Capability Amplifier

Are you good at managing people? Hiring? Dealing with day-to-day stuff? Do you find it interesting or fun? I don’t. I suck at it.  It’s REALLY important as an entrepreneur that you have the right team to support you. You CAN’T do everything on your own … even though I know you may want to (I’m talking to you, perfectionists … I see you!). That’s the quickest way to BURN OUT and experience failure.  Dan posed an interesting question during our talk: “Regardless of what business, service, or marketplace you were in, what kinds of people would you want around you? Who would you hire?”  Here are my 4 non-negotiable, must-have employees:  * A GREAT Executive Assistant: one who’s super resourceful, understands the value of your time, protects it at all costs, and knows how to solve problems. Ideally, someone who has a value system to make themselves available when critical things break, meaning they understand that emergencies happen. * An Integrator: someone who can take over your operations competently. They’re watching the “back end” of your business—the details—and know how to deal with a visionary. * A Project Manager: someone who can manage hiring and finding talent and resources to get important tasks done, whether it's in-house, contract, or vendors. * A Communications Director/Brand Manager: someone who understands the branding, the messaging, and what the company and YOU stand for. Someone who can take ideas, flesh them out, and turn them into content so that you’re ready for prime time, whether it's on social media, emails, messaging, articles, or proposals.  Dan agrees and feels that your Executive Assistant is probably the MOST crucial hire you can make as an entrepreneur. We live in a world where everyone wants to get to you, and you NEED a gatekeeper—someone who can sort out requests for your time and make judgment calls. They know what your vision of the future is and are confidently judgmental.  In Dan’s world, it was also very important for him to hire an artist. The reason for that is because communication through graphics is 100 times faster than communication through words. We are in a conceptual world, a world of ideas, and ideas spoken lend themselves to 100 different interpretations. But if you can take an idea and put it into a graphic, it's almost binary. People either get it or they don't get it, so he takes a graphic approach to everything he does.  We break down our hiring process into a few simple steps:  * Place an ad that’s HONEST, personal, and detailed about what your expectations are. Make it funny if that’s you! Differentiate yourself. Be CREATIVE! Here’s a little blurb from the ad I placed when I was looking for my EA 13 years ago (and, by the way, people have asked me to copy it many, MANY times!): “Agent M seeks Mr. or Mrs. Moneypenny, aka an executive assistant who is a workaholic and obsessive compulsive codependent, extremely detail oriented with impeccable organization and communication skills to help manage serial entrepreneur’s business.” * Hire people for a single focus job. In other words, hire people who are uniquely good at one thing and give them one really extraordinary thing to do. * When you're hiring people, put in your messaging, “I am an entrepreneur whose business is to be a hero to ________ kinds of people in the marketplace. We uniquely help them do _________ and I want to devote all my energies to being a hero in this way.” Whoever this resonates with is a GREAT candidate.  I like to say, “You attract exactly who you deserve, depending on your own self worth, and who you're aspiring to be.” The more open you allow yourself to be without experiencing fear, the faster you ELEVATE and ESCALATE your business and LIFE!  As usual, there’s always MORE.

