Podcast appearances and mentions of David H Maister

Send us a textDr. Flo Falayi, a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, leads leadership and executive development within the Advisory practice, CEO/C-Suite Accelerator, and Succession team. He focuses on executive development, coaching, team effectiveness, and inclusive leadership programs to align with strategic priorities and enhance satisfaction, motivation, and retention.With 28 years of experience, Dr. Flo helps organizations execute strategy through effective leadership development and coaching. He has held P&L responsibilities across HR, Business Technology, L&D, and Training in global organizations.Dr. Flo Falayi brings a global perspective from working across North America, Europe, and West Africa. He applies psychological principles to solve leadership challenges and partners with senior leaders on assessments, 360 evaluations, and succession planning.Before Korn Ferry, he co-founded a boutique firm and was a principal at a global consultancy. A recognized thought leader, his insights appear in various publications, and he speaks frequently on inclusive leadership, hybrid leadership, and coaching strategies.Flo is married to his college sweetheart, Lande and they have three young men, two in college and a high school junior.Flo is a YALE scholar, holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership and an Executive MBA candidate at the University of Georgia, Terry College of Business. He holds a Master's degree and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems, and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture. Dr. Flo is an accredited coach (ACC) certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Change Management Professionals (ACMP), Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Forbes Coaches Council.A Quote From This Episode"Enterprise leaders have to be able to perform and transform the business at the same time."Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeArticle: Top 5 Leadership Trends That Will Shape 2025 (Korn Ferry)Book: Calling Bullshit byCalling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World by Carl T. Bergstrom & Jevin D. WestBook: The Trusted Advisor byThe Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Robert Galford, and Charles Green Book: Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald A. Heifetz  & Martin Linsky About The International Leadership Association (ILA)The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!About  Scott J. AllenWebsiteWeekly Newsletter: Pra ♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.

Trust is the number one need leaders must fulfill for their followers. Yet, research from Gallup and other organizations show more and more employees aren't trusting their leaders. So what can leaders and people-managers do differently, and how can they capitalize on their unique talents? Listen in as we explore the data, trust's importance, and offer our suggestions. [0:34] The stats - Trust in leadership is faltering & how trust impacts employee retention. [2:26] Uncovering behaviors of employees without trust, the impact on teams, and building trust with open, vulnerable communication.[5:42] Lead with positive intent - extend trust before you see the proof. The Trusted Advisor equation: Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy / Self-Orientation [9:45] The Speed of Trust by Steven M.R. Covey - exploring the intersection of strengths with the 4 core components of Trust: Integrity, Intent, Capabilities & Results.[16:40] Strengths Based Leadership - building trust with your talent themes [20:40] As a leader, building trust builds a good reputation, providing leeway to overcome mistakes. [23:18] What can leaders do differently? Extend Trust - Provide feedback often - Engage. The importance of an honest self-assessment. Watch for non-trusting behaviors. What talent themes do you have that can help you build trust as a leader?MENTIONED RESOURCES: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick LencioniThe Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Robert Galford, and Charles H. GreenThe Speed of Trust by Steven M.R. CoveyStrengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath & Barry Conchie Articles from Gallup: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/473738/why-trust-leaders-faltering-gain-back.aspxhttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/258197/why-leaders-employees-trust-don.aspxhttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspxYOUR HOSTS: Jen Werner @ Jen Werner Coaching Facebook | LinkedIn | WebsiteJen's Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Responsibility | Achiever | Belief | Deliberative | Activator Chad Ahern @ Talent and Teams Consulting LinkedIn | WebsiteChad's Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Learner | Deliberative | Responsibility | Harmony | Analytical The opinions and insights we share on each CliftonStrengths theme are our own and are based on our understanding of Gallup's Strengths-based development research. They are also informed by our unique work with our clients. Even though we are both Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches, the insights we share here are not formally vetted, approved, or endorsed by Gallup, Inc. Gallup®, CliftonStrengths®, and the 34 theme names of CliftonStrengths® are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Esperamos que disfrutes esta amena charla que tuve con Víctor Noguera, Co-Founder de Flat.mx

#221 - La Formula della Fiducia"Smettila di concentrarti sul mostrare a tutti quanto sei competente. Ciò che conta sono le relazioni che crei e la fiducia che queste persone ripongono in te."Ho pubblicato da poco il prototipo di ciò che per il momento sto chiamando una Superguida. Una superguida è un contenuto che raccoglie numerose risorse, testi, immagini, video, libri per fornire un quadro organico di uno specifico tema. Il fuoco di questa prima Superguida è sulla Fiducia nel contesto del business.La trovi qui: https://xtiles.app/628c685c597e954b4485909fCiò che mi ha spinto a creare questa Superguida è la mia convinzione che la fiducia è l'elemento critico essenziale per: a) poter creare relazioni di lunga durata e ib) motivare una persona all'acquisto.Nel preparare questa superguida - che è una collezione di risorse, libri, definizioni, esempi e articoli sulla fiducia nel business, ho scoperto un autore, un libro e una formula che combacia esattamente con la mia prospettiva su come guadagnare credibilità e fiducia dei propri potenziali clienti.La formula è questa: Credibilità + Affidabilità + IntimitàDegno di fiducia = _______________________________________________ Fuoco su Se Stessi*Credibilità* = competenza, esperienza, autorevolezza*Affidabilità* = precisione, puntualità, onestà*Intimità* = ascolto, empatia, stile*Fuoco su Se Stessi* = ego-centrismo, auto-referenzialità, narcisismo commerciale (ho fatto questo..., ho fatto questo altro...)Fonte: The Trusted Advisor - Maister, Green, MalfordMorale della favola: Più parliamo di noi, più scriviamo e promuoviamo le nostre opere, articoli e servizi, più insomma mettiamo il fuoco su noi stessi e sulle nostre abilità e maggiormente diminuisce il livello di fiducia che gli altri sono disposti a concederci. -------------Info Utili• Ottieni feedback, ricevi consigli sul tuo progetto online Entra nella comunità di imprenditori indipendenti di Robin Goodhttps://robingood.it • Musica di questa puntata: "Swing Low" by Birocratit - disponibile su Bandcamp:https://birocratic.bandcamp.com/track/swing-lowNella foto di copertina: La formula della fiducia.Fonte: The Trusted Advisor (libro) di Maister, Green, Galfordhttps://www.amazon.com/-/es/David-H-Maister/dp/1982157100/Per approfondire il tema della fiducia nel business:https://xtiles.app/628c685c597e954b4485909f• Dammi feedback:critiche, commenti, suggerimenti, idee e domande unendoti al gruppo Telegram https://t.me/@RobinGoodPodcastFeedback• Ascolta e condividi questo podcast:https://gopod.me/RobinGood• Seguimi su Telegram:https://t.me/RobinGoodItalia (tutti i miei contenuti, immagini, audio e video in un solo canale) • Newsletter:Robingood.substack.com (ENG) Robingooditalia.substack.com (ITA) • Per info e richieste:mailto: Ludovica.Scarfiotti@robingood.it

