How to Be Awesome at Your Job

David Epstein explains why and how generalists tend to achieve more.   You'll Learn: How focusing on short-term improvement can undermine long-term development Pro-tips for breaking through your learning plateaus The benefits of becoming a jack-of-all-trades   About David: David Epstein is the author of the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and the top 10 New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. He was previously a science and investigative reporter at ProPublica, and prior to that a senior writer at Sports Illustrated. His writing has been honored widely. David has his master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism, and is reasonably sure he’s the only person to have co-authored a paper in the journal of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research while a writer at Sports Illustrated.   View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep453 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former Navy SEAL Nick Hays shares tips on achieving peak performance: celebrating small victories, finding gratitude in tough times, and silencing self-doubt. He discusses mentorship, embracing discomfort, and the value of teamwork. Learn how to unlock your potential from a true elite performer.

Professor Art Markman shares insights from cognitive science research for us to be smarter every day at work.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The secret to making a great first impression.2) The pros and cons of high energy.3) The role of dissatisfaction in motivating yourself.Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep451 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT ART — Art Markman is a Professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin. He got his ScB from Brown University and his PhD from the University of Illinois. Before coming to the University of Texas, Art taught at Northwestern University and Columbia University.Art’s research explores thinking. Art is also the executive editor of the journal of Cognitive Science and is a former executive officer of the Cognitive Science Society. Art has always been interested in bringing insights from Cognitive Science to a broader audience. To that end, he writes blogs for many sites including Psychology Today and Fast Company. He consults for companies interested in using Cognitive Science in their businesses. Art is also on the scientific advisory boards for the Dr. Phil Show and the Dr. Oz Show.• Art’s book: “Bring Your Brain to Work”• Art’s website: http://www.smartthinkingbook.com/— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —• Research: “The Illusion of Explanatory Depth” by Frank Keil & Leonid Rozenbilt• Term: Halo effect• Term: Yearkes-Dodson Law• Tool: Slack• Book: “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by JD Vance• Book: “Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey Into the Heart of America” by Deborah Fallows and James Fallows— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Enhance your customers’ digital experience with PantheonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason Hanson shares his intelligence operation secrets to “recruiting” people and convincing them to say yes.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The CIA’s SADR cycle and how it applies to the workplace 2) Why research and authenticity are integral to successful influence 3) How to advocate for your case at work Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep450 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT JASON — Jason is a former CIA officer. After leaving the CIA, Jason became the Founder and CEO of Spy Escape & Evasion (www.spyescape.com), a company that teaches men and women how to be safe using Spy Secrets that 99% of Americans will never know. In 2014, Jason won a deal on ABC’s hit Reality Series, Shark Tank and opened, “Spy Ranch,” a 320-acre facility to teach Evasive Driving, Pistol and Rifle Shooting, Intelligence Operations, Cyber Security and more. Jason regularly appears as a Keynote Speaker at corporate events, conferences and conventions worldwide. Jason has appeared on The NBC Today Show, Dateline, Rachael Ray, Fox & Friends, and more. Jason has been interviewed by Forbes, NPR and The Huffington Post among others.• Jason’s book: Agent of Influence• Jason’s website: CelebrityMethod.com— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —• Book: “Influence: Science and Practice” by Robert Cialdini• Book: “Pre-suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade” by Robert Cialdini— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • BetterHelp provides affordable therapy on demandSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marissa Orr shares fresh, actionable wisdom on the workplace gender gap and reframes how alleged weaknesses can actually be strengths.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The problem with the ‘lean in’ mentality.2) How power and money trigger value judgments when it comes to gender differences.3) Why strengths depend on context.Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep449 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT MARISSA — Marissa Orr began her Google career over 15 years ago as a founding member of Google’s Sales Operations & Strategy team, after which she worked as Vertical Marketing Manager at Facebook. She has conducted talks and workshops for thousands of people at diverse organizations across the globe. Originally from Miami, she now lives in New Jersey, with her three children.• Marissa’s book: Lean Out: The Truth About Women, Power, and the Workplace• Marissa’s website: https://www.marissaorr.com/• Marissa’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarissaBethOrr• Marissa’s Medium: https://medium.com/@MarissaOrr— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Research: Explaining Gender Differences at the Top• Research: Men and Women: No Big Difference• Research: Do Women Shy Away from Competition? Do Men Compete Too Much?• Research: The role of gender in team collaboration and performance• Research: Gender Styles in Communication• Research: Do Nice Guys — And Gals — Really Finish Last? The Joint Effects of Sex and Agreeableness on• Research: Who’s Better at Selling: Men or Women? Data From 30,469 Sales Calls• Book: The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know by Katty Kay• Book: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex by John Gray• Book: The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the• Book: Leading Pioneer in the Field by Nathaniel Branden• Book: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Learn a new language anytime, anywhere with BabbelSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ashley Goodall debunks deeply-embedded misconceptions about work and how fostering human individuality provides valuable possible solutions.   