This episode was an absolute BLAST! I got to sit down with Adam Conover from the hit TV show “Adam Ruins Everything.” Adam is the host and investigative comedian on a comically inventive yet unrelentingly serious quest to reveal the hidden truths behind everything you know and love. He takes on topics ranging from the workplace and voting to forensic science and security, giving you not just fun facts to share with your friends, but information that will make you see the world in a WHOLE new way. Adam says “Adam Ruins Everything” is VERY much based on a younger version of himself. He knew he annoyed a lot of people. He was very outgoing, but in ways that would disrupt the flow of a class or people just hanging out, and he often felt unable to interact with people socially. On his show, he shares big ideas, and the audience’s reaction is always, “Oh, my God, why do you tell me this?” Adam turns big reveals and his disruptive know-how into positive comedy. As a Capability Amplifier himself, Adam is bringing truth and knowledge and showing the audience how to have a better mind for checking and investigating facts. He’s fascinating and fascinated. Always curious.  Meet Adam Conover ...  Adam developed his creative skills doing comedy in New York for little to no pay. In college, he was in a sketch comedy group with a bunch of his college friends, in the very early days of the internet. We're talking pre-YouTube time! But they were putting up videos on CollegeHumor.com and they were going viral. They did everything involved in making the videos, including writing, acting, directing, and post production. Adam designed websites, did the visual effects, and learned how to compress video. That really gave him a grounding in both creative and technical skills.  Eventually, Adam started doing stand-up and teaching sketch comedy writing at UCB in New York, and that’s when he REALLY came into his own as a performer. And once he started combining comedy and information … he created his own lane where NO ONE was competing with him in live stand-up.  The next step on Adam’s journey was to create, write, and pitch “Adam Ruins Everything” and get it picked up on TV.  Adam admits that he got very lucky when he was pitching to the many, MANY different networks because someone needs to be buying what you're selling. Everyone LOVED the show, but no one had a need for it until he went to truTV where they had a specific mandate from their higher ups for an informational comedy show.  Right message, right audience, right timing. Also known as luck. But he made luck for himself. Another great Capability Amplifier.  What he pitched was what they were looking for, so Adam took that experience and now applies it whenever he’s pitching anything. He will make it good and will make sure everyone in the room loves it … but he’s not going to let his ego get in the way. It allows him to go in and pitch with a lot more confidence because he’s not thinking, “I hope they like it. It's gonna change my life.” Instead, his attitude is, “Hey, here's what I'm selling. Do you want to buy it?”  Enjoy!  Mike

Zig Ziglar said, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want”—and that’s what being a hero is all about. You’re going to get the secrets to being a hero in Episode 14. My good friend and co-host, Dan Sullivan, and I pick up where we left off our last conversation about how as humans, we're moving from the state of being Doers/doings and Knowers to actually being Beings … but we’re taking it a step further this time. We’re talking breakthroughs, becoming BETTER beings, and deciding who you want to be a HERO to.  This week, we talk about encountering barriers and challenges, how we push through them, being a “hero” for others, and where we can seek improvement. I’d go so far as to say our complex world is pushing us toward another level as #SuperBeings. We’re entering into a more complex economy and complex times, so how we engage and interact with one another, society, and technology is forcing a NECESSARY evolution.  The INSTITUTIONS we once trusted are flat-out obsolete:  * Healthcare and the medical system (know anyone who loves their health insurance company?) * Money (crypto is changing the game) * Banking (show me someone who loves their bank or even know their banker anymore) * Government (and the leaders who run them) * Transportation systems * Education (what does a college education get you these days?) * The military (soon wars won’t be fought on a battlefield—cyber warfare is scary!) * The media (let’s face it, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC aren’t driven by facts or truth; they’re slaves to hype and agendas) * Social media (soon AI and bots will create fake content designed to sway your opinion with fake people and voices indistinguishable from real life)  Here are a few of the big ideas Dan Sullivan and I explore in this episode:  * How the “breakthroughs are in the obstacles.” * How virtual reality has become anti-social and people prefer ACTUAL reality. * How when I was going through my own reinvention and new “reality” over 18 months ago, I was SCARED AS HELL to talk about it! * Confronting my own addiction to being busy and how dependent I was on constant feedback. * How A LOT of entrepreneurs I talk to go through the same exact thing because they’re not “busy being busy.” * How as an entrepreneur with an admittedly big ego, my assumption and fear was, “I don't want to talk about something until I fix it first, because who's going to want to work with me if I'm not the guy with all the answers?” * How I finally figured out that the more raw and authentic you are, as you're going through the process as an imperfect being, the more attractive and real you are to your audience. * How as soon as I broke through my fear and started talking about it publicly, SO many people came to me saying, “Hey, I'm going through that too. Can you help me?” * Dan’s evolution, never-ending growth, and learnings over his 40+-year career as a top level coach!  So what are some other important takeaways from this episode?  * As we evolve as humans and entrepreneurs, we take for granted our accumulated wisdom and forsake our past. Therefore, we often SEVERELY undercharge for our services even though our accumulated wisdom has a tremendous amount of value. * We all get exactly who we deserve as customers based on our own perception of ourselves and our filters. Don’t let your own ego or unwillingness to ask for your true value and worth get in your way. * A huge part of being an effective advisor or coach is listening, asking a lot of questions, and crafting incredible stories. * Becoming a great storyteller is an exercise in COMPASSION and EMPATHY. * It doesn’t matter your age or where you’re starting,