If you want to learn anything at all about the impact of increasing the quality of your negotiation skills, THIS is the episode for you. Expert, life-long negotiator Mike Lander shares his wisdom with host Jim Schubert on this episode of Agents Growth Academy, where they discuss the power of the inquisitive mind on your memory recall, how likening yourself to an annoying toddler can increase your sales rate, and how their learning model will naturally secure a better negotiation every time. 3 Key TakeawaysThere are three ways that you can build professional trust with people and it isn't sitting for coffee and quizzing their favorite color.The inquisitive mind holds more power to recall and implement knowledge than it is given credit for. Use Mike's model and see it for yourself. Preparation, preparation, preparation! This is 80% of a successful negotiation. ResourcesPat Flynn's PodcastGetting to Yes by William Ury, Bruce Patton, and Roger FisherVisit higgle.piscari.com for the Higgle Negotiation WorkbookInfluence by Robert B. CialdiniThe Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. GalfordMike's website: piscari.comMike's LinkedinAbout Mike Landerhas negotiated hundreds of deals over the last 24 years, worth well in excess of £450m. He has been a procurement director for a private equity-backed portfolio company, which is now worth $1bn. Mike is a managing partner at one of the UK's largest Procurement Consultancies, selling businesses for large, 7-figure sums. He raised £6m of debt financing to fund the acquisition and growth of a professional services and education business and has provided negotiation support to clients that has helped them deliver gross margins of over 65%. Mike negotiated the restructuring of £4m of creditors as part of a corporate turnaround, resulting in all creditors being paid out in full. More recently, he sold a high-growth SEN school's business for a large 7-figure sum and delivered procurement savings of over £5m.

Welcome to this 50th episode of the Mission Forward Podcast! It's been a true joy sharing these conversations with you all on the power of communcations, this field we love so much. Our guest this week is Kerry-Ann Hamilton, a communications strategist with decades of experience in media relations, cause communications, and crisis management. She serves as principal consultant at KAH Communications where she brings her experience to bear for nonprofits and cause-related organizations and, for us, her work is a shining example of the balance of ideals, values, goals, and mission. In fact, we want to amplify this statement — which you'll hear when you listen to the show — because we've been repeating it like a mantra all week. When asked why she started her own firm, she replied, "I was excited to work at scale with organizations and bold change-makers who want to create the world they want, and are restless about the world we have." We create the world we want because we're restless about the world we have. Kerry-Ann's experience in nonprofit communication is extensive, and you'll hear how easily she's able to disabuse us of our misunderstandings about the work and power of the nonprofit in the hands of the passionate and engaged leader. She shares her own inspirations this week: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown and The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister. You can learn more about Kerry-Ann Hamilton and the work her team is doing at KAH Consulting. We're honored to amplify her experience and expertise on the show this week!

Welcome to this 50th episode of the Mission Forward Podcast! It's been a true joy sharing these conversations with you all on the power of communcations, this field we love so much. Our guest this week is Kerry-Ann Hamilton, a communications strategist with decades of experience in media relations, cause communications, and crisis management. She serves as principal consultant at KAH Communications where she brings her experience to bear for nonprofits and cause-related organizations and, for us, her work is a shining example of the balance of ideals, values, goals, and mission. In fact, we want to amplify this statement — which you'll hear when you listen to the show — because we've been repeating it like a mantra all week. When asked why she started her own firm, she replied, "I was excited to work at scale with organizations and bold change-makers who want to create the world they want, and are restless about the world we have."We create the world we want because we're restless about the world we have. Kerry-Ann's experience in nonprofit communication is extensive, and you'll hear how easily she's able to disabuse us of our misunderstandings about the work and power of the nonprofit in the hands of the passionate and engaged leader.She shares her own inspirations this week: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown and The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister.You can learn more about Kerry-Ann Hamilton and the work her team is doing at KAH Consulting. We're honored to amplify her experience and expertise on the show this week!

“Engagement in and of itself isn't good enough. Are we focused on the right things, and are we organized around what matters?” -Tara Lockyer Employee Engagement is a key indicator of success for most organizations and is a critical component for retention in a hot labour market. And yet, what if you have ultra-high engagement scores that don't correlate to customer satisfaction and the bottom line? Listen to this episode to explore what else we need to consider when it comes to creating a great place to work. My guest is Tara Lockyer who is the Chief People Officer at ATB Financial, a large banking company servicing the Province of Alberta. In her role, Tara is responsible for all People programs including Compensation, Talent, Leadership Development, Shared Services Operations and HR Business Partnering. She has deep, global experience in the Talent Management area, and brings great wisdom to our conversation. In this episode of Talent Management Truths, you'll discover:

Today we dig into the over-use of the term Trust. It seems like organizations are trying to capitalize on the term through targeting a group of people in marketing messaging without going through the actions and behaviors to back it up. Organizations, just like people, build trust through consistent living out of values over time. There is no shortcut. We also dig into the constituent elements of trust as outlined in The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister are Credibility, Reliability, and Intimacy divided by Self Orientation. Thanks for joining us today and don't forget to hit the subscribe button and reach out at hello@theindustryoftrust.com.

