Colleen Bordeaux: Am I Doing This Right? Colleen Bordeaux is a best-selling author, speaker and human capital consultant based in Chicago. She has been published everywhere from the Chicago Sun Times to the Huffington Post and has been endorsed by New York Times columnist and past guest Barry Schwartz and Sunday Times bestselling author Louise Parker. Her popular blog has reached more than 200,000 readers and she leads a women’s mastermind group in Chicago. She is the author of the new book: Am I Doing This Right?: A Philosophical Guide to Life in the Age of Overwhelm*. In this conversation, Colleen and I discuss the power of relationships — and some of the key principles for cultivating the very best relationships to support you, both professionally and personally. Key Points You are the same today that you are going to be in five years except for two things: the people with whom you associate, and the books you read. -Charles Jones To be nobody but yourself in a world which does its best, day and night, to make you everyone else, is to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting. -e.e. cummings Six steps to improving the relationships you cultivate: Assess your own crab-status. Take stock of who you’re spending time with. Consider who you’re not spending time with, but want to be spending time with. Evaluate these relationships based on what you need in your life. Eliminate or manage the relationships that aren’t working to create more space for the ones you need. Create a relationship mantra (Colleen’s is below): My relationships are the best gift I’ve been given, and they are my biggest responsibility. The primary purpose of each of my relationships is to help each other become better versions of ourselves by sharing our authentic experiences, perspectives, and gifts. I will be open to new connections, because that is a source of growth in life—and I will seek and cultivate friendships that bring me to life, and distance myself from relationships that drain me and influence me to betray my values. I aspire to have the kind of quality relationships that inspire others in how they approach developing, growing, and cultivating this important area of their lives. -Colleen Bordeaux Resources Mentioned Am I Doing This Right?: A Philosophical Guide to Life in the Age of Overwhelm* by Colleen Bordeaux Book Notes Download my highlights from Am I Doing This Right? in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel (episode 279) The Way to Build Relationships at Conferences, with Robbie Samuels (episode 346) Grow Beyond What is Safe, with John Corcoran (episode 362) How to Create Meaningful Gatherings, with Priya Parker (episode 395) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

David Marquet: Leadership is Language David Marquet is the former commander of the U.S.S. Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered attack submarine. Under David’s command, the ship had an impressive turnaround, achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the Navy. David is the author of the bestseller Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders* and has just released his new book, Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t*. In this conversation, David and I explore the seven sins of questioning. David shares the story of the ill-fated El Faro and how we can discover better information in leadership by making the shift from self-affirming to self-educating. Key Points A leading question comes from a place of thinking the person is wrong, or that you have the answer. I hear this a lot from people who think they have the right answer but don’t want to use say so, so they use the Socratic method as a “teaching moment.” It’s annoying and arrogant. Self-affirming questions are often binary questions with a special motivation: to coerce agreement and make us feel good about the decision we have already made. Seven Ways to Ask Better Questions: Instead of questions stacking, try one and done. Instead of a teaching moment, try and learning moment. Instead of a dirty question, try a clear question. Instead of a binary question, start the question with “what” or “how.” Instead of a “why” question, try “tell me more.” Instead of a self-affirming question, try self-educating questions. Instead of jumping to the future, start with the present, past, then future. Resources Mentioned Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t* by David Marquet Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders* by David Marquet David Marquet’s website Related Episodes Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229) These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) The Path of Humble Leadership, with Edgar Schein and Peter Schein (episode 363) How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Key Points Create margin by under-scheduling family and kid commitments. Our default setting is to have a limited about scheduled on weekends. We collaborate on schedules by using shared iCloud calendars as a family. Acuity Scheduling* supports both of us professionally in automating scheduling to ensure conflicts are rare. We both use systems to capture ideas and activities before we decide to move on them. The Drafts app helps both of us do this quickly. Bonni keeps a “someday/maybe” list and Dave keeps an “incubation” list. We get the kids involved with household responsibilities, so everybody learns to contribute and share daily work. Take time to put on your leadership hat to make decisions about what’s important. Then, you can manage from there. Resources Mentioned The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide* by Bonni Stachowiak Full Focus Planner* from Michael Hyatt Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World* by David Epstein Who Killed the Weekend? by Katrina Onstad Kourosh Dini: Mind, Music, & Productivity Streaks app Related Episodes Getting Things Done, with David Allen (episode 184) How to Become the Person You Want to Be, with James Clear (episode 376) Finding Joy Through Intentional Choices, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 417) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

