Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Welcome to the Be That 1% Podcast Experience!

We have Michael Grema from the TEDx and Tech Startup Community on the podcast this week. After attending many TEDTalks he fell in love with the concept and mission and decided to bring TEDx to Las Vegas. Michael brought TEDxUNLV to Las Vegas in 2014 while he was a student at the University. After graduating he worked on creating TEDxLasVegas and is a main contributor of overseeing the integrity of the events.

Michael is involved in rebranding the Las Vegas city through incorporating more Tech and Entrepreneurship opportunities. He co-organized Las Vegas Startup Weekend and is heavily involved in TechStars and VegasTech.

In 2016, he was featured as MyVegas Magazine’s Top 100 Men of the Year.

Key Takeaways 

• Shared passions are the glue to keeping a relationship strong
• Be selective about your relationships
• Find people with a growth mindset, who will challenge you to become better, and who will keep you accountable
• Seek to understand both competition and collaboration
• Have a mentor and use their experience to help you navigate information
• Ability to influence your organization is not dependent on your position
• Give yourself the flexibility to change your purpose and vision

People and Books Mentioned

• George Washington
• Winston Churchill
• Abraham Lincoln
• Bill Gates
• Warren Buffett
•  Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Peter Drucker
  • The Effective Executive
  • Manage Oneself
  • Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • The Practice of Management
  • Management
• Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
• The Bible
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Dr. Joseph Rhodes

 Time Stamped Show Notes

• (3:18) Start of episode
• (4:43) Introduction to Michael
• (6:00) Changes taking place in Vegas with increased civic involvement
• (9:39) Starting TEDxUNLV
• (12:06) Michael’s keys on building his relationships
• (13:20) Many early entrepreneurs struggle with reaching out for feedback
• (15:16) Learning to ask the right questions stems from getting to know others first and giving of yourself first
• (18:45) Keys to living a great life include building others around you and being grateful
• (20:35) Building international relationships with influencers
• (23:20) Maintaining relationships, even at a long distance
• (25:20) Find people with a growth mindset that can challenge you
• (26:00) Perspectives on competition
• (28:46) Balancing competition and collaboration
• (30:22) Relationships with mentors and Michael’s personal mentors
• (33:45) Looking at problems from different angles/perspectives to reach your personal flow state
• (38:06) How to utilize a mentor to navigate all the information presented to you
• (39:18) Tech relationships in Vegas
• (43:44) Intrapreneurship and influencing your organization
• (47:40) Current Books Michael is reading
• (51:05) Value of having healthy debates in deeping relationships
• (54:42) Evaluating and changing relationships that are not the best for your life
• (1:01:54) Social Media as a relationship tool
• (1:06:56) Networking advice
• (1:13:46) What does it mean to be that 1 percent?
• (1:16:36) Why is it difficult to step into your own 1 percent?
• (1:18:05) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Quotes by Michael

• I’ve had a lot of luck and success at building relationships as I’ve tried to be my authentic self
• Seek to give a little more rather than taking away from a relationship
• I’ve found value from trying to learn something from everyone I encounter
• Try to be actively minded and find things you can do better

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL

FB, IG, Twitter : @michaelgrema  and @tedxlasvegas

TEDxLasVegas

Website: www.tedxlasvegas.com

TEDxUNLV

Speaker Applications now open: unlv.edu/tedxunlv/speaker-application