Hawk, 40, is the Dayton-area entrepreneur who has turned a weekly podcast exploring leadership and service into a growing career. Centerville High School fans will remember him as the starting quarterback for the Elks from 1996-99.
His podcast, The Learning Leader Show, has been downloaded by millions and was chosen by Apple Podcasts as an “all-time best-seller” in 2020. His “Mindful Monday” emails also continue to grow — 301 straight Mondays and counting.
By now, Hawk has interviewed more than 450 leaders in business, culture and beyond, and the interviews have become the foundation for his books, speeches and whole approach.
“It’s my favorite thing to do,” Hawk said of the podcast in an interview Friday from Palm Beach, Fla., where he was giving a speech.
Older brother of former NFL linebacker A.J., Hawk launched the podcast in 2015 as an alternative to a second graduate degree. He joined Miami Twp. business accountancy firm Brixey & Meyer before partnering with Atlanta-based staffing services company Insight Global a bit later.
His company, The Learning Leader, remains the touchstone wherever he goes.
“I’m constantly recording podcasts,” he said. “And I release it every single Sunday night at 7 o’clock eastern.”
While his first book two years ago — titled “Welcome To Management: How to Grow From Top Performer to Excellent Leader” — focused on the person who goes from being an “overachieving individual contributor to a first-time manager,” this new book takes a different tack.
“This next book is focused primarily on what I think is the most important person to lead, and that is yourself,” Hawk said. “You have to lead yourself first before you can lead anyone else.”
The book is drawn from his own life and from lessons gleaned from his hundreds of Learning Leader interviews over the past seven years.
Hawk is a firm believer in the idea that authors need to repay reading time.
“I’m striving for behavior change, and my hope is through the course of being entertained and informed, that it does push you to make necessary changes to live a more excellent life,” Hawk said.
“Authors have to earn each turn of the page,” he added. “I’m also a believer that if a book is not doing that, you should put it down and go do another one.”
His first book obviously did well enough for the publisher to open the door to a second. The new book’s first run sold out in eight hours — a gratifying response so far, Hawk said.
What’s next for Hawk? He wants to build his business so it’s less dependent on him. He is starting to explore licensing his Learning Leader approach and intellectual property.
“It’s less focused on me and more focused on the ideas, and this mindset of being a learning leader,” he said. “I’m definitely working on that.”
Asked Friday for his prediction for Sunday’s Super Bowl, Hawk, a former Miami University and Ohio University quarterback, confessed to being a “massive Joe Burrow fan.”
“I love his type of leadership because he creates belief in others,” Hawk said of Burrow. “He has a really magnetic moxie and swagger about him.”
He added, “I hope like crazy they can find a way to get it done on Sunday.”
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