I have been reading Chris Guillebeau’s awesome new book, The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future. It is the most stimulating business book I have read since The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss.

The book is not only practical, it is extremely inspirational. It’s for those who want to escape from corporate life, build something of their own to support their families, or just find a way to make more money.

I especially enjoyed his section on defining your mission statement. This nicely complements Chapter 11 of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, where I talk about how to create an elevator pitch.

Here’s what Chris says:

Simple, straight-forward, and easy to implement. I’m sure this is one of the reasons the book has garnered so many five-star reviews (193) on Amazon. It is a book that is well-worth your time!

Today, I am launching my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Nashville: Thomas Nelson). To celebrate, I am giving away seven bonuses worth $375.98 to everyone who buys a copy this week and e-mails me the receipt. I’ll share the details in a moment.

I won’t spend time in this post telling you about the book. I have created an entire page for that purpose, complete with endorsements from 27 people who were kind enough to read it before publication, including Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Dave Ramsey, John Maxwell, and many, many others.

In addition, more than one hundred people have posted reviews on the major online retailer sites. All of them (so far) are five-star. The words and phrases you’ll find repeated are “specific,” “practical,” “down to earth,” “inspiring,” and “empowering.”

On the product page I go into detail about why I wrote the book and how it can help anyone—authors, public speakers, bloggers, recording artists, business owners, sales people, pastors, brand managers—get visibility for themselves and their message.

The main thing I want to communicate here is that if you buy the book THIS WEEK, I will give you seven FREE bonuses:

1. Platform Video Jumpstart (a $179.00 six-session video series)
2. Why Now Is the Best Time Ever to Be an Author (a $47.00 one-session video)
3. How to Write a Winning Book Proposal (a $47.00, two-session audio series)
4. Writing a Winning Non-Fiction Book Proposal (a $19.97 e-book)
5. Writing a Winning Fiction Book Proposal (a $19.97 e-book)
6. All the Digital Editions of Platform (a $38.06 collection of the Kindle, Nook, iPad, and PDF formats)
7. Audio Edition of Platform (a $24.99 audio edition of the entire book)

This offer is only valid through the end of the day, May 25th, CDT. At that point, this offer goes away FOREVER. To get these seven FREE bonuses, you must take these three steps:

1. Purchase Platform from your favorite bookseller. You can chose from one of the online retailers below or your local bookseller. The book retails for $24.99, but many retailers are selling it for less than $15.00
   

   Amazon Books-a-Million Family Christian Mardel

   Barnes & Noble Christian Book Distributors Lifeway Parable

2. E-mail me a copy of your receipt. You can simply forward a copy of the receipt from your online retailer to gifts@michaelhyatt.com. If you buy a physical copy from a local retailer, scan the receipt and e-mail it to the same address. It’s that simple.
3. Confirm your e-mail address. I don’t want to inadvertently spam anyone, so I follow a strict, double opt-in e-mail list procedure. I will reply to your e-mail and ask you to confirm your address before I proceed further. (Actually, this is automated, but you get the idea.)

That’s it!

Once I get your confirmation, I will e-mail you the link to the special Platform Bonus Download Page, where you will get access to all seven bonuses.

If you’re serious about taking yourself, your business, or your product to the next level, order your copy of Platform today and get started.

Again, this offer goes away forever after May 25th, 2012. Don’t miss it!

If you have a question about this offer, please check the FAQ.

Yawn! When I read Michael Hyatt’s post on taking naps, I agreed. I knew from personal experience how beneficial a quick midday nap could be. But as I pondered how I might actually put it into practice, I hit a wall.

How could I keep moving forward with this idea in an educational role that requires me to be always alert and on-call throughout the school day? The tension between what I wanted to do and what I could do quickly threatened to become crippling frustration.

I suspect I’m not alone in feeling overwhelmed at times by excellent advice, helpful strategies, and enlightening insight. To be candid, sometimes I feel like a deer in the personal-growth headlights. I’m often paralyzed by the possibilities. It’s easy to see where I want to go. It’s figuring out how to get over the walls between here and there that creates the tension.

We usually think of tension as always being a bad thing. It can be. But growth always requires movement. And movement creates tension between where we are and where we’re going. It’s when we hit a wall—or what seems to be a wall—that we can get the wind knocked out of our dreams.

Here are a few ways you can keep moving forward when you hit a wall in your personal growth:

1. Screen for Excuses. Be honest with yourself. It’s easy to slip in an excuse disguised as an immovable barrier. To be safe, assume all walls are excuses until proven otherwise. Like Neo of Matrix fame, sometimes your best answer will be that “there is no wall.”
2. Question the Walls. You could try talking to them, I suppose, but that could lead to other problems. Think about the barriers themselves. Are they walls that you’ve created yourself or allowed to be created in your silence? Are you missing the skill sets to get over the walls? Where can you get a reliable third-party perspective on the barriers you face? Don’t rule this out: The walls may be telling you it’s time to grow elsewhere.
3. Get Creative. As Thomas Edison famously said, “There’s always another way.” If you find a real barrier does exist, start by figuring out your goal. Let your imagination work backwards to see if other solutions present themselves. In my case, perhaps a protected mental downtime without phones or visitors will get me close to the same result as a nap for now.
4. Take Baby Steps. If you find you can move forward where you are, don’t hesitate to start small. But do start. As Michael Hyatt has said, “Motion leads to momentum.” Maybe you can’t do it all right away, but you can do something. Sit down. Jot down a plan. Take steps, even small ones, in the right direction. Do it today.
5. Keep Moving Forward. These three words from one of my life leaders Walt Disney sum it up. William H. Murray added this wisdom that I have found true again and again: “The moment one definitely commits oneself … all sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred.” Unlike the rides at Walt’s magical World, we should always refuse to come to a complete stop.

Above all, know that you’ve got a lot of friends here who feel your growth pains when you hit a wall. I can’t be the only one. Let’s cheer each other on. After our naps, of course.

Some of my favorite memories of growing up are building model airplanes with my dad. I remember him showing me how to assemble, sand, and paint them. I think back on how proud I always was when we finished a project together.

On one occasion, I remember struggling to get two parts to fit together. I tried several different angles. Nothing seemed to work. I grew increasingly frustrated.

Calmly, my dad said, “Son, don’t force it.” I stopped what I was doing, looked up at him, and instantly knew he was right.

I relaxed, set down the parts, and started working on some other aspect of the project. An hour later, I returned to the obstinate parts and clicked them into place.

Life is often like that, isn’t it?

You do your best, but often you get to the point where you are in danger of breaking something if you press any harder. Then you realize that the best strategy is to let go—at least for a while.

I had an experience like that yesterday.

I have been wanting to interview my friend, Bob Goff, for some time. His new book, Love Does, was just published earlier this month, and is already in Amazon’s top 300 books.

