What defines a great leader is how they face challenges. Being told he wasn’t good enough, was the fuel for the fire that drove Sam Palazzolo forward into success.

Today, Sam is an Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, Author, Leadership Professor, and Nonprofit Philanthropist, who brings a variety of value creation topics to entrepreneurs and business leaders. His ideas and actionable takeaways are captured in his five books, the most recent being The Influential Leader: Leading at the Tip of the Spear.

Let’s dive into Sam’s story and talk about how to become an influential leader.

Things you will learn in this episode: 

[00:01 - 06:15] Opening Segment  

I introduce today’s guest, Sam Palazzolo Sam gives us some background on his storyBorn and raised in DetroitModest upbringing Pushed to get good gradesAlways looking for useful information


[06:16 - 13:01] The Minor Victories Leading to Success

From assembly line to corporate jobGetting invited by Vanderbilt UniversityRewarding your accomplishmentsThe parallel of parenting and leadership Having people figure things out 


[13:02 - 20:29] Becoming an Influential Leader

Pivoting out of a corporate jobJoining a consultancy Going out on his ownLeadership developmentBuilding up a tech startup Tip of the SpearWhat they do The venture side Sam talks about the value of his book A catalyst to start bigger things A word from our sponsor


[20:30 - 27:37] Closing Segment

Who you know, or what you know?Both: subject matter expert combined with leveraging relationshipsHow networking led Sam to opportunity The rule of 3Takeaways from the Influential LeaderA lot of leadership books lack tactical steps Giving practical action steps ‘The people moment’ How to engage with SamLinks below Final words 




Tweetable Quotes: 

“I love it when people tell me, ‘you can’t do it,’ or ‘your best isn’t good enough…’ Those are the fuel moments that cause me to build fire; that’s what makes me drive down the highway faster.” - Sam Palazzolo

“You gotta have those milestones that allow you to, kind of, tick off some success… You gotta give yourself some credit for the victories you accomplish.” - Sam Palazzolo


Resources Mentioned: 


The Influential Leader: Leading at the Tip of the SpearThe Javelin InstituteTransformation Self-AssessmentSuccess Questions for every leader


Connect and engage with Sam on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out https://tipofthespearventures.com/ to learn more about creating a great organization.

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If you want to learn how to build YOUR network, check out my website travischappell.com. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure to join The Lounge to become part of the community that’s setting up REAL relationships that add value and create investments.



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