 I'm Rusty Kamori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys varsity tennis team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. This show is based on my books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game, and it's about leadership, character, and creating a superior culture of excellence. My special guest today is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and author of his great book, Business Model. He is David C. Williams, and today we are going Beyond Adversity. Hey, David, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Hey, Rusty, glad to be here, my friend. David, you have incredible style, and so I'm going to consult with you to help me with my style, OK? Look, actually, man, look, your style, you know, you got me beat. I don't have the tie going today, so I got to step it up a little bit. Well, you don't need a tie, David. Now, David, I want to ask you if you can share a bit about your background. Sure. I'm a native of Dallas, which is rare, because everyone from California, New York's moving to Texas because of cost of living. But I'm a native of Dallas. I went to high school and college here at Dallas Baptist University. I work here at AT&T. AT&T's headquarters is also here in Dallas. I started from very humble beginnings. I was born in South Dallas, which is kind of like Watts of LA. It's probably the poorest corner of Dallas. I faced a lot of adversity in the beginning. My father committed suicide when I was eight years old at our home. That changed a lot. It grew me up fast. Over time, I started working at AT&T. And a lot of the things that I learned about making a dollar out of 15 cents or making ends meet those types of things I carried forth with me throughout my career. Today, I lead an award-winning automation team. We're very diverse. We bring hundreds of millions of dollars and extremely profitable type of a team. And it's been amazing, our champion diversity, because I believe in it so much. And we're really better together. And so that's kind of my story. I started very low in an organization and just worked my way up. Well, David, you are making such a huge positive impact in the world in many ways. And our viewers are gonna see all of that today. And you mentioned about your dad. Can you share one or two of your big adversities that you faced, that you dealt with and overcame? Yeah, well, starting with my dad, he was everything. He was a working hand for the Lord. He took me to buy a toy every week when I was good in school. He would take me to the library and encouraged me to read more books each week. He was everything. And he committed suicide when I was eight years old. He thought that a permanent solution would solve some of his problems. I think he was going through a quite a bit of depression at the time. My sister, I'm the youngest of six, but my mother and I, my mother had two kids. And so my older sister, Angelia, she led me out of that house that day. And to call the authorities, and my sister's been a hero to me my entire life. And my mother is my inspiration. And so for me, just about everything that I do boils back to either my sister or my mother and the encouragement and the perseverance that they both have had through life tells me that, look, I can do it too. Man, that's, oh boy. I mean, that's heavy right there. And David, what would you say is another big adversity that you faced in your life? My sister, again, my hero in 2020, February 2020, we all know what March 2020 brought, right? That was COVID. February, she had a really big surgery because she had stage four cancer. She had a neuroendocrine tumors. That's the same thing that got Steve Jobs and Aretha Franklin. And she had like 40 tumors in her stomach. And by the grace of God, it was just miraculous how all of it came together. She had that surgery at the VA hospital, which means that we didn't have to pay for it, but also the VA isn't necessarily known for having the best surgeries. And the surgeon was actually from Yale instead of just the regular VA hospital. He wanted to volunteer his time. And so we thank God, miraculous. We had this amazing surgeon from Yale. The entire surgery lasted, I don't know, eight to 10 hours. And afterwards the surgery was so miraculous that she didn't even have to have chemotherapy. And so it was just truly the hand of God over that entire situation. And what's crazy is the day my sister told me she was diagnosed with cancer, usually I'm a very politically correct kind of guy. I look up to my sister, she's everything. But when she said that to me, I just said, well, this isn't it. It's not over. And I felt kind of weird saying it because it just didn't seem like the right thing to say to somebody who's facing something like that. But God knew a whole lot better than I did. And he saw that whole thing through. So, but that adversity gave me a lot of courage to go do the thing that I did during COVID that enabled so many people to be able to work from home. And so it's just funny how the universe works and how certain things come at the right time. And although it seems really difficult, man, the universe is pulling for us all. It really is. Well, David, I absolutely love your book. I mean, I love how you share these personal tragedies and you turn it into positive meaning. I mean, what compelled you to write the book, Business Model? Yeah, you know, the very point that you're making, Rusty. And so, you know, so many of us go through adversity, but a lot of times we may get down on ourselves or think that, you know, it's not in the cards for us to do well. But at the end of the day, the truth of the matter is that, you know, all Rudolph needed was one foggy night and Christmas would never be the same. And so many of us have lived through so many foggy nights that for those of us who come through those foggy nights and transcend that, we have to share that story so that others know, you know, I may be special, but you're special too. I may have made it through my foggy night, you can too. I don't care what it is. And I feel like if I can make it through the thing, the