Give life and relationships a chance to unfold naturally, like a flower, instead of forcing a direction or result. They will always be more beautiful and smell better.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Lytle.
Ben Lytle is a self-made serial entrepreneur, CEO, and author of the three-volume Potentialist book series — the most recent release being The Pursuit of Wisdom — which describes a rapidly emerging, profoundly different New Reality, why we must adapt, and how. Ben founded or co-founded seven companies over his long career, his best known being Anthem, Inc. (NYSE), now Elevance, a leading U.S. health plan with a market capitalization exceeding $100 Billion, and Acordia, Inc. (NYSE), now part of USI, Inc., which became the world’s sixth-largest insurance broker. Ben has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Texas A&M Commerce, a Juris Doctor from Indiana University School of Law, an honorary degree from Marion University, and has completed advanced study and certifications in psychology and computer science.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up on a cattle ranch near the East Texas market town of Greenville, population 20,000, and later moved into town as we continued ranching. My parents were short on cash but long on love. My three older siblings and I grew up rapidly, independent, with a strong work ethic. I inherited my dad’s high energy level. In addition to ranch work, I worked various jobs as a teen, including driving a floral delivery truck and lifeguarding in the summers. I had a troop of friends and a loving extended family. I did well in school and enjoyed sports and horses. I married young, like most people did in my day, but landed a great job in information technology with a local aerospace company that enabled me to put my wife and me through college, working nights while raising two kids.
Through my older sister’s encouragement, I learned to read before starting school and went on to become a voracious reader throughout life. I discovered science fiction as a teenager and futurists in college. Researching trends and scientific developments at the local library became a hobby. A life-changing moment occurred during a summer elective college class when I was exposed to the vast literature on human potential, wisdom, and philosophy, which became a lifelong avocation. The study shaped and accelerated my personal development, management, leadership style, entrepreneurial drive, and worldview. The quest for potential and wisdom, beginning with my own, has been the foundation of the career and life I have enjoyed.
A short video developed independent of me for an awards ceremony may offer insights, linked here.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
Books have been a joyful pursuit all my life. Many books thrilled and shaped me. But one jumps out as a life-changer. A teacher who blessed my life was Mrs. Opal Baker, who taught English and literature at Greenville High. She saw promise in me but observed that I was bored in school. She took it upon herself to give me a copy of Tolstoy’s War and Peace and to meet with me after school a few days a week to discuss it. Reading with Mrs. Baker’s guidance opened my eyes to classical literature. After we finished the book, she gave me a reading list. I completed it by the time I graduated college and have kept it as a treasured memento. I shared it with one of my grandsons, who was eager to escalate the quality of his reading. Teachers like Mrs. Baker change lives in ways they could never have imagined.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I became successful in business at a very young age, beginning as a manager in Information Technology at twenty-one, with much older people reporting to me. That led to being a mid-level manager at twenty-four, launching my first company while working full-time at twenty-six, and an executive by twenty-eight.
By my mid-twenties, I had become a bit full of myself and considered myself indispensable to the company. I had been raised to always be on time and prepared. My parents did not tolerate being late. Time management was essential to juggling jobs, school, sports, and family. However, I had begun to slip a bit. Well, actually, more than a bit.
One day, I arrived late for my boss’s staff meeting — not for the first time. I found the meeting room door locked. It had a glass window, so I tapped on it, assuming it was accidentally locked. My boss looked at me with fire in his eyes and shook his finger, signaling, “GO AWAY!” I realized that I was in big trouble.
After an agonizing day, I was called to his office. His eyes bored into me as he asked: “At what point in your life did you decide that your time is more important than everyone else’s?“ Being chronically late had never been so clearly explained; I was humiliated. He told me he would fire me if I were ever late again, even once — so much for indispensability. His wise intervention broke me from developing an offensive, selfish, bad habit. I never struggled with timeliness again and even today remain known for punctuality.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
It is an exciting time to be alive. We live in the period of the most rapid, profound change in history. Some 122 billion humans lived before us, eight billion are living today, and billions will come after us. But among all of them, we will witness and shape this pivotal period.
A New Reality is expanding human potential in unimaginable ways, but we must adapt quickly and deliberately. Previous periods of significant change, like the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and prior industrial revolutions, demonstrated that those who adapt thrive, and those who deny or ignore change suffer. For this reason, I have committed my remaining time and many resources to spreading the word about the importance of and means of adapting.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
Ten wise people contributed poignant stories of wisdom in The Potentialist: The Pursuit of Wisdom. All offered powerful lessons to apply. Many readers and reviewers commented on the value of the wisdom stories. I love them so much that I cannot choose only one.
