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Designing a Successful Life with Jason Wetzler
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Leadership isn’t about the titles you collect or the recognition you earn. It’s about who you become and who you help along the way.
Jason Wetzler, leadership speaker, facilitator and advocate for people-first leadership, joins The Cultivating Leaders Podcast for a conversation about redefining success, building identity and prioritizing purpose. From childhood moments on stage to hard-earned lessons about career, family and fulfillment, Jason shares why real leadership is rooted in service, consistency and becoming the kind of person others trust and follow.
Jason opens up about:
- Redefining success: titles, status, and followers do not equal a fulfilled life.
- Identity before outcomes: focusing on who you are changes what you achieve
- Living with intention: small, daily habits that align your career, relationships and purpose
This episode will challenge you to examine where you’re investing your time and energy. It’s a reminder that leadership starts with a choice to show up, serve others and grow every day.
Want to hear more from Jason? Check out her blog here!
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About The Cultivating Leaders Podcast
Real stories. Practical advice. Tangible growth. Join The Cultivating Leaders Podcast, brought to you by Agriculture Future of America, as we explore what it takes to lead in food, agriculture, and beyond. Whether you’re just starting out or leading at the highest level, this podcast is your go-to resource for leadership that matters. Listen now and start cultivating your leadership journey.
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Transcript
Identity vs Performance Goals
00:00:01
Speaker
A lot of us have performance goals, but we don't have the identity goal to back the behavior change. And so he says that if you have a performance goal, like get elected to this or run this many miles or lose this amount of weight or whatever it is, that's fine. But the motivation to do that will be minimal and they won't actually tell you how to get there. But if you have an identity goal and you believe you're the type of person to achieve that, then the behavior will follow and the outcome will take care of itself.
Podcast Introduction
00:00:30
Speaker
Welcome to the Cultivating Leaders podcast, where we get inside the minds of leaders to harvest great ideas and lessons that help you grow as a difference maker in food and agriculture. I'm your host and curiosity captain, Nicole Ersing.
00:00:41
Speaker
True leadership isn't measured by how many people you manage. It's measured by how many leaders you create.
Meet Jason Wetzler
00:00:46
Speaker
Today's guest is someone who has dedicated his career to that very mission. Jason Wetzler has spent thousands of hours training, speaking, and mentoring future agricultural leaders to discover their voice and refine their impact. With a passion for making lives better, he sits at the unique intersection of storytelling, purpose, and leadership development.
00:01:05
Speaker
Jason, welcome to the pod.
FFA Officers Reunion
00:01:07
Speaker
Hey, thanks for having me. I'm so excited that we get to do this ah because sometimes when we have guests on this podcast, like this is the first time I've met them. And you and I what met when we were teenagers. Yeah.
00:01:18
Speaker
Yeah, I think our first interaction, were you at that day at the Capitol in Salem when we went and lobbied? Oh, maybe that's just Caleb. We were talking about which teammates because there like four of us there. But yeah, when we got elected state FFA officers and then got thrown into our personal cars and were told to drive 100,000 miles around Oregon in a year.
00:01:37
Speaker
And ah yeah, there were some there were some moments. yeah There were. I think what's what is fun about this is ah that was – gosh, what, 15 years ago? We don't have to say that. We don't have to say how long ago it was. But, uh, like you and i got to be young leaders together and now to see it like come back around and us be in the industry together in dip very different aspects of it is really cool.
Jason's Multifaceted Role
00:02:01
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. So Jason, uh, I gave it a little bio, but explain what you do today as a motivational speaker, as a facilitator. Tell us about your journey.
00:02:11
Speaker
Yeah, I think the motivational speaker, Phrase or title is probably the one that most people understand. But I would say like what Tony Robbins does and what John C. Maxwell do are very different. What I do in a way mean maybe what my like my colleague Kelly Barnes does is very different. So there's people that, you know, in my industry are just keynote speakers. there's people that are just right curriculum.
00:02:30
Speaker
or just do small group trainings, I dabble in a little bit of everything. So last week I was at another national organization's convention where I was managing the workshops and so my entire job was we wrote 15 hours of content, 15 one-hour sessions. There was eight workshop rooms. We had to hire the facilitators and then I just oversaw that process. So I didn't interact with the participants and learners at all, right? Today, I'm the keynote speaker this evening, so for the opening session. and So that'll just be a 45-minute me, audience, right? And so that's kind of that interaction. So I enjoy all of it. I'm not sure what I'm best at of all those things, but um everything from curriculum development, small group trainings, one-on-one coaching, keynote speaking, that's kind of my world. I kind of say what I do exists as cross-section of entertainment and personal development. So if it helps make you better in one way, shape, or form, and it's engaging, then I want to be a part of it.
00:03:22
Speaker
Yeah, yes. And I can verify that you are engaging and entertaining. For anyone who's listening, or we are recording this at the AFA Leaders Conference. so when you say you're going to speak tonight, he will be our our keynote speaker. Jason, is this what you wanted to do when you grew up?
00:03:37
Speaker
Oh yeah.
Childhood Speaking Story
00:03:38
Speaker
Yeah. My, uh, I remember telling my mom, we had moved just moved to Canby. Um, when I was five, uh, my parents were going through a little bit of a, I think they called it divorce. And so we went with my mom to Canby, uh, and we're living there and they said there was a community talent show. Uh, and I think it was for adults, but I was like, I want to audition. And so I remember they put me in like this top hat and had a cane and like a suit with you know tails on it. And I told knock-knock jokes out of this book I'd gotten for Christmas. And i remember people, I was holding a microphone and people were laughing at me with me. I didn't care. I just, there was a reaction, right? And I was like, oh, this is it And so they actually let me help MC the event with the adult MC. And so we kind of tag teamed it and I told jokes between acts. remember that was the first time I got to hold a microphone in front an audience. And was like, this is awesome. Like, I don't know, this is great. And I think part of that was i just love being the center of attention. So maybe that's, you know, hand up. Okay, little self-aware. Hey, you got to know who you are. Yeah, little self-awareness. But more so it's that's transformed into, hey, there's power in what we say and how we say it. And if we can be the one contributing a positive message when there's a lot of people
00:04:43
Speaker
contributing maybe not so positive messages in the world. i I found that place for myself. So yeah, that's kind of wanted to do this since i was five. Yeah. Oh, I love that throwback. ah Why do you think agriculture needs people like you or or the role that you play?