I read the first draft of the manuscript more than a year ago and was blown away. Not only did I want to help my friend, I wanted to share this treasure of a book with my readers. I knew they would love getting to know Bob and his book.

So, Bob and I decided to do the interview via Skype last Saturday. I called him at the appointed time. However, he couldn’t get Skype to work correctly on his computer. I could hear him; I just couldn’t see him.

After twenty minutes of fiddling with it, we gave up and decided to reschedule.

We tried again yesterday. Everything seemed to work fine. I had a fantastic time talking to Bob and hearing more about his adventures with the book. But when we hung up, and I played the video, the audio was badly out of sync.

I worked on it for several hours, trying various solutions I found on Google. Nothing worked. The video looked like a bad foreign film where the actors lips and words wouldn’t align.

I grew increasingly frustrated. I kept thinking, I just need to push a little harder.

Then I remembered my dad’s words. “Son, don’t force it.”

So, I relaxed, set it down, and decided to do something else. It’s just not worth breaking something. Instead, I had to believe that it was not meant to be. At least not for now.

In life, we have to learn there is a fine line between working hard and forcing an outcome that isn’t meant to be.

If we don’t push hard enough, we never experience the breakthroughs that take us to the next level. But if we push too hard, we risk breaking something important—our physical or emotional health or even a relationship. It’s just not worth it. We have to trust.

After all these years, this is a lesson I am still struggling to learn.

In this podcast episode, I talk the essence of authentic leadership. What is it? Is it simply influence or is it something more.

I have always been fascinated by this topic. Perhaps because I enjoy creating models that try to explain something people want to know about.

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Episode Outline

In the last few weeks, I have been interviewed several times: at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast, the Catalyst Dallas Conference, and then a couple of interviews for my new book, Platform. Because I my blog is mostly about leadership, the interviewer inevitably asks, “So how do you define leadership?”

Most experts I know define leadership as influence. Certainly, I think that is one aspect of it, but I don’t think it’s the whole story. Instead, I suggest that authentic leadership has five marks or characteristics:

1. Authentic leaders have insight.
2. Authentic leaders demonstrate initiative.
3. Authentic leaders exert influence.
4. Authentic leaders have impact.
5. Authentic leaders exercise integrity.

If we are going to maximize our leadership, we have to pursue all five of these characteristics. It all begins by leading ourselves well.

Listener Questions

1. Question #1: Carrie Jones asked, “Is there ever a time that authenticity disqualifies you from leadership?”
2. Question #2: Chris Stevens asked, “How do I set myself up as an authentic leader from the get-go of a new job?”
3. Question #3: Donny Vaughn, asked, “Is it possible to be a leader without being vocal?”
4. Question #4: Perry Holly asked, “What are the top two or three obstacles that get in the way of us becoming authentic leaders?”
5. Question #5: Randy Peterman asked, “How do you become an authentic subordinate, given workplace politics?”

Next week, I will be talking about “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World,” the topic of my brand new book. If you have a question about that topic, please leave me a voice mail. I’d love to hear from you.

Special Announcements

1. My new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, started shipping on April 25th. However, I am once again asking that you refrain from buying it yet.

   Why? Because I want to register as many sales as possible during the first official pub week of May 21–25 in order to have a shot at driving the best sellers list.

   To make the wait worth your while, I have put together a bonus package of seven FREE BONUSES worth $375.98! To get this special bonus offer, all you have to do is buy the book. I can’t tell you more yet, but you can signup here to be notified when this special offer is available.

2. I will be speaking at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in New York City on June 5–7. I will be leading one of the “Super Sessions” on Thursday, June 7th, at 9:00 a.m. You can register here.
3. We will be offering the next SCORRE Conference in Vail, Colorado on October 17–20, 2012. The last one sold out in about a week. If you have ever wanted to come to SCORRE, or ever thought about becoming a professional speaker, or just want to communicate more professionally, this is your chance to grab a ticket before we sell out.

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Website: Building Champions, an Executive Coaching Company
• Movie: We Were Soldiers

Show Transcript

You can download a transcript of this episode here.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

iTunes

Zune

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Your Feedback

I want to hear from you! Please leave me a voicemail with your question. I may use it on the next episode of my show. If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

When I first became President of Thomas Nelson, I began hosting an event called “Pizza with the Prez.” Once a month I invited a different workgroup to have lunch with me—without their supervisor being present.

This event provided an opportunity for me to get unfiltered feedback. It was one of my favorite activities. It also proved to be one of the most productive.

It confirmed what I thought was true: The further you move up the chain-of-command, the less likely it is you will get the truth. Information is often filtered, spun, and managed. People either tell you what they want you to know—or think you want to hear.

Some time ago, I read The Last Czar, a biography about the life of Czar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia. While his generals were brutally suppressing dissent, they told him civil unrest was the result of foreign influence and assured him his own people loved him.

The Czar didn’t have any other source of information. When the Communists took over, he was caught by surprise and forced to abdicate. Sadly, the Bolsheviks eventually executed him and his entire family. It is one of the saddest stories I have ever read.

Though extreme, his story demonstrates the difficulty of getting good information at the top. If you are a leader in any capacity, you must develop a pipeline for unfiltered feedback. “Pizza with the Prez” was one of the ways I did this.

Typically, I had ten to twelve people join me for lunch in the boardroom. After a few “icebreaker questions,” I always asked them:

• What do you like about Thomas Nelson and want to see us continue?
• What do you not like about Thomas Nelson and want to see us stop doing?

Although I only scheduled an hour of time together, it was always a challenge to finish on schedule. I was always amazed at how open people were and how many good ideas they had.

I have also noticed a recurring theme: most people’s frustration at work is inflicted by their supervisors.

Don’t misunderstand me. These workers loved their colleagues. They loved the company. But they continued to be frustrated by leaders who unwittingly hindered their productivity.

Here are the four most common complaints I heard. See if they ring true in your experience.

1. Supervisors call too many meetings. Many of them are a waste of time. The issues could easily be handled by e-mail. Even those that should be called last twice as long as is necessary. This is because they don’t have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish or a specific agenda to get them there.
2. Supervisors are often late to their own meetings. Since they called the meeting, the other attendees can’t start without them. As a result, they waste a lot of time waiting for the leader to show up. This makes them feel disrespected.
3. Supervisors don’t really understand the work process. They don’t appreciate the amount of time it takes to complete certain tasks. Consequently, they sit on—or slow-walk—approvals and bog down the whole process. By the time the worker gets a response, they are in crisis mode. If a deadline is missed, they get blamed. This creates a lot of unnecessary stress on everyone.
4. Supervisors are not responsive. They don’t answer their e-mails. They don’t return their voice mail messages. Workers often feel like they are sending e-mails into a black hole. By the time the manager does respond, the issue is resolved or it has escalated to a new level of urgency. Why can’t they just respond more quickly?

