What if some of the best leadership lessons come from people you’d never put on a company values poster?

On this episode of The Worst Advice I Ever Got, brought to you by Smith + Howard, Sean and JB sit down with leadership consultant, speaker and author Steve Williams. After more than 45 years in the electronics industry, six books and over 200 articles on leadership, quality and management, Steve has spent a lot of time studying what actually makes people follow someone.

His latest book takes that research into some uncomfortable territory. Steve looks at figures like Blackbeard, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Al Capone and asks a question most leadership programs avoid: if these people built loyalty, negotiated effectively, created powerful brands and influenced others, are we really better off pretending they have nothing to teach us?

To be clear, nobody here is endorsing piracy, organized crime or invading a neighboring department. The point is to separate the behavior from the lesson and look honestly at why certain leadership tactics worked.

The conversation gets into trust, challenging the status quo, the danger of insecure leaders, why groupthink makes teams weaker and the four questions Steve uses to expose bad business processes. It’s leadership advice from some very questionable sources, which makes it a pretty natural fit for this show.

• (00:00:00) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:00:54) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:04:27) - The Notorious: Lessons From History's Most Ruthless
• (00:07:34) - What Is It About These People That Made a Following?
• (00:11:32) - Steve on Going Down The Path
• (00:13:20) - Leaders: Shattering the Status-Quo
• (00:15:53) - Insecure Leadership: The Problem
• (00:20:41) - Thanks for Appearing On The Podcast
• (00:22:31) - Steve on Bad Advice and Leadership
• (00:24:52) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got

“It’s all in your head” isn’t helpful advice. It’s dismissive.

It takes a real struggle and turns it into a personal failure: if nothing’s physically wrong, why can’t you just get over it?

On this episode of The Worst Advice I Ever Got, brought to you by Smith + Howard, Sean and JB are joined by sports psychiatrist Dr. Jimmy Moley to unpack why that phrase can do more harm than people realize, especially for athletes who are already under pressure to look tough, stay focused and keep performing.

Jimmy explains how athletes can internalize that message, blame themselves and start believing that asking for help means they’re weak or not cut out for the sport. The conversation also gets into the other side of the equation: the mental tools athletes are told to ignore can be the same ones that improve confidence, focus and performance.

They also talk about athlete identity, burnout, overtraining, youth sports, early specialization and why parents should probably be just as loud with their support after the strikeout as they are after the home run.

Plus, Sean and JB make enough old baseball references to guarantee at least one dad feels extremely seen.

• (00:00:00) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:00:45) - It's All In Your Head
• (00:05:47) - On Athletes' Mental Health
• (00:10:43) - Kobe Bryant on Mental Fitness
• (00:12:06) - How to Help an Athlete Cope With Their Game
• (00:18:02) - What Can Parents Do Better?
• (00:18:42) - Chris Cleveland on Multiple Sports for Kids
• (00:24:14) - Mental health support in sports
• (00:24:55) - Jimmy Kimmel on Helping Athletes Who Are Struggling
• (00:26:42) - The Worst Advice Ever Given To An Athlete

• (00:00:00) - Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:00:44) - The Worst Advice You Ever Got
• (00:06:20) - on Working Hard to Get A Degree
• (00:06:44) - In the Elevator With Rich People
• (00:11:55) - What positives came from not pursuing college?
• (00:15:00) - No College Is Necessary For You
• (00:17:38) - Wayne on The Worst Advice I Ever Got

• (00:00:00) - Ann Curry on Her Worst Advice Ever Got
• (00:00:52) - Best Advice You Ever Got
• (00:07:02) - Cox Curry CEO on the Business
• (00:08:37) - Don't Sell Your Business: Barbara Cox
• (00:12:13) - In the Elevator With Barbara Cox
• (00:14:36) - When Did You Give Up Volunteering?
• (00:16:06) - Part 6: Responsibility Beyond Yourself
• (00:17:55) - Ann Cox Curry on Volunteerism
• (00:21:03) - Anne Cox Curry on Her Worst Advice She Ever Got

• (00:00:00) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:00:57) - The Worst Advice You Ever Got
• (00:04:04) - In the Elevator With Apple's Board
• (00:06:51) - When Did the Board Decide to Play It Safe?
• (00:08:27) - Inventors Take a Risk
• (00:09:30) - In the Elevator With the Company's CEO
• (00:10:12) - What You Need to Do Now to Win
• (00:13:22) - In the Elevator With Business Advisors
• (00:14:53) - Disruption: The Signs That Are Coming
• (00:16:34) - Are People Ready for the Future of AI?
• (00:17:32) - 3 Things That Make Your Company Competitive Advantage
• (00:20:41) - Is It Time to Slow Down on AI?
• (00:21:44) - The Worst Advice You Can Get
• (00:25:04) - Peter Walsh on Making Decisions With Risk
• (00:26:01) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got

In this conversation, Kirk explains why he believes entrepreneurial success comes from adaptability, salesmanship, coachability, and frontline experience, not spreadsheets and analysis paralysis. He shares stories about growing businesses from the loading docks up, surviving major legal battles, pivoting his company during COVID in less than a day, and why he’d take a gritty former athlete over a polished Ivy League MBA in a hiring interview almost every time.

Whether you agree with him or not, this episode will absolutely make you think differently about leadership, education, and what actually prepares people for success.

The Worst Advice I Ever Got is brought to you by Smith + Howard.

• (00:00:00) - Best Advice I Ever Got From People
• (00:00:41) - The Worst Advice You Ever Got
• (00:02:28) - Disruptors: Don't Get An MBA
• (00:06:41) - An MBA isn't necessary for success
• (00:13:16) - Marriott Hotel General Manager on Leadership
• (00:15:00) - MBA's Don't Helped You
• (00:19:13) - MBA's and the Challenge
• (00:21:24) - Farmers and Fishermen Share Their Stories
• (00:22:04) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got From Kirk Smith

Actor and musician Johnny Sneed (Fever Pitch, Love & Mercy, Outer Range, Painkiller, Parks and Recreation) is joining us on The Worst Advice I Ever Got to talk about the worst advice he’s ever received and why he wishes he never listened to it in the first place. From sharing the screen with Bryan Cranston and Josh Brolin to portraying legendary drummer Hal Blaine in Love & Mercy, Johnny’s career has blended music, comedy, drama, and character work across film and television. Now he’s sitting down with us to unpack the advice that quietly shaped years of his life and the regret that can come from realizing too late that the wrong voice got in your head.

• (00:00:00) - Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:00:40) - Johnny on The Worst Advice Ever Got
• (00:04:46) - The Real Job Interviews
• (00:05:50) - Anthony Hopkins on Turning Down Acting Opportunities
• (00:10:37) - Johnny on The Worst Advice Ever Given
• (00:15:17) - Johnny DeFrancisco on Saying No to Jobs
• (00:17:16) - George Clooney on Bad Advice
• (00:18:11) - Johnny Depp on His Worst Advice

• (00:00:00) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got
• (00:01:01) - Best Advice You Ever Got
• (00:02:57) - The Alternative Paths of Colleges
• (00:07:01) - Post-College Career: How To Persistence
• (00:14:23) - How to Deal With No
• (00:16:59) - Andrew's Advice For People Who Get No