Podcasts about questions episode

Ian asks:Following up on question 868 and question 450 which I listened to again straight after, in question 450 which was about writing at pulp speed, you mentioned the concept of a creative glass box but didn't go into it because you felt you might have mentioned it before. But … The post Questions Episode 872: The Glass Box appeared first on The Every Day Novelist.

I like this episode of Cat 4 Questions Episode 9, as it's not just power and watts and speed related. This guy asked about what his potential ceiling is and where should his cycling career go as a 29 year old that rapidly went from Cat 5 to Cat 2. The cycling landscape is changing rapidly, and with road cycling shifting around (not dying) and gravel exploding along with gran fondo's, I think it's a fair question to ask: is being domestic pro even worth it anymore? The short answer is yes. The experience that you'd gain and the ability to see the US and possibly Europe and Asia sounds ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. But, at 29, is it worth throwing eggs in this basket? We discuss. Watts per kg...I wouldn't shoot for one number; 5 w/kg has been a gold standard but seems outdated to me. You're a great cyclist at 5, but by no means phenomenal. Check out this video, and let me know if you want to hear more of my origin story in cycling. I'm happy to share it all with you, but I'm not sure if that offers a ton of value for your time. Thanks for watching and please share this with a friend! Brendan@EVOQ.BIKE

Today on The Jay Allen Show, we discuss some changes coming to the station, and we also take listeners' questions. Enjoy it all on The Jay Allen Show.

3 Questions Episode 1 Season 2. Who made God? Randy Whittall How can I comfort someone who is dying of an illness but is not a believer? Doug Melton How can art be used by Christians as a godly accomplishment and even an act of worship? Daniel Snow We'd love for you to submit questions for a future episode! You can submit a question in one of these ways: - Email 3questionspodcast@myshbc.com - Text 505-258-2076 - Visit myshbc.com/contact All questions will be kept anonymous! If 3 Questions Podcast has been helpful to you, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, etc. This will keep you updated with new episodes and help others find it as well.

Episode 44 - Incognito Mode 101 And no easy Questions Episode 44 of the Nerds Who Swing podcast is out now! We have a conversation about how we keep out anonymity in The Lifestyle. #Swingers #Swinging #Lifestyle #TheLifestyle #Sex #Podcast #SexPositive #anonymity #Incognito https://www.nerdswhoswing.com/2019/07/07/incognitomode101/ Contact Nerds Who Swing... Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/NerdsWhoSwing Website - http://www.nerdswhoswing.com/ Email - NerdsWhoSwing@gmail.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Nerdswhoswing Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/NerdsWhoSwing/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerdswhoswing/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.ca/NerdsWhoSwing/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlNEEHiAgnVA1F8_9sD5jQ iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/nerds-who-swing/id1349874241 Footnotes… Want to be in the Nerds Who Swing logo? Submit your pictures to NerdsWhoSwing@gmail.com Want to be in the Nerds Who Swing Into? Record yourself saying “Welcome to the Nerds Who Swing podcast” Send your recording to NerdsWhoSwing@gmail.com Keywords... Swingers, Swinging, Lifestyle, TheLifestyle, Sex, Podcast, SexPositive, anonymity, Incognito    

Disappointment is common, we’ve all felt it at one point, but sometimes our minds dwell on it that can cause negative emotion. Emotions that could have been prevented. In this episode I’m going to drink tea and talk about how disappointments suck, and how to make them not suck so bad, whether you have mental illness or not.  -------------- Questions? Episode ideas? Business inquiries? Here's my email:  sickbrainbropodcast@gmail.com Twitter, for audience participation! Let me know your thoughts: https://twitter.com/sickbrainpod Intro and Outro Music by: https://www.fiverr.com/kyrobins Background music by: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Captain_Glouglous_Incredible_Week_Soundtrack/mall_1328 Tea sip SFX: Done by myself :) Outdoor SFX: https://www.freesfx.co.uk/Default.aspx Research Sources:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-clarity/201706/dealing-disappointment https://www.bustle.com/articles/174097-13-ways-to-be-optimistic-about-your-future-no-matter-what https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/how-to/how-to-deal-with-disappointment-and-let-things-go/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/some-assembly-required/201701/8-strategies-work-through-anger-and-resentment Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA): 240-485-1001   Oh yeah, and here's your present! You earned it.

Oh yeah, let’s put the “fun” back in F1 – it’s time for a new episode of Good Hang! Jon and Nathan have been sucking down champagne and getting high on petrol fumes as they shared what they did at the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. But really, this episode is all about your questions. They … Continue reading #96 – The Questions Episode →

Morning! This is part 1/2 of this 36 Questions Episode.   Changing things up a bit this week, we decided to do 36 Questions that are supposedly supposed to make you fall in love with a stranger. We aren’t strangers, nor do we want to fall in love with each other, BUT the psychology behind this is that these questions slowly ask for more vulnerability. And we all know that’s something we can all work on. This was done through a study by Arthur Aaron which is linked below if you’re interested.   http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167297234003   Have a good day! Velvet Morning vlvtmorning.com instagram @lisaylai @hong.celine @cindy.nach

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #266: Ryan Caldbeck - CircleUp CEO: How To Build The Frameworks Of Your Life & Career We are hosting a workshop on developing YOUR personal excellence as a leader.  For details and availability, go to RyanHawk.me  The Learning Leader Show "What we look for in a person: Horsepower, Integrity, Work Ethic, Teamwork, Pride." Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Persistence - regardless of skill, willing to run through unlimited doors with no light at the end of the tunnel. It can be soul crushing Identified focus passion - an understanding of the passion that is identifiable. Drive - A motor. Really good at email and/or communication. Can't take too long. "Have a motor." Always moving Values - "I don't say that lightly." You can't sustain excellence without values. "A framework to understand you." Isn't it hard to know what your passion is? "Yes. I got scared about the treadmill that I saw others get on."  However, people don't think they can leave the corporate job that pays well.  But you can.  Begin by thinking about the framework to make it happen. "Silicon Valley is a hard town to talk about challenges." What it's like to lead 60 employees What mistakes were made in the hiring process? "We took too long to make frameworks." "Frameworks show others what to do." What traits/values do you look for in hiring? "The airport test doesn't make sense to me. I don't have to want to spend a day around them in the airport." "We have crystallized what we look for in a person." Horsepower - intelligence over experience Integrity - don't talk negatively about others Work ethic - must be willing to work hard Teamwork - need to work well with others Pride - Care How to gauge work ethic in a job interview? "It starts with everyone knowing we are looking for that." Advice for the individual contributor making the leap to manager... "Figure out framework for your specific role. Get clarity on what each person's role is." "Learn how to develop empathy for what your team goes through. Sit with them without micromanaging them." "Make sure you have a resource (person) to talk to about being a manager. Hire a coach. Get a peer group outside of your company." Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Ryan has a coach and a group of 12 CEO's that he meets with regularly Building culture: Focus on your mission "To help entrepreneurs thrive by giving them the capital and resources they need." Their Values: Do it right Be brave Be a solution Constantly reinforce the vision Most useful advice: Winston Churchill - "Never give up." "Do what you're passionate about" How to have balance at home? Two kids and his wife is a senior leader at her company Mediation after the kids go to bed Online working from 8:30-10:00 Spend time with spouse only Use the "Get To Know You Document" "If you don't keep growing, you will become irrelevant." Social Media: Read Ryan's tweet storms: @ryan_caldbeck Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #265: Clay Mathile - Self Made Billionaire Shares His Keys To Success Former CEO and owner of The Iams Company, Clay is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Aileron. He believes strongly in free enterprise and has a high respect for business owners who risk their capital to employ others. Clay attributes professional management as one of the key reasons he was able to grow Iams to a $1 billion organization. In 1999, the Mathile family sold Iams to international conglomerate Procter & Gamble for the sum of $2.3 billion. The Learning Leader Show "I bought the business with borrowed money. I was scared to death. I didn't know how to run a business.  I had to learn." -- Clay Mathile describes his feelings after buying Iams Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Vision of what they want to do and where they want to go A good idea of how to get there Committed to their vision and idea Clay's 4 things he wanted Own his own business Have that business be something that was excellent and stood for something To help entrepreneurs grow To use technology learned to help develop food for indigenous people Was hired at Iams in 1970 as the 7th employee It took five years to figure out the problems and five more years to fix it Convinced Paul Iams to sell Iams to him in 1975 (half) and the rest in 1981 Borrowed money to buy it Why Clay?  "Paul had seen me work and seen me make an impact on the business.  I spent a lot of time on the sales and marketing strategy." Focused on the breeders and vets. The people who influence the actual user.  Clay was ahead of his time. Went to President's Course in 1982 at American Management Association "I'm scared to death, I don't know how to run a business.  I needed to learn." The key was hiring a President and super charging their growth What went in the decision to sell the company? Sat down with his family to decide what each child wanted to do - "They all wanted to chase their own dreams, their own passions. They didn't want to own Iams." The CEO of Procter & Gamble called... Clay takes us inside the room to negotiate the deal: "We told them what our number was... And they exceeded it. It ended up with $2.3 billion." Starting the family office in anticipation of the sale of his business -- To build a new organization for the future. Aileron started as the center for entrepreneur organizations in 1994 Aileron - "We give lift and guidance to the business owner." "How can I possibly repay you?" -- Clay said to his mentors.  They said, "Don't pay me... Just pass it on to others." "People are looking for immediate help for a problem they are having right now.  And we've designed this place to help them solve those problems." Been married for 55 years, have raised a successful family... How? "When I was home, I was home. I was present. I wasn't playing golf or out with the boys." Keys: "Trust... You have to like the person too.  Like hanging out with them." Why everyone should have a board? "They see things that you don't see. A strategic overview. It's something you can't do yourself." "After you've been in business for 10 years, 75% of all problems are because of you." Having a "Personal Board of Advisors" "I recommend all senior executives have mentors.  All you have to do is ask. I've never had anyone turn me down when I've asked them." "Build trust and mutual respect." Culture "I built it so I could work in it." "I had strange things in my management style. I was promoting empowerment before it was popular." "Most people do the right things for the right reasons if you put them in the right environment." "The value of the individual is so important. Treat them with respect.  They feel important and special. I saw every single employee at least once per year all over the world." "People are inherently good." Bad leaders = "Big egos, not trusting of others, insecure people." "When you push people outside of their comfort zone, you can't beat on them when they fail. You have to let them make mistakes." Individual contributor to manager jump... Advice: "You have to accept the fact that management is a profession as anything else is a profession." "Just because you're the best sales person doesn't mean you'll be the best sales person." "As a manager, you're job is to develop others." "You need to manage spontaneity, responsiveness.  Don't react, be proactive." A good example of a proactive leader is a fire chief: They analyze the situation prior to making decisions. Manage in crisis "In 1984, we built Iams University to help people learn..." Most passionate about? "Teaching people, focus on the dreams of the people.  Read the book Dream Manager. That's what we're all about." Example of a typical day: "I do about anything I want to do." One dream for Aileron -- "It will survive forever." Learning Leader = You have to be a continuous learner How much of his success is luck? "60% luck. Be in the right place at the right time." "Your listeners need to think about passing it on. To help others." Use the "Get To Know You Document" "We give lift and guidance to the business owner." Social Media: Read: Run Your Business, Don't Let It Run You Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #263: Charlie McMahan - How To Build A Tribe From 50 To 5,000 Charlie McMahan has been the Lead Pastor of SouthBrook Church since 1992. He is driven by a deep concern for those who may feel like they don’t belong in a church and a sincere hope that anyone who struggles with faith can end up with a life that looks like the life of Jesus.  He is focused on developing future leaders and spends many hours a week mentoring others (including me!). Charlie has led SouthBrook from a small church that originally met in an elementary school to now hosting more than 5,000 members per weekend.  He has a deep understanding for how to build a loyal tribe of people. The Learning Leader Show "The Process: Teaser, Tension, Truth, Take Home, Together." Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Integrated people - They aren't chasing a bunch of different things Consolidated on the self mission Focused - Not distracted Family Charlie's dad was gone 25 days a month (he later found out he was in the CIA) The reason he turns down big opportunities is because he doesn't want to travel and wants to be with his family Levels of communication with kids Don't spend money on stuff, spend money on experiences -- Their place is Hilton Head Process for Charlie's performances (his speeches/sermons) The word entertainment means "To hold people's attention" The Process: Teaser - Something that grabs you Tension - The inductive part of speaking that you have to do today. So the listeners know "this is important." If you don't do this, people will leave Truth Take Home - The practical "do" Together - "Isn't this the kind of person we want to be?" Most preachers were trained to be deductive... You can't do that now. You need to help them draw their own conclusions. Finding a way to weave stories and science together The Medici Effect - The renaissance happened because seemingly disconnected entities were connected. "I'm always figuring out how disconnected entities connect" "The upside of stress" "Emotions are like waves. You can't choose which ones come, but you can choose which to ride." Choose to embrace stress, it can have a positive impact on you Create a habit of how you look at life: How long did it take you to put this message together? "30 hours and a lifetime." The intersection of the reality of the struggles with Charlie's kids and applying it to the lives of the people you serve What is it like to be the children of someone as successful as Charlie? "Our kids had so much pressure on them.  We didn't appreciate how much it was." "The Famous Father Syndrome" - Kids choose to differentiate from their parents because they can't win that game Advice give to parents: "When you walk in the room, the temperature will go up for them.  Kids need stress to grow." "The stress free life is the dying life" "When we walked in the room, the temperature went way up for my kids. The same heat that drove me, burned them." --> "Most parenting things you learn 5 minutes too late" PLAY - Personality type, Learning style, Ability level, Yes factor -- "You don't have to cave under the pressure. It doesn't have to destroy you" Growing a church from 50 people to 5,000 per weekend.  How? Has to be a commitment to excellence that is YOU -- Has to be in ALL areas of your life. "Excellence is a habit." "Excellence is expressing my worth... Ennobling others because I care. Perfectionism is trying to earn my worth by being perfect... And that is dangerous."  Be careful to not think, "I have to be perfect or I"m not worth anything." "Maturity is way underrated" "Excellence comes out of peace. In excellence the process is as much of importance as the product." "I don't have grammatical errors on the manuscript that nobody else ever sees." "Excellence is the right people doing the right things for the right reasons." "The right motivations are not so compulsive." "The constant burden of leadership is the constant interception of entropy." "There is constant gravitational pull to become like everyone else." "Our church is for someone who doesn't like church." Why? "Because I didn't like church." How do you handle the immense value of YOU as the leader? And the success moving forward without you? "We're constantly in process of finding the next leader."  "When you've been some place a long time, you become in the way." Level 5 leader helps a place be better after they are gone How to build a tribe? Max DuPree - What are your unique tribal speaks? The 5 S's of SouthBrook: Solitude, Scripture, Service, Support, Significant Events "A Tribe is where story and strategy meet." What is it like the minute before you go on stage? "I used to panic. It took me 10 years to get over the "what am I doing!?" "Leading is so presumptuous." "I've never stepped behind a microphone where I didn't believe that I could save people's lives. I truly believe every word I'm saying." "I can't wait to share this." "I didn't think about public speaking until I had to give a three minute speech my junior year in college.  Something happened at that speech. People leaned in." "Hitting the 10,000 hour mark has helped me. It's easier to prepare.  I'm a huge believer in putting in the time." Charlie writes 3,500 words per week. Then put on the iPad and have it while on stage... "I memorize that by Friday." "I'm a master at self condemnation." Why be so critical of yourself? "It can be a safety mechanism. If we self criticize, we won't get as much criticism. And it does connect with people." Developing future leaders "The test of leadership is the ability to reproduce yourself in others... The good parts of yourself that should be reproduced." "The path from direction to delegation" "If I don't succeed in succession, then I will have failed." "You can't be a farmer, you have to be a rancher who raises up other farmers." Ron Howard and Sam Jones -- Why Wall Street leaders hire former athletes? "We like to hire athletes because they lose so much. They are forced to respond to failure." "I lose every day. I'm not good at having an accurate understanding of myself. I need people around me." "I was a world class (basketball) shooter. I shot 96% from the free throw line." Charlie was national player of the year. "Grit is the only talent.  Those tough moments are the character builders." Charlie's biggest challenge today? -- "Figuring out a way to build a succession plan and not leave too soon. I live in that tension everyday." "When I watch myself speak, I don't think it's very good." The importance of hobbies How does it take a toll on your when you can't please everybody? "Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can handle.  You cannot sustain trying to please everyone. " The importance of continued growth and having an apprentice PB&J Have to have people ahead of you, stretch you, challenge you Need people alongside you, your peers, in it together, consolidate over shared stories We grow most when we have people to teach. To pour in to... "Writing makes a person exact. If it's hazy in the podium, it will be foggy in the chair." "If you can't listen, you can't lead." "There is no other leader than The Learning Leader." Use the "Get To Know You Document" "If you don't keep growing, you will become irrelevant." Social Media: Follow Charlie on Twitter: @CharlieBMcMahan Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk #261: Darryl Strawberry - MLB Superstar: World Series, Home Runs, & Substance Abuse Darryl Strawberry helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships.  He was also suspended three times by Major League Baseball for substance abuse.  He was a nine time all star and he hit 335 home runs during his illustrious career. He is an ordained minister, speaker, and author.  He is taking his message to the masses with his new book, Don't Give Up On Me -- Shedding Light on Addiction. The Learning Leader Show "My Dad beat the crap out of me.  He told me I would never amount to anything. I believed him." -- Darryl Strawberry Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: A calming presence... Confidence in what you know Time spent learning to lead Davey Johnson and Joe Torre -- A measured, confident approach to understanding each individual and how they needed to be managed Best teammates? Gary Carter Keith Hernandez Lead by example type people... Those who are consistently doing the work every single day They understand how to prepare and do not get distracted from the work Darryl struggled to be consistent because of his wondering focus How to bounce out of a slump? "When you're 2 for 30, how do you get yourself out of a jam?  Go to the batting cage and do the work." What was the key to winning the World Series in 1986? "A complete team effort.  We were a WHOLE team. Complete.  Every guy did their part." Why did Darryl use drugs? "An emptiness. I've never been well on the inside.  Pain led me to greatness, but was also the cause for drug use." "My dad beat the crap out of me. He told me I would never be anything and I believed him." Why are so many world class athletes insecure? "They are yearning for love and do not always get it. I never had a good Dad.  I had to learn lessons on my own.  Nobody taught me." Advice to young people who do not have a Dad? "Listen to your mom.  I wish I would have.  Take her direction.  Allow mentors to help you.  Allow people to power into your life.  It was hard for me to trust people." Being a dad to successful athletes -- (His sons are professional basketball players and his daughters are scholarship volleyball players) "I did not coach them, but I encourage them continually work to get better. I didn't push them to play baseball." The Doc and Darryl 30 For 30 "I love Doc.  We are still good friends.  We've been through a lot." Why write Don't Give Up On Me? "There are so many problems in the world.  Addiction is everywhere.  I want to help people.  I was great, but broken at the same time." A defining moment? His wife said, "If you're ever going to get well, you have to take that uniform off."  Had to stop identifying as a baseball player "You must take responsibility for your actions" "You need people in your inner circle who will be honest with you and tell you no." Day to day work: Pastor, travel, bring hope to those who are struggling" Would you ever work in baseball again? "No... Unless Derek Jeter called and asked me to help his team." Toughest pitcher ever faced? Nolan Ryan Why were you a great hitter? Preparation... On deck circle.  Always getting ready "Focus on hitting line drives to the opposite field.  That's how you know you're on it" -- Keith Hernandez was very helpful "It's about people.  I should have been dead, had cancer twice, chased women, drug issues.  I have urgency everyday." Use the "Get To Know You Document" "It's about people. I should have been dead.  I had cancer twice, chased women, had drug issues.  I have urgency everyday." Social Media: Read: Don't Give Up On Me Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #259: Shane Snow - How To Build A Dream Team Shane Snow serves as Founder at Large at Contently, which works with Fortune 500 brands and has helped over 100,000 freelance journalists, artists, and photographers put food on the table. His writing has appeared in Wired Magazine, The New Yorker, GQ, Fast Company, Advertising Age, The Washington Post, and others. He's author of Smartcuts, and is now releasing his most important book yet: Dream Teams, a journey through history, neuroscience, psychology, and business to reveal what separates groups that simply manage to get by from those that get better together--and how we might make our companies and communities better by understanding the difference. Shane has been named one of Details Magazine's "Digital Mavericks," called a "Wunderkind" in the New York Times, and honored as a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. Originally from Idaho, he studied journalism at Columbia University and lives in New York City. The Learning Leader Show "Two heads are only better than one if they think differently." Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: 2 X @ Matrix chart Skepticism and credulity Optimism and pessimism They believe the world can be better, but they don't always take things at face value Be skeptical AND optimistic as a leader The leader should provide complete emotional AND intellectual support Be willing to push. Be okay with conflict. Be a "disagreeable giver" and create psychological safety How to improve? Get help? "I have a lot of faith in my self. A healthy ego.  But I'm paranoid about my blind spots. I want to learn so much.  I collect inputs that are critical from my business partner." Why write Dream Teams? The desire to study the best teams. The best cultures.  "I wanted to learn this for my own business." "When human beings come together, we can do incredible things." The impact his Dad on Shane - A nuclear engineer The importance of cognitive diversity "Two heads are better than one only if they think differently." The power of ragtag teams Buddy cops Street smart By the book Man/woman teams solve crimes better How to implement and execute? WHO is on the team? How you deal with problems/issues? "We need to re-frame how we think about this.  Set up a pool to make it as cognitively diverse as possible Perspective - How you view the world, who you are Heuristic - The way you approach solving problems. (eg: different university, different piano teacher) Think about solving problems how a movie director acts? Do they use the exact same actors for every movie they direct? No, it doesn't make sense.  They cast the best actors for each movie.  "If you're solving different problems, why would you cast the same people every time?" Shane explains why "culture fit" is not a good characteristic in hiring The disaster that was the Daimler-Chrysler merger Miscalculation on how much companies complimented each other Culture kills most - "It's the fact that they didn't speak to each other." Mergers that don't go well... People need to talk.  It's okay to fight and disagree.  It's ruined when people stop talking (just like a marriage) "Silence is the enemy of innovation" The Wright Brothers - They would argue one side of a point. Then have lunch... And switch sides of the argument.  It forced expansion of the way they thought about problems Wu Tang Clan - "Competition breeds excellence" Magic Johnson & Larry Bird DJ's in the Bronx Competing against Ben Roethlisberger Why is it okay to argue and compete? "An overriding cause that's worth it. A purpose. A passion... To win." Build an empire with people - Intense, full emotional support.  Learn each others stories, their motivations Blackrock - Form a new team, have everyone tell their personal stories, develop a sense of connectedness If you dislike a colleague (like Shane did): "I went to her house and met her family and friends. I learned about her life growing up and the people who support her.  It changed my perspective of her." Use the "Get To Know You Document" "Silence is the enemy of innovation." Social Media: Read: Dream Teams Follow Shane on Twitter: @shanesnow Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 258: Jesse Itzler - Creating Your LIFE Resume (Living With The Monks) Jesse Itzler is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Living with a Seal, cofounded Marquis Jet, the world's largest private jet card company which he and his partner sold to Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets. Jesse then partnered with Zico coconut water, which he and his partner sold to The Coca-Cola Company.  His latest book is titled, Living With The Monks. He's a former rapper on MTV and wrote and performed the NBA's Emmy Award-winning "I Love This Game" music campaign and the popular New York Knicks anthem "Go NY Go." When he's not running ultra-marathons, eating vegan food or being a dad to his four kids, Jesse can be found at the NBA's Atlanta Hawks games, where he's an owner of the team. He is married to Spanx founder Sara Blakely. The Learning Leader Show "I invest in people... You must look into their eyes before making a decision." Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Spending time around the 4,000 people who used Marquis Jet, "I always asked them about their habits." You have to create the system that works best for YOU: Attack fear, take risks Get up early in the morning Create daily wins, momentum Be a great connector, build relationships Run -- Create great exercise habits Winning habits, routines, mindset. A system for self For 27 years, Jesse has only eaten fruit before noon Relying on gut instinct... How to build this, make better? Must spend time alone, to think.  Running is where this happens for Jesse (in the car for Sara) Why? Awareness with time... Understand your own mortality A constant drive to build a "life resume" You only get 1 shot to do this thing Hiking Mount Washington -- Helps you feel "super alive... It's addicting." Have you always been this way? "I get bored easily. This has nothing to do with money." Always being urgent to accomplish something Always carving out time for yourself.  Carve at least 1 hour per day. Put parameters around your time YOU are the business plan. "I invest in people... Have you ever looked into his eyes?" "At the end of the day, people drive companies." Why live with the monks? "I did the physical part while living with a SEAL.  I needed to focus on the spiritual part." Lived in a monastery with 8 monks... 4 had been there for 50 years How living with the monks helped him handle "decision fatigue" How it free'd up so much energy "The power of cumulative work" "Always do something hard" It sets the tone for yourself Don't back away from challenges -- Build the grit muscle Do small things every day (clean, make the bed, finish tasks, do the dishes now) "I'm turning 50.  I only have 28 summers left if I'm lucky." The perfect day = Family time Wellness time (running) Business time "Get your heart rate up!" Social Media: Read: Living With The Monks Follow Jesse on Twitter: @the100MileMan Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode 253: Aubrey Marcus - Total Human Optimization (Own The Day, Own Your Life) Aubrey Marcus is the founder and CEO of Onnit,  a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Onnit is an Inc. 500 company and an industry leader with products optimizing millions of lives, including many top professional athletes around the world. Aubrey regularly provides commentary to outlets like Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Doctors and The Joe Rogan Experience. He has been featured on the cover of Men’s Health, is the author of the life-coaching course Go For Your Win, and his first book is Own The Day, Own Your Life  from HarperCollins. The Learning Leader Show "If you have 5 employees, don't focus on growing to 180 employees. Focus on #6, and the #7. Just the next one. You must surrender to the process." Show Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: Mental Override They are willing to do the thing you don't want to do (ex. turn the knob to COLD in the shower) Focus on the little things... The little things become the big things Instead of thinking of your life as a whole, focus on making this one day great... OWN the day, own your life Identify the process and structure you need for your ideal day... Do it one day at a time The ability to create you environment and "own your current space" regardless of the environment The difference between 2012 (with 5 employees) and today (180 employees) "Then I did everything, I had to.  Now, I have an incredible team to help." "If you have 5 employees and you want to grow, don't focus on 180 employees. Focus on #6, and then #7. Focus on your team and your customers." "Surrender to the process." Aubrey is a questioner... Why? "I'm constantly reminded how much I don't know" "I'm always open to continued learning. I have a curiosity mindset." "I was down to my last $110K which was loaned to me. If AlphaBrain failed, we were done... Fortunately, it sold out quickly." The importance of Joe Rogan "I was completely all in." "Instead of focusing how to be friends with Joe, I focused on who I was as a person... And becoming a person that people would want to have around." Focus on yourself "The 30 minute coffee with Joe turned in to a 4 hour dinner" "People will detect and know if you're not genuine" -- You must be yourself "Rules are for dogs. Human beings should be driven by morality. By what's right and wrong." How about rules at Onnit? -- There are some that are necessary (talking about sex, or safety.  Both are important and there are strict rules) Having an open relationship with his fiance, Whitney "I questioned the nature of love. What is true genuine love? How does that look? It's wild... And challenging." "This isn't a fairytale. It can feel like you got struck by lightening in the solar plexus." "Having an open relationship is not for everyone and I don't advocate it.  I'm an advocate for understanding relationships." The importance of writing Own The Day, Own Your Life "All of our work needed to be documented. There are over 300 clinical references in the book." Process? "You must show up and write... Even when you don't feel like it. You have to have the mental override." "I know nothing. But every day I ask questions and take a seat at the table where Truth likes to have snacks." - Aubrey Marcus Social Media: Follow Aubrey on Twitter: @AubreyMarcus Read:  Own The Day, Own Your Life Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 252: Tom Peters - In Search Of Excellence  