More than likely, you are not guilty of these behaviors. But, if you are, I hope you’ll take a moment and try to see how frustrating this can be to your teammates. You may not be able to change your boss, but you can change yourself and provide a better environment for the people you are leading.

Every morning while getting dressed I have The Today Show playing in the bathroom. I enjoy catching up on the news and getting the forecast for the day’s weather.

At least until the commercials come on.

It’s not that I am opposed to advertising per se. I’m not. I understand that television producers have to monetize their content.

What I object to is the fact that these commercials—especially the ones from car dealers—are several decibels louder than the program itself. Evidently, the pitch man thinks he can bludgeon me into submission by yelling at me.

This is the old marketing.

More than a decade ago, Seth Godin described this as Interruption Marketing—impersonal, irrelevant, and unanticipated. (If you haven’t read his book, Permission Marketing, do so.)

Thankfully, this kind of marketing is almost dead.

The new marketing is based on building relationships. If you dislike marketing—particularly the thought of marketing yourself—this is good news.

Yesterday, I experienced this first-hand when I took Gail out for brunch at The Southern, a hip new restaurant in downtown Nashville. We had celebrated Mother’s Day with our girls and their families the day before, so it was just the two of us.

In addition to a fabulous dining experience, I enjoyed watching the employees connect with their customers. Here’s what I observed:

1. The new marketing starts with authenticity. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were welcomed by Tom Morales, the owner. Though my daughter, Marissa, works at the restaurant, we had never met him. For all he knew, we were just new customers.

   Tom greeted us warmly, wishing Gail a happy Mother’s Day. He seemed genuinely delighted to see us. He then engaged us in a conversation, asking us several questions about ourselves.

2. The new marketing is fueled by generosity. As we were looking over the menu, the server brought us free BBQ Shrimp and Oyster Southern appetizers. This was totally unexpected—and wonderfully delicious.

   In today’s environment, the way to create wow experiences is to define your customers’ expectations then exceed them. This is exactly what our server did. As it turns out, “It is more blessed to give that to receive” is a brilliant marketing strategy.

3. The new marketing incorporates story-telling. I ordered “The Cuban,” which the menu described as “pork tenderloin, mojo marinated overnight then pan fried, black beans, yellow rice, skillet debris, and topped with two fried eggs.”

   After the server brought our food, Tom wandered over to our table and told me a story. He explained how his grandmother, a refuge from Haiti, had invented The Cuban, wanting to find a way to use her pork tenderloin leftovers. This story made the dish all the more meaningful and memorable.

This simple experience turned us into unpaid evangelists for The Southern. Our first impulse was to share the experience with our family and friends.

The bottom line is that you can’t succeed in today’s environment without generating word-of-mouth publicity. Turning up the volume won’t help. Trying to outshout your competition won’t either.

Instead, you must build authentic relationships with your prospects and customers. This is the new marketing and anyone can do it.

Listen to this podcast on my website…

In the Loop 05/11/2012 In this podcast, bestselling author Andy Andrews and host, Andy Traub, interview me about my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.

Listen to most presentations and you will hear a litany of stories half submerged in what might be major points—or maybe just another story.

Regardless, 75 percent of the people leave a presentation with no idea what the point of the message was. Even worse, 50 percent of speakers can’t identify the objective of their own talk.

During my thirty-five years as a professional speaker, I have been constantly asked the secret to being a powerful communicator. My experience with audiences of all sizes and from all walks of life have taught me that, whether speaking to twelve people in a board room or fifty-five thousand in a stadium, effective communicators share four characteristics:

1. Effective communicators know how to prepare a message with a singular and crystal clear focus.
   • If you know where you are going, you can take anyone with you.
   • If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.
2. Effective communicators know how to read an audience and are able to customize their presentation to make that audience want to listen.
   • Until the audience is engaged, communication has not taken place.
   • An engaging presentation puts people on the edge of their seats.
3. Effective communicators are passionate about their subject.
• They pour every part of their being into the presentation.
• If the subject is not worthy of your passion, it should be distributed in a memo.
4. Effective communicators leave the audience no doubt about how to benefit from the objective of the talk.
   • They call people to action.
   • They make it easy to respond.

No secrets there! Most people want to do all the above but don’t know how.

That’s the secret!

I developed the SCORRE System™ to teach people how to develop all the skills above.

I may be biased, but the response of people who have attended indicates that if you want to be a dynamic communicator, The SCORRE Conference is the best investment you can make.

Thousands of men and women including writers, professional speakers, CEOs, ministry professionals and sales and marketing executives have learned to prepare with focus, deliver with clarity, and speak with power. I hope you will become one of them.

I just returned from the Catalyst Conference in Dallas where I spoke on the topic of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. The theme for this year’s conference series is “Be Present.”

This is a particularly powerful reminder for me. I seem to be always living in the future. I’m either planning my next big project or worried about how it will turn out.

But this reminds me that all I really have is now. The past is gone. The future is not guaranteed. This moment is a gift.

Maybe that’s why it’s called “the present.”

Every now and then we get a reminder about how fragile life is. We just can’t take it for granted. Each moment is precious.

For example, several years ago I was attending the early service at our church. My family was coming later in a separate car and had not yet arrived.

About twenty minutes into the service, one of my friends walked up behind me and whispered in my ear, “Michael, your family has been in a car accident. You need to leave now!”

This is about the worst possible news I could imagine receiving. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any details. The wreck had occurred about two miles from our church.

I raced to the scene of the accident. But the traffic was backed up. I suspected it was because of the wreck. I parked my car on the side of the road and started running.

My heart was pounding. My mind was racing. I imagined the worst.

After running about a hundred yards, I saw a fire truck, police cars, and my family’s Suburban laying upside down against a telephone pole. It was completely crushed. All the windows were blown out and the roof had collapsed into the body.

Initially, I was confused, because I didn’t see my family. Then I heard my youngest daughter, Marissa, scream, “Daddy, Daddy.” I looked to my right, and she was running down the hill toward me—arms outstretched and crying.

Just beyond her, the other five members of my family were seated on the grass. They too were crying.

I scooped up my daughter and kept running toward my family. I couldn’t believe it. There wasn’t a scratch on any of them. They were shook up, to be sure, but no one was hurt.

As I later learned, my oldest daughter, Megan, had been driving. It was a country road. She veered off the pavement for a second, over-corrected, and then flipped the car. It had smashed into a telephone pole.

The sheriff told me that when he arrived on the scene, he called the life flight unit. He was just sure that the people in the car were either critically injured or dead. He kept describing what had happened as “a miracle.”

Indeed it was. I still tear up thinking about it.

That experience made me realize (once again) just how precious my family and friends are. I want to treasure every moment—and be present to them now.

