Shownotes:

In this episode of the Social Lights Podcast, podcast host and Social Mediology founder Kate vanderVoort chats with Tony Loyd, former Fortune 500 executive with companies such as John Deere, Medtronic, and Buffalo Wild Wings. Tony is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, business coach, and podcast host.

About Tony

Tony Loyd is a leadership development expert. He helps purpose-driven business leaders to thrive in life so that they can connect with others and contribute to society. He is a former Fortune 500 executive from companies such as John Deere, Medtronic, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Having walked away from his corporate career to start a podcast, personal business, and write a book, Tony’s passion is to provide advice to people to not only be successful but leave a positive and sustainable mark within the community and the environment. 

BIG IDEA 1

“In every story, somebody is either moving away from something or they are moving towards something.” (1:49)

Tony shares that he was doing a little bit of both. In his experience working within Fortune 500 companies he noticed that these very successful businesses had strengths and weaknesses. One strength being that they heavily focused on their shareholders. Unfortunately, due to this narrow vision these companies tend to forget about the other stakeholders around them, such as the community and the planet we live on. He thought there must be a better way to approach business. He moved away from the corporate life to seek out those people he calls “social entrepreneurs”. Social entrepreneurs are individuals that want to make a dollar but also a difference, providing a product that sells and does social/environmental good.

BIG IDEA 2

“I was in no way differentiated from everyone else who was out there doing exactly the same thing that I was.” (6:53)

Tony thought at first that he had all these skills, doing executive development, success planning and organizational design. He had this comprehensive portfolio of skills from years of experience that he planned to be his first base. However, once he put himself out there as a consultant, he came to the realization that he was the same as everyone in the market, and this had to change.

Tony has been focusing on one on one coaching, this new path has really carried him through to where he is today. He found himself in new experiences, such as web development and management. It is from the one on one sessions that he found a new passion for teaching and presenting in a classroom. He made a profound statement that he follows what is called a portfolio life, when you gain knowledge of many different things and you put them in practice. At the end of the day you don’t have one major thing, you have a portfolio of many little things and it is the combination of everything that defines you.

BIG IDEA 3

“The truth was that I was depressed.” (11:05)

Tony gave us a small glimpse into the struggles that can come from being your own boss and business owner. He goes on to mention that any strength can be a weakness when taken to the extreme. After a conversation with a close friend about the amount of time and responsibilities of being self-employed he opens up about being anxious and depressed.

From a book by Johann Hari “Lost Connections: Why You're Depressed and How to Find Hope” Tony mentions that there are nine causes of anxiety and depression, and only one of them has something to do with the brain chemistry and genes. So, he realizes that he was disconnected from several meaningful circumstances within his life and it was only after coming to this understanding that he was able to take significant steps to improve his quality of life.

Tony gives an insightful view on what he calls an authentic self, when you are vulnerable, and real and tell people what you're going through, they can identify with that you're not a super person, you're somebody that they can relate too. It is this authentic self that Tony really strives to show the people who he really is and that he is just like everyone else.

Episode Links

You can find more about Tony Loyd at:

• https://tonyloyd.com/
• https://thriveconnectcontribute.com/
• https://antiracistvoter.com
• https://cultureshift.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/TonyLoydSocialEntrepreneur/
• https://www.instagram.com/anthonyloyd/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyloyd/
• https://twitter.com/TonyLoyd
• https://www.youtube.com/c/tonyloyd

Keep listening to the upcoming episodes of podcasts by joining in Social Lights Podcast produced by Social Mediology.

You can connect with us on Facebook at @SocialLightsPodcast and find future episodes at socialmediology.com.au/sociallights.

Thanks for your time and stay inspired,

Kate vanderVoort