How a Stupid Teacher Taught Me to Be a Smart Leader

When Being Called Whale Sh*t Taught Me to Think for Myself

In 1988, I was a first-year electrical apprentice, I learned early what it felt like to be at the bottom of the food chain.

We were called whale shit on the job site—because "nothing is lower."

It was a badge of humiliation passed down from generation to generation.

You sucked it up, did the work, and kept your mouth shut.

Two nights a week, I had to sit through class with a guy named Frank Simpson, a DWP utility electrician from the South.

Now, Frank might’ve been a solid wireman out in the streets of LA, but as a teacher?

He sucked.

Frank spent more time talking about how great he was, how tough he was on his crew, and how much he loved pecans than actually teaching us anything useful.

He was a control freak.

He overruled the class vote to start earlier (4pm instead of 6pm)—not for our benefit, but so he could go home, shower, and look good for class.

The rest of us came in after a full day's work, covered in grease, grime, and sweat.

But Frank wanted his evening fresh and pampered.

He wasn’t a teacher.

He was a dictator with a whiteboard.

But it wasn’t just the lectures.

Frank marked me wrong on a test even though I got the right answer.

Why?

Because I didn’t solve the problem his way.

I showed my work.

My logic was solid.

But it didn’t match his method, so I got dinged.

That’s when I realized something important:

Some people don’t want to help you learn.

They want you to follow.

And screw you if you think differently.

So I stood up for myself, took it to the apprenticeship coordinator, and got those 5 points back.

A small victory.

But one that taught me something big—

You’ve got to know yourself, trust yourself, and fight for yourself.

Why Knowing Yourself Is the Most Underrated Skill in the Game

Let’s be real:

Most people don’t know who the hell they are.

They’re just mimicking what they see.

• Copying influencers
• Taking advice from loudmouths
• Following the "10 Steps to Success" someone posted on Instagram

But deep down?

They’re lost.

They’re like wiremen running conduit with no blueprint.

Trying to get from Point A to Point Z with no reference points.

Wasting time, wasting energy, and blaming the wrong people when things don’t work out.

Here's the problem:

You’ve been trained to follow, not lead.

To regurgitate someone else’s methods instead of building your own.

To think that success is about doing it the “right” way—usually someone else’s way.

But what if that “right” way is all wrong for you?

Just like Frank marked me wrong for thinking differently, the world punishes people who step out of line.

• You go left when the crowd goes right? You're wrong.
• You speak up? You’re “difficult.”
• You challenge the teacher? You’re “disrespectful.”

Screw that.

The people who actually win—who thrive—are the ones who know how they work best.

They don’t blindly follow. They ask:

• What makes me tick?
• When do I perform at my best?
• Where do I break down, and why?
• What kind of environment, people, and rhythms do I need to succeed?

If you don’t know these answers, you’re building someone else’s life.

The 3 Layers of Self-Knowledge
(and Why Most People Get Stuck at Level 1)

Level 1: Surface Self-Awareness (The Frank Level)

This is where most people are.

They know their job title, their likes and dislikes, maybe their Myers-Briggs type or horoscope.

This level is shallow.

It doesn’t help you make hard decisions.

It doesn’t tell you what kind of work is best for you.

It just gives you labels.

Frank lived at this level.

He thought because his method worked for him, it had to work for everyone.

He confused experience with wisdom.

You know what that makes you?

A dinosaur without a flashlight.

Level 2: Functional Self-Awareness (The Operator Level)

This is where things get interesting.

At this level, you know your optimal working conditions.

You’ve tested your rhythms.

You’ve observed your reactions.

You’ve studied your failures without ego.

You know:

• You think best in the mornings
• You make dumb decisions when you’re tired
• You need structure, but hate micro-management
• You’re a sprinter, not a marathoner
• You get creative after workouts

This is real self-knowledge, earned through trial, journaling, and reflection.

Level 2 is where leaders start to emerge.