Sheri Salata grew up outside of Chicago and worked with the daytime television titan for more than 20 years with one of the most heralded jobs on the planet as the executive producer of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” In this episode, Sheri gives us some AMAZING takeaways from her tenure working with Oprah. But as AMAZING as it sounds, Sheri says, “It was not a straight shot by any means! I think that when people hear about a 20-year career with Oprah Winfrey, it sounds like I just left college and sailed right into Harpo studios and started climbing up the ladder. But the truth is, I did not start at The Oprah Winfrey Show until I was 35 years old, in an entry-level position.”  Over her 20+ career, Sheri was privy to EVERYTHING that was pitched to Oprah, and she’s used that knowledge to expand her depth with regard to her own business and passions—from diet trends to celebrity drama, fitness crazes and spiritual movements. Sheri had access to many of the secrets that passed through Oprah’s studios, and today we uncover what those professional lessons did for Sheri and her business, and what it can do for YOU TOO!  Sheri shares with me what happened to her personally through her journey. During her professional career, she LOST herself; gained and lost 40, 60, and 100 pounds; smoked cigarettes; didn’t marry or have children; and when she made the decision to leave the show, she began her REAL journey to find herself again.  THIS is a story of reinvention over 50 — RELEASING A LIFETIME OF SHAME AND SADNESS.  Some of the best takeaways from this episode:  * How to use life’s “Magical Glasses” and how that can lead you to fast life transformations and reinventions. * How to see a story in someone and how to use that story to teach and connect deeply to an audience. * What TRULY made the Oprah Show work. * What running a BILLION dollar media company was like, and the secret to producing 100+ shows a year FOR DECADES. * How we are “curators of our own reality” — and how to use that to increase your consciousness. * How to intentionally create the most magical moments in your life and how to utilize those to shape your mission. * The power in taking simple actions to make the biggest moves that produce the most significant results.  “There is no question that the fastest way to transformation in your own life, to how you feel about yourself, to how you feel about your partner, to how you feel about your friends and family, to how you feel about your life, your home, your everything, is to slip on a pair of MAGICAL GLASSES and lead with what is working, what's positive, what’s sparkly, and what's shiny.” -Sheri Salata  What’s the best way to support Sheri’s mission?  Grab of copy of Sheri’s new book (I BURNED THROUGH IT!), The Beautiful No: And Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence, and Transformation, check out her podcast, The Sheri + Nancy Show, and visit her website at the www.ThePillarLife.com.

This week, we dive into our evolution as “fully realized” human beings and how that reflects on the changes that are happening right now in the world around us. Dan and I make a point of talking about the stuff that's REALLY happening right NOW, both in our world and what we observe in our clients and customers. Our goal is constant, never-ending EVOLUTION. The SuperBeing Economy is the movement and shift toward “The Singularity” — massive world, economic, and energetic shifts that are happening around us and accelerating at a faster pace every year.  What does this mean for you? By applying these concepts, ideas, and wisdom, you can predict opportunities and challenges this new future will bring to you, both personally and professionally.  Think about the progression for a moment ...  We've seen a shift from a doing economy, which is rapidly being replaced by automation, robotics, and rapid moves away from people doing menial stuff. That’s scary as hell — especially to people in the blue-collar, manufacturing, transportation, task, and “gig” economy marketplaces.  Next is the “white collar” knowing economy. Information is FREE and WORTHLESS now that we all have Google and our augmented-Smartphone brains attached to us 24/7/365. You don’t need to remember or know anything right now because it’s accessible all the time (until you drop your &%#&*ing phone in the toilet!).  My prediction is that in the next 5-10 years, artificial intelligence and neural networks will be replacing and devaluing a tremendous number of knowing jobs. These are white-collar jobs including customer service, telesales, financial services, accounting, therapy, medicine, and more that rely on applied information.  For example, soon there will be a SaaS (Software As Service) you can rent that plugs right into your phone, web browser, or business “dashboard” that provides these services at 1/10 to 1/100 the price you’re paying for now.  YES, for some, that will be scary. Dan and I happen to believe this shift will create an infinite number of new and better jobs. Humans shouldn’t be mining for coal or working in sewers. Let the robots do that.  This constant evolution is forcing us to shift our capabilities and our skill sets. Humans will augment AI and neural networks, which will allow us to do more creative and innovative things.  We’ll create experiential industries and businesses.  The FIVE BIG skills and capabilities that will always be valued in the new “SuperBeing Economy” are:  * Innovation * Creation * Collaborative Creation * Leadership * Experiences and Community  Machines and automation aren’t replacing those skills and things anytime soon.  Here are a few of the big ideas Dan Sullivan and I explore in this episode:  * How humans haven't actually been trained to be Human. * How we've entered into a world of “augmented” human beings. * The notion of “outevolving” who you are (outgrowing the “self” you were supposed to be) to increase your value. * The distinction between a “Doer,” Knower,” and “Be-er.” * Can we predict when we’ll outgrow who we’ll become? * How important is it to get back in touch with who you were when you were six years old? * How to create the courage and confidence to get out of your own way when you realize you’ve outgrown who you used to be. * My tips on how I’ve shed my skin and reinvented myself six times over the past 30 years. * My belief that on a spiritual energetic level, we are on the brink of singularity, a shift in human consciousness. * My work with a Sri Lankan energetic healer. * How everybody has to go through a knowing and doing stage of their life to accumulate experienc...

