Dorie Clark - The Long Game: How to think long-term in a short-term world

Does long-term thinking even matter in a world where the rules constantly change?

For many of us (myself included) the pandemic has been a tough opportunity to look at the long-term future of our careers and business models. 

An invitation to step away from the next fire that’s burning. The next shiny object that everyone else seems to have. To ask 'What do I need to start work today, in order to have the influence or life I want ten years from now?' 

That’s what today’s episode of #insideinfluencepodcast is all about.

On today’s episode I talk to Dorie Clark about her latest book “'The Long Game: How to be a long-term thinker in a short-term world'. Dorie is a Thinkers Top 50, a best-selling author and described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” 

This is also her third time on the podcast - the only guest I have ever invited back three times - which should tell you a lot about how highly I regard her insights!

Today’s Guest Dorie Clark

Dorie grew up in a small town in North Carolina but her ambitions quickly took her to new places. She graduated college at 18 and by 20 had received her Masters from Harvard Divinity School. From there she worked as a political reporter and won a New England Press Association award for journalism. She then became a presidential campaign spokesperson, nonprofit executive director, best-selling author, guest speaker, documentary filmmaker, Broadway musical writer, and a music producer for a multi Grammy winning jazz album. 

Dorie is a sought after strategic thinker who has made her life an example of how to think long-term and hit your personal milestones.

She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50 and the number one ‘Communication Coach’ in the world by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches awards. Her 2015 book “Stand Out” was named the number one leadership book of the year by Inc. magazine and was in Forbes top ten business books of the year. She also publishes regularly in the Harvard Business Review, has several Ted Talks, and teaches at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the Columbia Business School. 

Website: https://dorieclark.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorieclarkauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dorieclark

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorieclark/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec/

“If we want to be happy long-term, we have to be proactive about it. COVID has put everybody back on their heels for 18 months and largely we’ve been forced to be reactive, I think long-term thinking is a way of fighting back”.

“Long-term thinking is about understanding and appreciating that the things that are the most worthwhile usually do take longer than we want them to.”

“When you have a ten year horizon you don’t know how you are going to do it - all you need to know is the next step”

“If you have a long enough runway, you can accomplish almost anything.”

“It takes bravery to start out bad at something you really want.”

You’ll learn

• Why long term thinking is more important than ever in a short term world
• What keeps us in short term reaction loops - a clue on this one, it usually involves sacrificing our long term goals at the altar of ‘I’m too busy to take a breath’ and ‘I’ll think about that when I have more time’
• The vital importance of creating white space to consciously recalibrate and rethink the road we’re on - and why we all need to learn the art of saying no - in order to start saying yes to the bigger picture
• Why - when we get that white space - the first question we ask should never be ‘what do I want to do’ but rather ‘who do I want to become’
• Dorie’s experience getting her first book published and what it taught her about the importance of measuring yourself against a 10 - rather than one year - year horizon.
• Why everything takes longer than we would like  it to and how to keep the faith when the road gets messy - including my new mantra when it comes to raising your influence: ‘‘If 100 people reject your work, that’s a pretty clear message. But one or two or 10? You haven’t even gotten started yet.’
• Why if you don’t know your passion, just move in the direction that interests you.
• The difference between patience and “strategic patience” so that you stay proactive.
• The importance of being careful about comparing your progress to others, we progress at different rates - and comparisons suck rather than give us energy.

References and links mentioned

• Dorie has offered a free PDF self-assessment tool to help you find your breakthrough idea as an influencer. Share this podcast episode on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #insideinfluencepodcast to receive a copy.
• Dorie’s latest book - The Long Game: How to be a long term thinker in a short term world.
• Dorie’s book - Reinventing You
• Her latest HBR article - Feeling Stuck of Stymied?
• My new ebook - The Influencer Code

If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy

• Dorie Clark - Stand out - A masterclass in influence
• Dorie Clark - From influence to income
• Rich Diviney - The Attributes: Lessons from an elite Navy Seal
• Laura Gassner Otting - What would you do if you felt limitless
• Benjamin Zander - The power of standing in possibility
• George Burt -  How to reimagine your path

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Inside Influence Podcast! If the information in my conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing people just like you!

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