You'll Learn: How deeply-rooted misconceptions about work lead to inefficiency Why you should focus on being “spikey” rather than well-rounded How systematizing can remove the human essence from work   About Ashley: Ashley Goodall is currently Senior Vice President of Leadership and Team Intelligence at Cisco. In this role he has built a new organization focused entirely on serving teams and team leaders—combining talent management, succession, coaching, assessment, executive talent, workforce and talent planning, research and analytics, and technology to support leaders and their teams in real time. Previously he was Director and Chief Learning Officer, Leader Development, at Deloitte. He is the co-author, with Marcus Buckingham, of “Reinventing Performance Management,” the cover story in the April 2015 issue of Harvard Business Review. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey.   View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep448 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hal Gregersen reveals the key skills of disruptive innovators–and how you can get them too.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The core five skills required for innovation.2) The questions disruptive innovators ask.3) How to network for new idea.Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep447 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT HAL — Hal Gregersen is the Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center and a Senior Lecturer in Leadership and Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management where he pursues his vocation of executive teaching, coaching, and research by exploring how leaders in business, government, and society discover provocative new ideas, develop the human and organizational capacity to realize those ideas, and deliver positive, powerful results.• Hal’s Book: “The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators” with Jeff Dyer and Clayton Christensen• Hal’s other book: “Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems At Work and in Life” with Ed Catmull• Hal’s website: www.HalGregersen.com— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Companies mentioned: Aramex, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Intuit, JetBlue, Magnolia Market at the Silos, Moxy, PIXAR, Xero• Event: SXSW Conference & Festivals• Innovators mentioned: Chip and Joanna Gaines, Clayton M. Christensen, David Neeleman, Diane Greene, E. B. White, Fadi Ghandour, Jeff Bezos, Jeff Dyer, June Morris, Marc Benioff, Niklas Zennstrom, Peter Thiel, Rod Drury, Scott Cook• Product: Kutol Wall Cleaner• Software: Chatter, QuickBooks, Quicken• Term: Combinatorial play• Book: “The Magnolia Story” by Chip and Joanna Gaines, and Mark DagostinoSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Judi Holler makes the case for exercising your bravery muscle and making fear your friend—one challenge at a time.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The small things we do each day that slow our long-term progress2) Why technology is a great servant but a terrible master3) How to deal with fear when it never goes awaySubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/epxxx for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT JUDI —Judi Holler is a keynote speaker, author, and a professionally trained improviser and alumna of The Second City’s Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois. Judi is a past president of Meeting Professionals International, Chicago Area Chapter, and was named one of the 40 under 40 in the meetings industry by Connect magazine in 2015Judi’s book on Fear, titled “Fear Is My Homeboy: How to Slay Doubt, Boss Up, and Succeed on Your Own Terms”, was recently endorsed by Mel Robbins calling it: “relatable, relevant and most importantly ACTIONABLE!” Fear Is My Homeboy came out last week.• Judi’s Book: Fear Is My Homeboy: How to Slay Doubt, Boss Up, and Succeed on Your Own Terms• Judi’s website: judiholler.com— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Song: “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean• Study: “Is Photoshop Destroying America’s Body Image?”• Study: U.S. Workers Spend 6.3 Hours A Day Checking Email: Survey• TV Show: A.P. Bio• TV Show: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee• TV Shows: Netflix Stand-Up Comedy Specials• TV Show: The Simpsons• Book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown• Book: The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins• Previous episode: 038: Establishing the Essential with Greg McKeown• Previous episode: 386: How to Earn More, Spend Less, and Build Wealth with Mindy Jensen• Previous episode: 441: Understanding Fear to Overcome It with Ruth Soukup— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —•Learn a new language anytime, anywhere with BabbelSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stephanie Evergreen discusses the importance of effective data visualization and shares tips and tricks for creating charts that best communicate data findings.— YOU'LL LEARN —1) How charts can transform culture2) How to make use of tools you already have to make great visuals3) How to determine the most appropriate chart for your dataSubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep445 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT STEPHANIE — Dr. Stephanie Evergreen is an internationally-recognized data visualization and design expert. She has trained future data nerds worldwide through keynote presentations and workshops, for clients including Mastercard, Adobe, Verizon, Head Start, American Institutes for Research, Rockefeller Foundation, Brookings Institute, and the United Nations. She writes a popular blog on data presentation at StephanieEvergreen.com. Her two books on designing high-impact graphs, slideshows, and reports both hit #1 on Amazon bestseller lists weeks before they were even released. This Spring Dr. Evergreen is publishing the second edition of one of those bestsellers and a brand new sketchbook with templates for making infographics and dashboards.• Stephanie’s Book: “Effective Data Visualization: The Right Chart for the Right Data”• Stephanie’s companion book: “The Data Visualization Sketchbook”• Stephanie’s Website: StephanieEvergreen.com— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —• Alternative charting software: Keynote, Prezi, think-cell, Mekko Graphics, Adobe Illustrator• Data visualizations: Marimekko Chart, Word cloud, Dumbbell Dot Plot• Movie: An Inconvenient Truth• Study: Seeing data visualized makes it more believable• Book: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal NewportSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stacey Engle offers pro-tips for engaging in more meaningful conversations at work. You'll Learn: 1. Why pointless conversations are at the root of many business problems 2. How to have more efficient team meetings 3. How to handle strong emotions when communicating About Stacey: As President of Fierce Inc., a global leadership development and training company, Stacey Engle is obsessed with helping Fierce clients stay ahead of the curve. A strong innovator, she’s always connected—to clients, emerging trends and new opportunities. Stacey’s forward-thinking approach to sales and marketing reflects Fierce’s commitment to enriching lives and creating community, one conversation at a time. She relishes her role in bringing people together to have the conversations they most need to have. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep444 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.