Doing business in China when you're from a foreign country could be one of the most confusing yet colorful experiences you could have in life. There's no black and white on what's legal and not. It is like a huge gray area with no fixed answers to what exactly is fit for you to do.   Do you want to learn how you can reduce risks you can face while you're on your journey towards a successful venture? Don't you have an idea how foreign advisers can help you but is curious on how beautiful they can transform you and your business into?  Ann Sophie De Meester is a director of Acclime China, co-manages the team and focuses on maintaining strong client relationships. Over several years working in China, she has built extensive experience advising foreign companies on tax compliance for various cross-border operations. She specializes in intercompany transactions and compliance, and is fluent in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English and Chinese (Mandarin).  Art Dicker has over 13 years' experience in China, predominantly on China and US venture capital financings and cross-border M&A.  He has also advised many US technology, manufacturing, and consumer companies on structuring their investments and operations in China. Art is a frequent speaker in both English and Chinese on cross-border investing at top tier Chinese universities and industry conferences, and is the founder and co-host of the China Business Law Podcast.  In this episode, Ann Sophie and Art talks about the risks on doing business in China and how they help clients on reducing such risks through various ways. Here, they share why being too cost-focused and afraid of advisors bring you to the mistakes of your venture, and discusses how powerful a foreign adviser's help is.    What you will learn from this episode:  Discover how your eagerness to hear robotic answers trigger you towards business mistakes Know why you shouldn't be afraid of having a conversation with an advisor as early as possible Find out how you can reduce risks as you do business in China   “Everyone has a different risk profile, and risk is a moving thing; it's not clear black and white.”  – Art Dicker    Topics Covered:  02:46 – Art describes their ideal clients.  03:20 – Problem they solve for their clients: Reducing risks in different ways.  04:21 – The typical symptoms: Clients wanting to hear robotic answers through asking yes-or-no questions   05:30 – The mistakes: Clients becoming too cost-focused.  06:38 – Valuable free action: “Don't be afraid to talk to advisors and leave your assumptions at home.”  07:43 – Valuable Free Resource: Visit their websites and LinkedIn accounts at R&P - China Lawyers, Acclime China, and Ann Sophie De Meester and Art Dicker for free consultations and advices.  08:30 – The most impactful book/concept/program/talk: The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister  09:36 – Question that they should have been asked: “Why hire us as foreigners to help you with your China problems?”    Key Takeaways:  “Sometimes, clients can be a little too cost-focused, which may be short term is good for their cash flow, but long term can end up costing more. Too focus can be too much cost-focus.” – Ann Sophie De Meester  “I don't think you should be scared to reach out to an advisor earlier rather than later and assume that you know it's going to cost you so much. There's not too much harm in reaching out to someone in the first place to give you a very high level of feedback.” – Art Dicker  “For any advisors out there listening to this, oftentimes professionals like us come across to new clients and talk about how great we are with all the famous cases we've done and so forth, but actually, really what the client wants to know is that ‘You're listening to me and you're understanding my problem, and you are taking the time to give me something that I can use, and you're not just giving me a cookie cutter answer.'” – Art Dicker    People / Resources Mentioned:  The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister Ganbei   Ways to Connect with Ann Sophie De Meester:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-sophie-de-meester-31943b7a/   Ways to Connect with Art Dicker:  LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/art-dicker/     Ways to Connect with Howard Whiteson:  Website: https://www.wealthwithoutborders.net  Podcast: https://www.wealthwithoutborders.net/podcast/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardwhiteson   

Heute möchte ich ein Buch vorstellen, das mich angesprochen hat. Es ist das Buch „The trusted advisor“ von David H. Maister, Charles H. Green und Robert M. Galford aus dem Jahr 2000. Auf 225 locker geschriebenen Seiten beschreibt es in drei Abschnitten, wie sich Berater verhalten können, um eine vertrauenswürdige Beziehung zu ihren Kunden aufzubauen und zu erhalten.

