with us Dr. Ruth Gauthier. Ruth is the Chief Learning Officer and Associate Professor of Education in Anesthesiology and former Founding Assistant Dean of Mentoring and Executive Director of the Mentoring Academy at Weill Cornell Medicine. Welcome to our show. Thank you. Thanks for having me. You got all those pronunciations right. I know I did. I'm glad I did. It always turns out best when you can pronounce the words correct, especially the names. I always want to ensure I pronounce the name correctly, but it's just out of respect. For yours, I was pretty good. Yes. No. Hi, friend. Hello, friend. Well, it's great to have you on the show. You're known as the mentor of mentors, which is amazing. I'm very excited to speak to you. Now, you have done research on high achievers. Can you share some common but unexpected habits or patterns that you have noticed or observed with high achievers? Are you ready to get that with me? Yeah, let's do it. I'm obsessed with this. I'm obsessed with high achievement so much so that at the age of 43, I went back to school to get my doctorate and study this. When I say it's an obsession, it is really an obsession. I study the most successful people of our generation. I look at extreme high achievers, astronauts, and Nobel Prize winners, and Olympic champions, and NBA champions, and Fortune 500 CEOs. I'm trying to figure out what has made them so successful and how the rest of us mere mortals can improve our own success, because I don't believe anybody wakes up in the morning aiming to be average in life. I really think that people want to succeed, but we are never taught how. So I figured it out and I created a blueprint called The Success Factor. I wrote a book about it, travel all over the world talking about it, and there are four elements that all of these high achievers have in common. Whether you're an astronaut who went to space or are an Olympic champion figure skater, it's the same four things. Now, before we get into it, I want to tell you these are not habits. You don't have to worry about upending your entire life. I'm not going to ask you to start waking up at 5 a.m. Instead, I want you to go with me on a little journey and tap into the mindsets of these high achievers, because we cannot copy habits, but we can emulate mindsets. You ready to go? Yes. All right. The first thing is that all these high achievers tapped into what we call intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is that fire within your belly. It's why you wake up in the morning with a bounce. It's why you can't quiet your mind when you need to go to sleep. This is what you were put on this earth to do. It's not about the awards, the rewards, diplomas, the promotions. It's not about that. It's about having this insatiable curiosity to try to get better and to overcome this challenge. That's why I don't know of a single Nobel Prize winner who quit doing science just because they won the Nobel. It doesn't happen. If anything, they double down. Tap into what we call intrinsic motivation, that motivation that comes from within. No one needs to motivate you. You can do that all by yourself. That's the first one. Ready for number two? Go ahead. Before we continue to the second one, I want to ask, can this motivation be created? It certainly can, but first you need to find out what it is that you're so passionate about that you love to do. One of the things I do is I take people through a passion audit. It's a simple three-column exercise to get clarity and differentiate between what you are good at and what you enjoy doing. Those are not necessarily the same thing. Actually, I have a little gift for your listeners. If they want to do their own passion audit before even reading the book, The Success Factor, I put it up on my website. They could just go to ruthgotian.com slash passion audit, and they can download their own worksheet for free. Cool. Thank you. That's the first one. Yeah. All right. You ready for number two? Yes, I am very much ready. I'm very excited as well. When you mentioned it has to come from within, by the way, I relate with you because the show was to learn and bring these great minds on the show and dissect and ask questions in a format that's more relaxed and bring out their true being, like who they are, to the surface as much as I possibly can, and to understand what made them tick. You have done it in a more scientific way, but it's a way to bring that information on this show by asking these questions, expanding that information in the marketplace, and understanding what made them who they are. How do they become successful? And that's one of the questions we always like to ask here is that what is your innermost superpower that got you to this point in life? What was going on within that drove them to the heights that they achieved? Because like you mentioned, no one just wants to be mediocre, and especially in business, when you get into business, you're aiming really high. Cautiously, you feel like you're going to be doing really great things, but then unfortunately, it becomes a struggle, or basically you create another job for yourself. So finding that purpose is the key, because I feel like every human being is here for some sort of purpose. It's a very beautiful and mysterious existence of each human being. So finding that purpose and what you're helping them with to find that purpose is a diamond. It's a rough rock, and you're turning them into a diamond. That's the goal. But one of