My interview on the It Will Come podcast

July 31, 2017 by Joshua
in Audio, Leadership

George Samuels hosts the It Will Come podcast. Its subtitle, “A philosophy of success through patience, persistence and momentum” is right up the alley of someone like me with my years of daily burpees, blog posts, cold showers, and other sidchas.

He posted our conversation, “How To Become The Leader Other People Will Follow.”

I’d write how much I enjoyed the conversation and how I recommend it, but his comprehensive show notes, below, tell you enough already. I like his thoroughness. I also liked his disarming friendliness.

Joshua Spodek and Geoge Samuels on the It Will Come podcast

Joshua Spodek and Geoge Samuels on the It Will Come podcast

Listen to the conversation.

The episode notes

👤 About Joshua Spodek

Joshua Spodek is the bestselling author of Leadership Step by Step, an Adjunct Professor at NYU, leadership coach and workshop leader for Columbia Business School, columnist for Inc., and founder of SpodekAcademy.com.

He has led seminars in leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity, and sales at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, the New York Academy of Science, and in private corporations. He holds five Ivy League degrees, including a PhD in Astrophysics and an MBA, and studied under a Nobel Prize winner.

And if that wasn’t impressive enough, he has visited North Korea twice, swam across the Hudson River, and has done burpees every day for six years, 90,000+ and counting.

“Everyone knows how to be authoritarian, but not everyone knows how to lead.”

“Just because you can measure something, doesn’t make it more important.”

“Learning is learning, whether it’s through technology or not.”


🎧 Episode Summary

  • Why leadership can’t be taught and why it has to be experienced
  • How Joshua transitioned from being a physicist to an entrepreneur
  • Why the “smartest” people are often those who comply the most at school
  • The difference between leadership and authority (don’t confuse the two)
  • Why community work is often called “soft” in the business world
  • How Joshua found himself in North Korea and why he’s so passionate about leadership coaching
  • … and more!

🔥 Rapid Fire Questions

Favorite book? Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (adapted by Ron Hogan)

Favorite quote

“The dancer is realistic. His craft teaches him to be. Either the foot is pointed or it is not. No amount of dreaming will point it for you. This requires discipline, not drill, not something imposed from without, but discipline imposed by you yourself upon yourself. … Your goal is freedom. But freedom may only be achieved through discipline. In the studio you learn to conform, to submit yourself to the demands of your craft, so that you may finally be free.” ~Martha Graham

What do the words “it will come” mean? “It will come if you work at things, if you put the effort in.”

If you could choose any animal to be, what would you be and why? Platypus.

Any final piece of advice?  Check out spodekacademy.com/itwillcome


📌 Reference List

Below is a list of links referenced in the episode:


Listen to the conversation.

About the podcast

The Quick Summary

It Will Come is part philosophy, part hustle. This site supports The It Will Come Show, a Youtube show dedicated to helping people find their way in business and life through the #itwillcome philosophy and community.

Hi, I’m George Siosi Samuels. Over the past 5 years, I operated in, started my own and supported numerous community-driven startups. As a result, I learned how to rapidly validate ideas, support business owners, facilitate groups, motivate teams, thrive under lean conditions and, most importantly, build and manage communities.

I originally created this site to help solve my own problem, which was to stay motivated during my job hunt. I wanted to share my passion and experiences as an (offline) community manager, but also help others who were either starting their own business or transitioning between careers. I did this by sharing daily updates, motivational videos and interviews of community leaders who demonstrated significant patience, persistence or momentum in their personal journeys. Little did I know what it would all all result in.

The Long(er) Summary

Are you currently in between jobs? Starting your own business? Or maybe just looking to forge your own path in life?

Then you need to learn how to leverage the power of your communities.

Whether you like it or not, times are changing, and the modern worker needs to think like an entrepreneur. Your full time job is but one part of a diversified income stream for your personally-branded business. Your Facebook account is but one channel of your own personal media company. The companies who will win will be those who understand how to convert crowds into communities. The job seekers who will win will be those who understand how to convert their communities into powerful referral machines.

As new technologies emerge, timeless virtues and wisdom will start to re-emerge.

Welcome to It Will Come – a site dedicated to helping you find your way in business and life through communities. This site is the brainchild of George Siosi Samuels – a consultant, strategist and entrepreneur who helps people and communities get onto the path they belong. He is also the founder and host of The It Will Come Show.

It all started when George found himself on the hunt for work again, after things didn’t go exactly as planned after he left his last job. Determined to do things differently, and not regret anything, he turned himself into a marketing exercise and created a 40-day job hunting campaign that included his private Facebook community.

As a result, he grew a strong following and was asked by readers to “make it [the campaign] public.” So, after the 40 days, he turned his learnings into an ebook, and created this site with the hope of guiding others on similar journeys, sharing his thoughts on community-driven businesses, and simply having fun with it.

What can you expect here?

On this site, you will find information on how to: blaze your own trail, grow a community-driven business, and leverage communities for your own goals.

You can expect daily motivation, weekly interviews, and monthly roundups, all exploring the philosophy behind “it will come,” three words that were originally passed down by George’s great grandfather before the entrance of Christianity to Polynesia. Over time, it’s become a mantra for unwavering faith amidst overwhelming odds and adversity.

This site is an extension of that belief, but applied to modern times.

The Fireside Chats

IWC Quote - MLKJR

“We guide the way by sharing talks with others who are trailblazing their way.”

Our interview segment (aka “Fireside Chats”) is all about sharing stories from others who have either: created their own path, persevered against overwhelming odds, or discovered a unique way to grow their community. They are the community leaders, influencers and professionals who have demonstrated patience, persistence or momentum in some capacity within their respective industries.

We believe that these stories, regardless of its community focus, keep the human spirit alive when you find yourself off path or looking to get back on it.

We love exploring the intersection of people, culture and technology, but know that things may evolve and change over time.

We’re just getting started but would love you to get involved! The best way to do that right now is to watch, listen and let us know what you think. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us here.

Since we started December 1st, 2015, we’ve got a long way to go! However, we want you to follow along to see how we improve every single day.

You can find the most recent episodes here.

Listen to the conversation.

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