The future will take care of itself. I want to learn to be present now.

In this podcast episode, I talk about—of all things—naps! Yes, that’s right. I explain why you should consider them as part of your journey to greater productivity.

When I blogged about this topic recently, I got 1,780 comments on my blog, 1,602 retweets on Twitter, and 13,666 Facebook shares. Obviously, this topic hit a nerve—or maybe people are just tired.

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Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play in browser | Download

Episode Outline

I am a habitual nap-taker. I used to feel guilty about this until I discovered that my boss, Sam Moore, who was then the CEO of Thomas Nelson, took naps.

I also discovered that many other successful people took naps, including Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon, Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gene Autry, John F. Kennedy, John D. Rockefeller, Winston Churchill, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan.

I believe you should consider taking a nap every day for the following reasons:

1. A nap restores alertness.
2. A nap prevents burnout.
3. A nap heightens sensory perception.
4. A nap reduces the risk of heart disease.
5. A nap makes you more productive.

I typically take a 20-minute nap right after lunch. If I can’t do it then, I try to squeeze it in before 4:00 p.m. Here are a few practices I have found helpful.

1. Be consistent.
2. Turn off the lights.
3. Use a blanket.
4. Keep it short.
5. Be discreet.

Finally, shift your own thinking about naps. People who take them are not lazy. They might just be the smartest, most productive people you know.

Listener Questions

1. Question #1: Art Carden asked, “How do you fall asleep quickly, and how do you get up after 15–20 minutes?”
2. Question #2: Jackie asked, “Does our need for naps have to do with our national addiction to coffee?”
3. Question #3: Mary DeMuth asked, “Should insomniacs avoid naps since they can disrupt normal sleep?”
4. Question #4: Stu Gray asked, “Is there an ideal time or length for a nap that helps avoid grogginess.”

Next week, I will be talking about “The Five Marks of Authentic Leadership.” If you have a question about that topic, please leave me a voice mail. I’d love to hear from you.

Special Announcements

1. My new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, started shipping on April 25th. However, I am once again asking that you refrain from buying it yet.

   Why? Because I want to register as many sales as possible during the first official pub week of May 21–25 in order to have a shot at driving the best sellers list.

   To make the wait worth your while, I have put together a bonus package of seven FREE BONUSES worth $375.98! To get this special bonus offer, all you have to do is buy the book. I can’t tell you more yet, but you can signup here to be notified when this special offer is available.

2. I will be speaking at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in New York City on June 5–7. I will be leading one of the “Super Sessions” on Thursday, June 7th, at 9:00 a.m. You can register here before May 15 and save $100 off the three-day blogger and podcaster pass.
3. Gail and I spent most of last week at the SCORRE Conference in Rome Georgia. This is an event that I co-own with my friend Ken Davis. SCORRE is an acronym we use to for teaching a system of speech preparation designed to deliver your message with clarity and power.

   We will be offering the next SCORRE Conference in Vail, Colorado on October 17–20, 2012. The last one sold out in a week, once we started promoting it. I’m giving you a head start. If you have ever wanted to come to SCORRE, or ever thought about becoming a professional speaker, or just want to communicate more professionally, this is your chance to grab a ticket before we open the flood-gates top the public.

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Post: 5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Nap Every Day
• Post: The Napping Habits of 8 Famous Men
• Organization: The National Sleep Foundation
• Book: Take a Nap, Change Your Life by Dr. Sandra C. Mednick
• Research: Midday Naps Found to Help Fend Off Heart Disease (report on Archives of Internal Medicine study)
• Product: Zero Gravity Chair
• Article: Circadian Rhythm

Show Transcript

You can download a transcript of this episode here.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

iTunes

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Your Feedback

I want to hear from you! Please leave me a voicemail with your question. I may use it on the next episode of my show. If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

As I have grown older, I have become increasingly aware that we live in toxic environment. Our food, water, and air are contaminated with poisons.

Over time these poisons take a toll on our bodies. Years from now, I believe we will discover that many of our worst diseases—especially autoimmune ones—were the direct result of the toxins we were ingesting.

But as important as toxins are at a physical level, they are even more important spiritually.

According to Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch.tv, we are living in the most spiritually poisonous time in history. In his new book, Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World, he outlines the various threats.

And, contrary to the impression you might get by looking at the book’s cover, most of these don’t come from the world. They more often arise from inside our own souls. Specifically, he discusses:

Toxic Behaviors

• Our personal lies
• Our false beliefs
• Our lethal language
• Our hidden sins

Toxic Emotions

• Bitterness and resentment
• Envy and comparison
• Anger and rage
• Fear and worry

Toxic Influences

• Materialism
• Culture
• Unhealthy people
• Religion

Like all of Craig’s books, this one is full of stories. His writing is down to earth and practical. He is humble and transparent, conveying the empathy of a fellow-traveler. If you enjoy how he speaks—and Craig is one of my very favorite communicators—you will like how he writes.

While this is a great book for individuals to read, I couldn’t help but think how valuable it would be to discuss in a group setting. It is a book that begs for further conversation. As a result, I am considering using it with my Mentoring Group.

I’ll leave you with one quote from the Introduction:

Everything that we allow into our minds, hearts, and lives—everything that we spend our time and money on—has an impact on how we grow, or don’t grow, spiritually. As the old computer adage reminds us: garbage in, garbage out. Just as we are what we eat physically, we are also what we consume spiritually. If we don’t monitor and adjust our diet accordingly, our souls are in danger of absorbing more and more lethal poison.

This book is a must-read if you want to stay spiritually healthy. It will force you to ask the tough questions, detoxify your life, and renew your relationship with God and others.

If you have followed my journey from corporate CEO to full-time writer and speaker, you know I am a big advocate of using virtual assistants. I couldn’t survive without mine.

But I have noticed that many of my fellow entrepreneurs are reluctant to take the plunge. So often they don’t get the help they need because they think hiring a full-time, physical assistant is their only option.

That’s what I thought too. However, this is usually not the best option—at least not at the beginning. Perhaps ever.

In his new e-book, Bryan Miles, CEO of eaHelp.com, explains why. He provides 9 Reasons to Rethink Your Approach to Staffing:

1. It takes forever to find the right person
2. Employees cost more than their salary
3. You have to find a place to put people
4. You need to keep the people you have busy
5. Availability isn’t the same as competency
6. Employees don’t really work eight hours a day
7. Firing people is a hassle
8. Your personnel budget is suffocating your margin for growth
9. An affair will cost you more than you think

You can download this new e-book for free or, if you want it on your Kindle, buy it here. (It’s only $2.99.) You should also follow Bryan on Twitter. He is THE authority on cloud staffing and virtual workforces.

Granted, Bryan is biased. He co-founded a company that provides virtual assistant services to businesses and non-profit organizations, including churches. I am biased too since my virtual assistant, Tricia, works for his company.

