Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

If you are looking to stay productive while between projects, one area to invest time is setting up technology tools for your practice. In this episode, I share 17 recommendations. I mention some previous episodes of this show in my discussion, including: Episode 172: David A Fields on setting up a CRM system Episode 236: Evernote Episode 237: MixMax Episode 73: Calendly

MixMax is a tool that plugs into Gmail or G-Suite email and provides you with email superpowers. In this episode I discuss the incredible capabilities of this tool, including sending sequences with automated follow-ups, finding out who has opened your emails and when, and scheduling emails to get sent at some future time. Sign up for MixMax at www.mixmax.com

I highly recommend Evernote - it is far more than a note-taking app. You can also clip websites, save voice memos, store emails, and many more. In this short episode I give some examples of how I use Evernote. Sign up for your own Evernote account at www.evernote.com

Mark Williams, aka 'Mr. LinkedIn', is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, LinkedInFormed - I've listened to dozens of episodes, and much of what I know about LinkedIn I know from Mark. In this episode, Mark provides tips on key aspects of the LinkedIn profile: the headline, the photo, the about section, and the experience section. At one point I mention a specific episode of LinkedInFormed on the types of posts that engage. That one is Episode 242, and it would be a great episode to start with if you haven't heard this show before. You might also check out Episode 211 of Unleashed, in which I share my perspective on each aspect of the LinkedIn profile.

Umbrex has set of a task force to help small businesses navigate the coronavirus pandemic. We'd love to get your help across these workstreams: 1. Create the content for the playbook 2. Design and publish the playbook (as a wiki? website? TBD) 3. Recruit coaches and consultants 4. Spread the word to business owners who need help 5. Administration of a database and reporting 6. Outreach to partner organizations and government 7. Legal advice on NDAs, employment law, etc.

Our guest today is Umbrex member Susan Drumm, a BCG alum and the CEO of Meritage Leadership Development. Susan has extensive experience in running virtual meetings via videoconference, and in today's episode she shares a set of tips to make virtual meetings more effective. Susan is publishing an article on this very topic tomorrow, March 16, and you can find that article and more of her writing at www.meritageleadership.com/blog If you find some value in this episode, I encourage you to check out Episode 65 of this show, in which Susan provides tips on facilitating high-impact offsite events. In that episode our discussion focused more on content, which in today's discussion we focus more on tactical aspects of running a virtual meeting. In today's episode I suggest that someone on each meeting be designated to send a recap email; I discuss recap emails in more detail in Episode 203. I also mention the real-time polling tool Mentimeter, and to learn more about that tool, check out Episode 53 in which I interview Johnny Warstrom, the CEO of Mentimeter. To get your own account, visit www.mentimeter.com

Our guest today is Rhona Silverbush, co- author of Speak the Speech!: Shakespeare's Monologues Illuminated. Rhona teaches small-group classes and privates one-on-one coaching to actors on how to speak the language of Shakespeare. You don't need to be a professional actor to work with Rhona: some of her students are members of the regular public who just want to get a better appreciation of the plays – and there is no better way to do that than reading the plays aloud in a group. She periodically hosts a play-reading circle in New York City, and if you are interested to learn more, check out her website: http://www.rhonasilverbush.com/

Our guest today is Jay Charkow, President of International Tariff Management. For several years I've been wanting to understand the basics around tariffs. In the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, usually all you get is some very broad statement such as "the Administration has imposed a new round of tariffs on goods imported from China." I wanted to ask some basic questions: do Americans pay tariffs on goods imported from any country? Does the tariff vary by country? How much are the tariffs, and how are they calculated? Does the tariff vary by the type of good? What if you import some parts, make a good, and then export it? What if you import a part into Mexico, do some processing in Mexico, and then import the good into the US? Do we have trade deals with every country? If not, which ones do we have a deal with? If we don't have a special deal with the country, how much tariff do we pay? How much tariff do other countries charge when the U.S. exports goods? What are the details behind the Trump trade war with China. In this conversation, Jay answers many of these questions. To learn more about Jay's firm, visit: https://www.tariffmanagement.com/

Our guest today is Andrea Bonime-Blanc, a leading global expert in the area of risk management, and the author of five books, including the recently published Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk Into Resilience and Value. Gloom to Boom expands the traditional risk-management framework of ESG, which stands for environmental, social, and governance risks, by adding technological risks, so the acronym gets expanded to ESGT. In our discussion today we talk about her latest book and her work consulting to Board Directors on risk management. To learn more about her practice, visit https://gecrisk.com/

Our guest today is McKinsey alum Gaurav Bhatnagar. Gaurav is the Founding Partner of Co-Creation Partners, where he leads cultural transformations for his clients. In this episode, Gaurav explains to me what a cultural transformation is, what you actually look at during a cultural diagnostic, and what sort of tools his firm uses to drive change in an organization's culture. To learn more about his firm, visit http://www.cocreationpartners.com/