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode 250: Shep Gordon - The Super Mensch: How To Add Value To The Lives Of Others Shep Gordon is known in the entertainment industry as having an eye for talent and an innate understanding of what people find entertaining.  After graduating from SUNY Buffalo, Shep moved to LA and in 1969 co-founded Alive Enterprises.  Over the years, Gordon has been responsible for managing the careers of Alice Cooper, Groucho Marx, Raquel Welch, Luther Vandross, Kenny Loggins, and countless others.  He’s also credited as creating the celebrity chef,  which revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today.  His clients that include culinary legends, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Nobu, Daniel Boulud and many more.  In addition to the impact he’s had on the music, film and food industries, he’s also highly regarded for his philanthropic endeavors.  Shep was named one of the 100 most influential people in Rolling Stone magazine.  He was the subject of Mike Myers 2013 documentary - Supermensch The Legend of Shep Gordon.  He's also written a best-selling book called They Call Me Supermensch A Backstage Pass To The Amazing World Of Film, Food, and Rock ’N’ Roll. Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show On meeting with His Holiness, The Dalai Lama -- "When he walked in the room, it felt like I had taken the greatest shower of my life." -- Shep Gordon Show Notes: The value that Jayson Gaignard added to his life "He came to Hawaii and helped me launch my book and it was a best-seller" "You should always bring value first" A 1968 graduate of college -- great divide in our country at the time - Vietnam War, "I was raised a liberal Jew" "I was a long haired acid dealer" The Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix story -- How it got him his start as a manager in Hollywood Fame -- Media is a manipulation - "It consumes people and can be very damaging" "My job was to push the artist. Fame was fools gold." People who wanted fame needed attention... When they stopped getting it, bad things happened Shep had a visionary eye for what would be successful in the future, the ultimate talent scout.  He also understand how to earn PR for his artists to help make them famous "Create things that parents hated... Which led to kids loving it." --> Alice Cooper played a show naked Going from Alice Cooper to Ann Murray... Shep did great work for them and it kept leading to his next client --> Groucho Marx, Raquel Welch Commonality among great entertainers? "They have that moment right before they go on stage... They are scared, neurotic, full of fear.  This fuels them to be great." Commonality of those who sustain excellence? "They never did it on their own.  All the best were surrounded by great teams." Meeting with The Dalai Lama? "When he walked in the room, it felt like I'd taken the best shower of my life." How to throw a world class dinner party? Great food, customized for your guests Eat at a round table and always leave an extra seat (for the host to sit at and move from table to table) The food needs to be buffet style Send quality invitations -- "It's all about the WHO" --> You must get that part right, it's most important Don't talk business Think -- "What could I do to really make their night great?" Life lessons -- "The failures are more important than the successes" "To me, failure is not trying" "If your team can't fail, you can't win" Success to Shep = "A life of service to others" Serving others will make you happy Use you wealth to help other people (ex: "If you own a private plane, find people who will never fly on a private plane and offer them a ride.") "Use your resources in service to other people." Always think about how you can add value to the lives of others. "Success for Shep = "A life of service to others" --> Helping other people will make you happy Social Media: Follow Shep on Twitter: @SupermenschShep Read: They Call Me SUPERMENSCH Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: Episode 245: Maria Taylor - ESPN Gameday, Embracing The Grind, The Value Of Versatility Maria Taylor is in her sixth season as a host analyst & reporter. In the fall of 2017 Taylor will enter a new role as co-host on ESPN's College Gameday and sideline reporter for ABC's Saturday Night Football.   Show Notes: How to quickly build rapport with the people you interview? Be prepared with a purpose, truly try to learn about them as a person (quickly), it's not just about their sport or their job.  Care about them as a person Being viewed as an athlete -- "It's helpful working in the sports world that they know I played sports" "As an athlete I was always a perfectionist, I always over prepare."  -- Maria sending her producers a copious amount of notes -- thoughts on situations/games/ideas How to earn promotions quickly? "I never said no to anything.  I was never too big for any game." Maria did high school football games, ACC digital.  She's traveled everywhere, stayed in bad hotels, etc. "You have to be comfortable in the grind, you can't get discouraged." "If I'm not doing something (work wise), I feel wrong." Why Kirk Herbstreit is the best in the business -- "He's the most invested person I've ever seen.  He's always the most prepared person." Adnan Virk "Always show up." -- "They remember how you made them feel."  Be conscious of that Balance?  It will never be perfectly balanced.  Think of it as a stew - vegetable and beef... Certain bites are vegetables and other times it's beef.  That's work-life balance.  There are moments where it is all work, all day, every day.  There are other times where you can relax at home.  It's never a perfect 50 50 balance. The story of Maria making the decision to be a sports broadcaster as a junior in college at Georgia... And then also earning her MBA as a backup plan! She grew up loving sports.  Her dad played college sports. Maria was recruited to play both volleyball and basketball at Georgia. Our mutual feeling about the structure of being "in season" and how the routine helped us get better grades. The first 90 minutes of Maria's day: Start the day with gospel music (worship/faith) New York Times daily podcast Joyce Meyer podcast Why do multiple jobs? (Gameday, sideline reporter, women's basketball studio host) To diversify -- "I don't want to just be one thing.  It's an opportunity to flex different muscles." "I try to investigate to find the best answer" "I like challenges" Person most enjoy interviewing? Nick Saban.  "I try to steer him off the line he's trying to stay on." Receiving coaching as a broadcaster... Who provides it? SEC network producers Feedback is just as important to what you put into your body.  It needs to be healthy and helpful -- "What are we filling our minds with?" How to handle "Twitter haters?" "Sometimes I'll put them on blast..." What is an ESPN Gameday production meeting like? A cast of characters - (listen around the 43:00 minute mark to hear the inside scoop) Winning Edge Leadership Academy Helping young women and minorities in broadcasting Focused on student athletes Doing a retreat in Miami The sense of responsibility Maria feels as an African American woman "Being black.... Half time spent assimilating and half time spent helping your people." The Jemele Hill story at ESPN... Maria's reactions Social Media: Follow Maria on Twitter:  @MariaTaylor7 Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show - Annie Duke is a woman who has leveraged her expertise in the science of smart decision making to excel at pursuits as varied as championship poker to public speaking. For two decades, Annie was one of the top poker players in the world. In 2004, she bested a field of 234 players to win her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. The same year, she triumphed in the $2 million winner-take-all, invitation-only WSOP Tournament of Champions. In 2010, she won the prestigious NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded the National Science Foundation Fellowship. Because of this fellowship, she studied Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = Open-minded to people who disagree with them They ask "Why am I wrong?" Using "I don't know" or "I'm not sure" shows immense security in oneself.  Great leaders do this. The "half life of facts" should never be 100% certain -- "It does you a disservice in becoming more knowledgeable if you are certain you are right" Hidden information -- Invite others to share information with you... To collaborate "Here's what I think, but I don't know..." --> We're trained from an early age that those are dirty words, but they shouldn't be. We're supposed to always know, but having that mentality limits what you can learn Put systems in place to allow exploration of alternative strategies Do a deeper dive, consider all reactions. This will help you prepare in case something goes wrong.  You can put plans in place by acting in this manner Why write Thinking In Bets?  Annie has a unique background: cognitive psychology, professional poker, decision making under pressure.  In poker: decision making is fast and furious (a hand of poker is 2 minutes) "Learning occurs when you make a decision and have feedback" The art of boosting academic research with stories and popular culture -- Seinfeld, The Super Bowl Listen to the disagreement Annie and I have in regards to Pete Carroll's decision to throw a pass on the goal line at the end of The Super Bowl (around the 24:00 mark) Most people are "resulting."  They are not measuring the decision making process with all the facts, they just view the result.  That is wrong. Resulting - "Using the outcome as the sole determination if the decision was good or bad" While Annie and I disagree, we both had an open mind to what each other had to say and considered the other person's point of view A good approach in your business = Analyze the decision making process prior to knowing the result Example: If a number of people are interviewing the same candidate (separately), the boss should wait to offer her opinion until the end.  Her thoughts will skew the feedback she needs from her teamCommonalities of great CEO poker players = They don't think they're good at poker.  They recognize they aren't as good as the pros and they work to put themselves in higher odd situations to "get lucky." (Listen around 45:00 to get the full context) How to be a good head's up poker player?  Recognize your strengths and weaknesses vs that particular opponent.  If you deem they are better than you, then look for "coin flip" situations (example: Ace King vs a pair of 7's).  If you are better than your opponent then avoid coin flips and extend the match.  The longer the match, the better the odds for the better player to winThe importance of accountability: How often does someone spout off without thinking?  If you follow that up with, "You wanna bet?"  How do they respond?  They probably rethink what they've said.  We should always "think in bets."  Think of our decisions as being "bet worthy."  If someone says, "You wanna bet?"  We should be in the position to say yes.  If we're not, then we need to rethink what comes out of our mouths and the decisions we are making. "A bet is just a decision based on a belief that you think is how something will turn out." If we think in bets, it forces us to seek out as much information as possible prior to making a decision. That is a good thing and will help us make better decisions "A bet is a decision based on a belief that you think is how something will turn out." Social Media: Read:  Thinking In Bets Follow Annie on Twitter: @AnnieDuke Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode 241: Austin Kleon - How To Steal Like An Artist Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! His latest release is The Steal Like An Artist Journal: A Notebook For Creative Kleptomaniacs. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. New York Magazine called his work “brilliant,” The Atlantic called him “positively one of the most interesting people on the Internet,” and The New Yorkersaid his poems “resurrect the newspaper when everybody else is declaring it dead.” He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. He grew up in Ohio, but now he lives in Austin, Texas. "Reading is so essential to writing... I don't even think about it.  I just always do it." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = "I wrestle with jealously about others who do better work than me... Until I realize it's very rare to see someone who doesn't deserve it based on how hard they work." The people who sustain excellence are typically the hardest workers over the long term "If you want to do better, work harder." Austin's ritual Write a page a day like Stephen King Little bits of work add up over time When you do something you love, you're always working... It's an endless stream "I try to be a good boss to myself" -- But there is no punching the clock in and out... It's always in Steal Like An Artist Wrote an article titled "10 things I wish I had known when starting out" -- That became the best-selling book The blog post and speech that went with it went viral The Creative Process Daily writing... Eventually show the audience to test if it's useful for them "It's like a factory" Collect Make time to write Gather to longer piece to essay Put it out to the world Collect feedback (live audience sometimes) A daily blog helps the book writing process Collect, synthesize, make, share -- "Stealing & Sharing" Reading is a massive part of the writing process... Must read a lot "Reading is so essential to writing.  I don't even think about it, I just do it." "My job as an author is to point people to things people haven't seen" "Being a leader... You have to be curious... You have to find great stories and examples." -- You must read a lot to do this What advice do you give to others? "You need hobbies... People used to have hobbies, not they have Netflix."  Try to restore something, do work, have a hobby -- It will build creativity The two desks Analog desk -- pens, markers, paper, scissors... Make stuff Digital desk -- computer "Walking is an insanely creative activity" Enjoying captivity -- Be useful on train rides, flights... No wifi The open office plan is a nightmare for an introvert like Austin "You want hearts, not eyeballs." -- Focus on engagement of your audience, not just the size of it. "The number of people doesn't matter as much as the quality of the people who follow you." "Becoming a friend of someone you look up to is one of the best things that could ever happen" Creating great work gives you the opportunity to do this "You want hearts, not eyeballs." -- Focus on engagement of your audience, not just the size of it. Social Media: Read: Steal Like An Artist Follow Austin on Twitter: @austinkleon Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