situations I've been through, there's nothing that anyone in this world cannot do. I don't feel like I'm gifted more than anybody else in this world. I'm grateful for whatever God has bestowed upon me, but, you know, really believing in yourself and knowing that there's possibilities, you can go a long way with that. Well, David, you truly, you're an extraordinary person and I feel honored to know you and you have both of my books. And I wanna ask you, David, what stood out to you in my books? Oh, brother. So I read your books out of order. I read Beyond the Game and then I started reading Beyond the Lines. And Beyond the Lines, I'm not done with that one, but I'm at the Brandon story. And he was the freshman who made the team and he was kinda known for throwing the racket or, you know, there were some thoughts about him that weren't all true. There was a little bit of truth there and you help coach him through some of those things. But listen, Rusty, that Beyond the Game book, we're working backwards to reverse engineer success to look at a long-term goal, something that may take months or years to get to and say, okay, if we wanna win the championship, then what type of, you know, conference do we need to be in? If we're gonna be in that conference, how well do we need to do in that conference? Who are the matchups? For each matchup, what type of strategy will we have for this game, for that set? I mean, you completely architect the entire thing. It was beautiful. You had a George Patton quote in there, I love. I love George Patton. General George Patton, his quotes are so amazing. And then there's this other thing you had, superior discipline details. Oh man, so look, so many people have details. They pay attention to detail, but superior discipline details. That's something I'm gonna take back to my own team because it's those very little things, right? When you're great and you're flying around doing things, you're doing the Michael Jordan jumping from the free throw line and dunking the ball. Well, make sure we're dribbling. Don't make sure, you know, let's not walk, let's not travel. Let's, you know, let's make sure we're, you know, we have time on the clock when we do these things. Those little details, it's a testament to the 22 years that you did it. I just, that is so phenomenal how you pulled that off knowing that every year your best talent's going out the door. I just, I don't know, man. You know, it's like the Apollo log, like just rub off on you, just a little bit of good luck, brother, because 22 years, that's just, that's unheard of. It literally is, it's unheard of. Well, David, I feel so honored that you like the books and you're almost finished with the first book Beyond the Lines. And you know, I wanted to make sure that the readers could feel like they could read either book first, but... I got a question for you, Rusty. I got a question for you. Yeah, sure. 22 years, King of the Hill, you guys are doing it year after year. I mean, but at this point, people's kids are, or people are having children and their children that come to watch you play, you know, win all these trophies. Did you ever have a thing where other schools wanted to leave their school and come to yours and join your program? And how did, you know, what was that dynamic like? You know, what's interesting is Punahou School, we were known as a private school with a public purpose. So I would actually train in private and group lessons some of the top ranked players from other schools because I wanted to try to help everyone be as great as possible. So yeah, that's a great question that you asked me. That's like Belichick not only training Tom Brady, but the rest of the Russell Wilson and Pat Mahomes and all these other guys, Aaron Rogers, and then still go win the championship. Yeah, you know, it's just a matter of raising the standard of excellence across the board, right? I don't know, if I was one of your players, I might be like, coach, maybe not this year. Maybe just us. Oh my gosh. David, tell me about, I mean, you speak so highly about your team that you lead at AT&T, tell me about them. Sure, sure. So it's a team comprised mostly of women, many are people of color, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ veterans, Native Americans, the whole Gambit, some are from rural America. Many of them do not have a traditional technology background. However, this year we took home an IT team of the year industry award. And so, you know, folks ask, how do you win that type of award with folks that don't have a traditional technology background? And my answer is diversity. We all know there are folks on the team that are Neo in the Matrix or PhDs, WizKids, but everyone on the team knows that their greatest strength is each other. And so no matter what ideas we come up with, no matter how cool somebody's new innovation is, we run it by the rest of the team and it gets that much cooler. And so we just continue to rally around every opportunity to come up with the best solutions. And I think that is the model for the world because we're so connected. Pandemic taught us that, so many things taught us that. And so we need perspectives from every angle to solve the problems that we deal with today. I would imagine Hawaii being Hawaii, right? Having to deal with cost of living, which is different than the mainland, different than a lot of other places. The perspective Hawaii would have in the national discussion of inflation would lend a perspective that many in the mainland are not even thinking about. No, David, I like how you think. And you took a trip to India and you visited one of the orphanages there. Can you tell me about that? Oh my gosh, yes. When India, nothing is small. And so they have 1.4 billion people and India's a fourth the size of the US with four times as many people. So it's very populated. The school probably had, I don't know, couple of thousand kids there, but 110 girls are orphans there. That's their home. They don't go home. And so being able to spend time with them, share with them these solar robots, I can only pack maybe 10 or 20 at