Episode Description:
Ryan Beck, CTO of pray.com, spent his eighteenth birthday in jail for possessing and transporting a controlled substance. He had a wake-up call when another guy in jail said, “You can either be a bigshot in the pen or a bigshot on the golf course…” – this stuck with Ryan and changed his trajectory. Ryan ended up attending bible college and discovered he didn’t want to be a pastor, so Ryan went on to get his philosophy and computer science degrees. He didn’t realize it at the time, but God would use all these experiences to set his foundation as the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of pray.com. Ryan learned lessons for life and leadership the hard way, and you know Bobby relates to learning in the trenches. Tune in for an honest conversation about how Ryan and Bobby got things wrong before getting them right.
In this interview, you’ll hear:
- Why leaders need to be thoughtful in how they engage and set expectations with employees
- Why leaders need people around them who they trust to call them out
- How to look at yourself before correcting employees
- How to ask high-quality questions so you can lead better
- How to make sure the right information passes from one department to another
About the guest:
Ryan Beck is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Pray.com, the world’s #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based audio content. Pray.com is driven by a mission to grow faith, cultivate community, and leave a legacy of helping others. Beck brings expertise in computer science, software engineering, and theological studies to his role as chief technology officer. He helped start Pray.com in 2016.
About the host:
Following a successful career as CEO, Bobby sold his business to a publicly-traded company. In what he calls his “second half of life”, Bobby seeks to pour Biblically-based principles into growth-minded business, church, and non-profit leaders.
Through Values-Driven Leadership, Bobby serves as an Executive Coach and Training Consultant for organizations. He shares many of his principles and practices through a weekly blog, the True North Leader podcast, and through three books he has authored:
- Principled Profits: Outward Success Is an Inside Job
- True North Business: A Leader’s Guide to Extraordinary Growth and Impact
- The Freedom Paradox: Is Unbridled Freedom Dividing America?
Visit valuesdrivenculture.com for more information