00:04:58
Speaker
The role that
Personal Development & Communication
00:04:59
Speaker
I play? Yeah, would say people like me I think any more, my wife would tell you, it's probably too many. um But I think speakers, it's so funny when I got into this, I thought it would be a competitive industry.
00:05:11
Speaker
And the people that do this full time were so welcoming to me and so warm and immediately like, Hey, i'm not I'm not available for this gig, but you know this this new guy, Jason's trying it. right And this is when I went full-time after my botched career in ag sales. And so um it was just really cool to see. Okay, so there's always a need. So was like, okay, there's there's enough to go around. And I think too, if people want to get better and if they want to grow, they're going to seek out those opportunities. And the more people that do that, there's going be more opportunities. And so why do we need personal development?
00:05:43
Speaker
Well, there's always room to grow right as individuals, as organizations. So if there's a problem that exists, a lot of times my wife would say it comes back to people and not necessarily product or organization. or And so how we communicate with each other, what we say, all those things matter, and you can always improve those things.
00:06:01
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I think all of us can continue to grow in the way we communicate, talk to each other. And often we need a positive message or someone to make us laugh or think about things differently. It's even what we do in this podcast, right? Well, I think, too, you know, sometimes what we say, you know, we say what we do is, okay, I'm going to help you create tools to start a movement. And sometimes we're just living for the moment, right? So a lot of speakers will have, hey, we'll come back every three or months and i'm working with your organization like a consultant, right? A lot of times what I'm doing is just, hey, let's create an hour-long experience no matter what's going on in your life right now. this is a positive experience for
Defining Success Personally
00:06:35
Speaker
you. And yes, I want you to go away with something. There's going actionable tools for you use in your life. um But so a lot of times it's, hey, we're in this room together. Let's have a moment where a lot of times technology rules our life. Let's just be here together and present. And I think that can be powerful too
00:06:48
Speaker
Oh yeah, absolutely. So I know tonight you're going talk to our industry folks and our students about success. What tools do you have to help define success?
00:06:59
Speaker
Oh, so actually um i kind of Part of this, my keynote I'm still working on, if they were to say, hey, you have two hours to give a keynote, which is way too long. No one's going sit still for that long. I wouldn't.
00:07:11
Speaker
I would add in that part of, hey, let's work through our definitions of success. Or if I was going to do a company workshop, I'd probably do that. In the keynote this evening, ah kind of leave a cliffhanger of asking them how they define success and then say, and that's you know up to you, but hey, let's talk through some other things. But as far as, think if if I was going to define success, I would say ah make a list of the things that you truly couldn't live without.
00:07:36
Speaker
Um, and I want to remind people that there's people that live without, um, cell phones. My grandma's never had a cell phone. She's 96. There's people that live without, um, Ed Sheeran. Okay. That's a better example. Cause you're like, Oh, she's, she, she didn't know what cell phones were and she's blind, which are both true. But like, that's, you know, but Ed Sheeran hasn't had to have a cell phone in 10 years.
Rethinking Needs and Meaning
00:07:55
Speaker
Okay.
00:07:55
Speaker
biggest pop star in the world? One of the, yeah. Yeah. Well, okay. All right. Taylor Swift. I get it. We had a lot of Swifties that listen to this podcast. Well, all right. Well, we can, you know find me, and find me in the streets after to this. Okay. But, uh, you know, and so there's things that we think we need that we probably don't. So really ask yourself, like, do I need this in my life?
00:08:13
Speaker
And there's this, uh, person that I would recommend listening to. It's going to have way better tools than I am. They call him the the professor of happiness and he at Harvard business school. And his name is Arthur Brooks, and he has a lot of really great content. And he has three pillars of a meaningful life. I'll just look that up and i think try to okay And I think one of them is relationships, purpose, or meaning.
00:08:35
Speaker
Oh, man, what's the last one? and there's another one. And I would say, okay, in those categories, make your list, right? The things that give you meaning and purpose, um the relationships that matter most to you.
00:08:46
Speaker
And then I would say like, am I investing in these or am I letting these things ride? Because I think a lot of times when we get busy in our career, we we begin to invest in our career and we invest in our hobbies and we invest in
Balancing Relationships and Career
00:08:58
Speaker
our health. Sure. But then we look over and like, oh wait, the things that's actually a pillar of happiness based on this research we've neglected like our spouse or our kids or our parents and you know i'm at an age now where my parents are getting older actually just had an incident with my dad this week that was a health scare. And I was like, man, have I been investing in the relationships?
00:09:19
Speaker
I had six hour drive yesterday. just listened to a podcast because that's what we do. Should i have called my dad? You know, should I called my grandma? Like what's 20 minutes to me on a six hour drive? And I just didn't.
00:09:30
Speaker
So, um, asking yourself what matters most to them? I invest in these things. And I think your definition will start to become clear. And then how do you live out that definition? What's the and next step? Yeah. I think so many of us are taught too that success looks a certain way, whether that's status or career or job title.
00:09:52
Speaker
how do you How do you balance that? of like What we think success looks like versus what the things that you're talking about in success and actual happiness are, you didn't mention any of those things.
00:10:04
Speaker
Yeah. I remember in getting caught up in that. So I had my first corporate job right out out of college. And I remember my like career planning sessions with my managers or bosses or other people, and they're like, okay, so what's your goals? And they literally would have like a list of titles that like this is your goal as ah as an employee, as if moving this direction would make you more successful.
00:10:26
Speaker
And it's interesting, in those conversations. like Even the conversation had new hire cohort would be like, which one of us is
Challenging Success Metrics
00:10:31
Speaker
going to be in the C-suite? And like that was literally like the conversation we'd have because it's exciting and and there's nothing wrong with career progress in that way.