Mark Baldino is a design industry expert with over 20 years in UX and Human-Centered Design. He's a co-founder of Fuzzy Math, an award-winning UX design and innovation consultancy located in Chicago with clients worldwide. Along with building and sustaining a 20-person design studio, he's helped build and train UX teams for some of the largest companies in the world. Fuzzy Math’s call to action “Do good work. Be good people” is embedded in all of Mark's work as he advocates for “goodness” in design: producing work we are proud of as designers and that positively impacts the lives of those who use digital products and services every day. Mark has led projects across complex and regulated industries including Allstate, Hyatt Hotels, Microsoft and GE Healthcare.   Questions   Your bio said that you're a UX and Human-Centered Design Organization, Fuzzy Math. But maybe give us some background behind why you decided to name the company that and just how you got into what you're doing today. Customer experience, user experience, user design, those words sometimes are used interchangeably in navigating different experiences for customers across different industries. Could you share with us what is so different about what you guys do that really helps to enhance the customer's experience? Let's say, for example, you're looking at your strategy for 2021 coming out of this year that we've all had, that has been extremely different from any other year we've all experienced. How would you demonstrate or justify the return on investment of focusing on UX? Why is it important? How is it really going to transform your business? Why should you give attention to it as you would give attention to any other budgeted item for your business plan? Could you share with us one or two things that a company should take into consideration in managing their digital spend in the age of COVID? Could you share with us how do you stay motivated every day? Can you share with our listeners what's the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? Could you share with us maybe one or two books that have had the biggest impact on you, maybe a book that you've read recently or a book you read a very long time ago, but it definitely had a great impact on you. Can you share with us what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about? It could be something that you're working on to develop yourself or something you're working on to develop your people. Where can listeners find you online? Do you have a quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you’ll tend to revert to this quote, kind of helps to get you back on track or just keep you focused. Do you have one of those?   Highlights   Mark’s Journey   Mark stated that Fuzzy Math is a unique name, it served them well for the past 11 and a half years. The term Fuzzy Math, it does mean something in the real world, for them it speaks about the duality of the work that they do in the user experience and human centered design processes.   So kind of the fuzzy part is they're working with humans and they're trying to understand them and they are complicated and complex and sometimes they say one thing and do another. So it can be hard to design products and services to meet their needs. And the way they do that is kind of the math side, which is a little bit more of the robust process they follow sort of a thorough user center design process they lead their clients through.   It kind of makes sense of what humans are saying and doing and allows them to build products that better meet their needs. So it's kind of the analytics and process side, which is the math solving for the human psychology and fuzzy side, which is the humans.   What Fuzzy Math Does to Enhance the Customer’s Experience   Mark shared that their process is about putting customers or users at the center of everything they do. So, one of the reasons they use the term “User” is because it really focuses in on their use of a specific, in their case, they're designing a lot of web based applications or mobile applications.   Customer can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people and so you thinking about customers from the brand perspective, from a marketing perspective, business perspective, and they try to get a little bit more narrow and think about who is this human sitting in front of a computer and what are they doing every day? And how do we make their experience more efficient and effective and satisfying for them?   And that doesn't always take into account the brand, for example, which again, brand and customer get aligned a lot. They try to break that out, they don't think in terms of brands, if they're working for a company that is a brand, they're really thinking about, what is this person's experience with your product and with your service and how can they architect it to better meet their needs?   And so, it's really about putting a user at the center of everything that they do and advocating for them and their needs. And that sometimes pushes against what might make the most sense from like a sales or a marketing perspective.   And that's okay, there can be a natural tension between those. But for their purposes, it's let's give users a voice at the table here and advocate for their needs, which might push against some other considerations of a business.   So it's a slightly narrow lens to focus it on and really say who is this human being that, again, is sitting in front of a computer, has to use this digital product and service and how can they make them happier people, while they're using these products.   The Importance of Using UX to Transform Your Business   Mark shared that he would think that the year that everyone's just had really, really gives them a sense of why they should be investing in digital. So you can take healthcare, for example. But you could say the same for some retail, that’s brick and mortar, maybe a higher education.   So healthcare and higher education, they have two things in common, which is they have these large, vast physical spaces that they've invested billions of dollars in. A hospital in 2020 looks nothing like a hospital did in 1980. They are gorgeous structures; they look more like hotels.   And so, the idea is when you step in, that experience that you get when you enter the atrium of a modern hospital is supposed to give you a sense of what's going to happen behind the scenes, behind the doors, is this amazing high tech, high touch. Again, it almost feels like you're stepping into a luxury hotel and that's how you want to be treated. Well, guess how many people were using those front doors during COVID? No one.   Hospitals were busy, but they were not coming through the front doors and stepping in and getting a sense of this is where I want to spend money, it was much more from an emergency perspective.   But instead, the digital front door of hospitals became the center point, and hospitals that had invested in 2019 and previously in their digital front door were much better positioned to handle kind of customer service, user experience, patient services, provide those in a much more effective and meaningful manner. And so, if you invested in 2019 or before, let's say that that dollar you spend in 2019 was worth ten times as much in 2020 and nothing to say it's not going to be just as valuable moving forward.   So the idea is that people are experiencing brands and products or services overall, they're experiencing digital first or have experienced digital first and a lot of people are digital, they live digitally, they think that that's a normal thing. But you have to think of these industries where there was a physical component to it and they had invested in that physical component.   And now, you're not taking a college tour and deciding on a college based on how fancy the building is, you're probably making that based on what the digital experience you're going to get and whether you can tell that they've actually invested in that in that digital experience.   So, even though he thinks we saw a lot of budgets get tightened in 2020, given uncertainty, what we've seen in this quarter and what we're expecting to continue to see in Q1 is that those budgets are getting reoriented towards kind of the digital experience. And so, he actually thinks it's kind of an easy sell, it's not one that he has to make. But he thinks for people internally is to say….. “If we haven't invested in our digital infrastructure, now is the time if we want this business to be sustainable, we can also have to shift maybe the organization overall towards spending more on these digital first experiences and not maybe spend as much in something like physical infrastructure.” Me: Agreed. Great. So that definitely will allow people to have greater justification for why they need to make this type of investment and, of course, how it will impact their business in the long term.   Managing Your Digital Spend in the Age of COVID    Me: Now, let's say, for example, we have a business and they're looking to go into this. What are maybe one or two ways that you think you could probably suggest to them that they could be able to better manage their digital spend in the age of COVID. Because a lot of people feel like they're in contracting mode. I've listened to many podcast interviews and I know a lot of organizations that would have done a year in planning in terms of what they're going to invest into, they're now doing short term plans like three months, six months, because they just don't know what to expect.   So, with that in mind, maybe could you share with us one or two things that a company should take into consideration in managing their digital spend in the age of COVID?   When asked to share what a company should take into consideration in managing their digital spend in the age of COVID, Mark shared that he thinks they need to think short and long term, if you're too narrow in your focus of this few months, he has heard that as well, “Hey, we have two months to make impact.”   You can only do so much in in two months. And so, they're helping a lot of their clients with is put roadmaps in place which allow for a strategic view, which is three years out, even if there's a large amount of uncertainty in said industry. But that has a really tactical, they're doing two to three month chunks of work. So what can they accomplish in a short term that's going to move the needles and some KPIs. But what is their vision for the longer term. And inside of that, something that they don't do a lot of crisis management for their clients, but all of their clients and frankly, all human beings went through a crisis this past year.   And he doesn't mean to say that we're going to experience another one, but there's nothing to say that this couldn't happen again in two years down the road. So, while you're thinking strategically long term, while you're solving stuff in the short term, you need to invest in an infrastructure that's going to allow you to pivot quickly during a point of crisis.   Again, he hates to go back to the healthcare example, but it's an easy one these days. A lot of websites and customer service teams were very unprepared for the deluge of visitors.   In some cases, he heard 3000% increase in web traffic. So that's the technical architecture going to support that but can we respond to that many requests? And so, this shouldn't be a poll that is a blip on the radar for 2020, people need to invest in crisis management and how they can respond and how their digital products and services respond during a crisis like this.   