The Learning Leader Show Todd Henry is the founder of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy. He regularly speaks and consults with companies about how to develop practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of four books (The Accidental Creative, Louder Than Words, Die Empty, Herding Tigers), speaks internationally on productivity, creativity, leadership and passion for work, and build tools for creative people and teams. In short, he's an arms dealer for the creative revolution.  His latest book is called Herding Tigers: Leading talented, creative people requires a different skill set than the one many management books offer. As a consultant to creative companies, Todd Henry knows firsthand what prevents creative leaders from guiding their teams to success, and in Herding Tigers he provides a bold new blueprint to help you be the leader your team needs. Learn to lead by influence instead of control. Discover how to create a stable culture that empowers your team to take bold creative risks. And learn how to fight to protect the time, energy, and resources they need to do their best work.   "Great leaders have great rituals. Great leaders are connected. Great leaders have set questions they ask when they meet someone for the first time." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = Great leaders have great rituals Disciplined time to study/reflect Well read Go on walks Great leaders are connected to their network Great leaders have set questions they ask someone when they meet for the first time Todd's rituals Same breakfast everyday, same coffee mug everyday 1 hour of study/read/time to think Writes morning pages (3 full pages long hand) Creating space for yourself Predictable space, a buffer - "I have a ritual of taking a long walk in the middle of my day" -- "It helps me get lost in thought" Set questions to ask when you meet someone "What's the most important thing I should know about you?" What's inspiring you right now?" Cover bands don't change the world Go out and present YOUR ideas to the market place "If you want to have a voice in the market place, you have to have a voice" -- You can't just regurgitate what others say: Take what you learn, synthesize it with your own thoughts and have a voice, a point of view "Your synthesis is what is valuable" Writing The Accidental Creative was hard and lonely Leading Creatives - We assume they get it... No, you must be clear that they do.  Walk them through your thought process, what you expect, why you expect it Jocko's principle -- "You own all of it" Brian Koppelman (Creator of Billions) - Leading with influence vs being a micro-manager.  The director must own the show... They must have a compelling vision, point of view. Koppelman must create the space to give the director of each episode that ownership (he owns it all) Creative people need two things Stability - Protect them, give them the space they need, be clear Challenge - Cannot allow boredom These two exist is constant tension, push/pull.  You have to know how/when/why to turn the dial on each "Your entire career, up until you're a manager, you have complete control -- As a manager you must shift from control to influence (it's hard) or the team cannot scale beyond you Your team must understand the WHY behind what you do -- If not they just inherit tactics but don't know why they do it.  It can't scale without knowing the WHY Need to make certain creative people feel ownership of the work Influence is about principle Why is implementation and execution so hard? Leaders struggle with insecurity "Your area of greatest insecurity can inflict the most damage to your organization... It's about ego more than confidence" Why write Herding Tigers? "I wrote the book I wish I had... A lot of people don't have the model of what great leadership is" Here's what it feels like right now: Action Pause Reflection Redirection Action "Cover bands don't change the world.  Find your own voice." Social Media: Read: Herding Tigers Follow Todd on Twitter: @toddhenry Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

Episode 233: Gretchen Rubin - How To Be Happy Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold almost three million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. Fast Company named Gretchen Rubin to its list of Most Creative People in Business, and she’s a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100. She’s been interviewed by Oprah, eaten dinner with Daniel Kahneman, and walked arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama. Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters. The Learning Leader Show "What do I want from my life? I want to be happy. How can I be happier?" Show Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: They are self aware They are happy and healthy and figured themselves out Better Than Before -- How to create great habits "I can't have a little.  I either have none or a lot."  -- Needed to abstain from things like that (sugar) Think -- "What do I want from my life?" "I want to be happy..." She then went to the library to study. Did a deep dive on happiness What are the keys to happiness? Every month (for a year), she created a theme for the month: 3-5 concrete resolutions she could measure to make herself happier Aim higher -- "Enjoying the fun of failure" -- Starting a blog. Initially worrying that nobody would read it. "It's okay to fail." How can you buy happiness? How to be grateful for what you have... Both experiences and possessions Bill Gates takes "think weeks" -- Why we all should do this Warren Buffett can buy anything he wants... But he cannot buy time Gretchen describes her typical day The Four Tendencies (Personality Profiles) -- How you respond to expectations Upholders - Respond readily to both outer expectations and inner expecations Questioners - Question all expectations; they meet an expectation only if they believe it's justified, so in effect they respond only to inner expectations Obligers - Respond readily to outer expectations but struggle to meet inner expectations Rebels - Resist all expectations, outer and inner alike A live role play between Gretchen and me describing which tendency we inhibit and why we are different Questioner vs Upholder - An upholder wants to always follow the rules (Gretchen)... A questioner (me) thinks differently Gretchen's advice - Get clarity on who you are, your personality profile, and how you respond to expectations Questioner - Why are you doing this? Know who, what when, why? Obliger - Go beyond. Let's both commit. Find outer accountability. Take action Rebel - Freedom, choice. "I want my voice heard."Influence change Social Media: Read: The Four Tendencies See why over 135,000 people follow Gretchen on Twitter: @gretchenrubin Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

Episode 232: It's Time To Go ALL IN (With Doug Meyer & Greg Meredith) "Here's the issue:If you're going to pursue a low odds game, the reality is that at some point the odds will go to zero if you don't commit fully. You're never going to get across that chasm if you're going to keep yourself tethered to one side but that doesn't mean taking an unfounded leap into the wild beyond." Jim Collins gave me that advice on Episode #216 here On The Learning Leader Show. I've fired a lot of bullets over the past three years building this show and this platform while working a full time job at a big international corporation. The purpose of this episode is to announce that I have left my full time job to pursue my passion... My love: This show, this platform, this work, on a full time basis. It's time for me to go All In. The featured leaders tonight are two of my business partners (and friends), Doug Meyer and Greg Meredith.  Doug Meyer is one of the founding partners of Brixey & Meyer.  In his role as Managing Director, Doug serves as a trusted business advisor to Business Owners, CEOs, CFOs and Boards of Advisors, driving value and accountability.  Greg Meredith runs Brixey & Meyer’s Business Advisory Services team, which helps clients with strategic planning, project management, sales strategy, business process and system optimization and more.  I am bringing The Learning Leader brand to Brixey & Meyer full time to run the Leadership Advisory Services team.  In addition to the podcast, I'll be focused on helping clients be more effective leaders, managers, and coaches.  This is done through: consulting projects, 1 on 1 coaching, leadership circles (Mastermind groups), creating written content (book and articles online), and much more.  I could not be more excited to get started!  "Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now." - Naval Ravikant Show Notes: 3:06 - My career, what I've done, why I haven't named the companies I've worked for, who has supported this, who hasn't. 5:05 - Why I'm making this move to do it full time, the first lunch I had with Doug, the impact that lunch had on me, how long this has been in the works, advice that was given to me... The phone call I made to my wife Miranda after that meeting informing her of what I wanted to do... 6:40 - The exercise that Doug and I did -- "Write down everything you love to do... And write down the things people have paid for.  Let's build the business based on that information." -- The dream job scenario 8:03 Doug sharing why Brixey & Meyer is different from other firms and why... - The values: Having fun, providing value, passionate, driver of change, accountability, responsibility to the people of the firm 10:01 Doug sharing how The Learning Leader Show has positively impacted his life 11:48 - Greg describing The Business Advisory Practice he leads at Brixey & Meyer 12:07 - How Brixey & Meyer evolves and adapts -- Taking it to another level 13:02 - Why I decided to leave my job as VP of Sales at a large international company 14:09 - Finding a way to love what you do everyday 14:44 - “Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now.” - Naval Ravikant 16:24 - The scary part about making this change -- Side hustle to full time job creates a lot of pressure 16:56 - The incredible support from all of the people at Brixey & Meyer 17:47 - Why I'm motivated by people who believe in me... And my desire to prove them right 18:52 - "You're work is going to fill a large part of your life... And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.  And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs 19:34 - The biggest challenge for Doug (managing my expectations) 20:25 - Doug describing that this was an opportunistic hire... Not something they were looking for, but why it was a no brainer when the opportunity arose 21:52 - The day to day actions - Helping leaders be more effective. Keynote speeches, leadership circles (Mastermind groups), Consulting projects, producing podcasts, creating content (books, online courses/articles), and much more 25:18 - Doug and Greg describing their current leadership circles and why they've been so effective (and will continue to be) 27:53 - The power in the peer to peer learning model that is created from Leadership Circles 29:22 - Rapid fire questions (for Ryan): Dream guest? Elon Musk Favorite thing to do with my daughters? Coach their sports teams Learn more from success or failure? I remember my failures more, but I try to learn from both success and failure Most impactful book in the last 12 months? The Wright Brothers by David McCullough Favorite episode? #078 With Kat Cole 33:13 - Rapid fire questions (for Doug): Favorite episode of The Learning Leader Show? #200 With Keith Hawk & AJ Hawk Smartest person in the Meyer family? daughter, Jocelyn Meyer Are you a Visionary or Integrator? Tough question. People think of him more as an integrator Best Advice: From Bill Matthews - "I was frustrated with team members." And Bill said, "Doug, it's not them, it's you." 36:37 - How will you define success? "Success is fun. I want this to be fun. We are going to add value and be agile." 38:38 - The phone call I made to Doug when he thought I was turning him down... 39:06 Why 99 out of 100 people would not have left the corporate job to do this?  Doug's thoughts... And why I did. 40:35 - Defining your personal hedgehog 41:46 - The unique qualities I will bring to this role -- What's different from books or articles 45:54 - How I define the makeup of a great leader... The qualities they possess 48:43 - “The path to fulfillment in life, to emotional satisfaction, is to find what really excites you and channel your all into it.” - Rich Roll 49:01 - Doug describing his beliefs: Energy, Passion, Fun 49:26 - Why Doug wanted me to be part of his business -- Natural curiosity, thought provoking questions, attitude, helping others 51:06 - What's most important -- To find your WHO 51:47 - The story Doug shared that created an emotional and powerful moment... And convinced me to say, "Yes, I am doing this, I want to work with a guy with this much integrity, honesty, and love." 55:28 - Doug's excitement to unleash the potential for what we can do 56:45 - Acknowledging how instrumental Greg has been in the growth of The Learning Leader brand over the last three years. His honest feedback and mentor-ship has been monumental 58:28 - One of my favorite artists, Tom Petty said "It's time to move on, it's time to get going. What lies ahead I have no way of knowing... But under my feet, baby, grass is growing, it's time to move on, it's time to get going." "You're work is going to fill a large part of your life... And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.  And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs Social Media: Send Email: Ryan@LearningLeader.com Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

Episode 231: Michael Bungay Stanier - Say Less, Ask More, & Change The Way You Lead Forever Michael is the Senior Partner at Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations do less good work and more great work. He’s the author of several books, including The Coaching Habit and Do More Great Work. Michael has written for or been featured in numerous publications including Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes, The Globe & Mail and The Huffington Post.  Michael left Australia 25 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.  He was the first Canadian Coach of the Year. At Box of Crayons, Michael and his team of facilitators teach 10-minute coaching so busy managers build stronger teams and get better results. Clients come from all sectors and include Box, the United Nations, Gartner, the University Health Network and USAA. A sought-after speaker, Michael regularly speaks to businesses and organizations and has delivered keynotes at Leadership, HR and Learning & Development, conferences around the world. The Learning Leader Show "If you can't coach in 10 minutes or less then you don't have the time to coach at all" Show Notes: Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence: "They probably haven't sustained it. It's really hard." Role Models -- They succeed AND they fail.  "You can't hit it out of the park every time" Some times you do it all right and you still fail Resilience and persistence are commonalities among people who have success Michael's list of failures "is long" The incredible story of how Michael was initially rejected as a Rhodes Scholar... And then how he persevered to earn it (the story about how he differentiated himself from the others is fantastic) "Purple suit, long hair" -- "Everyone else had a blue suit, white shirt, red tie" Where did he develop so much courage? From his parents  -- They gave him unconditional support to be different and unique He's a bit of a rebel who also follows the rules sometimes Ask yourself "Do I want to be playing this game?" Box of Crayons -- A training company on how to coach in 10 minutes The mistake of saying "yes" to everyone who asked for his help when he started the company Jim Collins -- "Fire bullets and then cannonballs" -- Low risk experiments The 3 ways coaching shows up in corporations Executive coaching -- People at the top of the Org Chart Training internal people to be the corporate training team Train all managers/leaders to be more coach like -- This is what Michael and his team does "If you can't coach in 10 minutes or less then you don't have the time to coach at all" Transforming to be more "coach like" The 7 important questions to ask: What's on  your mind? And what else? What's the real challenge here for you? What do you want? How can I help? If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to? What was most useful to you? Why most 1 on 1's are terrible The first and last questions are vital (must bookend the meeting well) -- "Start fast and end strong" The Learning moments -- Help them learn. They learn when there is a moment to reflect on what just happened Be careful when "the advice monster" kicks in... "Can you stay curious a little longer?" -- As the coach, you need to.  You must solve the correct problem and focus on the person you are coaching If you just give advice, very little brain activity happens. If you ask questions, it grows the brain activity... Coaching for performance vs. Coaching for development -- There is a big difference The best question in the world is... "And what else?" -- It helps them go a level deeper.  Keep asking it, keep going deeper "Be lazy, be curious, be often" -- Michael's motto towards coaching. Listen, ask questions, help them learn "Be more coach like" "Help them learn rather than teaching them" -- We do this by asking great questions Learning Leader = "A great coach is a great teacher.  A learning leader is the essence of what it means to be a great leader." You help people learn by constantly learning more yourself "Less Advice. More Curiosity." Social Media: Read: The Coaching Habit Follow Michael on Twitter: @boxofcrayons Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

Episode 225: Dan Heath - The Power Of Defining Moments Dan Heath is a Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, which supports social entrepreneurs. At CASE, he founded the Change Academy, a program designed to boost the impact of social sector leaders. Dan is the co-author, along with his brother Chip, of three New York Times bestsellers: Decisive, Switch, and Made to Stick. Amazon.com’s editors named Switch one of the Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, and it spent 47 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. Made to Stick was named the Best Business Book of the Year and spent 24 months on the BusinessWeek bestseller list. Their books have been translated into over 30 languages. Previously, Dan worked as a researcher and case writer for Harvard Business School. In 1997, Dan co-founded an innovative publishing company called Thinkwell, which continues to produce a radically reinvented line of college textbooks. Dan has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the Plan II Honors Program from the University of Texas at Austin. One proud geeky moment for Dan was his victory in the 2005 New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest, beating out 13,000 other entrants. He lives in Durham, NC. What have you failed at this week?" "There's no such thing as a good mentor who doesn't push you." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence: Decision making - The ability to make a string of good decisions Avoid traps Narrow framing -- Cannot just think of 1 option Decisions are often made because of political reasons, persuasive people, or PowerPoint... They should be made through experiments instead The process of writing with his brother Chip Heath 10 year age gap (54-44) They are different people. The work is the glue for their relationship Chip is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business The life changing effect of their book Switch. They hit the jackpot --> Time magazine, The Today Show What is it that allows change to happen? Our brains are wired with two independent systems: Rational Emotional What makes change difficult is when those 2 disagree... The same forces are at place within organizations. The heart of Switch -- The emotional side is stronger than the rational side. We must get that in order to change. How do we make an experience better? -- We must take the reins to make a moment better The John Deere new hire experience -- You leave your first day thinking "Wow, I belong here." They intentionally take care of their people. Transition moments are so important. We need to pay attention to them and be aware. --> Graduation, weddings, retirement, first day at a new job, etc "Cultures pay attention to big moments" Sara Blakely story growing up... The question her Dad asked her and her siblings at the dinner table -- "What have you failed at this week?" We need to get comfortable with trying new things... And failing sometimes. It builds resilience, GRIT David Scott Yaeger 2 part formula for mentors and mentees High Standards + Assurance -- "I have high expectations for you... And I know you can do it." "There's no such thing as a good mentor who doesn't push you." -- STRETCH The powerful story of Eugene O'Kelly and how he chose to live his life when he found out he had 3 months left to live "I experienced more Perfect moments and Perfect days in two weeks than I had in the last 5 years or than I probably would have in the next 5 years had my life continued without the diagnosis." Look at your own calendar, do you see perfect days ahead? Could you create 30 perfect days? What would it take to motivate you to create a Perfect Moment? "How Look at your own calendar, do you see perfect days ahead? Could you create 30 perfect days? What would it take to motivate you to create a Perfect Moment?"   Social Media: Read: Switch Read: The Power Of Moments Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.

Mike McDerment is the co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks, the world’s #1 cloud accounting software for self-employed professionals. Built in 2003 after he accidentally saved over an invoice, Mike spent 3.5 years growing FreshBooks from his parents’ basement. Since then, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing, and collect billions of dollars. The Learning Leader Show "We give trust to earn trust. Lead with trust. That's the world I want to live in." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence: Been through something hard Strong morals - set of values, make upstanding decisions, believe in people, don't compromise Creative Surround self with great people Strong desire to grow Default Trust to "ON" First Principles -- Distill things down to underlying system: The act of taking a problem and breaking it down Building FreshBooks -- "I didn't know anything about anything." The #1 place to work -- have won awards for their culture What do you do? "We are in the business of saving people time." Moving to his parents basement to start the business... Running lean Culture takes deliberate thought Must have people who are diverse but share your values Need guidelines/rule sets The 9 Values: Passion - Love your craft Ownership Results Change - Bring learning and growth Honesty Fun - Deliberately make it fun Empathy Strive - Stretch Trust Secrecy - Open inside, but nothing leaves from inside Values/Culture used in 2 ways Publicly recognize people living the values Swiftly eliminate people who don't embody those values - Listen, hear, be open. Recognize that cultures need to be hacked, evolve, change. Inner office dating? Why is that promoted? What does it mean? Everyone spends the first month in customer service. All build that foundation -- Why they prolong onboarding and how that leads to long term success Make decisions today to win in 3-5 years Decided to re-platform even though the rule is to "never re-write or re-platform" "How do you minimize risk, but maximize impact?" "Something that no one had ever done before. Create a new company in secret." Lead with trust: "We give trust to earn trust. Lead with trust. That's the world I want to live in." Imposter Syndrome and FEAR. Embracing it "Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable" -- It's the path to growth. Nobody has all of the answers Advice to 20 year old -- He was lost, not doing well. Realize that everyone else is too. Nobody knows what they are doing even if it looks like they do." Read -- E Myth (Michael Gerber), Idea Virus (Seth Godin), Execution (Ram Charan) Learning Leader -- Per Mike, "That's me." The challenge & personal growth. "How do you minimize risk and maximize impact?" Social Media: Read: Execution - Ram Charan Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeMcDerment Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

The Learning Leader Show 223: Kim Malone Scott - Using Radical Candor To Be A Great Boss "It is important for leaders to be learners, not tellers." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence: They care about their people as humans, they care personally They are honest, not worried about being liked all the time, they are willing to challenge directly Can you be both liked and respected? Yes, but you shouldn't strive to be popular Jony Ive and Steve Jobs story -- Steve told them the team their work was of poor quality. Jony said, "Why were you so harsh Steve?" Steve asked, "Why didn't you tell them the work was bad? It's your job to do that." Jony replied, "I didn't want them to be upset or distraught." Steve said, "You are vain. You just want to be liked." The biggest mistake new bosses make is trying to be liked by everyone and NOT being direct. Your employees should never have to say, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" -- A great boss gives directly feedback in a timely manner A great boss creates an environment where everyone can tell the truth (up, down, and sideways in an organization) Understand the framework How to created this culture? Start by asking for feedback. You can't give feedback if you're not willing to take it. Go to question: "What could I be doing to make it better for you?" Use a "Start, Stop, Continue" exercise Create a "Speak Truth To Power" environment Embrace the discomfort "Listen with the intent to understand... Not just waiting to talk." Must reward the candor -- When you receive good feedback, you must implement it. You must fix the problem. Google/Sheryl Sandberg story Sheryl's feedback: "You said "um" a lot during that presentation, would you like a speech coach?" -- "No, I'm fine, thanks." -- "Kim, when you say "um" every third word, it makes you sound stupid." Sheryl knew she need to be very direct with Kim and they built a relationship of trust and care. That's the only way she was able to get through to Kim and help her Hiring is the most important decision you will make as a leader "If you're not dying to work with that person, don't hire them" Steve Jobs - "It's better to have a hole than an asshole" Dick Costolo - "You can't just hire great people and get out of their way. You must invest time in helping them, develop them even more." Jony Ive - "New ideas are fragile. You must create space to talk about them." "Your job as the boss isn't to be the decider, it's to make sure everyone knows who the decider is." The Wright Brothers -- Watching birds for hours --> Learning how to build wings for human airplane flight Dick Costolo -- Build in 2 hours of "think time" per day in your calendar Career advice: "Quit talk of building a great resume, build a great life" Find people to have career talks with... Recount your life story with them. Zero in on changes you've made. Think "What motivates you about work?" Understand what drives you, what matters, why? -- Think about your dreams... Make sure your dreams and values are in alignment. Create a plan "It is important for leaders to be learners, not tellers." "When you say "Um" every third word, it makes you sound stupid." -- Sheryl Sandberg's direct feedback to Kim after a presentation to Larry & Sergei   Social Media: Read: Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Follow Kim on Twitter: @kimballscott Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.

