(upbeat music)
Good morning.
And welcome to Morning Serial.
Okay, good morning and
welcome to Wednesday.
And welcome to Rome.
We're kicking off our
on location shoot here
and none other than
the fabled city of Rome.
So walking around
here, every street feels
like we're in a movie set.
And there's just so much history here
and beauty everywhere I look.
Also known as the
eternal city, Rome greets us
with these sun-warm paved streets.
Well, it's actually really hot here.
It's about 95 and we've
been sweating like crazy.
But there's a constant hum of scooters
and enough gelato and
vino options to relax,
even the most frayed of nerves.
Well, from the grandeur of the Colosseum,
which is just that direction,
to the quiet charm
and tucked away piazza,
Rome isn't just the backdrop.
It's our co-star today.
And as we dive into this episode,
we're channeling all the
energy, all the elegance
and the edge of this iconic
city that it has to offer.
Well, in keeping with
the European flavor,
our quote today is from Sergio Busquets,
a master of quiet
excellence on the pitch.
Sergio Busquets said, quote,
"You don't need to be in the spotlight
"to make a big impact.
"Sometimes the most
important work is what no one sees."
Now this captures the
quiet strength and humility
that Busquets is known for.
And it reminds us all that
value isn't about volume,
it's about consistency.
And it's perfect for anyone
grinding behind the scenes,
making things happen without the fanfare.
All right, well, today's news,
facts and birthdays are for July 16th.
We're gonna start back in 1926.
That's when National Geographic,
they first published the
first underwater color photograph
taken near the Florida Keys.
And what was the picture of?
An elegant dolphin or
a majestic blue whale?
No, it was a picture of a hogfish.
Then moving into 1945,
the first atomic bomb
was tested in New Mexico.
It was a moment that
changed world history forever.
Then in 1969, Apollo 11,
it launched towards the moon
with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and
Michael Collins aboard.
Then we're gonna skip up to 1994.
That's when the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9,
it smashed into Jupiter.
And it was the first ever
observed planet collision.
And then lastly, in 1999,
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bassett,
they tragically passed
away in a plane crash
near Martha's Vineyard.
But on a happier note,
happy birthday to you.
Today's your birthday.
You share a birthday with Gareth Bale,
the elite Welsh footballer.
He's 36 years old today.
Spanish mood filter Maestro Sergio
Busquetsi is 37 today.
Future buddy of mine and someone
who just generally cracks me up
consistently, Will Ferrell.
He's 58 today.
And you know him as the King of Dance,
Michael Flatley, he's 67 today.
And lastly, local legend and cowboy
owner, Jimmy Johnson,
he's 82.
Now the number one
song on this date in 1986
was "At This Moment" by
Billy Vera and The Beaters.
Now, you may not know this song by name.
It was a surprise chart topper,
but the song's rise was an instant.
It was originally released in 1981
and it stalled at number 79.
Then in a fairy tale twist,
it was featured in a family ties episode
during the slow dance
scene between Alex P Keaton
and Ellen Reid.
And then boom, it soared
to the number one position
six years after its debut.
Hey, here's a fun fact.
It's one of the few songs
to reach number one twice
and one of the last
live versions to do so,
marking a spot in the
record books for it.
Well, you know what they say.
When in Rome, you
should wrap up the podcast
diving into Stephen R. Covey's
"The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People."
And today we're zooming in
on a vital leadership concept
from habit three, stewardship delegation.
Now in this sub-chapter,
Covey draws a clear line
between two different
types of delegation.
Remember these?
The first, which most
people are familiar with
is go for delegation,
where the boss tells
someone exactly what to do
and exactly how to do it.
These are like, go
fetch this and go do that.
It's task-based, it's micromanaged,
and it doesn't build trust
or long-term capabilities.
But Covey says truly effective leaders
use stewardship delegation,
which is a method
based on mutual respect,
clarity, and accountability.
It focuses not on
methods, but on results.
And Covey says, quote,
"Stewardship delegation
involves clear upfront
mutual understanding and commitment
regarding expectations in five areas."
So here's these five areas.
They are number one, desired results.
What needs to be
accomplished, clearly stated.
Number two, those guidelines,
the boundaries of
principles that must be followed.
Number three, resources.
What help, what tools
or support are available?
Number four, accountability,
the schedule or the standard for
reporting the progress.
Okay, and then lastly are the
consequences, right?
What happens based on the success
or the failure of getting it done?
All right, this approach empowers others.
It encourages the
creative problem solving in them,
and it develops long-term skills.
Covey emphasizes that trust
is the engine here, right?
When you delegate stewardship,
you're not giving up control.
You're giving up control
on how something is done
while still remaining
responsible for the outcome.
Covey says, quote, "People are more
likely to be committed
to a plan that they
helped create," end quote.
And by using stewardship delegation,
you don't just unload
tasks, you grow people.
It's how organizations move
from being people dependent
to system and team dependent.
Okay, so here's your takeaway.
Effective delegation
isn't about dumping work,
transferring ownership in
a way that empowers others
while keeping accountability intact.
If you want to be a highly
effective person or leader,
this method allows you
to scale your impact.
It allows you to build trust
and free yourself on
what only you can do.
All right, so whether
you're touring the Coliseum
or just watching Gladiator,
remember, leadership isn't
about doing it all yourself.
It's about building trust
and letting others grow.
Hey, thanks for waking
up with morning cereal
on our first episode on
location here in the Mediterranean.
Where in the world will
morning cereal be tomorrow?
Join us tomorrow and
find out for more nostalgia,
insight, and inspiration.
And until then, have a fantastic day.
Don't forget to follow and subscribe
to the Morning Cereal podcast
on the One Life Live It channel.
You can find more episodes and videos
by visiting our YouTube
channel and the website
at seaninglis and at seaninglis.com,
where you can also
follow our other podcast,
the Mr. and Mrs. English podcast
and the Life Happens podcast.
And these other podcasts will dive deeper
into everyday issues,
self-improvement and wellbeing,
business and finance, and we
welcome special guests too.
So join us, it'll be a
good time, I promise.
Thanks again for listening.
Have a fantastic day and
we'll see you tomorrow.