So, again, they're trying to map out what the long term improvements to customer experiences are over a 3-year period, they're trying to help their clients adjust and make some changes incrementally along the way that are going to move the needle in a two or three month time frame and start to think about what it looks like when a crisis hits again and how teams responds and how technology responds and how we can utilize technology to respond during those points of crisis.    How Mark Stays Motivated   Mark shared that fear is a big motivator, just to be quite honest, he thinks in 2020. It is this sense of fight or flight; you need to keep the business going. It's not a great long term motivator because it just wears you down a little bit. So, he tries to spend time away from his computer and that keeps him motivated to get back to the computer. He works a lot with his hands, crafts, furniture building, light construction, it's a lot less cerebral and it's a lot more physical.   And he finds it when he’s able to step away from the computer and start to work on physical products or physical projects, he yearns to be back in front of the computer because there's something about the amount of change you can influence or impact through the work that they do as designers. And that's really, really powerful. And it's not just about him and a closet he’s building or a piece of furniture, that's personally rewarding for him. And he enjoys that.   But a lot of the products they work on are with bigger businesses and thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of people are using these tools every day. And there's a lot of power in being able to make those tools more satisfactory and joyful for humans. And so, this kind of this exponential push that they can make in people's lives through the tools that they redesign but sometimes when you're so focused on what's the next sale they're going to make? He does primarily sales at Fuzzy Math these days, he doesn't do a lot of design himself. You sort of miss that larger picture. So, to stay motivated, he gets away from the computer, he works in the in the physical world, and then that really pulls him back to the computer because he can get just a different perspective on what it is they do it Fuzzy Math and how they're helping people.   App, Website or Tool that Mark Absolutely Can’t Live Without in His Business   When asked about an online resource that he can’t live without in his business, Mark shared that it's going to sound standard, but email. He'd love to say Slack, but his team loves Slack as a digital tool, he thinks it's enabled the business to function better specifically remotely. But as many times as people try to remake email and make that experience better, there's a reason we all use it, it's very easy, it's quick to communicate with people. And so, it's a boring answer but it's where he’s at almost every minute of every day is in his inbox and he uses it as a way to manage tasks and to do’s, kind of a zero inbox person. He has a number of ways and filters to clean his inbox and make it an efficient mechanism for me.   But he has been using it since AOL, so early 90s. He has been using email for a while. He is very comfortable with it and he can be a creature of habit sometimes and it takes a while for him to shift into something else. As boring as it sounds, he feels like email is consistent and for him it's something he can always rely on as a tool to know what's coming into his business, what's going on in his business and what does he need to do every day. So, maybe not the most inspiring answer, but it's an honest one. If you ask him what he can't live without at this point, it’s email.   Me: Definitely, don't feel bad about sharing email because it's important. And it's an excellent communication tool and it does definitely allow for some level of accountability, paper trail you can go back in. I've pulled up emails that I've sent to people from three, four or five years ago just to make reference to maybe a conversation that was had that maybe you just need to bring back to the forefront based on what you're moving on with currently. So it really, really is an excellent resource. So I'm not going to negate your application.   Books That Have Had the Greatest Impact on Mark   Mark shared that there are two books that have probably had the biggest impact on him. The first is Managing Professional Service Firm by David Maister. It's an old book, the 90’s. It has been updated a number of times. It basically gave him all of the tools to build a professional services firm and how to think about his team and himself and leadership structure and consulting in general. A lot of consultants started as practitioners, he did. And they built consultancies because there's work out there. But running a business is very different from doing design work and so, Managing Professional Services Firm, he calls it his Bible in terms of if he has a question, he goes there first.   He spent a few months in Argentina last year during the winter to escape awful Chicago winters and he read Let My People Go Surfing, which is by the founder of Patagonia. And that's just a fantastic book, it's part bio, which is just great to understand how and why Patagonia was founded. But also there's a business component to it and how you can run kind of an ethical business and what you can look out for and how you can guide your company and he’s a firm believer in the ethos and values that Patagonia sort of imbues in its products and services.   But there's a real honesty to the book in terms of, in a perfect world, no one needed more clothes and Patagonia would go out of business and they don't hide from that fact, they sort of explain it.   And so, he just found it a really refreshing read and he thinks people that like that book, he thinks are people that he would kind of enjoy in the real world to talk to.   So it's been kind of a book that he keeps an eye or an ear out for if people have read it, because he thinks that if they read it and enjoyed it and found value in it, they probably have a similar set of values to him and those can be some of the best of friends, first of all, but kind of professional relationships when there's a bit of a value overlap.    What Mark is Really Excited About Now!   Mark shared that internally and it's about developing their people. They've started a (DEI) Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity initiative at Fuzzy Math, it's about 18 months old and that's by far been the most rewarding part of 2020, because they made a lot of progress there. The initiative was not started because they had a crisis of diversity, equity and inclusivity on the team, it was because people thought that there was room that they could grow as a firm, even as a team of 20.   And so, two employees came to them and said, “Hey, we think we should invest time and energy into this, that there's some room for growth here.” And Ben, is his business partner and him, “Okay, what's kind of what's the plan? Help us along here.” They eventually brought in a third party consultant who's been a tremendous resource for them.   And it's really reoriented how he thinks about growth at the company and proper growth and their role potentially in equity and inequality in the design industry, how they hire people and retain them, how they can maybe train people who don't have a formal background in what they do, how they can create apprentice and mentorship internship programs.   And they've been doing all of this, but they haven't done it with the lens of DEI and obviously this past year there's been worldwide attention specifically through Black Lives Matter and they started the process ahead of that but it really it dovetailed well as it there was a specific focus on it globally and certainly in the United States. And for them to have a forum for their team to communicate about their concerns and then be able to plan for what the future looks like.   So, they have a two-year roadmap for how they're going to improve DEI at Fuzzy Math and it's not just a one stop shop, they didn't just write a DEI statement and put it on their website. In fact, it's not on the website yet because they are taking a very thorough, kind of methodical approach to this.   And it's a long term change of the composition of the people at Fuzzy Math and their backgrounds. How you can have a voice at Fuzzy Math, what hiring, retention, growth and career paths. A lot of things he didn't put in the DEI bucket; his team did because they felt that they were important in terms of communication from the founders down to the team.   So it's been a tremendous learning experience for him, it's been great to see because it's been team led, his team has driven this and that's super rewarding as a business owner to see people care so much about but the company and more specifically about each other, to want to invest time and energy into DEI.   Me: Sounds good. Okay, so we will definitely be following that journey eventually when it becomes public. And you may serve as a benchmark for other organizations that may want to take on that same kind of initiative.   Where Can We Find Mark Online   Website – www.fuzzymath.com   Mark shared that if you go to the resources section on their website, there's a newsletter, encourage people to sign up for the newsletter. They don't spam you. They send out one new sort of newsletter every month, which includes a topic of their interest. Sometimes it's is very specific to design and designers.   Recently it's been about kind of the business value of design and the ROI of design. And then they include some links and articles that they have read in the past month that they enjoy. They have the benefit of living and breathing UX every single day, and not everyone has that, so they try to pull some resources together for people.   If people want to reach out to him, his email is mark@fuzzymath.com, he’s happy to answer emails, chat, schedule, some time to connect, whether it's about starting a career in design or whether you have a potential project.   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Mark Uses   Mark shared that he doesn't really have a quote, there's just sort of saying, he doesn't know where it's attributed to, it's around, do you have a strategic plan? Yes, it's called doing things. He thinks people sometimes worry too much about strategy and less about execution and has tried to make his career about kind of execution and doing and he considers himself a bit of a doer.   So, it helps him when he’s thinking about where Fuzzy Math’s going to be in 5 years or 10 years, people sometimes ask that question and he doesn't always have a clear picture, he just has to remind himself that they just have to continue doing what they've been doing for 11 ½ years, it's made them successful, bunch of happy clients and happy users along the way.   So, if you're ever concerned about what to do next, just do. Start creating, start building, don't spend too much time thinking or planning because execution is all that matters at the end of the day.   Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners   Links   Managing The Professional Service Firm by David H. Maister Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard    The ABC’s of a Fantastic Customer Experience   Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC’s of a Fantastic Customer Experience.”   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

