Episode summary
Be Kind and Win: Gui Costin, Dakota
Dakota Rainmaker Podcast
· · Hosts: Gui Costin
Summary
Gui Costin uses the book Be Kind to argue that a hard-driving sales culture does not have to be harsh, volatile, or demeaning. He says the company’s early years were marked by ego and bad leadership habits, but a turning point in 2011 pushed him to build a team around helping people get what they want out of life.
The core of the discussion is the difference between being “nice” and being “kind.” Gui argues that kindness means direct, respectful feedback and a willingness to have hard conversations, while niceness can become avoidance that keeps people from improving. He says leaders do a disservice when they withhold correction just to spare feelings.
He also ties culture to daily behavior at the top: tone, words, trust, and how leaders treat people in the office. Gui says Dakota has become proof that a very high-performance environment can still be fun, collaborative, and humane, and he extends that lesson to sports, little league, and parenting.
Key takeaways
- Gui Costin argues that Dakota’s culture proves high performance and kindness can coexist without lowering standards.
- Gui Costin says being “nice” can be unkind if it prevents direct feedback that helps teammates improve.
- Gui Costin credits a 2011 epiphany with shifting him from volatile leadership to a mission of helping others get what they want out of life.
- Gui Costin says leaders’ words and tone matter more than title because teams absorb the energy set from the top.
- Gui Costin extends the same idea to youth sports, saying coaches should make the game fun so kids want to stay involved.
Notable quotes
“I really wanted to document uh this concept and use Dakota as kind of the the petri dish, the proof statement that it's actually possible”
“can you have this super hard charging culture playing at the highest professional level like we just had and as you know, right”
“Being kind is absolutely having tough conversations”
“I'm doing a disservice to you by being nice”
“You know what? When we go to practice, we're not going to practice. We're just going to play”
How the episode opens
Welcome to the Rain Maker podcast with your host Geek Cen. The goal of this podcast is to give listeners a unique look into sales strategies from top industry executives. We introduce you to the heads of sales and heads of distribution who will help you understand the inner workings of the successful sales organizations from philosophy to execution.
This podcast is essential for sales professionals seeking wisdom from the best in the field. If you're not familiar with Dakota and their Dakota rain maker content, please check out dakota.com to learn more about their services.
This episode is brought to you by Dakota Marketplace. Are you tired of constantly jumping between multiple databases and channels to find the right investment opportunities? Introducing Dakota Marketplace, the comprehensive institutional and intermediary database built by fundraisers for fundraisers.
With Dakota Marketplace, you'll have access to all channels and asset classes in one place, saving you time and streamlining your fundraising process. Say goodbye to the frustration of searching through multiple databases, websites, form ADVs, and say hello to a seamless and efficient fundraising experience. Sign up now and see the difference Dakota Marketplace can make for you.
Visit dakota.comdotenarketplace today. What is up everybody? It's Geek Cen, founder of Dakota.
Welcome to the latest episode of the Rainmaker Podcast. This is a special edition because I'm actually going to be the one being interviewed about the book by my co-author Morgan Holy Cross. Morgan, welcome.
Thank you. Thank you for having me and let me taking the driver's seat here. — Let's go. So, um, we, uh, wrote the book together, Be Kind. It's our second book. Our first book was The Dakota Way. So, congrats on the book.
Thank you. — It wouldn't have gotten done without you.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- leadership culture
- kindness vs nice
- accountability
- direct feedback
- performance vs harshness
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Dakota Marketplace
Watch the episode
Watch “Be Kind and Win: Gui Costin, Dakota” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from Dakota Rainmaker Podcast
-
Fix the Data First: Why AI Strategy Starts With Your Data Foundation, with Taylor Lowe of Metal -
The Lowest Standard You Accept Defines Your Culture: Jonathan Kingery, DoubleLine -
Check Your Title at the Door: Lori McEvoy on Building a Winning Distribution Team -
The Art of Subtraction: Sales Leadership Lessons from Wellington’s Chip Saltz -
Culture Is the Strategy: Christina Adamson of Ares Wealth Management Solutions -
If It's Not in Salesforce, It Didn't Happen Michael O'Shea on Sales Discipline at Origin Investments
Dakota Rainmaker Podcast, this episode and its artwork belong to Dakota Team. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