00:10:38
Speaker
However, I know people that are CEOs of companies that I would consider very unsuccessful. Say more about that. I mean, don't want to tell his story, but there's ah a mentor of mine I've known for a long time that was – um at at the C-suite level with an agriculture organization, ah did everything you could do, lived in all the countries, did all the jobs. People graduating college probably be like, they would go to this person and say, hey, how did you do this? I want to do this. i want to do this. And he would say, hey, stop. Because guess what?
00:11:08
Speaker
Two failed marriages, ah kids that were estranged for a period of his life that he missed out on. And he's like, that my life is unsuccessful up to this point. And then I changed it and turned around. Right. So again, how do you define success? Yeah.
00:11:22
Speaker
the other thing I think we measure a lot right now. And the other day I was asking someone about a speaker that was speaking at an event that I was working at. was like, Oh, I don't know her. Have you heard it? hadn't heard about either, but she's got like 30,000 followers. So probably I was like, I know complete degenerates that have 30,000 followers that no one's kids should listen to that. And so just funny how we measure success based on these metrics that have really only been around for 10 years.
00:11:47
Speaker
And again, let's go back to my grandma, Dorothy. She's 96. If I were to say grandma, would you trade any year of your life for 30,000 Instagram followers? She would say, what's Instagram?
00:11:58
Speaker
You know what i mean? Like legit. So I don't know. To me, it's so easy to get caught up in those things because that's how we perceive the world defining success. um But I think we just have to stop ourselves and say, hey, there's there's a different way to measure I think there's a ah difference between status and success.
00:12:16
Speaker
And often we like we mix the two together. And a successful life, you can have a successful life without status. and And status can be a part of a successful life too. 100%, yeah. I know people that have status um you know in their organization. And I think too, if you're going to use it as a measuring stick, that's fine. But I want you to use it in every area of your life. Okay, your status at work um should probably be equal to or lesser than your status in your home, right?
00:12:45
Speaker
Do your kids see you the same way that the new hires do? And if not, then, i you know, have fun with the new hires, I guess, like hanging out with them. Right. Like, I i don't know. I just feel like there's so many areas of life. I mean, my first, the CEO of the company I worked for is Jeff Simmons, and he was such a great example of a leader and had some examples for him. But he would say, you know, his rule is he'd go home six o'clock and he left his phone in his car. and He goes, now I went back like hands trembling at 9 p.m. Like, what have I missed, you know, as the world over? But he said it was just, that was a sacred space. can tell you from speaking like his kids do respect him, right? They do have that relationship and the status for him. He was CEO of the company, but he's CEO ah of the household as well and and a respected one and and a loved one. so
00:13:30
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I think so often as we like start our leadership journeys and you and I had a very similar start of like
Balancing Ambition and Life
00:13:36
Speaker
FFA, you know, like you gain status in this organization, you're expected to go into industry and do X, y Z or whatever. But I'll be honest, one of the things that as I look back on my own career, i had a moment in my late 20s where I realized I love this job, but I hate my life. and like, how do you like we aren't taught to think about like, what kind of life do I want to have? And then where does my career fit in? and i still love my career. I love working in the industry. But it's a whole like reframing of what is a successful, fulfilling, happy life look like.
00:14:08
Speaker
yeah Yeah, my buddy Trent says, is are you living to work? You're working to live, my man. and ah you know For him, he has a job that he works in back-end IT t for a big health company. He's like, this job is anyone can do this with this skill set. I'm replaceable. It allows me to live my life in a way that I love and that's what I want to do. so yeah I would say I'm more of a i'm ah um a working to live kind of person.
00:14:32
Speaker
Granted, i have a very unique role where I feel like I feel very alive when I'm at work. Does that make sense? So it's, you know, i I say that out to like, oh, I hate what I'm doing. I'm just putting the hours in. That's not true at all. But I would...
00:14:45
Speaker
say if I had to choose one or the other, i would say I'd rather work to live than live to work. Yeah. My husband also says that he's like, there's two kinds of people in the world. Exactly what you said. Those that live to work and those that work to live. And we often joke that like he is a work to live person and I am a live to work person. I love it. I love my job. I get fulfillment from it. I enjoy working. And I think there's fulfillment from that, but it is a, I don't like the word balance because I don't know that it's ever balanced necessarily, but it is like,
00:15:14
Speaker
it is having the right priorities. Yeah. Well, and and going back to Jeff Simmons, he always said like, there's no work-life balance. there's just life, you know, there's gonna be things that were times you're giving 90% for three months to your career and just having that awareness of, Hey, we should rebound a little bit and take some time off. Um, it's, you know, the, the whole idea of unlimited PTO is so funny because we know the research says people just take less when they have that option. Cause you feel guilty. And so that's just a statement about America's mentality around work. You know, okay, we feel like we should be working. And a lot of people, I think you're you're right, they do find fulfillment from their job.
00:15:50
Speaker
um One of the things I talk about sometimes in my keynotes is...
Purpose Beyond Career
00:15:56
Speaker
it, well, if something can be taken away from you, it's not your purpose, right? So if you could wake up tomorrow and your, and your job is gone, it's not your purpose. And I hate to tell you that, but like, especially people that are, uh, want to say first responders, military agriculturalists, um, farmers. I mean, there are some of the worst of them, right? Because they feel like they say my whole identity is I am a farmer. I'm an agriculturalist.
00:16:18
Speaker
I do this. And it's like, yes, but that is not your purpose. Okay. So how do you know what your purpose is? Okay, well, that's, you know, how much time we got. um But I mean, ah and this is tough too, but like also your family is not your purpose, right? Like that is a part of, that is how you express your purpose. um But like, and it's a hard thing, but if it can be taken away, it's not purpose because a purpose is something that encompasses every aspect of our life. And so I would just challenge people, like if you do find fulfillment in work, that's great. What else?
00:16:46
Speaker
You know, what else? And if that's the only thing, okay, I have some work to do, right? And that's think that's the fun part about life is there's always work to be done. is if you're willing to ask the questions and look for it. Yeah, so what's Jason Wetzler's purpose? um Straight out of Grandma Dorothy's playbook, my purpose is to make the lives of those around me better so that the world becomes a better place.