Instead, I’ll offer a personal story from my early thirties. I was a single dad, an executive with hundreds of employees, and attending law school at night. I was spread thinner than mayonnaise and worried about failing one or more roles, especially being a good dad.
A wise friend said, “Ben, you seem very strong. Don’t you think you can handle whatever life serves up?” It felt like lightning struck inside. I responded instantly, automatically, without pausing to think, “Yes, I can.” My wise friend replied, “Then you have nothing to fear in life.”
Later research and interviews with wise people confirmed that instantaneous freedom from fear was possible. Speaking about this phenomenon, Eleanor Roosevelt said: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
I was a minor public figure in Indiana and healthcare circles because I ran one of the largest companies in the state and the healthcare industry. When I left Anthem for Arizona, I decided that well-known people named Lytle should be my children and grandchildren and assumed a low-profile life.
Fifteen years later, I faced becoming high-profile again to publish and promote The Potentialist message. I enjoyed my anonymity and grieved over setting it aside. Fortunately, in my thirties, I learned to use the law of polarity (or tension of the opposites) in decision-making. I knew a creative resolution would arise if I patiently held the tension between the desire for privacy and the notoriety inherent in dedication to an important cause. After several weeks, creative resolution came in a stunning “aha moment” of clarity: “Always be humble, but honor your gifts.” I had my answer, and I’ve never looked back.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I decided that The Potentialist series would be worth the hard work and losing my anonymity if just one person benefitted. To my surprise, hundreds have commented that the books have made a meaningful difference in their lives. They’ve come in book reviews, social media, emails, and in-person responses. One favorite is from a parent who conducted a Potentialist book club with their kids. Another is from a lady reporting that through The Pursuit of Wisdom, she found her way back to herself after her husband’s death and her children leaving home for lives of their own. Every such response is a personal gift to me. I hope this interview will inspire others to trust in the worth and power of their gifts to the world.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Very much so.
- Everyone should lead, even if only with family and friends. Please don’t stay silent. It is essential to speak up.
- Remind everyone that fear of change and pessimism are unwise knee-jerk responses unjustified by humanity’s progress, the abundance surrounding us, and the New Reality’s promise. Fear leads to unwise decisions, and pessimism blinds us to opportunity.
- A central tenet of wisdom is largely missing from today’s public discourse. Researching and applying the law of polarity, also called the tension of opposites, would serve us all well, particularly public figures. The law of polarity is the core principle underlying democracy, judiciary, wise decisions, and how our minds work. Simply stated, blind advocacy, berating, or seducing others to your point of view, reinforces resistance and fails in the end. Power may swing back and forth temporarily, with the temporary winner undoing the other’s acts, but it inevitably ends in exhaustion that forces return to an acceptable center. Wisdom requires understanding and appreciating the other’s point of view. No matter how much we may dislike it, opposition exists for a reason and cannot be extinguished. When opposites and their spokespersons are patiently honored, creative solutions arise. So, for all of us, this means returning civil discourse from advocating and denigrating opposition to searching for and appreciating its purpose. Such an approach may seem naive in today’s divided world, but this is a law of nature that will rule in the end.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I see myself, others, and the world through the lens of potential. For me, leadership is helping others discover their potential and seeing the potential in seemingly impossible or difficult-to-achieve ideas. People respond enthusiastically to this leadership because they understand you care enough to help them discover their potential and be their best.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Your strengths become your weaknesses. This law of life took me too long to understand as a destructive pattern.
- Find the balance between speed and patience in decisions and actions. I haven’t mastered this one.
- Give life and relationships a chance to unfold naturally, like a flower, instead of forcing a direction or result. They will always be more beautiful and smell better.
- Some people, and I’m one, underestimate what we already know. That causes me to overthink things when I already know the answer.
- Time is a non-renewable resource and your most precious life currency. Spend it wisely.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Enlightenment is simply intimacy with all things.” This is attributed to the Zen Buddhist teacher and poet Dogen Zenji (1200–1253).
To be fulfilled, every person must accomplish two things: the dignity of self-achievement and the enlightenment from belonging and contributing to the greater reality. Dogen Zenji’s quote explains that we connect to all things through the force of intimacy. Observe how intimately we can connect to even inanimate objects like a favorite coffee cup or sweater, or to a sunset, flower, or hummingbird.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
In a moment of peaceful solitude, I once asked, “Who is the wisest person on earth?” An instant response popped up: “No one knows them.” Wise people do not seek fame and dismiss it if it finds them. I want to have lunch with the unknown, wisest person.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I welcome your readers to follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. You can also visit PotentialistFuture.com to see the videos, read the articles and blogs, and sign up for my newsletter.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Ben Lytle Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.