the things that most people don't realize is that your passions can change over time. What you were very excited about when you're 20, you may not be interested in when you're 40, and that's okay. Actually, our passions change when we have transitions in our lives. A new partner, a new home, a new job, a new child, a pandemic. That's why you saw so many people leaving their jobs when the pandemic started. Yes, some of them wanted the flexibility of their remote work, but they took this inventory of their passions and realized that the job they were in was not fulfilling to them anymore. Their passions had changed. That's why it's so important when you have these transitions in your life to actually do this passion audit, because you will get this awakening. But now that you have this data, now that you have this information, you can actually do something with it. You are now in the driver's seat to figure out what you can do with this passion that you have just labeled and claimed for yourself. Now you can really find something. Once you start working in that area, you're going to see that the world is your oyster, because you're going to see the work become so much easier. It becomes fun. Go ahead. Number two. Number two. All right. You have heard about grit and resilience and work ethic and all of that, and that's true. You have to outwork everyone. There's no question. But the main difference is how you approach challenges. Now, how many of us during the pandemic were very talented, but some people sat and binged Netflix, and some people wrote books and pivoted. Really what it is, it's how you overcome the challenge. The true high achievers never question if they will overcome the challenge. They have the faith that they will. Every Olympian who I've spoken to said, I'm going to get a medal. I'm coming home with a medal. They knew it. They saw it. It wasn't a question of if, it was a question of how. And once it's how, what is the strategy I haven't thought of yet? Again, you are now in the driver's seat. You can now take control because you are coming up with the strategies and you're executing those strategies. So going back to the Olympics, they were postponed for a year during the pandemic. Now, I don't know if you've ever spoken to an Olympian, but you train for years and years to get to that point. Another year might as well be a lifetime. And remember, they couldn't go to their gym. They couldn't work out in the regular way. But I did not hear of any Olympians who decided to throw in the towel and quit. Instead, they said, let's figure out how to make this work. I'll Zoom with my trainer. I'll go to the park. I'll do what I need to do. They continued to work out in the best way that they could. So that's number two. How do you approach your challenges? That was one of the main components that I went through in my transformation because COVID was also a pivot for me. This show is a COVID child, I call it. The one thing that I used to do is be very afraid of challenges. I used to avoid them. I used to pray not to get any challenges. I used to be like, Oh my God, please save me from any bad news. But what I learned is that when we build relationships with challenges, and we learn to look for an opportunity in it, because every challenge has learning embedded in them. That's the whole reason why I feel that we get these challenges is to grow, to learn from, to get better at. Resilience is a great word, but it's something more deeper. I feel like you're in love with it. When I say this, some people say, what do you mean you love challenges? But what I'm seeing is that when you fall in love with not just the great stuff and the challenges as well, and you understand that it just is what it is, and take what you can from it and move on quickly, quick decisions, you actually get better. You get better in so many areas. Even my internal work, there will be some parts that I struggle with throughout, and it still happens. I don't look at it as, Oh damn, why is this happening? Why does this keep coming up? No, there's a reason. I need to be better and get the lesson, become better at it, and then that kind of phases away. It loses its grip. It's interesting that you say that because whenever I do book signings, I don't just sign my name on the inside. I write a special message, which was a core theme with every high achiever I spoke to, and this is what I write in the book before I sign my name. Fear not trying more than you fear failing. Let me say that again. Fear not trying more than you fear failing. A colonel in the army said to me, What's the worst that could happen? He said, A human life is the only thing we can't get back. Everything else we can't. And if you look at it that way, it's deep, right? It's just a few words, but those words mean everything. Talk about an approach of being in charge of the challenge and taking control of it. How cool is that? That statement that you write in the book, it will actually help people with their comfort zone issue. If they're in business, they know how important it is to step out of their comfort zone for growth. That statement will help them with that proactively, what they can take from that statement they can implement in their life to grow. That's right. That's right. I like that. Yeah. Ready for number three? Yes. All right. No matter how good you are, no matter what level of achievement that you have reached, you never ever forget your basic techniques. You never rest on your