We’re back with another management oriented book by David H. Maister: Managing the Professional Service Firm. This book gives us a wholistic perspective on starting, running, and growing a service firm, perfect for Chris with his engineering consulting company! Lots to glean from this book, so let’s get reading! Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the video version of the podcast! Email us with your own perspective and thoughts on this book! Instagram: @businessbythebooks YouTube: Business by the Books Website: businessbythebooks.com Email: businessbythebookspodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, I interview Patrice Brown,  the Founder, and CEO of CQG Consulting, a professional consultancy that delivers practical, creative, and cost-effective environmental and development solutions throughout regional Australia and South East Asia. She is a corporate environmental advisor with over 30 years’ experience in industrial and environmental management. Aged 42 in 2003, Patrice left a long-standing engineering career to start an environmental consulting firm. Starting as the one full-time employee for the first five years, they peaked at 40 in 2011, then after a downturn in the Australian coal industry dropped to 12, and now have 32 full-time employees across five locations. She founded the business with only $20,000 of her own capital and the rest has been from cash flow. Patrice felt they had succeeded when about 18 months ago, they bid out large competitors with over 10,000 staff for many projects.  She believes that small business owners should always act quickly and that the hardest thing about growing a small business is having that confidence to just do it, and being prepared to make mistakes. She says that the advice she would give herself on day one is, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, embrace mistakes, just have a go, and trust yourself. If you’ve been looking for some guidance on how to start a business or grow the one you already have, then you won’t wanna miss this episode. Enjoy!  This Cast Covers: Providing environmental advice to existing industries and developers. An increase in business in the last few years due to an increased global focus on environmental conservation. Generating revenue from a consulting model that fits into every client’s needs. From the sugar and timber industry, into environmental work then finally into business ownership. How she started out managing big projects as the sole employee and grew to employ up to 40 people. The lessons she learned from surviving the downturn that almost took them out of business. Beating huge competitors to secure a major contract with the Department of Defence and other moments of pride. The different ways that different business owners measure success and the holy grail that is time. The importance of understanding the kind of customers you’re targeting so you can come up with an effective marketing strategy. Taking immediate action to start a business without overcommitting financially. Recruiting slowly to get the right staff and investing in them to ensure they deliver their best. The difficult experience of losing staff members to competitors and other industries. Getting personal satisfaction from being able to create a career pathway for young people. Realizing that thriving in business is all about delivering personalized service, coming up with practical solutions, building a great team, and providing value for money. Allocating time and Investing in personal health and wellness to survive in the world of business. Allowing, fostering, and encouraging innovation without micromanaging staff. Her passion for continual learning and how it has helped her progress over the years. The value in engaging with both older and younger mentors. The challenge most people have in mastering the confidence to start a business. Believing in yourself: The most valuable tool you have as a small business owner. Additional Resources: The Trusted Advisor By David H. Maister Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode host, Jack Marino Jr. speaks with Artie Pennington, a business and estate planning attorney, about why business owners should have an estate plan. This episode will guide you through the essential things you need to know when creating an estate plan for your business as well as for your personal estate. You’ll also learn what happens to your assets if you do not have an estate plan in place. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher Show Quote "Always plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark." -Richard Cushing Resources Hunt, Pennington, Kumar, Dula-– Reach out to Artie’s firm for a consultation about estate and succession planning.  David H. Maister -- Artie Pennington recommends the work of David Maister if you’d like to learn more about how to operate as a professional.  Key Takeaways  1) You need an estate plan for your business that is based on your desired outcomes. This plan will protect your business and your family.  2) Everyone needs a will. Start with a will and a trust when you begin your personal estate planning. 3) Don’t assume that everything will automatically go to your spouse and kids. Make a plan to protect them.  Show Notes