However, I think he is right. Too often, we think that full-time, physical staffing is our only option. It’s not.

I’m convinced that virtual assistants are the future. Tricia has worked for me, fifteen hours a week, since last August. Honestly, it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made. Many successful entrepreneurs I know are following suit.

You might need to consider hiring a virtual assistant if:

1. You feel overwhelmed with your workload.
2. You need help digging out from the administrative pile.
3. You know you could really “move the needle” is you could focus more on what you and only you can do.
4. You want to be more productive and less stressed.
5. You know you need help but can’t afford someone full-time.
6. You don’t want the hassle of recruiting, hiring, and training a physical assistant.
7. You want—and need—more margin in your life.

What can an virtual assistant do for you?

Anything that does not require her physical presence.

Practically speaking, this means she can:

• Screen your e-mail and respond on your behalf
• Schedule and confirm your appointments
• Book your travel arrangements
• Make calls on your behalf
• Perform miscellaneous research
• Fill out expense reports and track reimbursements
• Create invoices and post payments
• Manage any projects you don’t want to handle

The truth is that most of my professional relationships today are virtual. I’ll bet many of yours are as well.

Almost all of my business transactions are conducted via e-mail and occasionally phone. It really doesn’t matter where my assistant is located. No one knows the difference.

All they know is that I have a sharp, responsive assistant who helps them get what they need when they need it. What I know is that I have a trusted business partner who frees me up to do what I do best. Maybe it’s time to consider hiring one for yourself.

I need your help. Part of building your PLATFORM is recognizing you need others to help you along the way. That’s true for you. It’s true for me.

As we’re approaching the launch of my new book, I’ve decided to try something different. I am inviting 100 of my readers to join me in creating a special “Platform Launch Team.” It’s a peer group of people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help get the word out about the book.

Team Member Benefits

As a Platform Launch Team member you will get:

1. A free, electronic review copy of the book in advance of the publication date (Kindle, Nook, iPad, or PDF).
2. The exclusive opportunity to interact with me around the content of the book using the new BookShout social reading platform (Just wait ’til you see this!)
3. Exclusive access to a Private Facebook Group
4. Periodic e-mails from our Platform Launch Team Lead with the best ideas to help you get the word out.
5. A special 30-minute group phone session with me prior to the launch of the book
6. The opportunity to network with the other Platform Launch Team members.
7. A special THANK YOU with link to your blog or website on my blog
8. A 25% off discount on my soon-to-be-released Get Published product. This 21-session audio program contains nearly everything I’ve learned about publishing in my thirty-year career.

Team Member Requirements

As a member of the Platform Launch Team you:

• Agree to help spread the word about the book in any way you can, to your existing platform and beyond, during the week of May 21st.
• Share ideas and brainstorm additional ways we might further expose the message to an even greater audience. All ideas are welcome.

That’s it!

Team Member Sign-Up

Thank you for your interest in the Platform Launch Team but the application process is now over. We picked 100 people out of the 764 who applied.

You can still help though! Here are a few ways:

1. During the week of May 22, order a copy (or copies) of Platform. I will give you eight FREE BONUSES worth $375.98 for doing so. You can signup here to be notified.
2. Encourage others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. to take advantage of the launch week offer.
3. Read the book and post a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
4. Build your platform!

The last one is most important to me. You have something to say or sell and my sincere desire is that you will use what I have shared to get your message noticed!

There is a tragedy in our world today. Most people aren’t living their dreams, and the reason is simple: fear. They’re scared to be who they are.

When you endeavor to find your life’s work, there is a lot at risk:

• You could fail.
• You could lose the respect of your friends.
• You could go broke.

You could mess up in a hundred different ways. But—and this is important—you could also succeed. And until you start living into your calling, you’re robbing the world of a gift.

After years of procrastinating, I finally pursued my dream. I decided to become a writer. To my surprise, I saw success far more quickly than expected: I launched a popular blog, got a publishing contract, and found my true fans—all within a year.

How did this happen? Simple. I believed in the dream before it happened. I didn’t wait for fear to go away; I started living into the reality I was longing for.

If you’re going to live and lead intentionally, you’ll have to do the same. There are three steps you need to take if you’re going to pursue your passion.

Step 1: Declare it. Although I’ve written for most of my life, I never considered myself a writer—not until recently.

When a friend asked what my dream was and I told him I didn’t have one, he said, “That’s funny… because I would’ve thought it was to be a writer.” I said that was probably true.

Then he said something I’ll never forget:

You don’t have to want to be a writer; you are a writer. You just need to write.”

The words resonated in my soul. I realized that before I could expect others to believe something about me, first I would have to believe it myself.

Step 2: Believe it. Friends and family often notice our gifts before we do. They acknowledge the talents and resources we’ve been doubting and dismissing.

The only way to find your dream is to trust the gifts you’ve been given. I’m not talking about a misguided “name it and claim it” philosophy. You need to accept the value you offer, not invent it. But at some point, you need to stop doubting yourself.

There is a word for this: it’s called faith.

Before the ancient Hebrews saw the Promised Land, they believed in it. They trusted in a place they hadn’t yet seen, which brought them through the desert and into their destiny.

You need to grasp the possibility of achieving your dream before it happens. You’ll have to believe it before you see it.

Step 3: Do it. A few years ago, my wife and I attended a concert, and halfway through the show, a man clumsily spilled beer on her coat. I complained to one of the ushers, and he warned the man, but no further action was taken.

Later, I went to the bathroom and returned to a crying wife. She wanted to leave. On our way out of the auditorium, she told me the man had harassed her while I was gone. I was outraged.

Turning around, I marched back into the auditorium, and confronted the man. It was, honestly, one of the scariest things I’ve done as an adult.

I hadn’t stood up to a bully since the second grade, and there I was—in front of a towering, muscle-bound beefcake, calling him an idiot.

With my heart racing and my palms sweating, I demanded respect and an apology. And then something incredible happened.

He said he was sorry.

In that moment, I learned an important lesson: until we act, our values are just dreams. I believed in my wife’s honor—in theory—but until I stood up for her, it was just a good idea.

This is an essential takeaway for all of us called to meaningful work. Although we are not merely what we do, we become what we practice. And if you’re practicing insecurity and fear, what does that make you?

If you have a dream or calling you’re not yet living into, it’s time to get to work:

1. Declare you are what you’re waiting to be.
2. Believe in your dream before you see it.
3. And then do it.

Remember: Until you start living it, you’re only dreaming.

Question: When was the last time you pursued a passion in spite of fear? Leave a comment by clicking here.

Do you ever feel like you are running out of bandwidth? I do. I am in one of those periods right now. The last several weeks have been crazy.

My new book, Platform, is about to be published. My speaking calendar is full for the next several weeks. And I have a daughter getting married at the end of this month.