laurels. You never forget what made you great. In fact, you keep doing the same things over and over again. The scientists are still designing experiments. Any athlete is still doing the same workout that you would see any seventh grader do. That's the same warmup. Yeah, they have better sneakers or whatever, but they do the same thing, right? Because that's what made them so great. Basketball players are still practicing their passes and all of that. They don't skip it just because they became great. You really have to practice those basic techniques over and over again. You don't just rely on the muscle memory. You remind your muscles of the muscle memory. There's a difference. That's number three. All right. Ready for four? The last one? Yes. All right. This is the one that surprised me the most. You heard of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and Mark Cuban. They read three to eight hours a day. It's not the reading that made them billionaires. It's making connections between two points that other people don't yet see. They do that by opening their minds up to new knowledge. If we're able to do that, if we're able to open our minds up to new knowledge, we can start making those connections. So Warren Buffett and Bill Gates and Mark Cuban, they can read three to eight hours a day. And look, I love reading. I wrote books for crying out loud. But there are other ways that you can open your mind up to new knowledge. You can read shorter forms such as articles. You can take LinkedIn learning courses. I have a bunch on there for those who like taking LinkedIn learning courses. There are webinars. There are podcasts. Hopefully listeners are learning something new here today. There are so many ways that you can open your mind up to new knowledge. So the key is to keep doing that and trying new ways of doing it. It's great that what you mentioned about connecting the dots, seeing the bigger picture in that information. But also, don't you feel that they're working out the ability to think in a very special way? Yes. And they're also thinking about things in a new way. The checklists that are used in operating rooms. Yeah. The checklists used in operating rooms now were because they had a problem with medical errors. And that problem was solved in a different industry. The checklists are what pilots use. And that idea was taken from the aviation industry and put into healthcare. But the only way those connections can be made is if you start listening and looking and hearing different things so that you can make those connections. So increasing your ability to think in a new way or a special way to find those things, to be able to locate and pull out information. Because if we just read, that's great. Studying, reading, that's wonderful. But they're actually learning how to take the specialized knowledge from that material through a specific way. That's right. You can't just... And this is the part, the problems we have with learning right now is so often information is just thrown at us, right? We're drinking out of a fire hose and it basically becomes one big pile of information. Over time, you learn how to file this information in your brain by category, by idea. So then when you have to start making connections, you know where to look so that you can recall that information. When you consume so much information, we say people become top-heavy and the doing decreases, the knowing increases, the knowing-doing gap. I wanted to ask you the next question. Interviewing these people, researching, have you seen a part that involves their subconscious mind, meaning their deep-rooted belief in their potential and capability and what they will achieve? For sure. Look, I won't say that they don't have doubt. They have a lot of doubt, but they're human and they have imposter syndrome, but they also surround themselves with a team of mentors who believe in them more than they believe in themselves. So they are able to take these people who can really encourage them. I can tell you about Judokas who were terrified before their Olympic fight and anxiety was just washing over them. And then they spoke to people literally who said, you're going to be back here in 10 minutes with a medal around your neck. And that gave them the push to actually win that fight and win the Olympic medal, right? Because we all need those people around us. Yeah. That's why mentorship is super important if you're going on this journey of entrepreneurship or business ownership. I was speaking to someone and they have a very big organization and they help people create their own business. And I offered I could come in and speak and do a free seminar on mindset because that's what we do as well. We help individuals and companies create better results through the inner work, through their conscious mind, subconscious mind, their thinking, the higher mental faculties to create better results. They said that they weren't interested. They're not interested in mindset. They're just interested in creating the business. So it's very interesting to learn that because it's like buying a house with not having a solid foundation. I just feel like this journey can be really tough. It's not beautiful as you hear about entrepreneurship that you become rich and the journey is filled with challenges. If you don't have that mental strength or that mental belief system within, it's hard to be persistent. That's why so many people quit. Success only comes before work in the