Show Notes

Welcome to The Firestarter Podcast—people, ideas and conversations that move us forward. It’s your host Willa Kammerer’s business and passion to make the world a better place through storytelling, which is why we’re here today. We’ll talk to mission-driven entrepreneurs, philanthropists, investors, thought leaders, and experts on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues about designing and thriving careers—and lives—of impact.

In this episode, Willa is joined by guest Hans Manzke. They explore the power of curiosity, networks, and radical self-honesty as applied to our professional and personal lives. Hans has over 15 years of experience as a consultant across public, private, and non-profit sectors, and advocates for leaders at every level to tune into their inner selves to unlock peak performance and holistic wellbeing. 

Hans is a Principle at The Clearing, a Washington DC-based management consulting firm, and the author of For All: Democratizing Big Ideas. After recounting how they first met, Willa asks Hans to reflect on how curiosity has played a role in his journey. He shares the “why” questions he once asked his parents as a young child that are still part of his daily routine today. Hans walks through his career pathway post-college, and how he got to where he is today. After working in other fields including journalism and publishing, Hans learned by contrast, gaining clarity and conviction about the rightness of his current role. He reflects on how fortunate and lucky he was being in the right place at the right time, and knowing the right people. Hans felt compelled to write a book because he saw it as a means to give back to individuals who may not be as fortunate. Willa and Hans then dive into the idea of “democratizing ideas” as a means to leveling the playing field in personal and professional spheres.

Shifting topics, Willa asks Hans about the impact the pandemic has had on him and how he has worked to navigate the circumstances. With uncertainty still on the horizon, the timeless human questions and frameworks offered in Hans’ book help people navigate these unknowns. Hans chats about the shared experience of hardship, which he has seen met with a lot of goodness and positivity. Listen on to hear more about the unique opportunities that have emerged from COVID for Hans and Willa. 

Diving into the substance of For All: Democratizing Big Ideas, Hans reflects on the big ideas outlined throughout the book. While there are ten big ideas, Hans just names a few here, particularly those that are feeling most personally relevant right now. He discusses “Imposter Syndrome” and the Okinawan concept of ikigai. Willa asks Hans to share any tools for listeners that could help in this process of becoming radically self attuned to personal purpose through ikigai. As the conversation continues, Hans shares preconceived notions that he originally brought to the book, but did not hold up by the end, and shares more about the unique writing, editing, and publishing process through The Creators Institute,.

After a brief break, Willa and Hans discuss his personal commitment to radical self-honesty and candor. Hans shares his perspective that one has to be honest with oneself before one is able to be honest with others, and how he practices this in his own life. He discusses the Leadership Circle Tool and how creative competencies and reactive tendencies can be measured to help reveal differences between an aspirational self and the real self. Listen on to learn how we create limits where they may or may not exist. Hans shares a quote that is important to him, “Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not.” 

As the conversation draws to a close, Hans offers advice for listeners who feel stuck. First, he encourages listeners to tune into their own very personal sense of curiosity, and remember all the tools one has available. Additionally, he encourages listeners to seek out the people and organizations who could help with whatever they’re passionate about, suggesting they are out there, you simply need to invest the energy to find and build a relationship with them. Willa closes the episode with a series of rapid fire questions, with Hans reflecting on quotes that have guided him and things that he knows to be true now, that he did not know earlier in life.

Timestamps:

0:01 - Host Willa Kammerer introduces the podcast

0:45 - Guest Hans Manzke is introduced

1:34 - Topics of today’s conversation outlined

1:48 - Hans joins the conversation

2:40 - Hans reflects on how curiosity has played a role in his journey

5:10 - Walks through his career pathway post-college to get to where he is today

7:42 - Idea of democratizing discussed

10:00 - Other stops along the way

13:53 - COVID Pandemic and how it has impacted work

17:55 - Big ideas of his book: Imposter Syndrome and ikigai

29:54 - Preconceived notions brought to the book 

33:11 - Break 

38:08 - Radical self-honesty and candor

38:40 - Created limits where they may or may not need to exist

44:08 - Advice for listeners that feel stuck

47:55 - Rapid fire questions

51:20 - How to learn more about Hans, The Clearing, and where to find his book 

Links: 

Learn more about The Clearing. 

Connect with Hans on LinkedIn

Connect with Willa on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to the podcast, find show notes and the video of today’s show here.

Learn more about Hans Manzke. 

Check out Hans’ book, For All:Democratizing Big Ideas, on Amazon. 

Keywords: 

Hans Manzke, curiosity, career, pathway, liberal arts, Middlebury College, post-college, democratizing, pandemic, book, Imposter Syndrome, ikigai, radical, self-honesty, candor, limits, advice, The Clearing, storytelling, networks, professional, career, personal, leaders, leadership, journalism, publishing, equity, inclusion, Leadership Circle, aspirational self, real self, opportunity, ideas, talent, tools