As a result, I feel like I am falling further and further behind, especially as I try to keep up with my e-mail load and meeting requests. Something has to go.

This weekend, I am planning to go through my calendar and engage in a little calendar triage. In case you are not familiar with it, triage is a battlefield term. Medics have to decide where to apply their limited resources. They can’t help everyone.

According to Dictionary.com, “triage” is

the process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine medical priority in order to increase the number of survivors.”

In other words, some patients will survive without medical care. Some won’t survive even if they have medical care. Triage means ignoring these two groups and focusing on those that will only survive with medical care.

With regard to your calendar, it means you must know which things you can safely cancel or reschedule and which things demand your participation.

I’ve done this before and here’s how it works:

1. Protect the basics. I will look at my current priorities and make sure I have allocated time for them in my schedule. I especially have to build-in time in the alone zone, so that I have time to actually get my work done. I will schedule these as appointments. (This is particularly important as you get busier.)
2. Eliminate the non-essentials. Sometimes I make commitments that seem to be important when I schedule them. However, after further reflection, I realize that they aren’t that important. So, to the extent possible, I am going to either cancel these meetings or see if I can handle them another way.
3. Re-schedule some of what remains. Some things are important, but they are not important now. I like to get things done as soon as possible, but this some times works against me. So, I plan to go through my calendar and see what can be postponed without significant consequences.

Hopefully, with a little planning, I can regain my equilibrium and carve out a little more margin for myself.

In this podcast episode, I talk practical ways to restore margin in your life and, specifically, how to shave ten hours off your work week.

This is something I am personally having to re-apply to my own life. In this episode I share some of my current challenges.

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Episode Outline

If you are intentional, I believe you can shave at least ten hours—maybe more—off your work week. That is forty hours or one week a month. Even if I am only have right, it’s still an enormous amount of time.

Here are seven strategies to get you started:

1. Limit your time online.
2. Plan your day in advance.
• Quadrant 1 Tasks: Urgent and Important
• Quadrant 2 Tasks: Important But Not Urgent
• Quadrant 3 Tasks: Urgent But Not Important
• Quadrant 4 Tasks: Neither Urgent Nor Important
3. Touch e-mails once and only once.
4. Triage your calendar.
5. Schedule time in the alone zone.
6. Use batch processing.
7. Use e-mail templates to say “no.”

Listener Questions

1. Question #1: Jane Graham asked, “How can my husband, who is a busy public high school principal, cut back?”
2. Question #2: Jen McDonough asked, “What’s the best way to get started with a virtual assistant?”
3. Question #3: Kurt Feldner asked, “How can I use crowd-sourcing to save time?”
4. Question #4: Lessa Barnes asked, “How can I delegate in a way that doesn’t end up costing me more time than if I had done it myself”

Next week, I will be talking about “The Secret Power of Naps.” If you have a question about that topic, please leave me a voice mail. I’d love to hear from you.

Special Announcements

1. My new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, started shipping last week. I am very pleased how it turned out. However, please don’t buy it yet. This may be a strange request, coming from the author, but there’s a method in my madness.

   I want to register as many sales as possible during the first official pub week of May 21–25 in order to have a shot at driving the best sellers list.

   As a result, I have put together a bonus package of seven FREE BONUSES worth $375.98! To get this special bonus offer, all you have to do is buy the book. I can’t tell you more yet, but you can signup here to be notified when this special offer is available.

2. I will be speaking at Catalyst Dallas, Texas next week on May 9–11. I will be leading a lab on Wednesday, May 9th on the topic of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. You can find out more at CatalystDallas.com.
3. I will be speaking at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in New York City on June 5–7. I will be leading one of the “Super Sessions” on Thursday, June 7th, at 9:00 a.m. You can register here before May 15 and save $100 off the three-day blogger and podcaster pass.

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Video Clip: I Love Lucy, “Let ’Er Roll”
• Software: Anti-Social (Mac Only)
• Software: Freedom (Mac or PC)
• Software: Cold Turkey (PC Only)
• Blog Post: “Is That Task Important or Merely Urgent?”
• Blog Post: “How to Cut Your To-Do List in Half”
• Blog Post: “Yes, You Can Stay on Top of E-mail”
• Blog Post: “How to Perform Calendar Triage”
• Article: Peter Bregman, “How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking” (Harvard Business Review)
• Book: Rework by Jason Fried and Keith Hansson
• Blog Post: “Scheduling Time in the Alone Zone”
• Blog Post: “How to Use Batch Processing to Become More Productive”
• Blog Post: Use e-mail templates to say “no.”
• Website: Dan Miller’s 48 Days
• Service: eaHelp.com Virtual Assistants

Show Transcript

You can download a transcript of this episode here.

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My new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, has just started shipping to bookstores. The official publication date is Tuesday, May 22. In a moment, I’ll tell you why you should WAIT until then to buy it.

First, let me tell you a little about the book.

A Great Product Was No Longer Enough

As you may know, I have spent my entire career in the book publishing industry. I have sat on every side of the table—as a publisher, a literary agent, and an author.

Until a year ago, I was the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, one of the largest publishers in the world. I have pretty much seen and done it all.

About ten years ago, I noticed a disturbing trend in our business. We had begun turning away authors with great ideas, compelling proposals, and even well-written manuscripts.

Great content was no longer enough. To get published, you also had to have a platform. Content may have been King, but platform had become Queen.

Building a Platform Was Difficult

Perhaps you are thinking, What is a platform? Well, it’s that thing you stand on to get heard. In the old days, it was made of wood or bricks. It was a literal stage.

Ten years ago, a platform was a television program, a radio show, or a magazine or newspaper column. Or, it might have been the by-product of being a successful business person, an athlete, or a recording artist.

Regardless, a platform was something that was difficult to build. You either had it or you didn’t. It was largely dependent on whether some gate-keeper gave you access to their audience.

Social Media Changed Everything

But in 2006, with the advent of social media, everything changed. Suddenly, it became possible for mere mortals—people like you and me—to build our own platforms. And many did.

In fact, I even built one. But almost by accident. And while maintaining a very demanding “day job.”

I started blogging in 2004, not really knowing where it would lead. I wrote for four years before I was able to attract more than a thousand readers (unique visitors) a month.

But in 2008, I reached an “inflection point.” This is when I began to get involved with Twitter and then with Facebook. That year, my audience went from a thousand readers a month to 22,000 a month. It has grown dramatically every year since.

Today, my platform consists of:

• 302,000 blog visitors a month
• 120,632 followers on Twitter
• 92,000 podcast listeners a month
• 15,561 fans on Facebook
• 50 speaking engagements a year

Because of this, I was able to step out of my role as the CEO of Thomas Nelson to speak and write full-time—a dream I have had for years. My platform made this possible.

