Have you ever wondered if there is work that you are perfectly wired to do? Maybe even work that would make you say "I was born for this"? Today's guest, Chris Guillebeau, has just written a book that explores these issues, and on this episode he shares some practical advice for navigating toward work that is more perfectly suited to who you are what you're wired to do.
The hardest part of any creative project isn't the beginning or the end, it's squarely in the middle. This is where you'll encounter three common roadblocks, or hurdles, that will make it difficult to complete your task. In today's episode, we deconstruct these three hurdles and discuss how to overcome them.
David Burkus is a professor of management at Oral Roberts University, and he’s just published a new book called Under New Management which highlights how some leaders are doing radical things in the pursuit of a more effective workplace, and how you can follow their lead.
If you do your work in public, it’s inevitable that you’re going to attract criticism. Often, very public criticism. You hear a lot of advice about how to deal with this kind of blowback, but it’s often anecdotal. Today’s guest, Jay Baer, has just launched a research-based book about how to deal with criticism - both in public and in private - called Hug Your Haters. He’s going to help us understand how to deal with our critics, and how to treat feedback - even harsh criticism - as a favor, not a problem.
Many people have ideas they’d like to pursue, whether that’s a new business, or a personal project, but in the choking stress of day to day life, their passion eventually wanes and the idea lies dormant. How do you actually bring an idea into the world, even while you are balancing all of the normal pressures of a job and a family?
If you collaborate with others, you need to understand how to interact with, lead, and get the best work out of them. Today's guest, Michael Bungay Stanier, has just released a book about how to develop a "coaching habit", and he will help us understand why coaching is important and how to do it well.
A key source of this kind of misalignment is assumptive behavior or beliefs that – over time – become organizational ruts. You assume that you and your fellow team members are all on the same page because you’re privy to all of the same information, but how that information is absorbed and interpreted is a very personal thing, and can lead to sharp division if you don’t seek common understanding.
Adam Steltzner has a more interesting job than you. And me. And probably most of the people listening to this show. He's an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and he helps design things and land them on Mars. In today's episode, he shares some of what he's learned about doing hard things, and some insights from his new book The Right Kind Of Crazy.
Everyone wants to be liked. Given the choice between being liked or disliked, very few (sane) people would choose the latter. However, where does being liked rank on your list of priorities?
In 2004, ABC News anchor Dan Harris had a panic attack in front of five million people on national television, which led to a personal quest to discover how to be more present and emotionally healthy. On today's episode, he shares some of what he discovered and chronicled in his book 10% Happier.
Cal Newport argues that the most important skill to develop is the ability to do "deep work". This is work that allows you to make big leaps in your work and accomplish your long-term objectives rather than getting stuck in the muck and mire of "shallow work". On today's episode, he teaches us what deep work is and how to do more of it.
Ten years ago this month, The Accidental Creative podcast launched. In today's episode, I share ten things I've learned over the past decade about creating something valuable that resonates with others.
What do you do when competitors are knocking off your product? Today's guest, Dave Munson (founder and CEO of Saddleback Leather), decided to create a video to show them how to do it better. In today's episode, Dave shares how to build your business around an ethic, why showing your values is critical, and the importance of seeking wisdom and establishing a vision.
To "communicate" means to "make common". What common ground are you trying to build with your intended audience through your work? What impact are you trying to achieve with your intended audience? In today's episode, I read an excerpt from my new book Louder Than Words and challenge you to consider how you can make your work resonate more deeply.
What separates respected leaders from the pack? Why do some people inspire others to follow while others can't seem to gain the trust and respect of their team? Today's guest, Brad Lomenick, shares insights into how great leaders get it done in his new book H3 Leadership, and he's here to help us lead better in life and work.
While tips and tricks don’t matter if you don’t have a clear sense of why you’re working and what you’re trying to accomplish, they can help you gain a clearer head and more precision in your daily work. Here are a few that I use every day and that have drastically changed my productivity.
Want to know how to become as productive as all of those business celebrities you read about in the tips and tricks articles? Discover what’s worth working for, and then spend yourself on it.
GTD is a system for organizing and acting on the work that matters most. There are a lot of nuances to the system, and as a result many people get lost in the weeds and intricate details and get off track and stop utilizing it altogether. That's unfortunate, because there are many principles that can be borrowed from GTD and acted upon, even if you don't use the entire system.
Great work isn’t enough on its own. If you want your idea to be heard, you have to go the extra mile to ensure that it’s framed to resonate with the right audience. In this episode, you'll learn how.
I just spent years researching and writing a book about voice. Voice? Seriously? Why would I do that? Honestly, if I offered you ten potential books to read, and a book about voice was among them, I'd guess that the voice book would probably be among the least...