Episode 221: Phil Jones - What To Say To Influence And Impact Others (Magic Words) Phil’s passion to “Teach The World To Sell”, now sees him traveling the globe speaking to a breadth of audiences, from small business owners to workforces and mass organizations, spreading his message and sharing his highly credited teachings. To date he’s spoken in 56 different countries across five continents and with his growing popularity, he’s expected to add many more to his roster. Episode 221: Phil Jones - What To Say To Influence And Impact Others (Magic Words) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "I Learned That Success Leaves Clues." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence: Dogged determination Curiosity - Continue to demand improvement from self Detach self of the outcome - be of service to your customer. Celebrate quietly in the background when the client wins How he learned to hustle: Came from a home without much money... Learned to sell his mom's sandwiches at lunch. Then started a business going door to door offering to wash cars for money He grew to make more money than his teachers when he was 15 "How much money are you making sire?" -- Phil would say to teachers when they criticized him for missing class By 18, he was named the youngest sales manager in fashion retailer Debenhams, history Day to Day Phil delivers 100 keynote presentations a year "Respect is something that is to be earned" Ridiculous goal -- "Get my book in front of one million people" Using Magic words "I'm not sure if it's for you, but..." "Magic words are words that speak right to the subconscious of our brain" If you change 1 or 2 words, it can change everything. You must learn, train, and prepare... Write a script "You still cry at movies... But the actor is reading a script. It's not real. You need to learn to read scripts." Magic Word/Phrase "You wouldn't happen to know..." -- Create a path of least resistance for a referral How has Phil learned what he teaches? "120,000 negotiations. Messing up. Being brave enough to say what works and what doesn't." Magic Word/Phrase "How open minded are you?" -- When you're trying to internally sell a new idea, this works. Everyone wants to see themselves as open minded. This phrase primes the brain to be more open minded to a new idea. It helps people opt in to your idea. How to open a keynote speech? Ask questions of the audience... "Change one word to change everything" (Listen for more in depth story. This was a really good part. Around the 26:30 mark) "Questions start conversations, conversations lead to relationships, relationships lead to opportunities." Methods for prospecting: You don't need to knock on every door A great story on what you would do if you lost a child at a department store (again... must listen) "Go look for who you really want." You must identify those people Define who they are... "You wouldn't happen to know?" How he runs/manages his business and prospects Franchises, MLMs, Healthcare space Referrals, gifts, emails, calls Utilizing Robert Cialdini's method for reciprocity... "They end up thanking ME!" 3rd party credibility and permission Magic Word/Phrase: "Just one more thing..." -- TV detectives in the 80's and 90's This helps both upsells AND downsells (sometimes you won't get the huge deal initially... Must work your way in to build the relationship starting small) Magic Word/Phrase: "Most People..." -- "This helps you tell people what to do without telling them what to do." People love to be led. Example: Yelp reviews When people are stuck being indecisive... "Look, what most people do..." Learning Leader = Leaders are always learning. "You've never arrived. You're always becoming." Good, Better, or Best: What do you want? You want to be better... Always striving to improve "Questions start conversations. Conversations lead to relationships. Relationships lead to opportunities." Social Media: Read: Exactly What To Say Follow Phil on Twitter: @philmjonesuk Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why   Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.

The Learning Leader Show Episode 220: Robert Greene - The Laws Of Power & Mastery Robert Greene is an American author and speaker known for his books on strategy, power and seduction. He has written five international bestsellers: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law and Mastery. In addition to having a strong following within the business world and a deep following in Washington, DC, Greene’s books are hailed by everyone from war historians to the biggest musicians in the industry (including Jay-Z and 50 Cent). "Do Not Speak Unless You Can Improve Upon The Silence." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence: Self Mastery Self Control -- "We are emotional animals, governed by emotions. It can get you in trouble." Self Discipline Flexibility -- Ability to adapt Why Napoleon was successful? He had a front line obsession Writing a book with 50 Cent "Never let your guard down" Law 4 - Always say less than necessary. "Do not speak unless you can improve upon the silence." Learn the power of being quiet If you're upset about an email, do not respond emotionally. Wait 24 hours and then respond with a level head Law 9 - Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument. "Demonstrate, do not explicate." Commit to action. Words are devalued "Show them. Don't talk." Law 10 - Infection: Avoid The Unhappy and Unlucky You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with "We absorb the energy of other people." Look to "level up" your peer group at all time" How to deal with a person in a power position who you do not like or respect? Do not let them see you upset. Do not show them emotion (when they try to rile you up) Did President Trump read The 48 Laws of Power? He appears to have used some of the laws to help get elected: Law 6 - Court attention at all cost Law 17 - Keep others in suspended terror. Cultivate an air of unpredictability Law 27 - Play on people's need to believe to create a cult like following Very common in business for an "aggressive, loud yeller" to push people around and somehow get promoted... But once they have to actually lead and manage people, they fail miserably Rappers, movie stars, athletes quoting (even tattooing) The 48 Laws. How has that impacted you? Great satisfaction, but even more from "regular" people who email him and said his work helped them start a business or quit a bad job. "Sometimes you don't know what you're intended to do. It pays to have an open mind." -- Robert didn't write The 48 Laws of Power until he was 38 years old "The human brain does not learn unless it is excited" Cesar Rodriguez -- "Trust The Process" -- You must get reps, reps, reps in order to achieve any level of excellence Think long term and put in the necessary work to be great Advice: "You were born with a purpose. Tap into what makes you different and unique. There is tremendous pressure to fit in. You will have success if you dig deep, be adventurous, try things out. Respect your unique-ness, something great will happen." "The Human Brain Does Not Learn Unless It Is Excited." Social Media: Read: The 48 Laws Of Power Read: Mastery Follow Robert on Twitter: @RobertGreene Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

219: Eric Barker - Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong Eric Barker is a thought leader in the field of success. His humorous, practical blog, "Barking Up the Wrong Tree", presents science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life. Over 300,000 people subscribe to his weekly newsletter and his content is syndicated by Time Magazine, The Week, and Business Insider. He has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and the Financial Times. Eric is also a sought-after speaker and interview subject, and has been invited to speak at MIT, Yale, West Point, the University of Pennsylvania, NPR affiliates, and on morning television. To Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: www.RyanHawk.net www.LearningLeader.com  Show Notes: Sustained Excellence: Consistent habits and routines Experiment Evolve Learn/Grow Create a feedback loop Steve Martin -- "Being great isn't hard. Being consistent is." -- (Note: Watch the Steve Martin MasterClass) -- Meta principal for how people do things "Hit the ball every time. It's hard." Eric started the blog in 2009 -- He read abstracts, academic research He wanted to focus on things that were applicable to being awesome at life "The future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed." How he went from unemployed --> MBA in 2009 --> Screenwriter in Hollywood for Disney, Fox --> Successful blog/book Advice to people who have a side hustle: "It's a hard road. Give 1 hour per day to it. If you really want to do it, there will be trade offs. You have to measure how you will spend your time and what's important to you." Book writing vs Blog writing -- Book = 5 days per week working on. Blog = 2 days per week. How can we find work life balance? -- "It did not previously exist for me." How to say NO like Warren Buffett Networking -- Who you know is very important... However there is a tradeoff and extroverts waste time "at the water cooler" Nice guys, Givers... There is a tight rope between confidence and delusion There is a problem: "Nobody likes narcissism and hubris, but some confident people have those qualities." When is it a good idea to quit? "It's unrealistic to never quit. We quit things all the time. Show GRIT on the things that are important to you." Make little bets -- Read Little Bets by Peter Sims Learning Leader = Humility "People love having choices... But people hate making choices." Social Media: Read: Barking Up The Wrong Tree Follow Eric on Twitter: @bakadesuyo Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

217: JJ Redick - "You've Never Arrived. You're Always Becoming." Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio JJ Redick is an iconic and legendary basketball player from Duke University. He is their all time leading scorer.  JJ was the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft (Orlando Magic).  He's going in to his 12th NBA season.  He recently signed a 1 year, $23 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.  He graduated from Duke with a major in history and a minor in cultural anthropology. He is an extremely thoughtful leader and someone I loved talking to... The Learning Leader Show "There was never any sense that I was done accomplishing things. You've never arrived. You're always becoming." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence: Passion for what they do Coach K has this at Duke, Steve Ballmer has this with Microsoft as well They master the small stuff -- Read The Carrot Seed Being in the weeds everyday Diligence to be in the weeds Adaptability Coach K doesn't have a system. He adapts to his current players. It changes every year. Same is true for Bill Belichick and Greg Popovich "How do I maximize this team's personnel?" "Each year you have to adapt" The power of receiving a daily devotional  "There was never any sense that I was done accomplishing things." The importance of coaches, parents, and friends to never let JJ feel entitled. They would call him out if needed 2nd half of the ACC championship when he was acting like a brat. Chris Collins called him out How do we develop GRIT in our children if we're able to provide anything they could ever want? "The biggest thing I learned from my Dad was he went to work everyday. Then he came home and would work on the house, the yard, and work more. He showed me how to work." Live under your means "Stuff doesn't matter, we care more about having great experiences as a family" Falling Upward -  "to reach the second half of your journey, you need to fail" -- It's necessary Working in an imperfect environment -- "Mastering mechanics in an imperfect environment" "You can't master it unless you've done it over and over and over" "It's very rare that anyone works in a perfect environment" -- You must be able to adapt Mindset going in to free agency? "Wanted stability. Had 15 minutes to decide on the 76ers offer." Being an "over thinker."  "Addicted to information" -- How does that impact him as a shooter? "I am addicted to information. I am a deep dive person." How to handle a slump? --"You have to enjoy the mundane. I love going in the gym and shooting over and over." (Angela Duckworth -- GRIT) Goal setting process -- Each year, write down a list of what you want to accomplish Some examples: Win an NBA championship, get a sleeve (arm) tattoo, have a son, go on a great European vacation. Setting life goals every year -- "How do we include other people on this journey?" A "Words of Wisdom" file on his phone Life after basketball General Manager in front office or creating a media company to tell interesting stories. Building something. Anthony Bourdain is the blueprint. He uses food to tell interesting stories OR the idea of completely reinventing himself. "That idea is both terrifying and exciting at the same time." "The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”  Building relationships and networks in a variety of places Working with and learning from LeBron James and Maverick Carter "The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”  Social Media: Read: The Carrot Seed  See why over 280,000 people follow JJ on Twitter: @JJRedick  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 073: Jay Bilas - World Class ESPN Basketball Broadcaster, Toughness, Fixing The NCAA Episode 078: Kat Cole - From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.

Episode 216: Jim Collins – How To Go From Good To Great Show Notes: Sustained Excellence: Never go to a meeting without writing down 5 questions prior to the meeting Always follow up the meeting with at least a page of notes -- Share those with your mentor What made you say yes to The Learning Leader Show after 2 1/2 years? It requires intense focus to prepare This is a teaching moment Only say yes if it's going to be impactful. The team determined this show was the right place to do that Always ask yourself -- "How can I make myself useful to the world?" This was advice originally given to him by Peter Drucker A great teacher can change your life in 30 seconds -- Peter Drucker did that for Jim "I am constitutionally unemployable" -- Why Jim feels this about himself His curiosity has led to the success and most importantly... Great questions like: How to turn something into an enduring great company? How someone or a company can go from Good To Great? Jim most admired Peter Drucker when he was 35 years old... The story of their first meeting and how Peter was the curious one... Kept peppering Jim with questions to start the conversation (much like Jim did to me to start this conversation) "The ultimate zen master with bamboo stick" Drucker - "It seems to me that you spend a lot of time worrying if you will survive. You probably will survive. You seem to focus a lot on the question, "how to be successful?" That is the wrong question. The right question is "How to be useful?" What would it have cost Jim to not publish Good To Great after he finished the manuscript? -- More than $100m.  He had to get it out in the world.  He felt it was his responsibility to do so... Another great mentor said to Jim... "When seeking an entrepreneurial path... Cut off all other options and GO." "Everything is driven by by questions" Can a good company become a great company? How? Level 5 Leader Starts with confronting the brutal facts Personal humility and professional will Not what, but who -- Get the right people on the bus Does not happen in one fell swoop or a leap. It happens over time. Flywheel -- Create momentum Understand the hedgehog concept -- An expert in one thing... Knows it very well 3 Parts of the Hedgehog concept Deeply passionate about it Encoded for it... You're really good at it. An expert Economically, you can make money from it Level 5 Leaders: What cause do I serve? Humility to serve... It's not about them Willful -- Able to make difficult decisions For the best Level 5 Leaders... How do they sustain it? It's easier for them because they understand their personal hedgehog -- It helps them remain renewed after many years "Measured Risk" vs. "Burn The Boats" Fire Bullets... Then Cannon Balls For Jim, this was his first two books + his time as a professor at Stanford before he decided to leave to start his own company You must navigate your path.  It doesn't mean you take unfounded risk... Fire bullets first, then cannonballs "If you never fire a cannonball, you'll never make it. "BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) How to write a good one? Take calibrated, calculated risk -- Have things to keep you alive even if everything goes wrong Productive Paranoia Validation - What are points of success you can look to? Jim's wife Joann committing to winning an Ironman race... She was a consultant at the time.  She was also a runner. She tried biking and was very good at it.  Eventually she practiced, took measured risks, and won the Ironman race "If you were a trial attorney and had to win the case, what evidence would you use?" The Flywheel principle and putting it to use for Jeff Bezos and the Amazon team -- How could they build momentum? After Jim met with Jeff Bezos and his leadership team in 2001, Amazon executives were elated; according to several members of the team at the time, they felt that, after five years, they finally understood their own business.Most important for young leaders -- Jim's advice "FIRST WHO, THEN WHAT?" Who do you want to mentor you? Who do you want to mentor? Who do you want to be your friends? Who do you want to work with? Who do you want to spend time with? The most important question is WHO You don't need to answer WHAT until you answer WHO "The most important question is WHO. First WHO, then WHAT. Who will be your mentor? Who will be your friends? Who will you help? Who will you spend time with? You don't need to answer what until well after you've answered WHO." Social Media: Read: Good To Great Read: Great By Choice Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram. To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12       Jim Collins is a student and teacher of leadership and what makes great companies tick. Having invested a quarter century of research into the topic, he has authored or co-authored six books that have sold in total more than ten million copies worldwide. They include: GOOD TO GREAT, the #1 bestseller, which examines why some companies and leaders make the leap to superior results, along with its companion work GOOD TO GREAT AND THE SOCIAL SECTORS; the enduring classic BUILT TO LAST, which explores how some leaders build companies that remain visionary for generations; HOW THE MIGHTY FALL, which delves into how once-great companies can self-destruct; and most recently, GREAT BY CHOICE, which is about thriving in chaos – why some do, and others don’t – and the leadership behaviors needed in a world beset by turbulence, disruption, uncertainty, and dramatic change.    

Episode 215: Chris Fussell -- How To Build A Team of Teams (One Mission) Chris Fussell is a Partner at the McChrystal Group Leadership Institute. He is the author of One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams, and a co-author of the New York Times bestseller Team of Teams, the first book in the series. He was commissioned as a Naval Officer in 1997 and spent the next 15 years on U.S. Navy SEAL Teams around the globe. He then served as Aide-de-Camp to Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal during McChrystal’s final year commanding a Joint Special Operations Task Force fighting Al Qaeda around the globe. Since leaving active duty in 2012, Fussell has also served as a Senior Fellow for National Security at New America, sits on the Board of Directors for the Navy SEAL Foundation, is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and teaches at Yale University’s Jackson Institute. Episode 215: Chris Fussell -- How To Build A Team of Teams (One Mission) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Remember, your position has little formal authority but massive reach. For many of the organizations we interact with, their entire opinion of our organization will be shaped off the tone of your emails, the courtesy you give their staff, and the respect you show for their Mission." -- General Stanley McChrystal speaking to Chris Fussell immediately following him becoming his Aide-De-Camp Show Notes: Sustained Excellence: A constant intellectual curiosity The interview process to become General McChrystal's Aide-De-Camp A unique window to get that exposure McChrystal trusted that if Chris wasn't qualified, then he wouldn't have been nominated Career goals --> Family situation (could it handle Chris working 24/7 for a year? --> What would Chris enjoy about it? What sealed Chris earning the job?  Chris being incredibly curious about wanting to fully understand how the organization runs at a high level.  General McChrystal loved that about Chris "It was one of the hardest years of my career" It was intense but the exposure was phenomenal "If we've hit a point for 24 hours where we aren't questioning something, or there is no friction, then something is wrong" How to handle issues at UBER? "The issue is putting too much on to 1 person. It's not about 1 heroic leader. There needs to be a cultural shift.  They need to create a leadership culture." Operating Rhythm -- John Heisman 1899: The hurry up offense.  Just because you have a 40 second play clock, doesn't mean you have to use all of it. Chris and team were on a 24 hour operating rhythm.  They re-synchronized every 24 hours.  Had to have a flexible approach to handle the enemy. A sense of shaped consciousness Chris Zook An aversion to bureaucracy Front line obsession Transparency of communication model Senior leaders remain in close contact with issues on the ground without having to put out all of the fires Hybrid model layered into it --> Interconnected model McChrystal's advice to Chris when he first got the job: "Remember, your position has little formal authority but massive reach. For many of the organizations we interact with, their entire opinion of our organization will be shaped off the tone of your emails, the courtesy you give their staff, and the respect you show for their Mission." Chris's career advice: Don't think about money/industry -- Think what matters most to you? Lifestyle -- Coaching little league or being a high level CEO?  Where do you want to be in 5 years? Where do you want to live? Do you want to raise a family? Important to map all of that out and build a profession around those goals. Chris also teaches at Yale and does this exercise Write a letter to yourself -- What type of leader do you want to be in 5 years? Map out your goals "It's a cultural shift. A development of a leadership culture is needed." -- Chris Fussell discussing the changes he would make at UBER Social Media: Follow Chris on Twitter: @FussellChris Read: One Mission: How Leaders Build A Team Of Teams Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017.  The Callaway GBB Epic Driver.  This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show.  To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.

Episode 214: Jason Calacanis - How To Turn $100,000 Into $100,000,000 (Angel Investing) Jason Calacanis is a technology entrepreneur and an angel investor. The founder of a series of conferences that bring entrepreneurs together with potentials investors, he was a scout for top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and frequently appears in the media. He is the author of a new book, Angel: How To Invest In Technology Startups - Timeless Advice From An Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000. Episode 214: Jason Calacanis - How To Turn $100,000 Into $100,000,000 (Angel Investing) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "I don't need to know if your product will succeed.  I need to know if you will succeed." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence/Key Traits in the greatest Founders Craftsmanship -- Making something, having attention to detail, understanding the why Passion Intentionality Thoughtful - Do they know why they do what they do As an investor, you need to ask short questions "Small Mouth, Big Ears" -- LISTEN. Let the founder talk Are they a missionary or a mercenary? Need to know Why are they doing this? They need to understand that it is really hard Self awareness is a must -- Jason knows that he is a compulsive gambler. He has a risk taking approach. He likes having an edge. But he also has "tilt control." He knows when to lay down a big hand (poker speak for when you have a big hand but still know it's not enough) You need to know who you are and what you enjoy "I love being the guy cutting a check for a founder that nobody else believes in" "I win about once in every 40 investments. I was a poor kid from Brooklyn and now I'm extremely wealthy" "I found a casino called Silicon Valley" "There are a lot of really dumb people who are fabulously wealthy in Silicon Valley" "Investing in this market is like being dealt the Ace of Spades" Winning big poker hands against Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth Jason covered Travis Kalanick while he was at Scour When Travis showed him Uber, Jason immediately said, "Can I invest?" Were some of the qualities that led to Travis and Uber's success also what led to the problems? He has a fighter mentality. That's why he's been so successful. It's a fair question to ask if that's what has led to these problems as well... Sometimes you have to take a step back and analyze what's happening Getting from A to B, you need to fight.  Going from B to C, you need empathy How do you get paid as an Angel Investor? Go public -- IPO Secondary Shares -- Company buys back shares from early investors (this happened for Jason with Facebook) Company is bought -- WhatsApp, Oculus, Instagram -- Get cash/stock Investing practices How much of your bankroll do you put in play? Build a network -- Technology is the future Ways that everyone can invest Syndicates Angel List Seed Invest Social Media: See why over 286,000 people follow Jason on Twitter: @Jason Read: Angel - How To Invest In Technology Startups - Timeless Advice From An Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 Into $100,000,000 Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Leader" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.  