John Maxwell: The Leader’s Greatest Return John Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than thirty-one million books in fifty languages. He has been identified as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association and the most influential leadership expert in the world by Business Insider and Inc. magazine. He is the founder of The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation, organizations that have trained millions of leaders from every country of the world. He is the author of the new book The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders*. In this conversation, John and I discuss his work to develop leaders and the distinctions between motivating followers and motivating leaders. We also explore the seven key motivations of leaders that John has uncovered. Key Points Successful people have discovered what they are good at. Successful leaders discover what other people are good at. “I didn’t have any sudden big hits early in my career. I wasn’t a home run hitter. My secret was to get up to bat every day and just try to get on base consistently.” -John Maxwell “You can have everything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.” -Zig Ziglar The Seven Motivations of Leaders: Purpose: leaders want to do what they were created to do. Autonomy: leaders want the freedom to control their lives. Relationships: leaders want to do things with others. Progress: leaders want to experience personal and professional growth. Mastery: leaders want to excel at their work. Recognition: leaders want others to appreciate their accomplishments. Money: leaders want to be financially secure. Resources Mentioned The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders* by John Maxwell Book Notes Download my highlights from The Leader’s Greatest Return in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Ten Steps to Create a Recognition Program, with Michelle Smith (episode 80) Start With Why, with Simon Sinek (episode 223) The Scientific Secrets of Daily Scheduling, with Daniel Pink (episode 332) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Scott Young: Ultralearning Scott’s work is intended to consistently answer this question: what’s the best way to learn? This has led him to take on two year-long experiments in learning: The MIT Challenge, where he attempted to learn MIT’s 4-year computer science curriculum without taking classes, and The Year Without English, where he worked with a friend to learn four languages in one year. Scott is the author of the new book, Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career*. In this conversation, Scott and I discuss what ultralearners do differently, the importance of transfer in learning, and four key tactics to enhance directness. Key Points Transfer is critical for learning, but most formal education programs don’t address it. “Many ultralearners who have specialized in a smaller subset of fields are masters at transfer; no doubt this is largely due to their depth of knowledge, which makes transfer easier to accomplish.” The key to ultra learning is to enhance directness. Four tactics for enhancing directness: Project-based learning (producing something) Immersive learning (such as language immersion) Flight simulator method (like how pilots learn to fly) Overkill approach (intentional making it harder than a real use scenario) Book Notes Download my highlights from Ultralearning in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Six Tactics for Extraordinary Performance, with Morten Hansen (episode 337) How to Become the Person You Want to Be, with James Clear (episode 376) Permission to Be Yourself, with Bar Schwartz (episode 414) How to Know What You Don’t Know, with Art Markman (episode 437) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Nancy Duarte: DataStory Nancy Duarte is a communication expert who has been featured in Fortune, Time Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many others. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the global leader behind some of the most influential visual messages in business and culture. Nancy has written many best-selling books, including Slide:ology*, Resonate*, and Illuminate*. She is the author of the new book DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story*. In this conversation, Nancy and I discuss the realities of executive life, how executives are measured, and why you should expect to be grilled when briefing them. With intentional preparation, you’ll be prepared to more successfully influence executives both inside the organization — and with your customers. Key Points “The higher their level of authority, the more structured and brief your approach should be.” -Nancy Duarte Time is an essential asset for executives. Appreciating how much they work to maximize efficiency can help you align better with their world. Craft a recommendation that’s brief and easily skimmable. Leave time for questions and expect to be grilled. Executives are measured on money (revenue/profit and costs), market (market share and time to market), and exposure (retention and risk). Know how executives plan to consume information. Tailor your message and medium to align with these preferences. Resources Mentioned DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story* by Nancy Duarte Duarte DataStory Book Notes Download my highlights from DataStory in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Success on Presentation Day, with David Sparks (episode 159) Ignite Change Through Storytelling, with Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez (episode 268) Executive Presence with Your Elevator Speech, with Tom Henschel (episode 316) Get Your Emails Read (Dave’s Journal) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Susan asked for advice on some of the challenges she is facing with an aging workforce. Nellie wondered if she should report a difficult situation before she moves onto another opportunity. Thiaga asked how Dave manages to read lot of books and how he remembers the key message from these books. Robert asked about the best way to position his experience as a faculty member when applying for a role as an administrator. Resources Mentioned Digital Reading by Bonni Stachowiak The First 90 Days* by Michael Watkins Big Rocks by Steven Covey Related Episodes How To Create A Personal Knowledge Management System, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 129) How to Lead a 100-Year Life, with Lynda Gratton (episode 266) Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) How to Make Your Work More Visible, with John Stepper (episode 397) Help People Learn Through Powerful Teaching, with Pooja Agarwal (episode 421) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Neil Pasricha, a New York Times-bestselling author and popular TED speaker, discusses the value of being uncomfortable in driving professional development. They explore their journeys through mediocrity, embracing discomfort, and the importance of resilience in handling failure.

