Becoming a conscious leader: Leading without fear, finding your life’s objective function, and getting better at vision and strategy | John Mark Nickels (Uber, Waymo, DoorDash)

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JM Nickels is a Senior Director of Product Management at Uber. Previously, he was Head of Product for Commercialization at Waymo and led product teams at DoorDash. JM is also a coach and advisor focused on conscious leadership. In our conversation, we discuss:

• How to sharpen your vision and strategy skills

• What “conscious leadership” means and how to practice it

• Practical techniques for managing stress

• The power of soft skills and emotional intelligence in product leadership

• Lessons from working at Uber, Waymo, and DoorDash

• Keys to living a successful and fulfilling life

• Much more

Some takeaways:

1. Take the time to define what truly matters to you—your personal “objective function.” Reflect on your values and long-term goals. Ask yourself, “What will matter most to me in five years?” Use this clarity to guide your daily decisions, prioritizing relationships and experiences over temporary achievements.

2. Conscious leadership involves becoming more aware of your interior world—your thoughts, emotions, and biases. Recognize that everyone has influence, regardless of their formal role or title. Take responsibility for how you impact those around you by asking yourself daily, “How am I influencing others?” Cultivating this awareness is the first step toward being a more effective leader.

3. While optics matter (how you present your work is important), don’t let them overshadow the work itself. Focus on delivering value and making an impact. The best presentations are grounded in genuine passion for the work, not just flashy slides.

4. To improve your vision and strategy skills:

   1. Immerse yourself deeply in your domain for an extended period. Depth of knowledge allows you to understand nuances that surface-level knowledge won’t.

   2. Challenge the status quo by asking, “Why are things the way they are?” Break down existing assumptions and explore the underlying reasons behind them.

   3. Set aside quiet time to think about what the world will look like in 5 or 10 years. Use this reflection to create a vivid picture of your ideal future in your field.

   4. Once you have a solid vision, share it with your team. Engage in collaborative brainstorming sessions where everyone can contribute ideas and insights. Create a safe space for discussion where no idea is too outlandish.

Where to find John Mark Nickels:

• X: https://x.com/nickelsjm

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmnickels/

• Website: https://www.rhythmofbeing.com/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction to JM

(02:02) Conscious leadership explained

(03:41) The power of soft skills

(07:34) Navigating Uber’s evolution

(12:41) Embracing emotions and inner work

(21:46) Crafting strategy and vision

(41:16) Balancing vision and execution

(46:13) Lessons from DoorDash, Uber, and Waymo

(52:32) The future of autonomous ride-hailing

(55:18) Contrarian corner: Embracing emotions in the workplace

(59:47) Keys to a fulfilling life

(01:04:45) Taking responsibility and agency

(01:07:29) Lightning round and final thoughts

Referenced:

• The Power of Soft Skills: Our Favorite Reads: https://hbr.org/2023/05/the-power-of-soft-skills-our-favorite-reads

• Theodore Roosevelt quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/theodore_roosevelt_130674

• Content vs. Context: https://conscious.is/video/content-vs-context

• Travis Kalanick on X: https://x.com/travisk

• Garrett van Ryzin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-van-ryzin-7084a1/

• Mike Isaac on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejisaac/

• Dara Khosrowshahi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-khosrowshahi-70949862/

• Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

• Wim Hof breathing exercises: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/breathing-exercises

• The Breath Vault: https://george-ramsay-s-school.teachable.com/p/the-breath-vault

• Waking Up app on the Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/waking-up-meditation-wisdom/id1307736395

• The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life: https://www.amazon.com/AM-Club-Morning-Elevate-Life/dp/1443456624

• The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life: https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Trackers-Guide-Life/dp/0358099773/

• Nelson Mandela: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

• Brent Goldman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentgoldman/

• LIDAR: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lidar

• Lessons from Pixar 1: The Braintrust: https://medium.com/great-business-stories/lessons-from-pixar-1-the-braintrust-e306843a5153

• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012

• Paul Graham’s website: https://www.paulgraham.com/

• Time management techniques that actually work: https://substack.com/@lenny/p-147172995

• Getting Things Done website: https://gettingthingsdone.com/

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280

• Mark Zuckerberg on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@zuck

• Daniel Ek on X: https://x.com/eldsjal

• Jeff Bezos on X: https://x.com/jeffbezos

• Waymo: https://waymo.com/

• Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/

• Cruise: https://www.getcruise.com/

• Motional: https://motional.com/

• Ray Dalio “write down your principles” activity: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raydalio_if-you-write-your-principles-down-1-you-activity-7003078168060297216-XnjV/

• How Will You Measure Your Life?: https://www.amazon.com/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0062102419

• Seneca: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_the_Younger

• Marcus Aurelius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius

• Man’s Search for Meaning: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273/

• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success: https://www.amazon.com/15-Commitments-Conscious-Leadership-Sustainable/dp/0990976904

• Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences: https://www.amazon.com/Resonate-Present-Stories-Transform-Audiences/dp/0470632011

• Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/storytelling-with-nancy-duarte-how

• Alan Watts’s books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Alan-Watts/author/B000AP9KWO

• Inside Out 2: https://movies.disney.com/inside-out-2

• Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/

• Bryan Johnson’s website: https://www.bryanjohnson.com/

• Jon Hopkins with Ram Dass, East Forest—Sit Around the Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G4kCi_ldr8

• Be Here Now: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Here-Now-Ram-Dass/dp/0517543052

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.