I Can Teach You How to Do It Too

I told someone the other day, “I wrote Platform in six months, but it took me eight years of trial and error to make it possible.”

Fortunately, I documented everything I did. I wrote it all down—the successes and the failures. Platform is the book I wished I could have given to all the authors we kept turning away.

But this book is not just for authors.

It is for anyone with something to say or to sell.

This includes authors, musicians, comedians, public speakers, small business owners, sales people, and even corporate marketing directors. In other words, you.

It’s designed to help you leverage the power of social media to get attention for your product, your service, your brand, or your cause. The principles I share apply to anyone who needs more visibility.

And it won’t take you eight years. If I had known then what I know today, I could have done it much faster—perhaps in a couple of years. Many people I have coached along the way are on that growth trajectory now.

That’s why twenty-seven different leaders have endorsed the book, including Seth Godin, Dave Ramsey, John Maxwell, Chris Brogan, Tim Sanders, Dan Miller, and more.

Practical, Step-by-Step Guidance

The Platform System™ that I outline in the book is made up up five directives:

1. Start with Wow
2. Prepare to Launch
3. Build Your Home Base
4. Expand Your Reach
5. Engage Your Tribe

Each of these directives consists of 10–12 short chapters. Each chapter provides step-by-step instructions for building that aspect of your platform.

Lots of people are talking about the importance of building a platform. But no one has exactly explained how to do it—until now. This book provides the practical guidance you need to make it happen.

Get Seven Free Bonuses Worth $375.98

So yes, I want you to buy the book! Can you tell I am excited?

BUT …

I want to ask you to wait until the week of May 21–25, which is the official “launch week.” The reason is that I want to register as many sales as possible during this period of time in an attempt to get the book on the New York Times best sellers list.

You are the key. And I need your help.

If you are willing to wait, I will reward you BIG TIME for doing so. Here’s the deal: if you buy the book during the week of May 21–25, I will send you SEVEN FREE BONUSES worth $375.98.

I will announce what these bonuses are on May 21st, here on my blog. They will include a new video training program, the digital editions of the book, and the unabridged audio edition of the book—and those are just three of the seven bonuses I am including.

Sign Up Now, So You Don’t Miss This Opportunity

Again, I’ll tell you in detail what you’ll get on May 21st and how you can get this special, limited time offer. What I am asking you to do now is sign up below to be notified.

I promise, I will not spam you or share your information with anyone else. This is strictly for the purpose of notifying you when it’s time to buy the book and get your free bonuses.

By the way, please tell your friends about this offer and ask then to come signup. Someone you know needs a platform of their own!

(If you can’t see this form in your RSS reader, click through to the post on my blog to sign up.)

I signed up to run the Country Music Half Marathon in January. The big race was on Saturday, April 28th. But I didn’t run.

With the launch of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, and several other projects in the works, I just didn’t have the time to do the distance training I needed to do in order to participate. (I have kept up with my normal running routine; I just haven’t done the extended distance work.)

On Saturday, several friends asked me how the half marathon had gone, including Andy Traub. Here was my exchange with him on Twitter.

This situation made me realize again the importance of owning my choices.

We can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we respond. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist who survived two-and-a-half years in Nazi concentration camps, made this case in his bestselling book, Man’s Search for Meaning.

It’s easy to subscribe to this in theory, but what about your specific situation? Are you willing to own it?

For example:

• Are you in a job you hate, living for the weekends?
• Are you unemployed or can’t find a job?
• Are you stuck in a bad marriage or going through a divorce?
• Are you overweight, out of shape, or sick?
• Are you lacking deep, meaningful friendships?

I am not asking these questions to shame you. I have gone through my share of setbacks and failures.

• I have been fired (more than once).
• I have gone through a business failure.
• I have felt stuck in a job I hated.
• I have gone through a protracted and expensive IRS audit.
• I had to have emergency surgery when my gall bladder ruptured.
• I have had a child in rebellion and on drugs.
• I have had two daughters with chronic illnesses.
• I have lost money on three out of four houses I’ve owned.

No, my life has not been a bed of roses. I’ll bet yours hasn’t either.

But blaming our circumstances or other people—even when they are partly or almost totally responsible—only makes us victims. It robs us of our freedom and keeps us stuck.

There is a better way. Change is possible. It can begin today.

You don’t have to stay stuck in the state you are in.

But first, you must own your specific situation and take responsibility for the choices that led to it. Only then can you begin to create a different future.

Thomas Nelson just released the full version of The Voice Bible translation. It represents the combined work of more than 100 Bible scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and artists.

The goal of this new translation was to allow the one divine Voice speak through the unique and diverse human voices who wrote the books of the Bible without attempting to homogenize the final product. The Voice does a masterful job of capturing the passion, grit, humor, and beauty that is often lost in other translations.

In the video above, I interview Frank Couch, Vice President of Bible Translation at Thomas Nelson and David Capes, who is the Thomas Nelson Research Professor at Houston Baptist University. These men guided the translation process of this project.

In the video, I asked Frank and David the following questions:

• Why should people have to pay for a Bible translation? How can Bibles be copyrightable?
• How much does it cost to create a new Bible translation?
• Does the world really need another English Bible translation?
• How is The Voice different from other translations?
• How did the translation process unfold with the Voice?
• How are people responding to the Voice?
• What different kinds of formats is this Bible available in?
• What is your dream for this project?

The Voice is not designed to replace your favorite translation. Instead, it is designed to be read along side that translation to provide additional insights.

A few years ago, I had breakfast with an old college roommate. We hadn’t seen each other in twenty-two years. To my surprise—and delight—he looked almost exactly as he did the last time I saw him. The only difference was that his blond hair was mostly gray.

We spent an hour or so eating and reminiscing. We talked. We laughed. And we listened.

I shared with him pictures of my family, both of us laughing at the fact that I was now a grandfather. I was amazed at how much we still had in common, even though both our lives had taken so many unexpected turns.

I was especially proud that my friend was still married, still in the ministry, and still growing as a person. He was no worse for the wear, but much wiser and, somehow, deeper and more thoughtful. I know that if we lived closer together, we would be good friends once again.

As he dropped me off at the airport and drove away, I teared up. I knew I would probably not see him again any time soon.

After all, he’s a busy pastor. I was, at the time, a busy CEO. We have our own lives, not to mention the fact that we live at opposite ends of the country. But, still, it made me sad and pensive.

But I think something resonated at an even deeper level.

As I was catching him up on the events of my life, I got another high-altitude panoramic look at my own life. I saw the beauty of my journey and how very much I have to be thankful for. I have had a rich and meaningful life. I am so grateful for every experience.

Not that it’s always been easy. Hardly. Frankly, there’s been a lot of pain. Bad decisions. Expensive mistakes. Words and actions that I regret. But, by the grace of God, I have made it this far. I have no complaints. And by the grace of God I will continue on.