00:17:03
Speaker
And there's variations of that, but for the most part, that's pretty it. I like it. So in doing that, Jason, like what – Obviously, you have gone through growth to get to that as your purpose and like reframing it. Like what was a key moment for you that that changed things or that that started that path or that shifting in how you want to show up in the world and who you want to be and.
00:17:29
Speaker
um My grandma calling me, so I ran for national FFA office twice.
Grandmother's Influence on Goals
00:17:35
Speaker
And for those that care, to go back to the blue and gold, my mom was an ag teacher. My stepdad was an ag teacher. i went to every state FFA convention from the time I was in the womb until I was 31. I mean, literally, like, it was just my my whole life, crib-lined in corduroy, I like to say. I just, when I was 10, I found out there was these people got to stand on stage and speak. I wanted to do that. So I, everything in my life was leading to this moment. And then i didn't get elected national office. And my grandma called me and she's like, Hey, heard you pretty sad. And I was like, uh, yeah. And she was like, well, you know, ah in that's like a service position, isn't it?
00:18:10
Speaker
And I go, yeah. And she goes, well, how you been serving people? And I was like, well, I was going to do it in as a national officer. She goes, yeah, but I meant like otherwise. And I was like, well, you know,
00:18:21
Speaker
I, we did a philanthropy event as in my fraternity and, um, and it was like, um, I even know. We did, I had like a ah yard dance and raised $500. I'm not even sure the check got cut. Like, to be honest, like, you know, how those things go And she's like, well, it's funny that you say you wanted to be serving people, but you were just waiting for a title to start doing that.
00:18:42
Speaker
And I was like, oof. Wisdom from Grandma Dorothy. Shut up, Grandma. i get to Like, stop that. But, yeah, and she was just talking, right? And so the next year, that was like a moment for me where I was like, okay.
00:18:54
Speaker
If I want something in my life and I say I'm going to do something, like start living like that. um So the next year, instead of like training for stand-in delivers and, you know, behavioral-based interview questions, I just started serving people. So I signed up to serve in the Special Olympics of Oklahoma and did a couple events with them. My 21st birthday I spent in Tulsa handing out meals to homeless people and having conversations with some friends that had that idea. And it was kind of doing things on a day-to-day basis, trying to help make other people's lives better intentionally.
00:19:23
Speaker
And ironically enough, that year I did get elected. And what actually i found out years later, i didn't really have the word for it, but James Clear has that um and book Atomic Habits and he like lays out, hey, a lot of us have performance goals, but we don't have the identity goal to back the behavior
Foundation of Identity Goals
00:19:39
Speaker
change. And so he says that if you have a performance goal, like get elected to this or run this many miles or lose this amount of weight or whatever it is, that's fine. But the motivation to do that will be minimal and they won't actually tell you how to get there. But if you have an identity goal and you believe you're the type of person to achieve that, then the behavior will follow and the outcome will take care of itself.
00:19:59
Speaker
So performance goal, get elected national office. Identity wasn't there. Identity goal, hey, serve people every day and the outcome takes care of itself. So then I'm just like, okay, the outcomes in our life are largely out of our control. What happens, we cannot control.
00:20:13
Speaker
But we can control who we are and how we express that on a day-to-day basis. And if we do that consistently enough... then the outcomes, whatever they may be, should be positive.
00:20:23
Speaker
Yeah. So you and I grabbed drinks last night, and one of the things that i is going to stick with me that you said is life is not about what we do, it's who we become. And exactly what you're saying here, and if you have a vision of the life that you want to have, life and career and success and all those things, it's less about collecting those badges or trophies or titles, but who do you become along the way. And what I hear you saying, focus on who you want to be Those things will come.
00:20:51
Speaker
My favorite example of that is, and I'm so glad I get to tell this on recording because I did a a tour in New Mexico and I had 12 workshops, the same workshop, three days. And it was about identity goals. And I told the story, but now I get to tell it on recording.
00:21:05
Speaker
I hope she listens. It's Betsy Hartley, one of our favorite friends, Morgan. So Betsy's story, and I may miss some of the details, Betsy, so forgive me, but. um She was morbidly obese, she's about 40 years old, and she went to the doctor and the doctor said, hey, unfortunately, like your life expectancy is pretty grim. She was type two diabetic.
00:21:25
Speaker
on medication. And so she knew she had some changes to make. So she set some performance goals, right? Like, I know i need to lose this amount of weight, get off medication, eat better. She didn't know how to do that though, but she was like, I think I could, you know, maybe running. Right. And I know somewhere along the way, her friend Spencer came in and said, Betsy, like, if you are going to do these things, you got to believe that you're a runner. And she was kind of like laughing. She's couldn't run.
00:21:49
Speaker
Right. She couldn't physically run, but Said she would walk her mailbox and get her mail, then walk a little further, and then jog to her mailbox. And eventually, 10 years go by, and Betsy's now, because she's a crazy person, ultra marathon, she just told me she signed up for 48-hour, one-mile or three-mile loop, where you just make the same loop for 48 hours straight. That is A different level of crazy. Psychotic, yeah. But guess what? She's with us. She's lost all of her weight. She's no longer on medication for diabetes. And she's an incredible story of believing you're the type of person to achieve these things, even if you physically cannot, right?
00:22:27
Speaker
There's a little bit of lunacy in there, but a lot of self-belief. Yeah. If someone is listening to this, Jason, and they are reflecting and being like, ooh, I am listening to this and hearing that maybe I need to make some changes in my own life.
Building New Habits
00:22:40
Speaker
Where do you begin? James Clear would say three to five small action steps and do one a week. And if that doesn't work, just move to the next one. Do that one for a week. Do that one for a week. So i would say choose the most what like which part of your house is on fire.
00:22:54
Speaker
Right. And what do you feel like is preventing you from living the life most? And I would say for most of us, the easiest one to neglect is our physical health. You know what i'm saying? And I say that because there's gone periods of my life where I did neglect it. When I got into my job, you feel so exhausted at the end of the day. That's the last thing you want to do, right? But then what's so crazy is after you do exercise, even 20 minutes, you feel great, right?
00:23:20
Speaker
And your body and brain are craving it. So I would say for most of us, physical health is the thing that we can all look at and be like, I could probably be a little more consistent. But it's going to be a small step, right? Betsy did not lose over 200 pounds.