Episode 213: Ryan Holiday - How To Make Work That Lasts (Perennial Seller) This is Round 3 with best-selling author, entrepreneur, and renowned marketing strategist, Ryan Holiday. If you'd like to listen to our first conversation, go HERE.  If you'd like to check out the second one, go HERE. Brian Koppelman (screenwriter & director: Rounders, Ocean’s Thirteen and Billions) once said, “I don’t have many rules in life, but one I never break is: If Ryan Holiday writes a book, I read it as soon as I can get my hands on it.” I agree.  And I love every opportunity I have to speak with and learn from Ryan Holiday. I'm thankful that he sent me an advanced copy of his newest book, Perennial Seller. And if you care about making work that lasts, I urge you to read it. Episode 213: Ryan Holiday - How To Make Work That Lasts (Perennial Seller) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Give, Give, Give, Give... Build Karmic Debt." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick embracing Obstacle Is The Way and Ego Is The Enemy How to build something that is "timeless" When you build your home, are you thinking about how it will look in 10 years When you cut your hair or wear an outfit, do you think about how it will look years later in pictures? Why write Perennial Seller? It's important not to dive in until you have a path Always think, "How do I make this last?" "Literary greatness is 10 years or more" "I have to follow my own advice" Platform How Kevin Hart built his platform (and email list) every night while on stage People need to think about how they are building their platform long before they launch Kevin Kelly -- 1,000 true fans Who are you launching to? "Kevin Hart was knocked on his ass. He would go to cities where he didn't have fans to build up his platform and email list. This was before he was famous." "People want to have a platform, but they don't want to build a platform." You must build it through giving Ryan Holiday built his email list to 81,000 by recommending books.  He recommended 1,000 books before he asked anyone to buy one of his. "Give, Give, Give, Give... Build Karmic Debt." -- The world is not zero sum The success of Eric Barker and his book Barking Up The Wrong Tree. He built his email list up to 300,000 people by blogging/writing regularly for years. He gave for free, provided value. His book sold many and became a best seller because he built his platform. Jeff Bezos -- "Focus on the things that do not change." - Zoom in on something timeless. "It starts by wanting to create a classic." -- Robert Greene How do we avoid falling for the seduction of short term notability to focus on long term success? The "Lindy Effect" -- Nasim Taleb The Obstacle Is The Way sold 3,000 books the first week, then steadily sold more. Now it sells about 1,000 a week. "What are you making and who are you making it for?" "Marketing is not separate, it's part of the puzzle." Ryan discusses still receiving "hate" for Trust Me I'm Lying Idea --> Execution. Casey Neistat "I don't want to hear about your best idea. The idea is the easy part." Writing Routines -- Why Ryan started studying the routines of other great writers "You have to have a routine. You must treat this creative profession like a profession" Being very descriptive with the work Why being in great physical shape is "part of the job" You should do some form of strenuous exercise every single day Seinfeld -- Chain method. Put an X on the calendar every day for exercise Discipline: Doing it even when you don't feel good. You have to get up and do it "People want to have a platform, but they don't want to build it." Social Media: See why over 190,000 people follow Ryan on Twitter: @RyanHoliday Read: Perennial Seller Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Leader" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 212: Max Joseph - Catfish, Leadership, Making It Count, & Pete Berg Max Joseph is one of the creative minds behind MTV's Catfish and the director of the indie film We Are Your Friends, has teamed up with the social media app Vero to launch a new documentary series, Charismatic Thinker.  He started as an editor, then become a director. He has written, directed, or produced over 64 short films including commercials and web videos. He worked with Casey Nesitat for his famous video for Nike titled, "Make It Count."  It has received more than 25,000,000 views. Recently, he released his latest documentary, DICKS: Do you need to be one to be a successful leader?  It has received critical acclaim and I highly recommend it. (We discussed "the making" of that film during this conversation).   Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = Understanding the importance of leading and managing Why make the film about leadership? Max is a nice guy, not a bully... Was one of the bullied He thought, "If I were a dick, would I be more popular?" "Do I need to be a dick to be a good leader?" As the director it is sink or swim... "You're thrown into it. I did not learn how to lead or manage." Sports can be an education in leadership -- If you don't have that growing up, how do you learn how to lead? A Disagreeable Giver -- (Adam Grant) -- Most reduced form of the film. As a protective measure, that is the lesson in being a great leader "I do think you need to, not be a dick, but turn off the empathy meter some..." A leader must Prioritize the greater vision Why he wanted to talk to Pete Berg ("I thought he would say, "You need to be a dick to be a good leader.") Most people said you didn't need to be one to be successful.  Max was looking for someone who said the opposite. His paradigm -- "You need to be a good coach" "All great leaders have a very strong backbone" Max's parents were too supportive "Being a dick is about ego... You're a dick if you're putting people down just to do it." How to make a living as a smart creative:  "I've always wanted to do this. I love all aspects of filmmaking. I went to Hollywood after college to do this." First job was cutting reels for directors -- "Look you're not the next Spielberg, but can you make this DVD?" "I was a curious, excited, young filmmaker" How did he get the job on Catfish? He emailed Neev after the movie came out... The other guy who was supposed to film and be on the TV show dropped out at the last second. Max said yes and the rest is history (6 seasons, 99 episodes) Read the book: The Surrender Experiment "Every time I surrender to my passion, something amazing happens" "Editing is like being a doctor. You need to put things back together after tearing them apart." "I've had to get better at not being a hero" The famous Nike "Make It Count" video with Casey Neistat Max got to LA 13 years ago. Initially he was unhappy. He hated it. He took a vacation backpacking through Europe and thought, "I love editing, there is real passion there" "Just focus on enjoying one thing I love and that will be enough to sustain happiness" Casey called him and asked him to be his first editor He asked him to fly to New York and then travel the world for the Nike video Casey got a tattoo during it... "Do More" Embrace the adventure... Let the project grow from it Advice: "Everyone has a gift... Has a genius for something. I get really unhappy if I don't do what I love for at least an hour a day" Read Big Magic by Liz Gilbert Look up Max on YouTube and Vero Social Media: See why over 468,000 people follow Max on Twitter: @maxjoseph Watch: Make It Count Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Leader" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 211: Vanessa Van Edwards - How To Be Instantly Irresistible Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio "Vulnerability is sexy.  There is science to prove it." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = Being a people reader (not a mind reader) Try to listen to others more than anyone else Get to KNOW the person 3 Skills Decoding - Leaders who are able to read others accurately Encoding - Your ability to send accurate signals to others... What can I do to excite others? Self-Regulation The art/science of inspiring others We decide if someone is a winner or a loser... Do they feel pride or shame? If we feel pride, we take up more space, shame = less space Charisma -- How to be instantly irresistible? The most charismatic people High Warmth High Competence Must have both Lucille Ball is a great example. I Love Lucy Do you need high levels of charisma to be an effective leader? You do not need to be extroverted... Or a booming leader Quiet, contemplative types can be phenomenal leaders How to handle a room with a lot of people networking if you're an introvert? Your key in this room is to try and create 1 on 1 conversations. Play to your strengths Don't stand in the center of the room Stand at a high bar table Low light areas Conversation hacks: Sparks - The brain looks for hits, not misses "Anything good happen lately? "Working on anything exciting?" Ask soft yes/no questions... "A really skilled decoder is a better listener than anyone else" "Vulnerability is sexy.  There is science to prove it." "Relatability comes down to ties." -- Saying "Oh, me too" creates a tie with that person. "You want this, I want this..." type speeches The 7 micro-expressions "The most charismatic people have: high warmth and high competence."   Social Media: Follow Noah on Twitter: @vvanedwards Read: Captivate Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 210: Noah Kagan - How To Start A Business Noah Kagan was the #30 employee at Facebook (started there in 2005), and the #4 employee at Mint.com.  He came up with the idea of real-time updates and executed with one engineer (Mark Slee) at Facebook.  He is now the Chief Sumo at Sumo.com (A domain in which he paid $1.5m to own.  We discussed why on this episode). This episode is different than most in that it was more conversational, and less interview.  There was real-time coaching, and off the cuff conversation about how I should progress The Learning Leader.  If you are uncomfortable with creative use of the English Language (re: use of curse words), then skip this episode.  If not, I think you'll really like it. "You shouldn't get a job... You should get a career." Show Notes: Sustained Excellence = Getting feedback from professionals Noah hired pros from NPR to review his interview transcripts. "Most of the time we have too much.  Need to edit it down." How to create a narrative -- The NPA producer changed his life Employees -- "They are not my people. They are people I work with. I don't like the word employee." How do you hold others accountable? -- Autonomy, coaching, help when needed.  Hire correctly. "What I'm great at is starting..." How the quest to India changed Noah's life "You'll almost always push hard on the last lap." The impact Mark Zuckerberg had on him when he worked for him at Facebook "When I was at Facebook, there was a singular focus: Growth." "You shouldn't get a job, get a career." -- "I was a cubicle monkey at Intel" Using a journal to plan your day/week/month "Here is a story I've never shared before..." Why you should always ask yourself..."What's exciting for me?" Why you should go on walks with your spouse/significant other Instead of building something in a month, why not build it by Monday? -- Do it quicker than you think possible You need to constantly try and test it out... Don't overthink it.  Will people pay me for this?  Keep evolving Keys to building your audience "Art of The Deal" is a helpful book Noah's salary?  Low 6 figures "Good people don't work for cheap rates" The two ways to scale a business Technology People What Noah learned about vision -- Initially didn't believe in it... But he has matured and fully believes in it. "As I've gotten older..." "It's much easier to get what you want when you know what you want." The impact of Noah's Dad dying had on him "I'm much more protective of my time" "Good people don't ask for cheap rates." Social Media: Follow Noah on Twitter: @noahkagan Go to: Sumo.com  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why  Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.  

Adam and Jeannie share 3 powerful ideas to make quick progress with customer experience sprints. Streamline your goals with customer experience sprints Have you heard of business sprints? The idea is to put most long-term goals aside, then focus exclusively on one goal for a predetermined period. This concept has been taking off lately in business and in government, because it works! Sprints are a great way to bring departments together to work for a common goal, and get results quickly. Set your calendar for 30, 60, or 90 days, and nip one of those goals in the bud! With so many goals piling up in your business, it’s easy to put customer experience goals aside in favor of sales and other goals or issues. It’s common to put customer experience aside for another day, then another, until that day never comes. So why not try using customer experience sprints? Adam and Jeannie are here to help you get started! They’re sharing 3 great customer experience sprints you can start today, and some tips for making them work. Any business can use these sprints, so grab a note pad, jot them down, then put them in your calendar right after the show. Related Content 360Connext® post, Take Customer Experience Action with these 7 Questions Episode 235: Customer Experience Touchpoint Tips Episode 228: (Tip) All Customers want These Things We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Free Webinar On Demand Jeannie is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) who has held highly engaging Customer Experience Mission workshops for larger audiences, and customized ones for clients with outstanding results. Sign up to learn how to start your own Customer Experience Mission for free! Make your mission statement meaningful both to customers and employees Ensure customer-facing employees meet and exceed expectations Turn ordinary processes into a conduit for your mission Steps for creating a mission your team will be proud to get behind Visit CXWebinar.com to sign up for free and check out more free webinars.   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 206: Sam Walker - The Hidden Force That Creates The World's Greatest Teams: Captains Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The 7 Traits of Elite Captains: Extreme doggedness and focus in competition, often to the point of madness A tendency to play aggressively up to, and often beyond, the limits of the rules A willingness to do thankless jobs in the shadow of more acclaimed teammates A bias against making big speeches in favor of continuous practical communication A talent for displaying their commitment and motivating teammates through aggressive nonverbal means An unwavering commitment to defend their principles and speak truth to power The presence of a "kill switch" for shutting off emotion when it's not useful Studying the moment when teams went from good to great Why LeBron James is a unicorn "His model of leadership is completely new." Relation to the business world -- Some of the greatest leaders don't think they deserve the title (job title or to be captain) -- Tim Duncan & Yogi Berra The rituals of Tim Duncan Short conversations with each teammate Great facial expressions Effective messaging Never giving big speeches How to be a charismatic connector like Tim Duncan Great captains (and leaders) are not "yes men." They defend their principles and speak truth to power Jack Lambert purposely left blood on his jersey as a message to his team -- Great captains have a talent for displaying their commitment and motivating teammates through aggressive nonverbal means The ability to develop "emotional maturity." A measured approach As Liz Wiseman said "Great leaders have a buffer between the stimulus and their response" They are able to build resilience Social Media: Follow David on Twitter: @SamWalkers Read: The Captain Class Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.  

Episode 202: Jenny Blake - Pivot - What Do You Do When Your Back Is Against The Wall? Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "What do you do when your back is against the wall?" In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Great listeners -- Not just doing Getting the right people in the right seats on the bus Design thinking -- Empathy interviews Common problem with CEO's? -- They surround themselves with people who only agree with them and fear disagreeing with them Requires listening and a culture shift Why Jenny left Google Taking a leave of absence to write a book -- The impact that had on Jenny FONT - "Fear Of Not Trying" The process of uprooting her life and moving to NYC What do you do when your back is up against the wall? Think of a basketball player -- "It's not a 180... it's a pivot." "High Net Growth Individuals" -- People always looking to improve, grow, learn... Advice to others -- Don't worry too much on a formal business plan or thinking too far in advance.  You can't predict it. 4 Stage Pivot Method: Plant - Strengths Scan - People, Skills, Projects, Target Pilot - Test. Like a pilot episode of a TV show -- 3 E's - Enjoy, Expert, Expand Launch Taking measured risks -- Great originals take measured risks (don't have to "burn the boats") Mentors -- "Friend-tors" Don't ask a mentor, "How can I help you?" -- Come up with a list of ideas for them and give them away. Proactively help without them asking "You can navigate uncertainty. We're always doing this." Dealing with Imposter Syndrome "Befriend your fear. It's trying to help you based on old scripts." What % of your job do you dislike? The importance of mediation -- Headspace App Gamification -- Daily To Do List "What does success look like a year from now?" Continue Learning: Follow Jenny on Twitter: @jenny_blake Read: Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Jenny Blake on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 201: Peter Mallouk - #1 Financial Advisor In America: Tony Robbins Business Partner Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "I was not the greatest student, but I loved learning." - Peter Mallouk on why he earned 4 undergrad degrees, an MBA, a JD, and a CFP In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Realize there is a recipe: Like baking a cake Bring incremental value Energy Discipline to do it over and over and over Why start his business?  Was uncomfortable just doing Estate planning and working with unethical people Key to success Great early hires helped propel Creative Planning Time management tips Focuses on doing what he enjoys most - Spending time with clients and employees, not pointless meetings "My #1 job is to be the best option for our clients as an advisor.  I spend 99% of my time with clients and employees." "I loathe meetings and seminars" Key to all of the awards? "Money follows value" -- In 2008/2009, people started looking for another financial advisor "We are very good at taking someone good and help make them great" Interview process: They receive over 100 job applications per week Resume screen all Pick the 5 best and do a phone screen Bring the best of those 100 (1 person typically) for an in person interview Meet with 6 different people Within the first 30 days, it still feels like an interview "We throw the ball and they better catch it, it's hard." Qualities needed: Education Ability to be detail oriented Great communicator Must be task oriented ("We can't make them be this, they need to have it") Make sure they can meet the clients needs How the Tony Robbins relationship started -- Peter informed Tony that he didn't fully understand what he was talking about (in regards to money) "Tony got pissed off and wrote Money: Master The Game..." What to look for in a business? "Find something that is idiot proof because at some point an idiot will be running the company" The keys to look for in a financial advisor Independent - Gets paid the same on every investment no matter what What response has Peter received from other financial advisors? "It has been negative.  I'm okay if they don't like me.  I'm competing against them, I don't expect us to all get along." Continue Learning: Follow Peter on Twitter: @PeterMallouk  Read: Unshakeable - Your Financial Freedom Playbook  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Peter Mallouk on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 200: AJ Hawk & Keith Hawk - Showing Up, Doing The Work, Earning Trust, Helping Others, Winning The Super Bowl, Celebrating #200 Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "I've always been obsessed with being accountable to the people around me.  I have to be there for them." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of great coaches/leaders: A vividly clear picture of what success looks like Mission/Vision -- Habits built Give coaching feedback Look to help them "My success can only follow the success of others" Show up -- Be there (AJ) They are authentic Clearly communicate -- Jim Tressel was great at this, never had to yell Bad bosses/coaches: When they don't know what to do, they just yell They lose the principle that their job is to help people They only focus on numbers and not their people Being retired "It doesn't mean what it used to" "I now have the freedom to work on only what I want to..." "I like not being on someone else's schedule" Key to quickly earning respect from peers? "Be seen, not heard." "Be accountable to your peers/teammates. Always show up, be consistent." Must find a way to do the important "people" things and not just get caught up in the day to day tasks What do you miss? All of the people used to see daily Micro-Coaching The act of coaching others on the small details that lead to sustained excellence. The importance of doing this on a regular basis. Make it a habit Thoughts as a parent "My job to take you to the door, but it's up to you to go through it and thrive." "You need to compete as much as possible... That creates adversity, which is healthy for a kid." (AJ) "I almost feel like we have to create adversity... We don't want our kids to be spoiled." (To AJ) How will you handle it when your daughter Googles you and sees that you signed a 36 million dollar contract? Creating appreciation for your kids -- Making them earn what they get Recommend your kids spend time around those are who less fortunate so they know how lucky they are What do you hope others say about you? (Keith) - "That I helped them."  "My success can only follow the success of others."  "That I was full of integrity, honest, trustworthy." (AJ) - "Accountable to others, that I was a guy who made other people feel good.  That they never had to question me and whether I would be where I was supposed to be.  That I showed up." When people say "Man, it must be sad that AJ is done with football!" -- Not the case at all.  So grateful that it happened. "Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened." "Always be there.  Show up. Don't delegate important tasks, be there.  Don't say no if you can say yes.  You have to earn trust." Continue Learning: Follow AJ on Twitter: @OfficialAJHawk Read: Get Real Selling by Keith Hawk Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing AJ Hawk and Keith Hawk on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 199: John Kralik - The Power of Gratitude (A Simple Act of Gratitude) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Until you are grateful for what you have, you won't get what you want." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Being grateful for what you have will lead to continued excellence How his second divorce impacted him: "The second time around, it's your fault" The power of writing thank you notes -- Learned from his grandfather "Until you are grateful for what you have, you won't get what you want." Writing one thank you note per day for one year "When you're negative, you're angry." His thank you note to his son prompted his son to take him out to lunch... What happened next? Life changing "He took out an envelope and paid me back $4,000 that he owed me." -  Writing all of your employees thank you notes: Why you should do this but most don't "Instead of being mad about my bad clients, I started thanking my good ones." -- The impact this had on John's business was immense "It turns out the one thing I had to be grateful for was my 8 year old daughter." -- "She loved this awful little apartment we lived in" "There are so many things to be grateful for" "When things don't go well, stay positive, stay grateful... Good things WILL happen" How to shift a negative mindset? -- Use a pen, write it out. Write thank you notes.  Use gratitude journals.  Trying to find out the person's address without asking them is part of the fun and the surprise. John has written over 1,100 thank you notes since starting this process Focus on the people supporting you everyday.  Say thank you How to write a great thank you note? -- John describes: 4 Sentences Always start with "thank you" Recognize the gift (or whatever they've done that's created your gratitude) Write one true sentence -- Why you're grateful Tell that person what they mean to you Listen as John reads a thank you note he wrote to his daughter (you might cry). Continue Learning: Read: A Simple Act of Gratitude  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing John Kralik on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone.  Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off.  Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man.  Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.