the time. We just recently sent 50 or 60 of them in a big care package with t-shirts and all sorts of things for the little girls. But they're so smart. They're so focused on becoming productive individuals in society. They're looking forward. They're always thinking each opportunity is an opportunity to advance or to solve a problem. And so being able to share that with them was just amazing to have a conversation around STEM and them seeing how it works. As we put these robots together and then we gifted all of them robots so that all of the kids have one. So it was amazing. Those little girls stole my heart. I swear, I'm going back to India just to see them. They're just the most amazing super girls is what they call them at the orphanage. Well, I'm sure they're gonna call you Superman. I mean, that's so amazing what you did there. And you took a trip to Israel and you visited an orphanage there as well, right? Yeah, yeah. There's a children's village in Yerdea, Kyriam. I think I'm saying it properly. And they have, I don't know, this might have been 20 or so students that were there from all over Israel. Not necessarily going through the best of times, but we were able to spend some time and built these robots together. We got to talk about the book. We're able to connect over culture. And a lot of the things that they're going through are things that I've been through as well, right? Making ends meet, humble beginnings, things like that. And so for them to be able to see someone like myself come through adversity, make it, and then be able to give back, gives them hope as well so that they can do the same. And that's really what all of this is about. It's really, none of us have a legacy unless whatever it is that we do lives beyond our own lifetime. And so that's really the goal is to help others. I completely agree with you and you are. I mean, I'm trying to do the same. So we're gonna team up, right, Dave? Yeah, absolutely, man. Now, David, you, I know the organization, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, means a whole great deal to you. Tell me about your big brother, Kenneth Gwynne. Oh man, Kenneth is everything. And so after my father passed away and I was eight, my mother got me a big brother and he taught me to drive a stick shift car. I don't even know if they make those anymore. He taught me a lot of different things. He even got me tickets to the Michael Jackson concert back when I was just a little kid and dancing to beat it. But he's been a father figure for me. And there's so much I owe to him about me just becoming a man. And even giving back, I get that from Kenneth. When I think about the things that I'm able to do for children, I think about what he did for me personally. And it was just everything. And I hope that I can be that for others. Now, David, how important is it? I mean, because you went through the Big Brothers, Big Sisters experience, how important is it to really support that organization? Oh man, well, I mean, it's miracle work. You know, when you have folks that have, that come from various professions and are willing to be the example for a young mind, you know, it's almost Maya Angelou's quote about be the change that you want to see in the world. It is exactly that. And so I support Big Brothers and Sisters financially. I've done that for decades. I support them and volunteer at their events. And I'm a product of Big Brothers and Sisters. And so yeah, if anyone is looking for a worthy cause to support Big Brothers and Sisters, it's certainly one. Now, David, I know that really popular magazine, Women Own Excellence, W-O-E. I mean, it's a women's magazine, but you were featured on the cover of a women's magazine. I mean, how extra special is that? It was very special. I'm grateful to I.O. Thomas and her entire publication and team who helped to put that together, pull that together. It was during Father's Day. And so that was another beautiful thing. I have a son who's 23 who just had a son. And so, you know, I'm a poppy now. And so it's a beautiful thing. But, you know, I believe especially, you know, as people of color, we have to be able to come together. And we have to be able to be able to share our experiences and know that we're supporting each other. And so again, my team at work is mostly comprised of women, the folks that I've worked with outside of work, whether event coordinators or publicists or other media personnel, a lot of those are women and women of color. And so I'm a big supporter, a huge supporter of our sisters, of our women that are out in the professional workspace, getting things done, moving society forward. And it's nice to be recognized as well. So I'm very grateful for that distinction. But it's a great partnership as well. Well, David, I mean, that's just so awesome right there. And I want to ask you, as a father, what kind of values and disciplines are you trying to instill in your son? Yeah, well, you know, I think that it's important. There's a couple of things. So one, my son and I have always talked about what it takes to be a man and owning up to your responsibility and not being afraid to ask for help or recognize when you don't know something or you've made a mistake. I think a lot of those things are important to hold ourselves accountable in an appropriate way so that we can be a pillar of society or a cornerstone of the household, right? The other thing I talked to him about, I hear some of the trends and folks talk about things like generational wealth and all these sorts of things. And I tell him, I said, look, you're 23. You got a while before you should start being really worried about generational wealth. Right now, what's most important is just connecting to what you're passionate about and sticking with it because success is nothing more than momentum over time. Whether you're a farmer or a brain surgeon, momentum over time will yield success. And to whatever degree you wanna take that is your option, your choice. And so those are the things that we talk about and that cute little grandbaby. So... I love hearing these insights, David. And as