et the book here*: The Trusted Advisor - By David H. Maister https://amzn.to/2Aizhrs A comprehensive summary of the book "The Trusted Advisor" which is one of the most recommended books for consultants - providing highly valuable advice on how to conduct (management) consulting services and how to deal with clients properly.

Today we talk about what books you must read as a young strategy consultant. Likewise, if you are an aspiring management consultant not in the consulting business yet - it is very useful to read these books. THE 6 MOST POPULAR MANAGEMENT CONSULTING BOOKS YOU READ TO KICK-START YOUR MARKETING CONSULTANT CAREER WITH LINKS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials amzn.to/2GI8HO1 The Trusted Advisor - By David H. Maister amzn.to/2Aizhrs The McKinsey Way - By Ethan M. Rasiel amzn.to/2QRuzex Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking - By Barbara Minto amzn.to/2BLJ6xW The Management Consultant - By Richard Newton amzn.to/2AgDOL2 Flawless Consulting - By Peter Block amzn.to/2QQw3pk Cheers Kevin Jon

The Secure Transportation and Executive Protection News for Friday, September 21st, 2018 This podcast is brought to you by the International Security Driver Association. Whether you are exploring a career in executive protection, new to the profession, honing your expertise, or an established security executive, ISDA offers its Members benchmark educational, networking, and marketing programs. For more information about the ISDA membership, articles related to secure transportation, security, and executive protection, go to isdacenter.org.  ====================== In Vehicle News From CNET 2019 Lincoln Nautilus first drive review The Lincoln Motor Company is reinventing itself. After a generation of MK-thises and MK-thats that struggled to differentiate themselves from high-trim Fords, we got the one-two punch of Continental and redesigned Navigator. These aren't just a return of proper nameplates, either. Instead, Lincoln finally has some compelling luxury vehicles that don't just feel like upscale Fords.      https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2019-lincoln-nautilus-fwd-preview/ ====================== In Cyber Security News From CNBC Google says apps may scan Gmail accounts if they get user consent Google has given a preview of what to expect at a congressional hearing next week when the privacy of internet users takes center stage. In a letter to three U.S. senators that became public on Thursday, Google defended how and when it lets app developers at other companies scan and share the contents of Gmail accounts, saying that it continuously vets the developers who have that level of access.   https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/google-says-apps-may-scan-gmail-accounts-if-they-get-n911546 ====================== In Security News From ASIS ASIS has opened the application process for the new Associate Protection Professional certification ASIS has opened the application for those interested in taking part in the beta test for the new Associate Protection Professional or APP for short. Those applying for the new certification's beta test have been offered a discount because they'll need to wait 2-3 months for their results. During that time, ASIS will evaluate the performance of the exam and set a passing score. This new certification program was developed as part of ASIS's Career Pathing Initiative. It is intended to be the first rung on a security management professional's career ladder. The exam will test professional's knowledge of these four domains: Security Fundamentals, Business Operations, Risk Management, and Response Management. As with ASIS's other certification programs, you will need a combination of education and/or experience to take the exam (1-4 years of experience in the security management field). The Certification Handbook has all the information on eligibility requirements, how to apply, fees, and recommended readings.   https://www.asisonline.org/certification/associate-protection-professional-app/ ====================== Recommend Reading The Trusted Advisor From International Security Driver Association If there is only one business book you read, this is it. The book outlines the steps necessary to create a lasting relationship with clients. In today’s fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of one’s discipline is not enough, assert world-renowned professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. To demonstrate the paramount importance of trust, the authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples — successes and mistakes, their own and others’ — to great effect. The result is an immensely readable book that will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike. http://amzn.to/14EJOLb ====================== Links to all news stories mentioned in this podcast are available at the archive website securitydrivernews.libsyn.com. You can also listen to past podcast episodes and leave comments. As a reminder, the Secure Transportation and Executive Protection News Podcast is available on all variations of Apple and Google Play podcast apps, Spotify, Spreaker, and Stitcher. ======================   This podcast is brought to you by the International Security Driver Association ISDA is a valuable resource for all practitioners working in the protection profession. We offer benchmark educational, networking, and marketing programs. The ISDA Membership ISDA Members represent all facets and levels of the protective services profession. The membership can be defined as a group of practitioners from different disciplines within the profession and with years of experience coming together to assist ISDA Members. Read more about our members Here is a collection of Books, and Articles authored by ISDA Members. Learn More about the ISDA Advantage and Become a Member Today