00:23:33
Speaker
by doing big things. The favorite part of the story I forgot to tell was that she had a bad habit of eating fast food on the way home from work. And she knew that's type of person I am, I don't do that anymore. So she would go out she would leave work and throw her purse in the trunk of her car and lock it.
00:23:47
Speaker
and then drive home with without it. She said she still sometimes found herself in the drive-thru and then would be trapped by cars and would have to tell the person, like I'm sorry, I can't pay for this.
00:23:58
Speaker
And so she literally would like have to go through the drive-thru because it was just a habit. and then But it like eventually became something. So just like that is ever something all of us can do is literally just lock your wallet in your trunk, throw it in the back of your truck, whatever it is. if you have a habit that you need to break, right? Small action steps daily is something we can all do. um So I know sometimes it's intimidating to start to change.
00:24:22
Speaker
Also, it's November 4th, 6th, whatever. You don't have to wait until New Year's to set a resolution. You can resolve to change your life now. So in fact, if you wait until New Year's, the stats say you're probably going to fail. So just start now and then you you know have a higher chance of succeeding.
00:24:37
Speaker
Yeah, I have found and I am sorry that I can't attribute who said it, but this has stuck with me recently is a leader who talked about they can suck, but they can't skip.
00:24:48
Speaker
And so as he talked about like his physical health or the habits that he was trying to build, like I have to go. I can't skip it. I have to go do it. I can suck at it like I can go to the gym and I can be there for 10 minutes. But like I can't skip it. And as you're like – it's like exactly – I think Betsy's story is is an awesome one to ground on because like building muscle or endurance or that kind of thing, it takes time. Whether whether we're talking about physical health or we're talking about leadership skills or even like how do i recalibrate my priorities of spending more time at home or being more attentive with my family – gosh, I work all the time, but maybe I don't have a hobby. Like it does, it's not going to be easy. And don't try to like, don't try to do the big thing right away.
00:25:32
Speaker
Start to do the little things on a regular basis. and I was listening to speaker. I think it's Ryan something on Instagram. I don't remember his last name, but he said like, I'd go to the gym every day. Sometimes I just sit in the parking lot, but I was there. You know, I tell my friends I'm at the gym.
00:25:45
Speaker
And then they started expecting to hear me say I'm at the gym. And so eventually I started going inside and i check out the locker rooms, you know, pretty sweet locker rooms. Then I peace out, right? But like you're at the gym, right? And it's about building that discipline, that habit. And then Craig Rochelle, pastor of my church says, you can miss one day, don't miss two, right? You can miss one day, don't miss two.
00:26:02
Speaker
So don't let things stack. um And, you know, giving ourselves grace to say, hey, i missed a day. That's okay. We're starting, right? So whatever your rules are, right, your operating procedures, just try to the best of your ability, stick by them, and know that if you aren't, you're probably making an excuse.
00:26:20
Speaker
And just being honest with yourself and saying, like, oh, I'm, um it's just, you know, I really didn't have time, work, ran. I was like, okay, but that is an excuse. Like, that is, it may be valid, but it is an excuse.
00:26:30
Speaker
Yeah, and are you comfortable with that? Yeah, and if you hey, it's up to you. you know no one As an adult, no one's going to make you
Career Identity Struggles
00:26:36
Speaker
do anything, right? so Yeah, that's fair. Because you think about your own leadership journey and what you've been on.
00:26:41
Speaker
was Was it easy to make this shift? As we talk about success and like even who you like who you want to be or the titles that you want to have or the job that you want to have versus, like okay, no, I need to shift to different definition of success, different like focusing on identity.
00:27:00
Speaker
Uh, no, and it's still not. and I'll tell the story often about a professor, in college, there's two moments and I'll share a different one this evening in the keynote, but there a professor in college. I was an ag leadership major and we're doing goal setting and i had a goal, you know, wrote down my goal being a motivational speaker.
00:27:20
Speaker
I think I called her a leadership speaker. So it sounded better. And he said, Jason, all right, listen, man, you're a white middle-class male. The worst thing that you is your parents got divorced. is's like you don't have a story to tell. Now, if you want a story to tell, i can take you in the parking lot hit you with my car.
00:27:35
Speaker
And ah is is it was a funny moment. But like with weird enough, like that I was like, oh, you thanks. No, thank you. um But I was like, okay, that's wild. and then But planted the seed in my head of like, man, yeah youre maybe you're right. Man, I don't have a story to tell.
00:27:55
Speaker
And literally like semester later, I changed my major. And then I started like going to events like AFA, which I'm glad I went to, but I probably wouldn't have, to be honest.
00:28:06
Speaker
Um, so there's a reason there was some positive things that came out of it. Um, but then, you know, the back and forth, back and forth. And i started, I left, I graduated and i was like, I guess I need a job.
00:28:17
Speaker
And I just was resolved. Like I need to get a job now that other people view as successful. And so, yeah, that was ah a tough shift, and it's still something I deal with and struggle with. A lot of my friends, when they, when introducing me to other people, and they like, so what do you do? i'm a leadership speaker, and the conversation just pretty much dies there. They're like, okay, cool.
00:28:34
Speaker
right? And a lot of people don't like talking about their jobs or it's just a different thing than a lot of people have. And it's hard to describe. I call myself self unemployed a lot because, you know, and there's a lot of days where like, you know, I, if I didn't want to do anything, I don't have to, but that's kind of being self employed, right. And that consultant space. And so, you know, friends at the gym, they'll be like, well, why don't you just go help, you know, set up the chairs or do this for like, you know, you're doing anything. It's like, there's that, like, you know, so I'm constantly battling of like, Hey, it's not an ego thing. It's not an ego thing. I, you know,
00:29:04
Speaker
I don't have to justify what I do to people even that are close to me just because they don't understand it. So it's it's still a it's a constant shift of, hey, reminding myself that what really matters is not what other people view or how they view it. It's about what um who I'm helping who I'm becoming.
00:29:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I think even a lot of what you said in there, Jason, a lot of people struggle with inside of agriculture of whether it's I don't have a story to tell. Like what you were saying is like nothing traumatic has happened, you know, of like you overcome all of this. But I think most um inspiring stories are just everyday people.
