Over the past week I've been listening to Creativity, Inc. by Pixar founder and President Ed Catmull on my morning walks. As much as has been written about the company over the past several years, there is something refreshing about getting insights into Pixar's culture and mindset directly from one of its leaders.
We are obsessed with dominant leaders. With the #1. But what about those who are better equipped to be the #2, or the counselor, the truth-teller? Global Vice-Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi Richard Hytner is here to tell us how to become a better "consiglieri".
Don’t be lulled into the idea that being busy and making progress is necessarily going to net you a win. You have to be intentional and deliberate about your activity, and you have to be willing to sprint when the occasion calls for it.
Ryan Holiday, author of the fantastic new book The Obstacle Is The Way, shares his journey into stoicism, and discusses how we can find possibility even in the midst of setbacks.
If you want to have great ideas consistently, you must be curious about the world around you. Are there ways you can stoke and enhance your curiosity? You bet! Today we address a few of them.
The work you do is a gift to the world, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone.
There are three common places where you might get stuck when doing challenging creative work. Here's how to identify each, and some tools for re-gaining traction.
Simply changing your circumstances or your productivity system might inject a measure of energy into your work and give you a boost for a short while, but that increase in output will be short-lived if you aren’t committed to an outcome.
Do you feel a compulsive need to "do it all"? On today's episode, Chris Ducker is going to share how to learn to let go with tips from his new book Virtual Freedom.
What do you do when someone tosses out a terrible idea in a meeting? How you handle that moment is critical in determining the vibe and productivity for the rest of the meeting. Here are some tips.
You have 168 hours each week. Some of those hours you will probably spend doing things you have to do, some of them doing things you choose to do, and some of them doing things simply on autopilot.
Yes…we need coaches. However, don’t be “The Coach”. Instead, offer feedback that is timely, contextualized, empathetic, and helpful in the context of the outcome you’re committed to.
Steven Kotler, author of THE RISE OF SUPERMAN, shares practical insights on how to trigger the peak performance state called "flow" more consistently in life and work.
As you consider the gift that you have to offer - the expression that is uniquely yours, and yours alone to give away - consider this: the impact of a gift given away in freedom is vast, while a gift spent on the giver quickly fades.
It's easy to suffocate the white space out of our lives by introducing too many once-useful, but now useless systems. In order to do your best work, you must eliminate these negative rituals and introduce new ones to re-claim margin and focus your energy.
What is the first thing you do in the morning? The last thing you do at night? Your first action when taking on a new project? Your impulse when receiving good (or bad) news?
If you asked those questions to many highly productive creatives, they’ll have immediate answers. Not because they are micro-obsessive about their schedules, but because over time they’ve developed predictable rituals around key areas of their life and work.
Simon Sinek, author of the new book Leaders Eat Last, shares his insights into what makes great leaders effective and compelling.
Jocelyn Glei, Director of 99u, shares her career journey and talks a bit about how creative pros should be thinking about career paths and voice.
Brian Clark explains why creative professionals should be creating media to have an impact in the marketplace, and help them achieve their goals.
Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, shares thoughts about how creatives can create value and relationship through meaningful online interactions.