a leader, what do you feel are some things that the greatest leaders do? You know, I think that it's important that we're open to having open debate. I think all opinions matter. I think it's important to hire people that don't necessarily think like you so that you have different opinions at the table. Think about one lady on my team. She and I debate vigorously. You would think we're brothers and sisters. She actually reports to me. And she feels very free to debate with me. But we always get off the phone having a reach common ground because we know that there's more that unites us than divides us. And that's what embracing diversity is about. And so I think being open to those types of perspectives help us to come to better solutions. And recognition, man. Recognition is just like the story in the Bible where Jesus kept feeding the 5,000. No matter how much recognition you give away, there's always more you can. And so it always replenishes itself. And so I continue to try to make sure that my team is recognized for the amazing things that they do. Oh, I love hearing that, David. And you know, I absolutely love your voice. And you are a great keynote speaker. What do you love about doing keynote speaking? Well, gosh. Selfishly, I love to be like untethered. And so on a stage, I can just be completely David and I don't have to worry about the norms of corporate America and all that kind of stuff. But at a macro level, stories have a profound impact. And if I can share my story with someone and have an impact so that they can go have a better journey in their professional life or personal life, if I can share some insight that I was able to glean going through some adversity or hardship and save them that hardship and they still get the insight, then they're that much better. They can go that much further and faster than I did. And again, a legacy just doesn't exist unless it lives beyond our own lifetime. And so I wanna help people go further and faster than myself. That's what I get out of it all. Well, I love that. And David, putting you on the spot right now. Okay. I know that you can do some rhymes. And I love when you do some rhymes. Can you bust a rhyme for me right now? Oh, let's see, yeah. Hear me anomalies. You are the new nominees. And everybody may not like it. I have the tiger clearly see the web of the spider and the leopard behind it. I got a shepherd beside me and no weapon can bind me. And now the lessons inside me flow from blessings been piling. Not special what they said to me. Priceless, resurrected, inclined and extraterrestrial knowledge is a wave of anomalies with exceptional knowledge that's been tested through homage and stay professional. No drama with enough intellectual property to readdress our mamas. Well, if we had a mic, we would just drop the mic right there, David. Oh, that was absolutely terrific. Oh my goodness. David, when you reflect back on your life so far, what's a big thing that you've learned about yourself? That the greatest things in life are on the other side of fear. And we cannot carry doubt across that lake of fear. We have to do so boldly. We have to be willing to shed our shyness and boldly go after the things that the universe has calling to our own souls and spirits. And that lesson, I think, will unleash so much hidden potential in all of us if we're just bold enough to take a shot. It wasn't that Rudolph was the smartest or the strongest. It wasn't that Rudolph was the coolest or the richest. It was that he was willing to shed his shyness, get away from doubt and go over there and catch Santa before he went to work and say, hey, Santa, give me a shot. And the rest is history. I love it. I love it. David, you've accomplished so much in your young life so far, but what would you say is a future goal of yours? Well, I will tell you, at AT&T, I'm working on, with my team, we're working on reinventing customer service and that is literal. Just as much as Uber has reinvented career services, we are working on doing the same and as much as a profound and dramatic way. I got a couple of patents. I'm working on a new QR code that I just created and keynotes. And so hopefully there'll be a lot more of those going around and we'll have some more conversations around that. But yeah, I got a pretty full plate, brother. No shortage of work over here. No, I know and David, it was so great that you're in Hawaii last week and we got to hang out and talk a bunch and hopefully you'll be able to come back sooner than later, but I really wanna thank you for taking time to really share your insights to be on the show today. And I really want everyone to go out there and get your book business model. Yeah, well, thank you for that. You can purchase the book. It's easy to find. Just go to businessmodelbook.com. You can purchase any version of it, Audible, Kindle, Hardback. But Rusty, thank you for this time as well. You are a legend, a walking, a living legend and beyond sports, the things that you talk about in your book, I think you use sports as a wonderful anchor and contrast to be able to explain some of these leadership principles that apply in so many different areas of life. I personally am looking forward to leveraging some of the things that I received from your book, those insights and sharing it with my team so that we can pay attention to the superior discipline details. So it's not the 99 things you get, right? It's that one thing that you get wrong that everybody remembers and make sure we cover those things. I think about those things and I'm grateful that I had a chance to meet you and have a copy of your books so that I can go leverage that stuff with my own team. So thank you, brother. I really appreciate that. Well, thank you, David. It's gonna be teamwork with us and we'll talk with you soon. And I wanna thank you again, David, for being on the show today and thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit rusticamori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that David and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and donate to us at thinktechhawaii.com. Mahalo.