Episode 198: Ian Robertson - The Winner Effect AND How Stress Can Make You Better Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Success breeds success.  The mere act of winning makes it more likely you'll win again." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Ability to set goals -- Not too big but not too easy Self belief -- Self Confidence Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic motivation There will always be someone better than you.  The focus should be on improving your own self Why Elon Musk and Steve Jobs transcend the norms "A lot of people suffered in Steve Jobs desire to build those products" Steve and Elon are anomalies, not the norm "To be #1 in the industry is NOT a good goal" What happens to lottery winners a year later? -- "Ashes in your mouth" How the brain is complex What it means to be a bad dad -- Pablo Picasso "Success conveys power... Power changes your brain.  It creates narcissism" Bad Dad's "hide the ladder."  They get up the tree, then do not show others how they got there. "Keep a ladder down for others" "They must see that it's not God Like... That they can do it" Study: Kids -- Those who believe they can do better and influence their IQ, do better in school. With fixed mindset, failure hurts the ego How can stress make you stronger? Tiger Woods example -- Being nervous before a competition is a good thing (with the right mindset) If you have a big presentation and you say to yourself, "I'm nervous." You'll do worse than if you say "I'm really excited." Adopting a challenge mindset, visualizing the reward "Create a challenge mindset" If you're nervous, don't say "I feel calm." That's not true and your brain knows it.  Instead, say "I'm excited."  Use that energy for good. Using the Joe Buck "So What" method -- It can help with irrational fear of disapproval Can too much happiness be bad for you? -- Yes, over protecting our children can be bad.  They need to experience adversity. "Leaders by definition have to have a vision." "Success conveys power... Power changes your brain." Continue Learning: Follow Ian on Twitter: @ihrobertson Read: The Winner Effect Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Ian Robertson on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Freelance designer Dylan Smith joins the show to discuss why his business degree helps him as a designer, why finding your community is so valuable, and why Leonardo is his favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Dylan's also organizing the Solo Conference for Freelancers (solo-conf.com) in September! Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! Links from today's show include: Solo Conference (https://solo-conf.com/) Dylan on Twitter (https://twitter.com/dylanatsmith) Check out Dylan's meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/londonfreelancers/) -- This week's episode is sponsored by the new edition of Hell to Pay: A freelancer's guide to making good money. (clientsfromhell.net/helltopay) Bryce's popular guide to freelance finances has a brand new edition out, featuring... An expanded tax section with step-by-step instructions for filing your freelance taxes More money-making advice New tactics for negotiating a higher rate As always, Hell to Pay teaches you: How to determine your rate How to charge your clients How to earn better money with less work Buy now and get the new edition when it launches in April! Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast > Let's make good money!clientsfromhell.net/helltopay Already bought a copy? No problem: you get the new edition for free – expect an email regarding that soon.  -- Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell is on iTunes and Soundcloud Subscribe to us on iTunes and Android and RSS

Episode 197: Linda Rottenberg - Why Crazy Is A Compliment Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "The Greatest Risk Today Is Not Taking A Risk At All." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Cannot rely too much on assumptions/success of the past Can't stop taking risks Must continually challenge yourself Start "Stealth" Women at Cholorox started testing on the playground.  After proving it worked, they went to their bosses to implement "It's the best time ever to test ideas." Why Linda was called the "Chica Loca" -- "The Crazy Girl" "If you're not called crazy at the beginning of something, you're not thinking big enough" "The greatest risk today is not taking a risk at all" "People have to give themselves permission" "One of the most famous spin offs was Amazon Cloud Services" "The hardest person to convince to do something new is yourself" Lin Manuel Miranda - Hamilton. Think... "Can I afford to not do my idea?" "Don't burn the boats, but you do need to close some doors." The Paradox of Choice The problem with hollow mission statements -- Uber Culture can shift based on the leaders -- Satya Nadella leading Microsoft GE - Beth Comstock MTV - How they found the best secrets through breaking corporate molds "Stop focusing on your PowerPoint... Test, figure it out, then share." Jeff Bezos - 2 Pizza Rule Zig when everyone else zags.  Learn to see the world differently The power of being vulnerability to build trust "We'll follow you anywhere Linda" "If You're Not Called Crazy At The Beginning Of Something, You're Not Thinking Big Enough" Continue Learning: Follow Linda on Twitter: @lindarottenberg Read: Crazy Is A Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Linda Rottenberg on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Transitioning from full-time radio jobs to becoming a freelance video and audio producer: Steve Folland of the Being Freelance podcast joins Bryce to discuss his freelance journey.  Find Steve on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- This week's episode is sponsored by the new edition of Hell to Pay: A freelancer's guide to making good money.  Bryce's popular guide to freelance finances has a brand new edition out, featuring... An expanded tax section with step-by-step instructions for filing your freelance taxes More money-making advice New tactics for negotiating a higher rate As always, Hell to Pay teaches you: How to determine your rate How to charge your clients How to earn better money with less work Buy now and get the new edition when it launches in late March!  Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast > Let's make good money! clientsfromhell.net/helltopay Already bought a copy? No problem: you get the new edition for free – expect an email regarding that soon.  -- Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Defining success, setting expectations, and avoiding clients from hell. Chris Hawkins of the 100K Freelancer Podcast joins Bryce to discuss all these things and more.  S'a good one this week, guys.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 196: Anthony Iannarino - The Only Sales Podcast You'll Ever Need   Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Who you are matters more than what you do." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Good vs. Great.  What separates the two? Self Discipline - "Me Management" Prospecting - Opportunity Creation "If your dream client could already get the result they wanted, they wouldn't need you" Qualities of the best: Caring Other Oriented Leading with insight "The skill set doesn't matter until the mindset is there" Competitive Is selling an art or a science? Creation of The Sales Blog Consistent processes "I decided I'm a writer... So I write everyday." Asked to do his first keynote after writing everyday for 10 months "The more you work, the more opportunity finds you" EEA for every keynote: Engage & Entertain Educate - Mindset shift Actionable Ideas - Know how to do something different Interview people from the audience before every keynote.  Get to know them, their goals "The best leaders don't look at the scoreboard, they look at the players" Winston Churchill leadership Learn from both the good and the bad leaders -- Take notes "Leadership is the decision to be accountable for a result" "You need to lead NOW.  You can decide to lead whenever you want, wherever you are." "Leadership is a decision. A choice." "Leadership is the decision to be accountable for a result" Continue Learning: Follow Anthony on Twitter: @iannarino  Read: The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Anthony Iannarino on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Episode 195: Derek Thompson - What Makes Something A Hit? (Hit Makers) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Think of speechwriting like a music composer.  Use repetition and choruses." In This Episode, You Will Learn: What makes something a hit? Is there a formula?  No, there is not a formula... People think there is and that's a mistake Bottom line: "Distribution beats content" -- "This is an unsentimental book" There is power in distribution How did Simon Sinek's TED Talk go viral? It was shared by people with millions of followers on multiple platforms like Reddit Think: Who is my audience? Broadcast your content to the right audience Why do we always watch Dumber and Dumber and Shawshank Redemption? There is nostalgia in art We are always trying to recover existential love How did Bumble spread? Injected into mainstream consciousness through celebrity -- Start with one very attractive sorority and continue to repeat How did Facebook spread? Piggy backed off of other networks (Harvard) How Jon Favreau and President Barack Obama write speeches: They think like musicians Using choruses and repetition The best speeches connect with people where they are -- "The power of repetition in song is remarkable" How has Derek made his book a best-seller? Familiarity and repartition followed by surprise Familiar surprises throughout Great distribution "We don't like pure originality that much.  We like familiarity."  Continue Learning: Follow Derek on Twitter: @DKThomp Read: Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Derek Thompson on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Episode 194: Nate Checketts - CEO Of Rhone: Leaving Comfort To Make An Impact Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "If I didn't think people could change, then I think life would be less meaningful." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: It's easy to say someone "got lucky" but that is almost never the case Routine - The best have a routine for long term success. Need good years, need good months, need good weeks, need good days.  You must plan for that success.  Create routines Advice from Jack Dorsey: How to stay focused? Focus on one thing at a time Set specific days for certain meetings and do not deviate.  Take ownership of your calendar and schedule Nate's Routine Wake up at 5 am Spritual time, meditation Write in The 5 Minute Journal Exercise, Yoga, Running Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - At his desk by 7:30 "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." - Ben Franklin "Be the dentist of your own calendar" The story of getting Rhone started in 2011 Nobody was doing premium menswear Feb. 2013 incorporated Spent an hour each way on the train commuting to his job working on Rhone "Why does it feel like taboo to talk about inspiring men?  It shouldn't" Describing the fund raising process "Raising capital is much more art than science" "The biggest key for us was photography.  People needed to see it" Why Shane Battier is a Rhone guy After raising $8M, how do you decide where to spend that money? Speaking about the success of his Dad, Dave Checketts (CEO of Madison Square Garden, New York Knicks) How to instill a work ethic in your children? What it was like growing up with ultra successful parents and how that impacted him How Nate and his wife parent their children How the quote "He was born on third base and convinced he hit a triple" has motivated Nate How he made money creating a sports camp in his backyard growing up "You can't teach effort" Books to read: 7 Habits (Covey) How Habits Work (Duhigg) Red Rising (Fiction) Learning Leader = "I love the idea of being an eternal student." "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin Continue Learning: Follow Rhone on Twitter: @rhone Follow Nate on Twitter: @natechecketts Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Nate Checketts on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

This week Jon B and Joe play 20 Questions. We also have a surprise guest. Listen in to find out who.

Learn how to put your best foot forward when you decide to start freelancing. This is easily our most common Freelance FAQ.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How do I start freelancing? KAI The basic answer is ‘find someone who wants to pay you money for a service you provide, then provide that service. The longer answer is: Identify a target market you want to work with (The Positioning Manual by Philip Morgan is a great resource for this) Identify an expensive problem -- “We aren’t getting enough leads!” -- that the target market is experiencing Create a service offering that helps the client resolve the problem (“We aren’t getting enough leads”) and moves them towards their dream outcome (“We’re getting too many leads!”) I started by picking a hobby-skill I had (wordpress development) and finding people who needed WordPress websites. Over time, I identified more valuable problems to focus on and updated my positioning, my target market, my expensive problem, and my service offerings. But to start, create those ‘rolodex moments’ -- have a strong positioning statement (“I’m a THING who helps TARGET MARKET with EXPENSIVE PROBLEM”) and see what referrals and reaction you get. BRYCE What you need to start freelancing All you really need to freelance is: A Good Mentality (e.g. self-confidence, a willingness to try, etc.) Action (e.g. self-discipline, actually doing the work). A skill that can provide value A plan (e.g. self-reflection, meaningful goals, etc.) Selling and positioning your skill so that it appeals to clients -- and building a plan around that -- is the real secret to freelancing successfully. Typically, this is referred to as finding a niche, which is something a freelancer should do as soon as possible. A niche reduces competition and increases specialization. Niche experts can earn more and they’re more attractive to clients with problems their niche experience helps solve. It provides direction and focus. You’ll want to find some sort of niche ASAP. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help: What industry do you actually use products from or enjoy? What industry hires freelancers with skills like yours? What industry would you enjoy networking in and actually being a part of? Finding those first three good clients is the first barrier to overcome. With those first clients (and future clients), you’ll want to: Find a client’s problem and know how to solve it. Target the correct market Pitch the client by... Address the problem: The client’s issue, objective, needs, goals, etc. Offer a solution: Your strategy, plan, or unique positioning that makes you the answer they’ve been looking for. Fees and timelines: I wouldn’t go too far into this initially, but you’ll want to lay the groundwork for fees and realistic timelines. A client shouldn’t feel blindsided by this stuff down the line. After those first few client interactions, you should reassess your plan before moving forward. Is your skill offering value to clients? Did you enjoy working with these clients? Are there areas to improve? If those first few client interactions went well and you want to do more work with them, pursue referrals, build case studies, and focus on refining your service as much as possible. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

    Episode 193: Erik Wahl - How To Rediscover Your Creative Genius Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Performing is not an act of extroversion, it's an act of connection." In This Episode, You Will Learn: The fascination with "live theatre" -- Erik is a performer on stage (art, speaking, message, theatrical) "Transport so the molecules in the room change" How to reverse engineer what we love What happened after Erik was told that "Art was not his strength" Relationship with money and success -- how it can be unhealthy Why artists have a different take on life... A life of philosophical gratitude "I built this plane as I flew it" Pursue mastery... Be insatiably curious on how to connect with audiences The power of vulnerability and why you should share more of yourself First paid gig? $1,000 in LA -- "I probably sucked." The tipping point to kick off his speaking/performing career The definition of being introverted... Erik is an introvert.  He gains energy from alone time... Stage time is where the energy is spent Erik's writing process -- "Verbal Vomit" -- Fortunate to have great team of editors Why we should all study acting and stand up comedians Thinking, "What will fascinate the audience?" Pre speech routine -- Stretching, meditation.  Taking energy from "Me and giving it to them" Decluttering of the mind. Meditate. Think at a higher level "Art is about producing... Thinking... Expanding consciousness" Understanding the value of being uncomfortable "Money is not important to us, we do not sell my paintings" Why audiences are drawn to authenticity and trust Why we should rehearse creativity on a regular basis How much does Erik get paid per speech now? $40,000 New ideas? Holographs, Drones, Cirque Du Soleil "Pursue excellence, pursue mastery... Let the money come where it may" "Creativity is a muscle that must face resistance to create more... Be stronger." Continue Learning: Follow Erik on Twitter: @ErikWahl Read: The Spark and The Grind Read: Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Erik Wahl on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

You really can work from anywhere — and even on your own terms! Just make sure all your advice doesn't come from a clickbait headline.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How do you work remotely? You work remotely (and effectively), by having four things: A clear idea of what you should be doing, in terms of outcomes. “Get client outline of marketing project” or “Finish design for Kai” Time clearly blocked off for each project A working environment – be it a cafe, a coffee shop, a co-working space, or an office – where you can do focused work A means of communicating with the client with firmly established boundaries in terms of when you are and are not available When you know the work you need to do, have time blocked off for the work, have a space to do the work in, and have a means of communicating with the client that isn’t a distraction, you’re in the perfect spot to work remotely. In terms of telling clients you work remotely, I’ve never had an issue with this. I’ve been consulting for 5+ years and every single project has been remote. No one has balked. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

Dealing with the isolation that comes with freelancing and the magnificent, life-changing power of saying no.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How do you deal with isolation when working from home? It sucks. It really does. Getting over that hump takes a lot of work -- useful, doable work -- but work. Have an immediate support system of friends you can spend non-work time with Stop work immediately at a designated time (Kai's is 4:30pm) Only start work at a certain time (Kai's is 9:30am) Have 2-4 hobbies you’ve cultivated (I like road biking, hiking, weight lifting, and reading) so you can switch to something non-work if you have energy and it’s the evening Track how you’re feeling. Even just in a journal or a journal app like Day1, track how you’re feeling with the isolation and working from home. Mostly negatives? Mostly positives? If the isolation causes you issues -- it very well may -- then look into coworking spaces or sharing an office with an individual or a team to give you that social interaction. Freelance FAQ: How do you say no? Practice. Realize that you saying no is not a rejection of the client’s idea, but you saying ‘there is a better way to do this.’ Be comfortable with the uncomfortableness of saying no. It gets easier over time. Read ‘non-violent communication, a language of life.’ Realize that if you don’t say no, you’ll be doing a lot of extra work without compensation; you owe it to yourself to say no. And if a client pushes back? Either they have a legitimate reason and information you don’t have (good!) or they’re incorrect and a bad client who you should fire. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

�  Episode 192: Carey Lohrenz - The 1st Female F-14 Tomcat Pilot: Fearless Leadership, Top Gun, Courage Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "The best have the courage to step up.  Don't ever think others are better than you or they have advantages that you don't.  Step up.  Do the work." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Mindset about how they view setbacks Have a comfort in the uncomfortable They are always learning, constantly striving for more How JJ Watt seems to embrace "the suck" Carey answers the question... "Why was she the first female F-14 Tomcat pilot?" Going to Miramar to train as a fighter pilot -- The experience of it... Some of Carey's classmates flew in the movie Top Gun Call sign: Vixen Where was Carey deployed?  World wide on aircraft carriers.  Discreet missions Carey has landed over 150 times on an aircraft carrier and many times at night Listen to her detailed description of what it's like to fly at night over the ocean (pitch black) An aircraft carrier = "Looks like a postage stamp... I have to land in 1.2 seconds on it" How does Carey overcome the palpable fear? Constant repetition Why write the book Fearless Leadership? The 3 Fundamentals of Fearless Leadership Courage Tenacity Integrity Courage -- You will be filled with self doubt.  "The best have the courage to step up.  The ability to go for it even when they're afraid." "The most successful people I've seen do what they need to do even when they don't want to do it." Keys to building a great culture Be a great wingman Trust Get help with your blind spots - have open lines of communication built on trust Must hold each other accountable What is the military's secret weapon to improvement? Debriefs: What was supposed to happen? What did happen? Why was it different? What can we learn from this? How do we incorporate this next time? The military has the ability and processes in place to learn faster than the competition.  Businesses can do this too, but most don't. It starts with the Leader -- "This is what I did wrong... And how I will fix my mistake." "I went from Mach 2 to pre-school." Continue Learning: Follow Carey on Twitter: @CareyLohrenz Read: Fearless Leadership Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Carey Lohrenz on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Episode 191: Robert Herjavec - Shark Tank Investor + Listener Q & A Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "You don't have to be born in this country to have success in this country." - Robert Herjavec In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Have a deep passion for their craft They bring a unique value proposition You don't have to come from a big city to make something happen Leadership:  People don't want to be managed, they want to be led... You must provide value to the company Robert's thoughts on immigration and the fact that you don't need to be born in this country to be successful "It's a testament to hope... and it's really hard." "You Don't Have To Be A Shark" "You don't have to be mean to be effective.  Some sharks aren't nice.  Be yourself, be real..." Questions from YOU (the listeners) answered as part of the Q & A portion "What is it that inspired you to start The Learning Leader Show?" -- Mauricio Dulon from La Paz, Bolivia "How do you coach for disciplined execution when all you get from your client are excuses? -- Norma Scott Garrell from Olive Branch, Mississippi "How do you add value as the mentee in a mentor/mentee relationship? -- Ben Arwine from Chicago, IL "What benchmarks do you use to gauge how you're doing in your leadership journey?" -- Brian Westerfield from Troy, OH "Is there any one guest whose advice or experience haunts you (in a good way)? -- Shawn Fuller from Ontario, Canada "What has been the biggest surprise for you in this journey?" -- Ryan Jacobs Continue Learning: Follow Robert on Twitter: @robertherjavec Read: You Don't Have To Be A Shark Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Robert Herjavec on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