They don’t just operate—they optimize.

Level 3: Integrated Self-Awareness (The Warrior-Sage Level)

This is rare.

This is where you stop needing external validation.

This is when your head, heart, and gut work together.

You stop second-guessing.

You stop outsourcing your decisions.

You become your own compass.

Integrated self-awareness means:

• You know your strengths and your weaknesses
• You’ve accepted them all
• You’ve built your system around reality—not fantasy

At this level, you’re dangerous.

Because no one can rattle you.

When I became a foreman and in charge of other guys, I made sure I wasn't like Frank, I would even share his story over the years.

I didn't care how they got the job done, as long as it fulfilled the needs of the job and was done in a professional manner.

I didn't want my guys to be clones of me, but instead, to be the best electricians that they could be.

Why Most Systems Fail—and Why We Built the Leader’s Dojo​

The problem with most leadership programs is they’re designed by Franks.

They give you cookie-cutter formulas.

They preach from the mountaintop.

They say,

But that’s not leadership.

• That’s control.
• That’s narcissism.
• That’s how you build robots, not warriors.

That’s why my partner Hiro and I built the Leader’s Dojo.​

We didn’t want to build another coaching program that turns you into a clone of us.

We built a dojo—a training ground—where you become more of who you already are, not less.

At the heart of the Dojo is our assessments—real tools that help you:

• Understand your leadership archetype
• Discover your work rhythms
• Identify your natural strengths and blind spots
• Learn what kind of tribe you need to thrive
• Map out your best path forward—for you, not someone else

This isn’t a Buzzfeed quiz.

This is a blueprint for your life.

Putting It On the Mat

A few years after I stood up to Frank, I found myself working under a different foreman on a big downtown project.

His name was Al Turner.

No fancy talk, no showboating, no “my way or the highway” attitude.

One day, we had to troubleshoot a complicated panel issue.

Al didn’t bark orders.

He pulled me aside and said, “Alright, Chuck. What’s your take?”

I was still an apprentice, but I’d been around the block by then.

I laid out my plan.

Step by step.

Logical.

Backup plan.

Safety precautions.

He nodded.

Then he said something I’ll never forget:

And I did.

And it worked.

That small moment, that respect, showed me what real leadership looks like.

• It’s not about control.
• It’s not about being right.
• It’s about knowing yourself—and letting others do the same.

That’s what we’re building inside the Leader’s Dojo.

This isn’t about telling you how to live.

It’s about helping you discover how you want to live—and giving you the tools to build that life.

So here’s what I want you to do:
👉 Take the first assessment.​
👉 Discover your leadership archetype.
👉 See how your mind works, how you show up, and where you’re likely to fall down.

This is more than personality BS.

It’s a flashlight and a mirror.

And once you’ve got that in hand, we’ll invite you into the Dojo.

Not for coaching.

Not for kumbaya.

But to train.

To level up.

To surround yourself with other warriors and build a life that actually fits you—not some cookie-cutter dream sold by grifters.

You’ve already met enough Franks.

Time to meet yourself.

👉 Take the Assessment and Join the Dojo​

Let’s build your blueprint, together.

Because once you know yourself, nobody—not Frank, not fear, not failure—can stop you.

P.S. If you found this content helpful, I have a favor to ask.

Actually two of them, a selfish one and a not-so-selfish one.

First the selfish one, if this was helpful to you, forward it to someone you think it might help. That helps me to grow my reach.

Now the not-selfish one, the one thing I learned on the mat and on the job was that the most successful leaders were not the ones who knew the most but were the ones who applied and taught the most.

So, if you want to be a better leader, do two things, take immediate action on what you learned today AND share it with someone else. You'll look badass, I promise you.

Also, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, hit me up, reply to this email and let me know what's going on and how I can help you to be a better warrior, leader, and badass.

Thank you, I appreciate you being here in The Daily Dojo, you can learn more at CharlesDoublet.com​