Shelley Winner: Restorative Justice Shelley Winner is a Restorative Justice Activist whose goal is to change the world, reduce crime, and advocate for justice involved people all while helping companies improve productivity and revenues. She is also a technology specialist, is very active in the restorative justice movement in San Francisco and wants to educate the public about the benefits of hiring the formerly incarcerated. Through her work with Winner’s Circle, she is closing the gap between soon to be released inmates and technology companies by developing and delivering training to inmates and helping technology companies create internships for justice involved individuals. In this conversation, Shelley shares her story of moving from incarceration to successful employment in the technology industry. We highlight how some organizations are leading in this work and what the research shows about companies that are helping to unlock the formerly incarcerated workforce. Key Points “There isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story.” -Fred Rogers 95% of people incarcerated will be released back to communities. The formerly incarcerated are five times more likely to be unemployed than the general population. “Within organizations that have hired those with a criminal record, 82% of managers rate the value workers with a criminal record bring to the organization as similar to or greater than that of those without a record.” -Society for Human Resource Management Be an advocate. Research what other organizations are doing on this. Begin by reading the SHRM report. Resources Mentioned Hiring the Formerly Incarcerated is Best for Your Team (Shelley’s TED talk) Winner’s Circle (Shelley’s organization) Getting Talent Back to Work by Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Out of Prison & Out of Work: Unemployment Among Formerly Incarcerated People by Prison Policy Initiative Embracing Formerly Incarcerated Workers: Things HR Should Consider by CareerMinds Facts & Trends by The National Reentry Resource Center Big Tech's Newest Experiment in Criminal-Justice Reform in The Atlantic The Last Mile JPMorgan Chase Joins Second Chance Efforts to Reduce Obstacles to Employment Related Episodes Sin by Silence, with Olivia Klaus (episode 103) Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229) The Choice for Compassion, with Edith Eger (episode 336) How to Get Moving, with Scott Harrison (episode 374) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jim Kirkpatrick: Four Levels of Training Evaluation Jim Kirkpatrick is co-owner of Kirkpatrick Partners. He is an expert in training evaluation and the creator of the New World Kirkpatrick Model. He trains and consults for corporate, government, military, and humanitarian organizations around the world. Jim co-authored three books with his late father, Don Kirkpatrick, who is credited with creating the Kirkpatrick Model. He also has written four books with Wendy Kirkpatrick, including Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Training Evaluation*. In this conversation, Jim and I explore the details of the New World Kirkpatrick Model. Many leaders miss the critical nature of focus on level 4 (results) and level 3 (behavior). We examine these two levels in detail and show leaders how they can take practical steps to link training with results. Key Points Ask yourself this when considering results: “Is this what the organization exists to do, deliver, or contribute to its customers or society, at a high level?” Level 4 (Results): The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability package. Level 3 (Behavior): The degree to which participants apply what they learned during training when they are back on the job. Level 2 (Learning): The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training. Level 1 (Reaction): The degree to which participants find the training favorable, engaging and relevant to their jobs. Resources Mentioned Kirkpatrick Community: Free Resources Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation* by Jim and Wendy Kirkpatrick Bonus Audio Aligning Training with Business Objectives Related Episodes Effective Delegation of Authority, with Hassan Osman (episode 413) Help People Learn Through Powerful Teaching, with Pooja Agarwal (episode 421) Tie Leadership Development to Business Results, with Mark Allen (episode 435) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.