Building a Leader Within Yourself: Deep Ruminations with Chet Scott 

Chet Scott is back for his third episode of Gravity. A leadership and development coach for some of the world’s most influential people, his organization, Built to Lead, exists to help people discover their life’s opus – their true passion, the work that they love doing, and that rejuvenates their soul just by doing it. 

We covered the usual Gravity questions in his previous appearances, so this time, we thought we’d go off-format and enjoy a conversation between the two of us friends. It’s always worth listening when Chet starts speaking. 

Last time he was on the podcast, Chet told me the story of his recent heart attack, so we start this episode with how he’s doing now, several months later. We discuss his athletic upbringing and how it ultimately shaped how he discovered his place as a leader – before we break down his delayed embrace of the arts.

Now, Chet is an artist who sees words as his medium. As well as writing, he spends a huge amount of time reading. We talk all about his approach to reading and how it differs from the ways that other people approach books. We also talk about the true power of writing – and creating art in general, as we try to drill down into what it really means to create something.

Things get especially introspective when Chet prompts me to answer one of my questions on his behalf. We then get into the very role of God in our lives, and how we can make sure that we spend our lives pursuing what really matters. 

It’s so easy to fall into a trap of convincing ourselves that we love what we do when we actually don’t. Chet has amazing advice about how you can tell the difference.

What Brett asks:

• [01:47] Where are you in life, these days, following your heart attack?
• [02:30] Can you elaborate on exactly what opus means to you?
• [05:48] Why is it hard for people to realize that we need to love our work?
• [09:21] How can we be sure that we haven’t convinced ourselves that we love our work when we actually don’t?
• [18:19] How do you define being an artist?
• [21:22] Are we all born to be artists or creators?
• [24:48] How much are you willing to step in and guide someone else as their truth teller?
• [31:07] How much time do you spend continuing to learn about yourself?
• [33:49] What role does reading play in your life?
• [40:19] How do you decide how to spend your time?
• [52:31] Any last words before we finish?

Lessons for intentional living:

• Chet’s whole passion is helping others discover their opus. But as he says, it’s so easy for us to convince ourselves that we’re living our opus because confronting that we don’t actually like our jobs can be difficult. One of the best ways to tell if you’re truly living your opus is how content and satisfied you feel in your moments of respite. 
• Creation is something important, and it cuts to a surprisingly deep level. Creation can be something just for you – the way that Chet only publishes a fraction of what he writes or the way that I don’t share my paintings. The simple act of doing is good for the soul. 

Resources:

• Gravity episode #82: “A Heart Attack’s Teachings”
• Gravity episode #46: “The Builder’s Journey: Building Yourself So That You Can Build Others” 
• Chet Scott on LinkedIn