Episode 53: Joe Hudson
What Are You Really Looking For?
Joe Hudson has lived the life of a modern-day Jack Kerouac, embracing a spontaneous life and ethos that mirrors the improvisational intricacies of Thelonious Monk. Coltrane. Or Miles Davis. Hudson lived in 26 places by the time he was 28 years old. Meditated in his room for 7 years. Lived in a van for a year. Studied religion and became a Hollywood director, a venture capitalist, and a philanthropist. Today, his executive coaching company The Art of Accomplishment is quietly stoking a revolution of emotions in Austin, TX, and Silicon Valley’s CEOs. His philosophy of leadership can be found in his articulated perspectives –
“If you can show up in love for somebody who is in hate for you, that’s where change happens. That’s where the progress occurs.”
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“To fully love someone, you have to have clear boundaries… That boundary is actually a facilitator of love, it’s not a diminishment of love.”
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“I am not going to create any kind of true shift unless I am able to love you as I love myself… and see [the other] without judgment.”
Not the philosophies you would think could ignite change in a top C-Suite Executive of a tech company in the rolling hills of Northern California or the heat of Austin, TX. But as Hudson observes – people show up for his tutelage looking for one thing, and quickly realize that what that need and what they have come to receive are totally different than what they thought they were coming for initially – I want to run a successful business! Young Sensei, you must live an emotionally connected life first.
In our conversation I kept asking him – “Is this what the Art of Accomplishment is? Is that what the Art of Accomplishment is?” His answer was always, “Yes, and…” highlighting his foundational view that even as we strive for an intellectual understanding of all things, it is the emotional quarrying of our souls and experiences that really tell us what we are looking for. As Joe Hudson says, “Great decisions are based on your ability to be ok with all your emotional experiences, so you make clear decisions emotionally.”