Redefining Personal Success
00:29:42
Speaker
Like, I think even what we're talking about, Jason, it takes bravery and courage to define success your own way and not the way society does. And that in itself creates really good stories of really good humans who leave a lasting impact on other people. And and that impact could show up in the way, like, you're a motivational speaker, but, like, it can happen in an everyday person job, too.
00:30:04
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I remember, I think back to this guy, Bob from Target, I met when I was an FFA officer. And um he was, he'd been with Target for 40 years at that point and spent his whole career with them.
00:30:18
Speaker
Maybe 30 years, I can't remember, but it was a long time. And whole career with them he'd done everything they can. They even sent him to Harvard Business School to like get further training because like, we don't have anything else for you, Bob, because he was just so hungry for growth. And as we're walking through just a Target store that we met him at, it was in like a suburbs of Minneapolis. He shouted out by name the people that were working at the Starbucks there. And then he was like greeting cashiers. And i was like, have you been, you know, this is like where you, you know, started at. And he goes, oh, no, no. Like I manage six states of Targets. I just, you know, try to keep a keep keep an eye on people, whatever, keep, you know, keep record of them. And you could tell there just like a love for this guy.
00:30:53
Speaker
No one knows who Bob from Target is, you know what I mean? Maybe in Target, but like outside of that. And I saw his retirement post and it i was, I mean, on LinkedIn, it maybe got like 13 likes or something.
00:31:06
Speaker
mean, a whole career, right? Retirement post. and they're like, thanks, Bob, and send them off in the sunset, right? And I was like, man, a whole – but for him, that's not ever – like he never was living for the likes he got on his retirement post or a plaque that he would on his wall or the Harvard Business School associates degree, whatever it was. He was just – he was living for the moments where he could have a catch-up conversation with a cashier he'd met one time six months prior in the back of the target. And I was like, how many moments, meaningful moments has ah he has he created with those people that will never, ever be known about? it and I was like, that is – man, that's a successful life and a career, you know?
00:31:41
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's interesting that you bring that up too, because so one of the things i often think about, and I think this is a very weird thing that I think about it, is as I'm thinking about my career, i think about like, what are the moments that show up in the retirement slideshow?
Valuing Meaningful Moments
00:31:55
Speaker
And it's not like, as I think about those moments and like, who are the people that have been there and what are the like fun things or experiences that we had? Not necessarily the the big milestones of doing i'm I'm saying this in air quotes for people who are listening, impactful things from a business standpoint, but like who are the people along the way and the relationships and the bonding moments and the you know that one night that we went and played shuffleboard and had a great time. or least Those are the moments to me that I think about and I would rather have a pile of those, whether there's photographic evidence or not of it for a retirement slideshow.
00:32:33
Speaker
But I think it's ah a different way of thinking about a career. Yeah. Yeah, and I think too, um ah as you progress in a career, you're going be asked to invest in people in a profession in a professional setting, right? And like, ah hey, this person's going to be on this project with you. make sure you give them some guidance here. But I think the people I look back on that mean the most are the ones that reached out outside of that and said, hey,
00:33:00
Speaker
you know, what do you need here? How can I help you here? you want me over your speech here? Um, you remember Annika, um, Tucker from Southern Oregon. She, to this day, will look over speeches that I'm writing because she was my state officer, retiring address speech coach.
00:33:16
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. She works in medical field down in Southern Oregon. It's like, she has no need to do that. Right. But because she cares and she's someone, you know, so i don't know. And, you know, Janelle gets to work in a, in a bigger company and leadership development, my wife and,
00:33:31
Speaker
I look at the people she's investing in and like building their skill set. like One of her employees, Adriana, um is her family's you know migrated from another country, is here working, like really living the American dream.
Leadership Legacy
00:33:43
Speaker
And she wanted to become better at certain things. And Janelle just, like, has hours and hours and hours of time. And then Adriana and helping her develop with different computer programs. And so she has a skill set now and facilitation and leading large groups. And it's, like, things that Janelle is really good at, but she didn't have to do.
00:34:01
Speaker
And now, like, that's what you're leaving behind. There's, like, all these people, like, when Janelle leaves – the company or if she would ever you know leave, come retire, whatever, that's your legacy and that's what like how I would define success. When I'm done speaking, how many people are saying, hey, because you gave a keynote here, you know i was kinder to my parents or I spent more time than grandma or whatever it was. Yeah, or I picked up the phone and called someone or built a relationship. One of the things, ah everything we're talking about, Jason, is is focused on people and relationships and honestly, even being vulnerable and asking for help of people along the way. What would you say to someone who is listening who is like,
00:34:39
Speaker
maybe afraid of some of that or and a lot of what we're talking about too in building your identity it's building confidence and so to grow to this place where I think a lot of us want to be you are probably starting from a place of whether it's insecurity or unsureness about yourself or fear of what if I put myself out there and I'm going to have people people close to me whether it's in my career or in my home life say you shouldn't do that Yeah, I think one of the things about fear, I mean, it's kept me from doing something for a long time. ah I'm in the process of, well, I say that.
00:35:14
Speaker
I'm in the process of writing a book that's comp basically compiling my newsletter into somewhat of a leadership daily devotional. Okay. And yes, I want to hear about this, but also I'm going to plug Jason's newsletter because I don't read many email newsletters, but his is good.
00:35:26
Speaker
And it's what, two for you? Yeah, two for you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. JasonWetzel.com. yeah And so I have not done it for long time. When I say in the process, I mean, there's like a Word document open and it's got six six characters on it. But – I've not do it for a long time because I'm like, what am I writing a book about?
00:35:43
Speaker
can barely read. What am I – I can't write a book. And so my mentor, Bo, has asked me, okay, but you put a book out and people think it's stupid. Then what?
00:35:54
Speaker
And you kind of just play this mental game of, okay, go down like the fear. like it Take that fear one step further. You're afraid someone's going to think you're stupid for writing a book because what would you have to say in a book?
00:36:05
Speaker
And then they have that thought, and then what? and then probably they move on and then you're like, well, they think I'm dumb. Like, what are the con what are the true consequences?