How do you specialize with a niche? Why do you specialize with a niche? A third question!? This and more on this episode of the Clients From Hell podcast.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- How do I find my niche? This question was originally submitted for the 'Feedback from the Inferno' segment. However, it's a common question, so we've elevated it to the Freelancer FAQ segment.    I don’t have much experience freelancing and I’m confused how to sell my services – what makes me unique? I’m an illustrator, I started freelancing straight out of university, and I’ve only had a handful of jobs in roughly two years – I think this is because I spent a lot of time not knowing what I wanted to do or even how to do it but I’m starting to find a bit more focus now. I’ve started pushing myself towards children’s illustration with the hopes of getting work in publishing, greetings cards, stationary – maybe even the games industry. My issue is this – I have no idea what my niche is. I used to think narrowing my field was good enough, but I was just listening to your “how to find work as a freelancer” podcast, and you mentioned the need to tell a client why they need you, and why you can do the work in a unique way. The thing is, I don’t know how I can complete the work in a way that another illustrator couldn’t also do. I don’t have an impressive client list under my belt, and I don’t have a particularly unique workflow or style. I simply don’t know what I could say to a client that would make me stand out. - A no-niche freelancer   Everyone feels this way at a certain point – in life and in freelancing. Do not stress about being unsure about your uniqueness quite yet. You may not even have the practical experience necessary to really know yourself and what you’re about. I think it would be worthwhile for you to try and get some practical experience at an agency. It offers on-the-job experience; it can refine your skills, and it can teach you a lot about dealing with clients. It can also tell you a lot about yourself, what you value, and what separates you from the pack. But, if you already have a day job, or if freelancing as an illustrator is your exclusive interest, that’s fine too. The first thing you should focus on is what Neil Gaiman identified as the three reasons someone will work with a freelancer. The best part is, you only need to deliver on two of them: Quality work Delivered promptly Pleasant to work with After you manage two out of three on that, then you can start to hone in on that niche. The more work you do, the more you’ll appreciate what kind of work you enjoy – and what kind you despise. The more work you do, the more you’ll come to appreciate what makes you, as a professional, unique and compelling. It doesn’t just happen. It’s a long, slow, and heavily involved process that can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. I’m almost certain that the handful of clients you’ve had has resulted in an informative experience, if not a niche-defining one. There are a few suggestions for finding that specific niche: Reach out to potential clients and ask them questions (e.g. why did you hire that freelancer, how did you find them, what problems were you having, what results did you expect, etc.) Do not try to pitch these clients while you’re researching Time, effort, work, and a whole lot of reflection on your experiences Go to a job board or freelancer site (e.g. upwork, fiverr) and look at what the highest paid freelancers claim as their unique selling proposition (USP) Reach out to successful illustrators and ask them about their journey to where they are now. (e.g. what kind of clients did you end up focusing on? What made your offering compelling? What was the most common client pain point? Etc.) Figure out what you’re good at. Ask your friends; give them an anonymous google doc to fill out if you want a lot of honest answers. I’ll be honest: my niche has changed multiple time over the course of my career. It will almost certainly change again. I learned that I’m a flexible resource that completes work quickly, and I’m excellent at providing creative content. However, I’m not a huge fan of actually “selling” my work, nor did I always feel I had the chops to provide strategic consulting. Having worked with clients of a few shapes, sizes, and industries, I figured I’d aim at smaller agencies that had issues with their copy (I looked at their website, job postings, etc.). A client taught me that most agencies of a certain size don’t have a staff writer (this is a pain point); they make due with somewhat-unreliable freelancers (another pain point) for this work. I reached out directly to the CEO or head of hiring, showcased I did my research, and (POLITELY) brought these issues to their attention. I closed the letter by asking if I could chat with them for five minutes to get some advice regarding their industry. Almost every one said yes. People like being approached as experts, especially if you start by offering a little value first. After taking these meetings, I ask my questions (see that point about researching your clients?). I close the meeting by thanking them for their time, and I state that, if they ever need help creating content, I was hungry for practical experience in the industry, and I’d even charge less than my usual rate. I also addressed those aforementioned pain points (e.g. I can come in a couple of times a week for in-person briefings and on-the-fly edits; I can commit x hours a week, so you’re always guaranteed a reliable resource, etc.) Full disclosure: I don’t actually have a usual rate. I figured out what I wanted to make an hour and said it was half my usual rate. TL;DR: Get experience with as many clients as you can. Reach out to clients and ask after their industry and why they hire freelancers Research successful freelancers in your field The end goal: Figure out the client’s challenges, the solutions others offer, and what defines you as an individual. You don’t need to re-invent the wheel with your offering; you just need to give it your own compelling spin. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

Episode 190: Roger Martin - Playing To Win: Strategy Is A Choice Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Strategy is about making specific choices to win in the marketplace.  It requires making explicit choices to do some things and not others." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Relentlessly look at the future They have a curious mindset... Always asking questions They ask: "Is what we're doing sustainable?" Why A.G. Lafley was such a great strategic leader You should always ask the question, "How can I put myself out of business?  And think to innovate based on that answer Marrying innovation and strategic thinking: the dangers of doing this What era does all of our data come from?  The past... Think carefully about that You cannot always "prove" innovation.  You can't always base the future on the past. Aristotle -- Brought us analysis... How to prove/demonstrate something is true You can't ever analyze how to change the world... Steve Jobs would say "Imagine the possibilities." "Strategy is a choice.  Where to play and how to win." Roger explains how to test if you have a real strategy Best advice he's received and given: 1) "Don't start on the easy stuff.  Do the hard tasks first.  If you work on the hardest problems, you'll find that the easier ones seem to disappear 2) Less is more.  Figure out one thing you do really well and focus on it. 3) "Don't intellectualize people."  "Don't try to fool them, treat them as people... As you would want to be treated." Highly successful people make a list of the Top 10 things to do that day and tackle the toughest problems first Managing what matters most -- Must have a strategy to know what's most important Peter Drucker's work -- The Effective Executive "Too often CEO's will allow what's urgent to crowd out what's really important.  It's wrong to define strategy as following best practices.  This creates sameness and sameness is not a strategy.  It's a recipe for mediocrity." Continue Learning: Follow Carey on Twitter: @RogerLMartin Read: Playing To Win: How Strategy Really Works  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Roger Martin on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

How to get a client to pay you, how to get a testimonial from a client, and what to do when your work is stolen by another freelancer. Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How do I ensure a client pays my invoice? Always start with a deposit -- typically 50%. This guarantees your time and services. Before sending over the final project, ensure you collect the remaining 50% first. (You don’t need to do this exact split, but collecting 50-100% upfront is the most straightforward way to ensure timely payment and a quality client) Use a contract, and in it, stipulate that the intellectual property is yours and usage is illegal until payment in full is received. Clarify your payment schedule and refund policy in the same contract Attaching payment to milestones is an excellent practice for larger projects If a client is curious why you don’t offer refunds, clarify the time investment and that you have to turn down other work to complete this project. Make it as easy as possible for the client to pay (e.g. Paypal, Stripe, Bonsai). Automate reminders for the client to pay. Until the client signs the contract and pays your deposit, do NOT start work. This stage is where you spend your time understanding, evaluating, and explaining things to the client. Once they pay, you should take a more active role. As always, don’t give them any legitimate reasons not to pay you. Communicate, be on time, and produce quality work. Clients who have issues paying at the start are likely to have issues paying you at the end of a project. Trust your gut in these instances. As you get more experience, learn what to charge for, and what to offer as a free bonus. Friendly emails and phone calls will cover you the vast majority of the time. The more direct the communication method, the harder it is to ignore.   Freelance FAQ: How do you get testimonials from clients? Ask for one after a successful client engagement. Reach out to past clients a few weeks or months down the line; see how the project is doing. While you have their ear, ask for a testimonial. Make it as easy as possible for clients to give you a testimonial. Make your request short and to the point. Offer some light direction Follow up if you don’t hear back within a week. If a client reveals they’re dissatisfied with your work and they won’t give you a testimonial, don’t treat this as a loss. Follow up; ask about the issues they experienced with you and what you can do to improve.   Feedback from the Inferno: What do I do about another freelancer who stole my work? (This segment originally premiered over at The Freelancers Union.) I know you’ve addressed clients stealing work before, but I’m in a slightly different situation. Another photographer – one who I’ve never met – has one my pieces in his portfolio and he’s claiming himself as the creator. What should I do? Do I have any recourse, or should I just let it go? – A picture-perfect freelancer   No need to take the Elsa philosophy; there are three things you can do. Start by writing a polite request for them to take down your work. After that, you can file a DMCA takedown. Here’s a basic breakdown from the NPPA on how to do that. All you need to do is find the ISP hosting your image and draft your takedown notice. Finally, you can hire a lawyer to send them a cease a desist. I wouldn’t recommend this one; it’s not going to be worth your time and effort, and attorneys – in addition to being expensive – tend to take cases like this one in very specific circumstances, e.g. if you’ve registered your photo before the infringement. One thing you should not do is go straight to shaming the perpetrator online; take the high road before you consider the low one. It’s important to stick up for yourself and take necessary steps to protect your work, but it’s unlikely that this will in any way cost you work or somehow tarnish your reputation. Starting an online mob, however, has the potential to do both these things, so tread carefully. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

Bryce helps you decide whether your work is good before discussing the numerous skills a freelancer needs to succeed.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How do I know if I'm doing good work?   Freelancing can leave you feeling isolated; soliciting feedback and getting outside of your bubble is crucial. Join online groups related to your craft. Offer (solicited) criticisms. Request criticism Solicit feedback from past clients Ask after more than the work itself (e.g. how communicative was I? What would the client prefer I do differently?) You can do this with non-clients do, but if you do it with friends, offer them anonymity (e.g. a google document or a typeform) Regularly produce work related to your craft. Regularly try to improve your craft. Stay up-to-date in your field Sign up for newsletters Follow influencers    Freelance FAQ: How do you deal with being a jack of all trades?   Your focus should remain on your field or primary skill, but to succeed as a freelancer, you need to learn about business, marketing, and quite a few fields that overlap with your own. The two best pieces of advice for needing to work outside of your specific skill set is this: Keep it as simple as possible Don’t invest the time and anxiety until you’re ready to address the issue My advice for the two skillsets every freelancer needs are below: Marketing: Reaching out to potential clients and building steady work should be your foremost concern Business and Finances: Calculate your minimal hourly rate and never dip below it. If you have a lot of work, charge your next client more. Keep doing this until you get push back. One of your first investments into your business should be invoicing or contract software. Bonsai is a great place to start. Finally, if you have some affinity for it, educate yourself on fields that overlap with yours as soon as possible. This elevates the value of your primary skill while increasing your overall value. E.g. Design + Copywriting / Coding E.g. Writing + Design / Coding / Marketing E.g. Development + Writing / Design / Front end or back end You don’t need fancy tools or expensive courses to succeed, but you do need to invest the time. Specifically, you need to invest it wisely. Focus on skills that promise the biggest, most immediate returns, and work the rest out from there. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

    Episode 189: Jennifer Mueller - Why Leaders Should Embrace Creative Change Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "If you're calculating risk, then it's not creative." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence: Mindset to learn Curiosity is the most important Thinking like an inventor... Curious by asking "What does this mean?" Why is their pressure to perform immediately? It's a followers mindset -- Anchor to the competitors and play the rat race game This does not allow you to break away from the competition If you want to change the status quo, you cannot think this way There are no shortcuts... Why write the book? Studied how people generated ideas Was cynical at first, but what Jen learned is that leaders don't know how to manage for innovation Why do ideas get rejected? "If you're calculating risk, then it's not creative." How to give yourself a better shot for the idea to get traction? Give a feedback pitch and not a selling pitch... Ask for feedback and advice Her famous study -- "The Bias Against Creativity" Overcoming the bias against creative leadership Backlash against the people who generate the idea -- It's not good Might be promoting people on out of date measures Mis-reading skill set "Creative Leaders have to ask questions and be curious" "Stop generating ideas, start making impact" Have a change circle... Talk about how you can push your idea through "Creative leaders must ask questions... And be curious." Continue Learning: Follow Jen on Twitter: @JennSMueller Read: Creative Change Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Jennifer Mueller on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

A freelancer wonders what to do after his best client's best friend refuses to pay his invoice; Bryce offers advice for charging clients.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How should I charge my client? The basic answer is, “if you want to earn X this year, you need to be making Y for every hour you work.” My rule of thumb: Take what you want to earn in a year and drop the zeroes. If you want to earn $45,000 this year, you need to be earning, at least, $45 for every hour you spend on your business. The logic behind this rule of thumb: There are about 2,000 billable hours in a year (40 hours a week x 50 weeks in a year – we’re losing two weeks for holidays). You cut those billable hours in half, because at least 25% of your time will go into business upkeep, and the other 25% will go into taxes, insurance, and retirement (which adds up to 50% of your time – half). Thus, take what you want to earn in a year (e.g. $60,000) and divide it by the 1000 billable hours (e.g. $60/hour). Remember, these are ballpark estimates, not fine-tuned figures. Besides hourly, there are numerous ways to charge a client: Daily Can begin charging for value (not time) and you get to focus on one thing at a time You can’t be flexible with your day; this billing rate doesn’t work with every situation Weekly More flexibility to charge for value and not time; it is very results orientated. Weekly rates are more applicable to consultants and results-based work; the time investment for some weeks can wildly exceed a typical 40-hour workweek Monthly A monthly rate offers regular income that bolsters a long-term relationship with clients It’s similar to being a full-time employee, with the pros and cons associated with that. Typically, you’ll have to charge more than a full-timer would and it can be difficult to communicate to a client why that is. Per deliverable This style of billing is directly tied to a product or result; your rate and time commitment are completely irrelevant. Scope changes and negotiation are commonplace Per project Your billing purely by value; there’s less need for oversight and micromanagement regarding your day-to-day activities However, there’s an immense amount of planning involved; if you miss something, you eat the cost. You should know your hourly rate even if you do not intend to charge by the hour. Your hourly rate informs all other forms of billing, typically as a bare minimum you need to be making. Experience will teach you how you like to work, and how you like to work will influence the ideal way for you to bill your clients. Despite weekly billing having a higher potential income attached to it, monthly billing works better for my clients and me.   Feedback from the Inferno: My best client's best friend stiffed me – now what? (This segment originally premiered over at The Freelancers Union.) My biggest client referred his best friend to me. That friend stiffed me on my invoice. What can I do without ruining the 15+ year relationship I have with my client? In a nutshell, my best and biggest client referred me to his close friend for some IT work. It came as an emergency. I did my best, and I got my client’s friend up and running again. Over two visits, the friend accumulated $1600 worth of time within a few days. Both of his checks bounced. His business went bankrupt, and he claimed creditors to be relieved from, but I wasn’t one of them. I got his word he would pay me and that he appreciated the work I did for him. Time went by. Nothing happened. I asked my client about his situation and from what I saw, my client was also one of the people his friend borrowed from. I’m unsure if he was someone he was relieved from. When I asked my client if I should pursue it, he said I should drop it that I would probably never get the money back. That $1600 isn’t chump change. With the economy like it is, I could sure use it. I don’t want to alienate my client, but it burns my ass that his friend got off, especially since he’s rich and lives in an exclusive neighborhood, nice cars, has another business which is flourishing, etc. Additional context: the freelancer who wrote in has been in IT since 1994, and he started his business in 2004. There are no contracts involved in most of his work, as most of his clients have long and personal relationships with him – often spanning over a decade. – A freelancer with a burnt butt   Honestly, it seems like you've already reached the conclusion on this: it's frustrating, but that money is likely gone. A lot of time has passed, and there was no contract in place. It's certainly possible there's a route you can take to regain that lost $1,600, but I don't see a way that's worth that amount of money – almost all of them will cost you in much more damaging ways. I respect the crap out of the style of work you offer – close relationships, time-honed offerings, constant support – but it's a style where a contract-free experience should only be offered to proven and qualified clients. As you stated (this was in a separate email), it's the newer clients that take advantage of your stalwart offering. I'd suggest taking a look at how you qualify these new clients and if there's a way to offer an expedited contract or down payment. Here's how I deal with this: I have a simply-worded and short contract template that I use for clients I'm unsure about. I fill in the blanks with the client, and that ensures we're both on the same page regarding it (e.g. what results do they expect? what services do they need? who's my main contact? who's in charge of payment?). My first meeting or two with the client is spent gaining an understanding of their issue, offering my solution, and engaging them for the work. My third meeting is a 5-45-minute engagement where we fill in those contract blanks and ensure we understand each other. I'm protected, my client is protected, and we’re both clear what I'll be doing with them. Plus, that contract-creating experience is my built-in client-qualification system. I also suggest you check out the Freelance Isn’t Free act. I think you’ll be interested in supporting it. Otherwise, I wish you the best with your future clients. I know a principled business (with such a remarkable pedigree) will do just fine in the long run, so my final piece of advice is this: don't sweat the crappy experiences. They seem to be few and far in-between. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

What to ask a prospective client and advice for a freelancer caught in a client's love triangle.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: What questions should I ask a client? When you first meet a client, you need to: Determine if the prospect is a good fit Diagnose their problem Decide if this will be a mutually beneficial relationship Don’t overwhelm your prospect with 1,001 questions in the initial email, but do ask them sooner than later. From there, you need to determine: Budget: Can the client afford your services? Authority: Does this person have the authority to make buying decisions? Need: Does the client have a genuine need for your services? Timeline: Does the timeline work for you and your client? I always try to figure out the negative consequences of not having a solution and the positive implications of having a solution to frame all future conversations. Regardless, here are some general questions to ask a prospect or client: For what reasons are you looking to hire a new freelancer now? What triggered your decision to hire a freelancer? What’s made this so urgent or important? What experiences, good and bad, have you had with other freelancers? What do you want to be different this time around? What results do you expect to see from the work we do together? What are your company’s goals? What’s your most important priority? What’s your most urgent priority? If they’re not the same, ask: What will it take to focus on the most important priority? How can the urgent priority get downgraded? What’s your company’s biggest marketing challenge? What’s keeping you from overcoming or meeting that challenge? What internal resources do you have to apply to this challenge? How well are your competitors doing? What are your competitors doing that you’re not and wish you were? What do you want to be the best at? What do you want your company or department to be renowned for? What are you willing to stake your reputation on? What’s the average lifetime value of a customer? What’s your customer acquisition cost? What’s your current marketing return on investment? What’s your process for choosing a consultant or agency? Have you used this process before? What worked or didn’t work? What will you do to get a different result? Who’s involved in making the decision? Who signs the contract? If you don’t hire a freelancer or consultant, how will you meet this challenge? What will you do? How will you know we’ve been successful? If we don’t address this issue, what will it cost your company? If we deliver on agreed upon goals, what’s that worth to your company? What problems do you see down the road that could obstruct or constrain our working together? What makes you lose sleep at night? Or what do you need so you can sleep at night? You may have field-specific questions that you find your regularly asking clients. Based on those repeat findings, you should create an onboarding questionnaire that you go through with clients when they first engage you.   Feedback from the Inferno: How do I deal with my client’s controlling boyfriend? (This segment originally premiered over at The Freelancers Union.) My client’s boyfriend insists on attending all of our meetings, business or otherwise. For context, I’m a male, and my client is a female. We know each other from school, but we recently reconnected when she found out I started freelancing, and she wanted me to build her budding businesses’ website. My client has insisted that this isn’t a big deal – the boyfriend should be treated as another source of feedback – but the dynamic makes me uncomfortable. I told her that she doesn’t have to worry about me trying anything, but she says that’s not really the issue. She insists that the boyfriend has “her best interests” in mind and just not to worry about it because she “really wants to work with me on this.” What should I do? – A third-wheel freelancer   I had to email this submitter back to glean a bit of additional context. To summarize: the client and her boyfriend have both cheated on one another, and the boyfriend is not there for his business expertise; the client and the submitter hooked up once “while drunk at school”; by school, the submitter means he and his client attended university together. One thing that immediately set off warning signs for me is that you’re having meetings with this client that fall under the umbrella of “otherwise.” Working with friends is something that I probably wouldn’t recommend. Working with a former hookup is something I would almost always discourage. Working with a serial cheater (that you have a history with!) while she’s in a troubled relationship (with a controlling boyfriend!) sounds like the motive the detective will give when he finds your dead body. Point being: none of this sounds like a good idea. Even if you weren’t involved with this client on the pretense of this being a client-freelancer relationship – and I’m not convinced you wouldn’t be, as you failed to mention you had sex with this client in the past in your initial email – I would still encourage you to get as far away as possible. It sounds like this client needs to separate their personal and professional life. And I think the same could be said about you. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

