No. 9 | February, 2022 |

Good morning, welcome to the weekly Lead It Cool newsletter. Last week my son won a contest at his school where he got to be principal for the day. The night before, we chatted about what he could do with his newfound powers. At first we talked about what he could do for his fellow students: longer recess, cancel tests/quizzes, give out doughnuts.

But as we talked through his options, he realized that if he really wanted to make a power move that would have longer-term benefits for everyone, he should reward the teachers!

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• 🎤Eminem's Rap Battle Strategy
• 🥇Adam Kreek’s Favorite Pop Culture Leader
• ❤️Valentine’s Day Card
• 💬How To Change Someone's Mind
• 😎Cool Links

Eminem’s Rap Battle Strategy🎤

Just in case you weren't aware, today is the Super Bowl. Performing in the half-time show (brought to you by Pepsi) is Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. So to get myself hyped for the show I re-watched the 2002 film 8 Mile.

The best part of the movie (spoiler alert) is the final rap battle where B-Rabbit (Eminem) is able to overcome his stage-fright and insecurity to defeat (and embarrass) his nemesis Popa Doc. B-Rabbit wins this battle not by attacking Popa Doc, but by disarming him. In the final rap battle B-Rabbit mocks his own weaknesses and this catches Popa Doc off guard. Popa Doc was expecting aggression, but Rabbit didn't give him this satisfaction. B-Rabbit's non-aggression neutralized Popa Doc, who was left speechless and ultimately booed off the stage leaving B-Rabbit victorious.

The strategy that B-Rabbit uses is a page right out of Robert Greene's book titled "The 48 Laws of Power":

So if you find yourself in a conflict where you know someone else has the upper-hand, consider channeling your inner B-Rabbit and use this strategy. Don't resist or fight back, but yield, turn the other cheek and bend, and out-rap your opponent.

​Also, look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it? Or just let it slip away?😜​

Ask An Olympian: Adam Kreek🥇

In 2008, Adam Creek was part of Canada's men's eight rowing team that won the gold medal in Beijing.

Since then he's attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat, almost gave Greta Thunberg a rowboat trip to Vancouver Island, does lots of cold water swims, written a book and started a successful executive coaching and motivational leadership company (while also raising a family of three kids).

This week I asked Adam who his favorite fictional leader is from a movie or TV show?

His answer: Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek✨

Why? He demonstrates a values-informed leadership style that leaves a mark. He understands the prime directive, which is a principle that forbids harmful involvement in other cultures that embrace different norms. As he ages and retires, Picard works against leaders motivated by preservation values (power, achievement, security, pleasure) and reminds us of the importance of elevating our pro-social values (growth, discipline, benevolence and universalism).

What's his favorite Picard Quote? "It is possible to commit mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness; that is life."

Check out Adam's website here and his book here.

Happy Valentine's Day❤️

Monday is Valentine's Day. I present to you the greatest Valentine's Day card of all time.🐐

How To Change Someone's Mind💬

This is good. Focus on the mood before the message.

Cool Links😎

👑The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot premieres on Sunday after the Super Bowl. Here's a deep dive on why the original Fresh Prince theme song is one of the best of all time. Great tidbit: The theme song was written in 15 minutes🤯

📈How to stay relevant. This is a helpful list of activities to make sure you stay up to speed on future trends. "If you're over the age of 25, assume your initial reactions about new trends are wrong".

🇬🇧Liam Gallagher (Oasis) is nearly 50. That voice [in my head], which used to be very distant, saying, ‘Go to bed. You’re not going out tonight,’ is now very loud.

🧘This Valentine's Day, try being nice to yourself. Practicing self-compassion can reduce depression, stress, performance anxiety and body dissatisfaction. It can lead to increases in happiness, self-confidence and even immune function.

🦕Confession, I'm a big fan of the Jurassic Park movie series. New trailer alert.

Have a great week everyone. Go Bengals!🐅

--Matt