00:36:16
Speaker
Right? So I would say like, play those fears out, ask yourself, what am I afraid of? Okay. If that comes true, like to the worst of it, like every everyone on my Instagram DMs me and says, your book is stupid. Like if there's like the literally worst case scenario and then what?
00:36:32
Speaker
Okay. Who cares? But like if one person bought it and was like, oh, wait, thanks for this book. It's great. Awesome. i don't know. I just feel like most of the time it's an insecurity about what people think. And most the time we overestimate how often people are thinking about us.
00:36:50
Speaker
Because the reality is most people feel the same way you are, which is insecure and worried about what you're going to think about them. and I think to come back to where we started this conversation and defining success for yourself based on or other people, like if you are living a life based on your own definition of success, that can help change or at least shift how you look at some of that fear, right? Because if you're if if you are really trying to measure success, not based on what society thinks or what someone else thinks of you or these, you know, i keep calling them badges, but like, you know, these awards or whatever it may be
00:37:26
Speaker
then then that fear probably shouldn't be as big. Right. Yeah. and That's the tough thing, right? Earlier when you asked me, like, when does the shift happen? ah well I understood your question further as went on, but I was going to say the shift is like every day. Like I feel like a pendulum swinging every day that I have to fight of like, hey, wake up.
00:37:44
Speaker
I know today looks different than everyone else. That's okay. I know, you know, and even people in mundane jobs where, and I say mundane, I'd say more relatable or explainable. Like if you have a job in sales, everyone kind of understands that, yeah right? Or if you have a job in marketing, people are like, okay, i generally get what you do. You're a lawyer. I get kind of what you do.
00:38:03
Speaker
Maybe you feel like it'd be better to have a different job. So it's unique and something exciting talk about. It's that constant fight, that battle of going back and forth and saying, okay, no, it's not about what they think. It's not about what they think. Like, am I doing good work? Am I doing purposeful work? Am I investing in others? Am i helping people? um Yeah, I think that's what it comes down to. And I think the reality is Everything that we know points to if you are investing in other people, you're going to have a fulfilling life.
00:38:27
Speaker
And we get so caught up in worrying about what people are thinking that we forget to do that. So, yeah. Well, Jason, ah okay, so we're going move into a rapid fire segment.
00:38:39
Speaker
So we'll try to do – Let me change my physical posture here. I'll try to do quick questions. ah What is the leadership skill you are currently working on? Swimming. And by swimming, I mean discipline. ah Swimming for me has always been a method of survival, like don't drown, you know? And I started swimming...
00:39:00
Speaker
Last year, trying to train for a CrossFit competition, and I'm still working on it. I can't do the whole, like, nose arm, arm, breath, arm, arm, breath. So I started swimming, and there was a children's swimming coach named Karma who was helping these infants not drown next to me. And she was, like, walking me through these same exercises the infants were doing. And I'm like, and then, like, a two-year-old was, like, zooming by me and i was like, well, because your bones are less dense. Like, just – and I was like, okay, humility, discipline. So those two things via swimming.
00:39:28
Speaker
ah What's one question you ask before you mentor someone? What do you want from me? um But more so like realistically, hey, what do you want out of this, right? What's your goal? What's your aim? Is this a short-term thing? Do you need to help with like a skill or a task? Or is this something you want to talk through often? um Just having them understand what their objective is
Humor in Leadership
00:39:47
Speaker
helps me help. What's one trait you hope the next generation of ag leaders will inherit or develop?
00:39:52
Speaker
A sense of humor. And we're I think we're getting back. um I think my algorithm's telling me I think we're back. ah These kids are funny. Okay. um I worked with 550 middle schoolers yesterday, and they were hilarious. There are some things I can't say on camera that they were saying, but they were pretty good. Now, 6'7 is a bad joke. I just don't get it, you know, this thing, whatever. But I'll say this. if they What I love about, like, the younger generation is if they think something's funny, they will laugh at it, right? But I think as we go along, having a sense of humor about –
00:40:25
Speaker
the world helps us move through it about ourselves, helps us grow and push ourselves in situations that we maybe wouldn't have. But a sense of humor would be great if everyone could just do that.
00:40:36
Speaker
Life is more fun when you're laughing. ah Who is someone who's invested in you? I've had so many people um in my life invest in me. Someone I don't talk about enough that I need to is my stepdad, Wynn. He came into life when I was 10.
00:40:48
Speaker
And there's one vivid memory I have. I was throwing a tantrum. i was maybe 11 years old. And I was in the back of the chapter ag truck at the county fair and I was supposed to be helping clean the barn. And when I was running it away from when he was like running around the side of the truck, trying to grab me. And I was like screaming at him while running through the bed of the truck just to avoid him. And I'll never forget. He caught me and he been like grabbed me by the ankle and like drug me. And I was like, Oh no. And I thought it was over. Like if it was my mom, she's going to strangle me and grabs me by the shoulders.
00:41:20
Speaker
And said, you are better than this. And then he breathed and he walked away. And as a first time an adult, like didn't give me what I deserved. You know what i mean? I was a, I was a hellion of a child.
00:41:34
Speaker
And I was like, man, he was just so nice. so And from there, he's just been a part of our family's life and a pivotal part since then. So very grateful for my stepdad win. um He showed me patience and what real masculinity masculinity looks like.
00:41:48
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And it sounds like gave you hard feedback, but in a gentle way. Often. And sometimes not so gentle. But that time it was gentle. Yeah. Sometimes we need both. yeah um What is a leadership trait you think many ag leaders overlook?
00:42:01
Speaker
I think charisma. I think charismatic people oftentimes are written off as shallow or one-sided. um And I think, I'll be honest, I think people that are not charismatic are often jealous or envious of that character charisma. And I think it's...
00:42:20
Speaker
I don't know, for some reason, I think it gets a bad look. Like people are fake that are charismatic. And so, um or like, man, he's just schmoozing me. Like, i you know, you get that a lot. You get that feeling sometimes from people. And I think we need to give people that are charismatic or super extroverted the benefit the doubt because that's just who they are. and And sometimes they're loud and can be a little obnoxious, but I think that is something that we take for granted and in the industry that could use maybe some more positivity and extroversion.