Professor Finkelstein is a consultant and speaker to senior executives around the globe, as well as an executive coach, focusing on leadership, talent development, corporate governance, learning from mistakes, and strategies for growth. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Management and listed on the “Thinkers 50”, the world's most prestigious ranking of leadership gurus. He has been featured in the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Business Week, the London Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, Inc, Fast Company, and CNBC, and is a regular columnist for the BBC. Episode 188: Sydney Finkelstein - How To Be A SuperBoss Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Confidence is the prerequisite to greatness." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of the best sales professionals: Curiosity - Always looking for answers Courage to go after opportunities They understand in order to be successful, you must help others be successful People who are unconsciously incompetent Not curious - They think they have all the answers Unwillingness to learn Superboss = Someone who helps others Bill Walsh - A bigger coaching tree than any other coach... Why? 1st coach to understand talent well Created a development program for African American coaches He would call other owners and tell them to hire one of his assistants... He helped his people leave him for bigger jobs The best people seek these types of leaders Why is this so rare?  Most think of ways to retain their talent instead of help promote them. This is wrong. You cannot control what other people do. Create an environment that makes people want to work for you. Help them. The difference between a male and female boss What do Superbosses do? They create master-apprentice relationships -- Leonardo DaVinci 1 on 1 conversations with your boss Find someone who will invest time in you and your career. Be that person if you are a boss Create opportunities for your people When you delegate, be hands on with the feedback. Be direct and involved to help Encourage collegiality and simultaneously drive internal competition: Sydney describes how to do this Lorne Michaels creates this at Saturday Night Live Think about the best bossses you've worked for... Why were they the best? What worked for them? For you? Then ask... Am I doing those things? How am I making it work for those who work for me? Each person is unique. Understand that Learn from your own personal experience Using a "Get To Know You" document every year. Personally invest in getting to know your people Continue Learning: Follow Sydney on Twitter: @sydfinkelstein Read: Superbosses  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Sydney Finkelstein on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

A boss from hell claims ownership of a would-be freelancer's free time; Bryce offers advice for transitioning from a traditional full-time job to self-employment.  This episode... How do I go from the nine-to-five to freelancing? What should I do about a boss who won't let me have a side gig? Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: How do I transition from the 9 to 5 to freelancing? Before you make the full-time freelancing plunge... Know your finances Have 3-6 months of savings before you commit Start moonlighting Freedom to learn and experiment. When you do start freelancing… Communicate with clients (but don’t create unnecessary work for them) Meet deadlines Always give your best work (if you can) Research how freelance taxes work in your state Look into insurance options Create a schedule, system or process for work. Occasionally re-evaluate what is and isn’t working. In particular, look for time investments that aren’t showing any returns Always evaluate your work/life balance Evaluate your income to expenses   Feedback from the Inferno: My boss won't let me have a sidegig -- what should I do? (This segment originally premiered over at The Freelancers Union.) I moonlight as a freelancer and I know my boss will have a problem with it if he ever finds out. What should I do? I have done freelance writing here and there for almost 10 years. I enjoy doing it, and I want to really get serious about it. Here's my problem: I work full-time as an administrative assistant at a law firm, and my boss is not at all supportive of me doing anything that he thinks might take me away from my job. And let's be honest, he has a point - I do intend to leave when I've got my freelancing off the ground. For now, I need the money, and it's not a terrible gig, but it isn't where my heart is. I already have one client that I got by word of mouth, and I know I need to advertise my services to gain more clients – which is scary enough, as I am an introvert – but I'm scared to put myself out there lest my boss discovers what I'm up to and uses it against me. I would love just to be honest with him, as I have with my office manager, but past experiences have already taught me that's not an option; as examples, he fired another assistant partly because that assistant divulged that he was going to night school to become an EMT; he also was wary of me getting my CAP-OM certification until I described how it would benefit HIM. I already dropped hints a long time ago that I really wanted to pursue writing, but that was dismissed and never referenced again. Many others within the firm have ventures outside of the office, including my boss and all of the partners. But for them, the firm is an anchor. For me, it is a stepping stone. My question is twofold: is there a way for me to advertise myself stealthily so that I can get clients without my current boss finding out? Or, in the event I just say screw it and put myself out there, how can I prepare to deal with the fallout? I appreciate any help you can give - I am reaching out to you because I have heard you say to start freelancing part-time before jumping in with both feet, and I figured maybe you'd have some insight into a situation like mine. I'm tired of holding back and missing out on clients and money because I'm afraid a simple Google search will cost me my job before I'm ready to leave. – A moonlighter on a mission   First of all, this is easily one of the best-written emails I've ever received. You clearly have the chops to make it on your own as a freelance writer. Second, your boss is an absolute douche. With that out of the way… Finding Work There are tons of ways to market yourself without actually exposing yourself. In nearly a decade of freelancing, roughly 80% of my work came from clients I never actually met. Word of mouth, job boards, local meetups – they’re all great ways to find work when you’re first starting out. For your first few jobs, simply letting the world know (via twitter, facebook, etc.) you’re available for work is a great way to secure some warm leads. However, that last bit of advice tickles your main issue… On being googled I almost always suggest a freelancer use their name as their business, and I think this should still be the case for you. I understand the fear of Googling – and it's a valid concern – but the idea of this boss owning your name online is utterly ridiculous. Plus, your freelance site doesn't need to be salesy or revealing. Giselle's illustration website is a great example of this. To address this potential name issue, maybe you can focus on your first or last name to start. Remember, most of your potential clients will be directed to your website through you; very few clients will find you by googling "freelance writer" or whatever. Preparing to go full-time (AKA dealing with the fallout) Simply put, I recommend 3-6 months of savings for ALL your living expenses is set aside before you make the full-time freelancing leap. I also recommend at least three positive client experiences before you make the plunge. Ideally, some of these clients will offer recurring work. Other resources Here are two articles I always recommend for this stuff: How to Start Freelancing Without Quitting Your Job An Experienced Freelancer’s Guide to Finding Clients Also, if you ever want to use my Start Freelancing course to get a boost, I included a 75% off coupon in that link. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

This week, Bryce answers common (and not so common) questions about freelancing.  Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!  Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes! -- Freelance FAQ: Where do I find my first clients? Start with people you know. Announce via social, email, etc. that you’re starting to freelance Reach out to individuals you know that may have need of your services Feel free to reach out for work, but also ask to pick their brain e.g. does your business hire freelancers? What do they look for? Etc. Reach out to nearby businesses, especially if you have a positive relationship or a connection to someone higher up Local or nearby businesses have the benefit of face-to-face connection. You can succeed with an entirely remote client list, but when you’re just starting out, the flexibility of a local connection should not be underestimated. Attend networking events Reach out to hiring managers, creative directors, etc. Feel free to reach out for work, but also ask to pick their brain e.g. does your business hire freelancers? What do they look for? Etc. Sign up for job boards and apply for jobs that you feel capable of tackling. Job boards require a lot of experience and thoughtful positioning to be regular and profitable sources of work. However, when you’re just starting out, they’re an excellent source of low-commitment experience. Try to find a unique position point. For example, there are very few freelancers boasting about their webinar experience -- there were all of six on a job board with over 100,000 freelancers on it. The more specific the job board is to your skillset (as a designer or developer), the better. Pitch publications   An excellent source of portfolio pieces and income   Join online groups related to your craft or services. Market yourself in directories. Reach out to job listings for full or part-time work related to your service and see if there’s a way you can help until they hire their permanent fix. I’ve actually had clients close job listings after working with me and then putting me on retainer. Work for free Set boundaries and expectations Work for a testimonial, referral, and quality portfolio piece Ensure you want to do more work of this type Ensure you’re getting something of value out of this engagement; otherwise, you’re wasting your time.   Feedback from the Inferno: Where do I find my first clients? (This segment originally premiered over at The Freelancers Union.) I have a client that insists I do all my work at his office. He insists on this arrangement because he doesn’t really “trust web people.” He admits part of this is just not “getting it” – if I’m there, I can explain things, and he knows I’m honestly billing him for the time. I really don’t like working at his office: it’s inconvenient to travel to and from there, I have to bring some of my equipment, and my client likes to breathe over my shoulder while I work. The worst part about this over-my-shoulder work is that he’ll sometimes start to give me a massage. I’m not the only one he does this to, but it’s both literally and metaphorically uncomfortable. How do I tell him to stop doing this without ruining the relationship? – A real hands-on freelancer   The subject line of this email was “my clint likes to touch me - I do not.” At first, I thought that was a lot of unsolicited information about a submitter’s uncomfortable relationship with a man named Clint, but boy did that stop being funny once I realized that was a spelling error. I was unbelievably relieved to discover you’re both male and that this touching is seemingly non-sexual. It’s still 100% not okay that the client is doing this, but this dynamic could be far, far worse. From what you wrote to me, it sounds like you have an out-of-touch-with-the-times client – both technologically and socially. And it sounds like you could do a better job of pushing back and making sure the working arrangement works for you. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with your client to discuss how you work together. Decide beforehand where you draw the line. I suggest not working in that office altogether, but you can compromise on him simply respecting your personal space. Do your research and prepare for this meeting. You should try and anticipate your client’s potential concerns, and you should have your reasons on standby. For example, address why this client doesn’t trust “web people.” By now, you should have established a working relationship, so some trust should be there. If it’s simply a matter of hours, offer to use time-tracking software. If it’s due to a lack of understanding, ask if there’s a contact at the company who would better understand your deliverables – work that is mutually understood is much more likely to meet the client's goals effectively. Whatever happens, don’t back down from where ever you drew the line. If all you’re going to push back on is the touching – and I encourage you to have more ambition than that – speak to how it makes you feel and try not to accuse or embarrass the client. Do this one on one, and be straightforward; it’s not okay that he was in your personal space, but it sounds like no one ever tried to course correct him, and he’s ignorant about how inappropriate it is. If you still don’t want to rock the boat, invest in Mad Max-style shoulder pads. Jokes aside, if you feel genuinely uncomfortable or physically threatened, cut things off with this client. A big part of freelancing is doing your work, your way – and it seems like this arrangement doesn’t empower you on a personal or professional level. And try to work on sticking up for yourself! It sounds like a lot of your complaints about this situation came from you rolling over whenever your client requests something. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

    Episode 187: Jeb Blount - How To Never Have An Empty Pipeline (Fanatical Prospecting) Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Repetition is the mother of learning." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes of the best sales professionals: They have high Emotional Intelligence AND Sales Intelligence A full pipeline The #1 Reason for failure is an empty pipeline Ultra High Performers: They prospect constantly -- driven to keep the pipeline full: it builds confidence Focus on deals they can win -- they are a good judge of win probability Have the luxury to choose the deals they work on High EQ -- they have the ability to manage their emotions Average sales people focus on a linear sales cycle... The ultra successful focus on the buying process, they shape the buying process, decision making process, and they are masters at influencing decision makers You CAN move from great to ultra performer -- with work Hiring process: The culture must support ultra high performers Using Sales Drive -- An assessment to learn if people will hunt. Must have intelligence/competitiveness, an optimism to hunt  4 Parts -- Interview process 1) Intelligence - must be able to connect the dots that don't seem connectable  2) Acquired Knowledge - desire to build knowledge, growing, learning, curious 3) Technology Intelligence - have to build new technology into your life 4) Emotional Intelligence - management of emotions, situational awareness Why the average sales person is good in an interview Examples of great "Turnaround Statements" A live discussion of the cold email I sent Jeb to get him on my show (really interesting part) You have 2 seconds to get their attention Hook in the subject line 1st sentence -- talk to them, not you. Relate to them. Don't write "Hey Jeb," write "Jeb" Situation -- bridge -- connect the dots, then ask Social selling Must have a great social profile Monitor what you say DO NOT tweet about politics or religion Connect with people in your industry on LinkedIn Continue Learning: Follow Jeb on Twitter: @SalesGravy Read: Fanatical Prospecting  Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Jeb Blount on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

From qualifying clients to education as a lead conversion technique, Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss how they turn prospects into high-paying clients. --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Steve Gordon, author of Unstoppable Referrals,  joins Bryce Bladon to discuss how to get client referrals. They cover: Why referrals are so important Obstacles that impede referrals Reverse prospecting > Check out Steve's FREE referral course --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RS

Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis share their plans, their predictions, and their advice for the upcoming year.  --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

  Episode 185: Haben Girma - The First Deafblind Harvard Law Graduate, Champion Of Change An internationally acclaimed accessibility leader, Haben Girma has earned recognition as a White House “Champion of Change”, Forbes 30 under 30 leader, and BBC Women of Africa Hero. The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben champions equal access to information for people with disabilities. She has been honored by President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, and many others. People with disabilities represent the largest minority group, numbering one billion worldwide. Reaching a group of this scale creates value for everyone. Organizations that prioritize accessibility benefit by gaining access to a much larger user base, improving the experience for both disabled and non-disabled users, and facilitating further innovation. Watch Haben teach 4,000 developers the connection between Disability & Innovation at Apple’s 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference. Haben has been featured extensively in media round the world, including the BBC, CBS, Forbes, the Washington Post, MTV, NPR, and many more. Haben grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where she currently lives. She holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Lewis & Clark College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. In addition to her accessibility work, she enjoys salsa dancing, surfing, and traveling the world. Episode 185: Haben Girma - The First Deafblind Harvard Law Graduate, Champion Of Change Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show "Excellent leaders are honest about their strengths and weaknesses." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Common themes to sustain excellence: Honest about strengths and weaknesses Great problem solvers High level of self-awareness Haben is Deafblind - she understands her strengths and weaknesses very well Her TED Talk - Advocating for others -- How and why she champions equal access to information for people with disabilities Communicating and hugging President Barack Obama How she communicates -- The use of braille.  For our talk on this podcast, she had an interpreter listen to what I said and then type it out for her to read in braille What are the best ways to communicate with people who are deaf -- Haben helps me understand Why you should never tell her that her story inspires you How chocolate cake played a role in her becoming an advocacy attorney What advice given to others who want to go into advocacy? Start with yourself. Maybe there is a gender bias, religious, or racial. Build up from there... Haben describes how she experiences movies The best piece of advice she's received: Don't insist on doing something by yourself. Ask for help. Work smart. Sometimes it's better to be helped by others What she hopes people learn from her speeches? That she continually adds value to others Haben's thoughts on Helen Keller - She's brilliant Haben's brother is also Deafblind -- He works in technology How she actively makes a choice to ignore fear Why Uber denied her a ride 3 times and what happened Her Goals: Change our culture -- Disability adds value... Trainings & Workshops Continue Learning: Go to Haben's website: habengirma.com Follow Haben on Twitter: @HabenGirma Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Haben Girma on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by FreshBooks: FreshBooks is offering a 30 day, unrestricted free trial to my listeners. To claim it, just go to FreshBooks.com/Learning and enter LEARNING LEADER in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss the past year, covering: Lessons learned Lessons we refused to learn Best moments Worst moments A fifth thing! --  Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Overlap between good romantic relationships and good client relationships exists.  Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss the trials and tribulations of dating as a freelancer and how Kai's love life informs his business life (hint: check out our episode on being a failure ;) ). > Kai's Free Outreach Course > Ask Kai anything!   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

You're going to fail,and that's okay. Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss the impact of failure on their careers, the anxieties and fears tied to freelancing, and why you need to sacrifice comfort to grow yourself and your business.  > Kai's Free Outreach Course > Ask Kai anything!   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Freelancing allows you to make your career work for you -- and that means finding your own definition of success.  Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss the question of success: when they found it, how they define it, and what it will look like in the future. > Kai's Free Outreach Course > Ask Kai anything!   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Have you ever had to slap a restraining order on a client?  In this special bonus episode, Laura Pennington joins Bryce Bladon to give her opinion on Upwork, a site she's made thousands of dollars on. Laura shares her worst experience on the job board (spoiler: it involves a restraining order), her advice for freelancers who want to use Upwork, and her secrets for succeeding as a freelancer. > Six Figure Writing Secrets (Twitter and Facebook)   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon

Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss when someone actually 'becomes' a freelancer, why so many freelancers feel like imposters, and how they realized freelancing was for them. > Kai's Free Outreach Course > Double Your Audience > Ask Kai anything!   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

We continue to explore the exciting tools that make freelancing easier than ever.  Sam Madden, the founder of PocketSuite, joins Bryce Bladon to discuss how business software is being democratized. They discuss Sam's experiences and how they lead to the creation of PocketSuite, a phone app that takes the hassle out of the business side of freelancing.  > Learn how PocketSuite works > Learn more about PocketSuite in The Wall Street Journal, Inc., and TechCrunch     Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Bryce Bladon and Kai Davis discuss why 'freelancing freedom' and six-figure promises dominate the discussion on freelancing -- and why we need to do something about it.  > Kai's Free Outreach Course > Double Your Audience > Ask Kai anything!   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

A freelancer's first time is always special and often hellish.   Kai Davis joins Bryce Bladon to discuss how they got their start as freelancers, who their first three clients were, and how it informed their careers.  > Kai's Free Outreach Course > Double Your Audience > Ask Kai anything!   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

A malicious client, a maligned job board, and a freelancer caught in the middle. "Why you should never use Upwork, ever" recently blew up the internet. Bryce sits down to speak with the article's author, Shadi Al'lababidi, about his personal client from hell, Upwork's response, and how his outlook has changed as a result of the experience.    Episode Summary In this episode, Bryce and Shadi discuss: Shadi's personal client from hell How his client from hell tried to ruin his career How Upwork responded The ongoing challenges of freelance marketplaces Where freelancing is going in the future > Why you should never use Upwork, ever (Part 1) > The post, post Upwork debacle (Part 2) > The state of freelancing: a guide to 2017 (Part 3)   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Illustrator Jennifer Fryer once again joins Bryce on the Clients From Hell podcast. This time, they discuss the many, many problems that occur when a freelancer agrees to work for free.      Episode Summary In this episode, Bryce and Jennifer discuss: The exposure myth  The good client myth The idea that working for free is selfish If and when you should work for free When you should definitely NOT work for free   > Bryce's previous episode with Jennifer, Freelancing as a Student. > Jennifer's Website and Instagram > A previous episode on this issue, Should You Ever Work For Free? with Brennan Dunn   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Complaints against UpWork continue to pile up, but the issues plaguing most freelance job boards are universal. Lauren Holliday joins Bryce to discuss Freelanship.com and how she approached building a better freelance marketplace.   Episode Summary In this episode, Bryce and Lauren discuss: Why you should never use Upwork, ever. The issues that plague most job boards How the freelancer-client relationship is hurt by these issues How Lauren strived to build a better job board How you can find work without a job board Handy links: > Freelanship > Hack the Job Hunt > Why you should never use Upwork, ever by Shadi Al'lababidi (Part 2) (Part 3) > 10 reasons I created my own marketplace by Lauren Holliday > You Must Learn How to Write a Damn Good Email by Lauren Holliday     Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Pete Ross, the Creative Director at CO-OP Advertising, discusses why his agency decided to found Freelancers Unite -- an awards gala intended to recognize freelancer contributions.  > Freelancer's Unite > Video: Freelancing isn't a dirty word   Episode Summary In this episode, Bryce and Pete discuss: What is Freelancers Unite The philosophy driving FU How some agencies incorporate freelancers into their strategy Why some agencies are coy about working with freelancers   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

As the founder of the best (free) invoicing and contract service for freelancers, Matt Brown is worth listening to. Sharing his and his partner's freelancing experiences, Matt discusses the issues freelancers face and how Bonsai tries to address them. The best part: he made all these lessons and tools available to you. > Bonsai > The Freelance Rate Explorer > The Freelance Stack: A guide to the best freelance tools   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

Bryce opens up about how Clients From Hell grew to be such a successful blog, and how you can succeed with your own blog.  Note that the webinar this episode is based on offers much more information on this topic.  > Be a Blogger: The 90-minute webinar   Episode Summary   In this episode, Bryce discusses: The stats and figures that define Clients From Hell's Success The benefits of having a blog 3 steps to starting a blog What you need to succeed with a blog Questions you need to ask yourself  What platform is best for your blog How often you should publish content The importance of patience How a blog can make you money The components of a quality blog post How to promote posts and grow your blog  Extra resources: > Be a blogger: Notes from the webinar > Blog post checklist > Blog strategy cheatsheet > Business blogging: a primer > How to find your keywords   Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!  Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS

In this episode, The Clintoris, Devo and Lucho sit down to discuss the most disturbing moments in film. If you enjoyed this episode, check out previous episodes of The Social Deviants. — Questions? Episode ideas? Talk to The Social Deviants or our hosts: The Clintoris, Devo and Lucho on Twitter. Or shoot us an email! — The Social Deviants on iTunes | Soundcloud