SCOTT GINSBERG

Hello My Name is Scott

JOSH: How do you define an “open mind policy”? As a leader, do you think it’s important to implement one in the workplace?

SCOTT: People don’t care if your door is open. It’s got less to do with the door on the wall and more to do with the dude behind the desk. People need to be able to bring their crazy ideas to you and be greeted with a foundation of affirmation. Open mind, open heart, that’s what matters most. That’s what brings people back. And if they can’t come up to you, they’ll never get behind you.

JOSH: Why is it a good idea to be a little eccentric in business in order to stand out?

SCOTT: Nobody notices normal, nobody buys boring and nobody pays for average. Positioning yourself as normal is like asking people to find a needle in a stack of needles. Not hay — needles. And the secret is to find your own nametag. Something you do that nobody else does but everybody else remembers. Might be the questions you ask, the way you leave people or the effect you have on the room when you walk in. But you don’t need to wear a nametag or a goofy hat or get a tattoo sleeve. You have to excavate your uniqueness.

JOSH: You say it is important to be approachable as a manager in the workplace. But how do you know when you’ve become too approachable?

SCOTT: If you don’t set healthy boundaries for yourself, other people will set them for you. And then they will violate them. And then they will tell all their little friends to do the same. You have to set a precedent. To draw the line. To tell people where you need your private time. A great question to ask is, “Is this an opportunity or an opportunity to be used?”
JOSH: You’re living your dream…what advice would you give to someone who wants to live their dream too…but feels scared or unqualified?

SCOTT: Let me be extremely clear on something: I’m not living the dream — I’m living MY dream. I don’t know what “the” dream is, and I don’t care. And the reality is, I’m terrified every day of my life. Terrified that I will fail, terrified that I will succeed, terrified that I will get found out, terrified that I will do something stupid and blow it all. But fear is good. It’s healthy. And it’s fuel. Use it. Greet it with a welcoming heart. As long as faith doesn’t let fear have the final world, you’ll be fine. That’s my advice: Scare yourself into success. Because if you’re not scared, it’s not big enough.