dictionary. If you want to succeed, you have to put in the work. There's no easy way around it. And I could parade hundreds of Olympians and NBA champions and NFL hall of famers and Nobel prize winners and astronauts who will tell you the same thing. Yeah, I agree. And Ruth, sorry if I called you Ruth. Is it okay if I call you Ruth? I have to say Dr. Gauthier. Okay. Because I used to be in the medical field and we always said doctor because the first name, some of them didn't like it. They wanted to be called doctor. I don't know if you ever heard that before. Yeah, that's why I always like to ask. So Ruth, this is a very special question because of your line of work and the research that you have done. For success, what percentage would you say is mindset and what percentage would you say is strategy? I think you can't have one without the other. And I think everyone is going to need something different. And I think they're going to need something different at different times. We all have different ways of coping with stress and with the different levels of tension and challenges that we have. And some of us are able to do more on our own and some of us need a little bit more support and that can change over time. I think while the percentage may not be as critical as the fact that you must have both. That's what makes this body move, the mindset, what operates the body is the mind. Yeah. The body's the instrument of the mind. We say 90% mindset, 10% strategy, because you'll figure out strategy. As long as you have that belief, core belief, and that strong mindset, you'll find a way. You'll persevere and you'll find a way. But yeah, it was great speaking to you about this. I mentioned this question in the beginning. Now, can you answer it? What do you feel your innermost superpower is that got you to this point in life? Yes. I think knowing two things. First of all, I no longer let other people dictate what my success should look like. Second, I surround myself with really incredible people whose idea of success catapulted mine to success. And I'm willing to put in the work. I can resonate with that. I'm willing to put in the work. I'm not afraid of being rejected and I'm not about to let other people tell me what this should look like because they don't know. They haven't done it. That's the whole point of innovation and research. No one's done it before. So when people tell me something that can't be done, I think it can't be done by you. Let them try. Yeah. So your faith is on the higher side. Yeah. Faith is so important. What did you find about faith in your research? I haven't looked into that. That wasn't one of the questions that I asked, but just from informal conversations afterwards, because many of them have become good friends, there is a grounding. Yes. There is a grounding in that, which I think helps. Okay. Well, if any of them want to come on the show, definitely introduce us. That'll be wonderful. And it was great having you on the show and learning about what you're doing and investing your time with us. And we're hopeful that we can help you spread your message. You're doing great work. Anybody does this kind of work for companies and people have a tremendous amount of respect because it was a living nightmare before I found this world. And that's why I have a lot of respect for people that do what you do, especially where you took this is wonderful. And there's new people coming, the younger generation. You might even do research on the younger success stories, like age bracket research. What is going on between the guys that are 20 to 25 that make it big? What helped them, if that makes sense, like those different areas you could be researching because you just started something great, right? It's great. Look, a lot of people have done research on athletes, but I'm the only one who has crossed industries with so many diverse industries, right? Astronauts and Nobel Prize winners and these elite athletes. And this work will outlive me because there will always be more people to interview, not just the new ones coming in. But I didn't interview every Nobel Prize winner. I haven't interviewed every astronaut. I haven't interviewed every Olympic champion and NBA champion. And I don't know that I can in my lifetime. There will always be more to do, which is what makes this so exciting. Congratulations on leaving a very special legacy and appreciate your time for coming on the show. Also, thank you so much for agreeing to help us promote this episode on your network. It helps us make a bigger impact. If there's anything else that you're launching or anything else you need help with, let us know, and we can always bring you back on the show. Thank you so much. And I hope your listeners who are interested in the book, The Success Factor, get it and enjoy it and learn something. Definitely, definitely. And audience, to that note, as always, the information will be in the show notes. We'll make sure to include where to find the book. And Dr. Gauthier, if you added it in the survey already, then it's fine. We'll input it. But if it was not inputted in the survey, when you book this interview, if you don't mind sending an email and make sure it's there so people have easy access to the book. I can make it easy for everyone. If you go on my website, ruthgauthier.com book, wherever you are in the world, it will tell you where you can go get the book. Thank you. Wonderful speaking to you and wishing you all the best. Thank you.