For this week's episode, we were joined by a very special guest -- Vin Gaeta, IMPACT's Creative Director -- for deep dive into something we’ve touched upon before in previous episodes. (Specifically, Episode #40 - When Creative Projects Go Off the Rails.) The idea of "speaking creative" to non-creatives. Or, more simply, the art giving and receiving feedback on creative projects, to and from stakeholders (whether they're clients or other internal colleagues) who may not necessarily know how to clearly articulate why they do -- or don't -- like something, or they want something to change. Because having the ability to bridge these communication barriers is probably one of the most important skills marketing creative professionals can possess, we spent this episode discussing our experiences, as well as what you should (and shouldn’t) do to become a master communicator on creative projects.  (And we have the "battle scars" to prove it.) Enjoy! What We Talked About Why does this happen? What kind of friction does this communication gap create in projects? What are the most important points of communication to manage in a creative project timeline? Why is taking the time to explain your process to clients so important? What are the consequences of not fixing it? What are ways we, as marketing creatives, can bridge this communication gap when working clients?  What shouldn't we do? What about those clients who are too afraid to hurt your feelings to give you honest feedback? How can we use these opportunities to identify unhealthy client-agency relationships? The word "unctuous."  And, finally, are you #TeamCheese or #TeamSun? Resources We Discussed Book: The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister 23 Places Where the Konami Code Lives On Liz the Expert Cheeseologist  We Want to Hear from You! First, subscribe to Creator's Block on Apple Podcasts. Second, have a question or an idea for a future episode of the podcast? Let us know!  Creator's Block: Twitter, Instagram Jessie-Lee: Twitter, Instagram Marcella: Twitter, Instagram Liz: Twitter, Instagram Vin: Twitter, Instagram Or, you can leave us a comment below! Until next week...

02:48 - What is trust and why do we care about it? 06:21 - Establishing Trust with New Clients Asynchronous Interactions and Synchronous Interactions 18:20 - Maintaining Trust with New Clients (Engagement) 25:58 - Establishing Trust Remotely and Physically Small Talk 38:59 - Measuring Trust 42:56 - Big Takeaways Picks Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl (Philip) The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister (Jonathan) Trust Fractures: How Hourly Billing Hurts Software Projects (Jonathan) How to Prevent Scope Creep (Jonathan) The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers by Tom Standage (Reuven) Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War Paperback by Tom Wheeler (Reuven)

02:48 - What is trust and why do we care about it? 06:21 - Establishing Trust with New Clients Asynchronous Interactions and Synchronous Interactions 18:20 - Maintaining Trust with New Clients (Engagement) 25:58 - Establishing Trust Remotely and Physically Small Talk 38:59 - Measuring Trust 42:56 - Big Takeaways Picks Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl (Philip) The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister (Jonathan) Trust Fractures: How Hourly Billing Hurts Software Projects (Jonathan) How to Prevent Scope Creep (Jonathan) The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers by Tom Standage (Reuven) Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War Paperback by Tom Wheeler (Reuven)

00:52 - Marcus Blankenship Introduction Twitter Blog 01:38 - Moving Towards Management Having Difficult Conversations/Don’t Hire Friends or Family 09:12 - Firing/Letting People Go ABC = Always Be Communicating 20:04 - Growing your business doesn’t always mean hiring more people. Being the “Lone Wolf” or “Small Pack” 26:16 - Quality Control 28:33 - How do you find, hire, and keep good people? Try Before You Buy 30:52 - Trust and Communication “Self-Managing Individuals” 48:26 - Checking In and Setting Milestones Picks Drip (Jonathan) 100 Percent Up Front (Jonathan) Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco (Reuven) MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins (Chuck) Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh (Chuck) Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby (Marcus) The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister (Marcus)

00:52 - Marcus Blankenship Introduction Twitter Blog 01:38 - Moving Towards Management Having Difficult Conversations/Don’t Hire Friends or Family 09:12 - Firing/Letting People Go ABC = Always Be Communicating 20:04 - Growing your business doesn’t always mean hiring more people. Being the “Lone Wolf” or “Small Pack” 26:16 - Quality Control 28:33 - How do you find, hire, and keep good people? Try Before You Buy 30:52 - Trust and Communication “Self-Managing Individuals” 48:26 - Checking In and Setting Milestones Picks Drip (Jonathan) 100 Percent Up Front (Jonathan) Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco (Reuven) MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins (Chuck) Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh (Chuck) Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby (Marcus) The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister (Marcus)

Brad Farris is the principal advisor of Anchor Advisors, a Chicago area firm that specializes in helping small companies grow their businesses. Brad is also the founder of EnMast.com, a small business owner community. There he's published multiple e-books, how-to guides and small business tools and templates for small business owners. He is also the co-host of the amazing Breaking Down Your Business podcast with Jill Salzman. Talking about networking at events, taking relationships from online to offline, and entrepreneurship. NBN 30 Show Notes Join the NBN Club today, price increases on October 1. Listen to episode 30 in iTunes or Stitcher. Support the show by checking out Contactually a web-based CRM tool that will help maximize your network ROI, get more referrals and gain more repeat business. Thanks to Clark Buckner for his great networking tip. Record your audio comment or networking tip here. See if you can remember the names of these faces. Please pick up a copy of my book, New Business Networking: How to Effectively Grow Your Business Network Using Online and Offline Methods. Breaking Down Your Business podcast. Move from the online world to the offline world. Take it to the meet space. Common mistakes people make in small businesses. Doing too much. Everything good comes out of focus. Take it to the meet space. You need to decide to do one thing and not to do 100 other things. You're not moving forward if you're getting the wrong things done. Tips to avoiding business owner burnout. Work less. Set limits to when you work. The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators by Chris Brogan. Setting office hours. Who told us we have to reply to every email? When you do, they reply back. Stop the madness! :) Will you read it later? We don't allow the phone to interrupt us anymore. How Brad built his team from networking. Brad's networking evaluation tool. Download it here. Evaluate the value you get from the events you attend. Bring value by connecting people to problem solvers in your network. Brad tags members of his network with their area of expertise, so he can refer them easily. He uses Highrise as his CRM. His email list is by far his lowest cost, highest return marketing effort. Email newsletter growth tips. The more what you're writing about connects with the people reading it the better. Answer common questions. Look at common replies you write in your outbox for ideas to blog about. Ten ideas to blog about. Why podcasting is a great networking tool. App Recommendation: Drafts. Book Recommendation: The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford. Contact Brad:  Brad at enmast dotcom, or call him (he left his phone number). Click HERE to subscribe in iTunes Click HERE to subscribe in Stitcher