00:42:49
Speaker
That is not what I thought you were going say, but I love that take. Okay. Speaking of ah takes, we are going to move into the hot take section, Jason. So at AFA, we love hot takes. So what is an unconventional or unpopular opinion that you maybe have about leadership or the future of agriculture?
Future of Social Media
00:43:06
Speaker
I think social media is going to die and that the future will not use it. And that's a hot take because we keep, you know, we know the valuation of these companies, but I think it is going to be obsolete in 15 years.
00:43:19
Speaker
ah And that to me is because people have been fundamentally changed by it in a negative way. And now we see schools taking away cell phones. We see people getting ah these devices called bricks.
00:43:34
Speaker
And it's funny, like these products are in. So I think how is that going impact ag? How is that going impact leadership, personal development? It's going to make it more human again. And we're going to take, i mean, we're getting more and more technology, AI, all that stuff. But man, we have AI social media profiles.
00:43:52
Speaker
we We have people that are friends. like there's the There's people that say their best friend or companion in life is an AI bot. That terrifying to me.
00:44:03
Speaker
So we're gonna I think we're going to put our phones away and and look at each other some more. That's my hot take. Here's what i i will like add to your hot take. I will agree that I think we are in a time and we are going to grow into even more of a time where there's a premium on in-person real human interaction like real connection yeah because it feels rare these days 100 yeah and even when it's happening oftentimes it's and nothing wrong like with recording stuff and posting stuff but like when's the last time that someone just sat down and had a conversation like this and no one else knew it existed don't know you know
00:44:39
Speaker
I mean, I do think it, I mean, it happens often, but probably, probably are, uh, we are in a, uh, phase of society where hit record. Yeah. Document.
00:44:50
Speaker
Right. Right. And I think it can be positive. It can be good, but I think social media will be maybe, and maybe not like completely gone. It just won't look the same at all in 15 years. Yeah.
Impact Beyond Visibility
00:45:01
Speaker
Well, I think you and i talked about this last night, a little bit of how you can have a very successful life, but like it, it may never show up on social media. Like a lot of the people that we know that we would admire or want to be like or who have impacted us or not, maybe they're even unknowns in the wider industry but are having a huge impact on people and and on this industry as a whole.
00:45:25
Speaker
Yep. It's good reminder. Yeah. Yeah, my buddy Garrett, Air Force grad, Harvard Business School right now. Great dude. Never has had Instagram. Yep. And I'm jealous because I'm an at addict.
00:45:36
Speaker
You know what i love about it? I am too. Oh my gosh. ah And I hope social media doesn't go away as someone who works in marketing. However, I think what that like what we're getting to is some of the best people you're not going to find online.
00:45:51
Speaker
And so we can't rely just on these phones and algorithms to connect us with the right humans for where we want to go and grow in our life or where we want to go and grow in our business. It's this in-person interaction, like that's going to lead us to some of those people that we we never knew existed.
00:46:08
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I, yeah, I think it's, you know, put time on someone's calendar for a video chat and it's like, no, put time on someone's calendar for a coffee. You know what i mean? There's a difference. And I know it's subtle, but like show up to their house, you know, like when, someone has a kid or someone's going through something like, um, sermon the other day I was listening to was like, instead of calling or sending flowers, like show up to their house to show you know, how it's,
00:46:30
Speaker
There's people on the other end of this listening to it being like, never show up to my house. Right. Don't knock on my – yeah. you Anyways, um but yeah, I mean like it's just we hide. It's like who what are you selling? Who are you? What do you want?
00:46:41
Speaker
And that's so crazy to me. It was not too long ago where literally you're just like, no, it was your friend. well And I think what you just said there is what do you want? And if we can build a ah world where it's more like what can I give, then we can shift that mindset.
00:46:54
Speaker
Any final thoughts you want to leave listeners
Community Contribution
00:46:57
Speaker
with, Jason? Yeah.
00:47:03
Speaker
I, you know, I think if the the thing I've been focused on more lately, cause I do travel so much is if we could start to build up our local communities more, there's people, even, I know you're like i live in a small town. There's just be like building up me and my cousins. Like, it's like, I get it. Like some of us are really small town folks, but like do one thing a month that positively contributes to someone in your community where you live, where you live, um,
00:47:32
Speaker
That'd be great. Get to know your neighbors, contribute community. And I think the world is going become a better place if we do that. And that's what I'm trying to focus on this year is I travel so much. i was like, i need to invest where I live because I feel like it's just kind of a house, but I want to make it like that's my community. So, yeah, I worked for a leader once who talked about taking care of his mile, like where he like you got to take care of your mile. And that's where leadership starts. And that's always stuck with me. Well, thank you, Jason. This has been fun. At AFA, we are all about building bridges and connecting people. So where can people find you and connect more with you? Well, until it does go away, you can find me on Instagram at Jason Wetzler and then Jason Wetzler.com. If you Google that, it'll, if you Google Jason Wetzler, it should come up. But yeah, we talked about one newsletter. i think i was challenged a couple years ago by a mentor. He's like, you talk about personal development, leadership development.
00:48:19
Speaker
What are you actually giving to people to make them better? And I said, that's a good question. So I write a two-minute newsletter once a week. It's free to sign up, and it comes to your inbox sometime on Tuesday, depending on when I write it.
00:48:32
Speaker
And i think i think it's worth reading. I tell stories, and usually there's some actionable takeaways. And a fact, question, action, and quote at the end of each one. So if you want to skip to that one, it's kind of a good summation of it. But, yeah, you can find that at jasonwetson.com.
00:48:47
Speaker
I can highly recommend it as well. But thank you so much, Jason, for taking time with us and for having such a just like open, honest conversation. I think this ah episode of the podcast podcast is going to feel different, but in a good way to a lot of the other ones we've done. So thanks for for teaching us and investing in our listeners.
00:49:05
Speaker
Thanks for listening to the Cultivating Leaders podcast brought to you by Agriculture Future of America. you've been here before, you know we value feedback as a gift. Please leave us a review and let us know how we're doing.