In this special episode, you’ll meet Dave Asprey, the founder of Bulletproof Coffee, Upgrade Labs, and Bulletproof media, host of the top-rated “Bulletproof Radio” show, and author of multiple New York Times bestsellers. Dave also wrote The Bulletproof Diet, Head Strong, Game Changers, multiple cookbooks, and is a featured contributor in dozens of magazines, including Men’s Health. Dave is well known for coining the phrase “biohacking,” the state of high performance where you take control of and improve your biochemistry, your body, and your mind so they work in unison, helping you execute at levels far beyond what you’d expect, without burning out, getting sick, or allowing stress to control your decisions.  Dave used his techniques to increase his IQ by 20 points and to drop 100 pounds without exercise or counting calories. He’s a human guinea pig who recently endured the most extensive stem cell treatment ever done on a person at one time … in his quest to live to 180.  What I love about Dave is he’s all heart. In this interview, you’re going to learn about how he thinks and makes decisions, the biggest dangers he’s currently facing, where he sees opportunities for growth in the world of medicine and personal growth, and how you can model what he does in your life and business.  I interviewed Dave at his home in Victoria, B.C., with his wife Lana, two kids, a dog, five sheep, and a spiritual guru. I got an upgrade ... including spirit, brain and whole-body cryotherapy at 265 degrees below zero!  Dave’s work can be found here.

I went through a phase in my life where, when I woke up, I didn't feel like me. I was anxious and depressed, and I didn't know what it was. The way I interpret it now is that the universe was saying, “It's time to reinvent your life.” We all carry traumas that affect our character, behavior, fears, what we avoid, and what we’re attracted to. They can be caused by the way we’re treated as babies, bullied, shamed, discounted, disciplined, educated … OR they could be passed on through generations (known in the medical world as epigenetic) or something self-inflicted like an addiction to a substance or something we see a lot in our society today, addiction to our phones and social media.  It’s my opinion that the more chaos and distractions you have, the more addictions you have, whether they manifest as physical or mental addictions. And as a result, the less effective and less emotionally available we are to the relationships that matter most.  Energetically, the way the universe works is, the more emotionally available and conscious you are, the more the universe will give you.  Simply put: the more you do to clear your traumas, addictions, and distractions, the happier, healthier, and more successful you’ll be.  In this episode, Dan and I talk about how, with the guidance of Energy Workers, we have been able to greatly improve our lives. We’ll talk about:  * How Dan found an Energy Worker in an Australian Olympian and still works with him today. * How I worked with a group of people who do deep energetic work and how they can do the equivalent of 30 or 40 years worth of therapy in three months. * Why some of the highest ranking, most successful people in the world use energetic workers to help them clear and relieve traumas and attachments. * Our own personal experiences witnessing the effectiveness of a gifted Energy Worker. * How most entrepreneurs will need to learn to throw out their logic and checklists, enter the world of ambiguity and white space, and embrace the subtle things that simply cannot be observed until you've done the work. * The top three fears men have versus the top three fears women have. * How to do the inner work and alleviate ego attachment. * How to accept and embrace that there are things we can’t touch, see, or explain in order to expand your consciousness and capabilities.  Dan's energy worker is Kim White. His website is: https://kimwhitecoaching.com

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