It made me also think again how much life is like a tapestry. Corrie ten Boom originally introduced me to this metaphor.

As it unfolds in real time, it’s like viewing the backside of a tapestry. It appears to be nothing more than a jumble of thread—tangled, frayed, occasionally knotted, and seemingly random. Nothing really makes sense. It’s no wonder people lose heart, give up, and abandon their commitments.

But things are not always what they seem.

It’s only when you turn a tapestry over that you see the art: the rich colors, the texture, and the patterns that can make a tapestry a thing of astonishing beauty.

Likewise, occasionally God gives us a glimpse at what He is weaving into the fabric of our lives. That momentary peek at glory gives us the courage to soldier on, knowing that nothing happens by accident.

No thread of experience—good or bad—is wasted. When it appears to be that way, we just have to remind ourselves that we are simply looking at the backside of a tapestry. And the One weaving it together, knows precisely what He is doing.

In this podcast episode, I talk about work-life balance and whether or not it is really possible. In fact, I question the balance metaphor itself and pose an alternative that better describes what our focus should be.

I also share several examples from my own life, most notably a story from early in my marriage with Gail when I was working seventy hours a week.

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Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play in browser | Download

Special Announcements

1. I will be attending and speaking at the SCORRE Conference in Rome, GA, April 29–May 3. If you are a public speaker or aspire to be one, you MUST attend this conference. There is nothing like it. This conference is sold out. But you can register for the conference in Vail, Colorado, October 17–20. It will sell out, so register as soon as you can.
2. I will be doing all the backstage interviews with the speakers at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on May 4th in Atlanta. You can find out more at Chick-fil-ALeadercast.com.
3. I will be speaking at Catalyst Dallas, Texas on May 9–11. I will be leading a lab on Wednesday, May 9th on the topic of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. You can find out more at CatalystDallas.com.
4. I will be speaking at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in New York City on June 5–7. I will be leading one of the “Super Sessions” on Thursday, June 7th, at 9:00 a.m. You can register here before May 15 and save $100 off the three-day blogger and podcaster pass.

Episode Outline

If you are working more than 55 hours a week, you are likely working too much and out of alignment with your priorities.You may be able to work more than this for a season, but, ultimately, it is not sustainable. If you continue to work this much—or more—something is going to break.

You are putting five assets at risk:

1. Asset #1: Your health.
2. Asset #2: Your family.
3. Asset #3: Your friends.
4. Asset #4: Your effectiveness.
5. Asset #5: Your influence.

You can achieve work-life balance—or better yet—align your practice with your priorities when you follow these five suggestions:

1. Suggestion #1: Get crystal clear on your priorities.
2. Suggestion #2: Schedule time for the things that matter most.
3. Suggestion #3: Establish a set of non-negotiables.
4. Suggestion #4: Focus alignment between your priorities and your practice.
5. Suggestion #5: Accept the fact that there will always be tension.

Listener Questions

1. Question #1: Ben Holbrook asked, “How do you manage work-life balance with a young family and the pressures of work?”
2. Question #2: Bob Anderson asked, “What part is up to us and what part is up to God?”
3. Question #3: Deirdre Baker asked, “How do you balance your work life with your home life when your office is in your home?”
4. Question #4: Jeff Keady asked, “How do you achieve work-life balance when technology allows you to take your work everywhere you go?”
5. Question #5: Stephanie Shackelford asked, “To be good at anything, it seems I have to give one hundred percent. How can I do this and balance work and life?”

Next week, I will be talking about “How to Shave Ten Hours Off Your Work Week.” If you have a question about that topic or anything related to improving your productivity, please leave me a voice mail. I’d love to hear from you.

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Conference: The SCORRE Conference
• Conference: Chick-fil-A Leadercast
• Conference: CatalystDallas.com
• Conference: BlogWorld & New Media Expo
• Book: The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
• Book: When Work and Family Collide: Keeping Your Job from Cheating Your Family by Andy Stanley
• e-book: Creating Your Personal Life Plan by Michael Hyatt

Show Transcript

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As a keen reader of Michael’s blog, you’ll likely remember this interview he did with marketing blogger and provocateur Seth Godin about a year ago. About 3:40 in Seth hints at a project connected with his Domino Project publishing company, and then says he can’t say any more because “… he’ll get in trouble.”

But I can tell you about it. And as tomorrow is World Malaria Day, a time to remember and refocus on the battle against malaria, it’s the perfect time. Let me explain why.

I’m the creator of that idea, a charitable project disguised as a book. End Malaria isn’t directly about malaria at all but a collection of more than 60 thought-leaders sharing their best insights, strategies, and tips on a life of purpose and Great Work.

In September it hit #2 on Amazon.com. But the real magic is that it generates $20 per copy sold and has already raised more than $300,000 for Malaria No More.

Five ways to find, start and sustain your own Great Work Project

But where do big dreams come from? How do you find your Great Work? And how do you start it? Here’s how it worked for me.

1. Declare a project. You might have heard of Google, a fairly successful tech company. One of the secrets of their success it that they’re a project-led company. Job titles and organization charts play a secondary role to the projects people are working on. Once the project is done, you roll off and on to what’s next.

   Deciding to do a Great Work Project sets a start date, an end date, and a target for success. You know when you’re doing it, you know when you’re not. And you create space to focus on the project rather than letting the everyday work take over.

2. Check what’s in your kit bag. One immediate impact of saying, “I want to make a difference” is that you quickly feel inadequate. A thousand reasons percolate up that seem perfect arguments about why in fact you can’t really make a difference at all.

   One way to quieten the voices of doubt is to take a good look at the assets you have to make a difference.

   • The experience you have and the scars you bear
   • The courage you’ve displayed and the resilience you’ve shown
   • The person you are and the values you stand for
   • The people you know (and the people they know)

   When I looked at what I had, I knew I had some ability to create a successful book and I knew I had some “weak ties” to influential people through the Great Work Interviews podcast series I’d being doing for years.

3. Find your horizon. It’s one of the contradictions of creativity that the clearer you are on your boundaries, the easiest it is to focus and have good ideas. So where should you set your limits? A project for your organization? For your tribe? For your neighborhood? Or your city? Your country? Globally?

   Inspired by the work of Mark and Craig Keilberger with Free the Children and their focus on the UN’s Millennium Goals I decided my stretch was to reach globally. Some research determined that the cheapest unit for global change was a $10 mosquito net. That could save lives and help eradicate malaria, a disease killing a child in Africa every minute of every day.

4. Steal inspiration. At this stage I had some basic assets—book creating skills and some loose connections to influential people—and an idea about raising money in units of $10 to make a difference. But I needed a spark.

   The catalyst was an ebook that Seth Godin had recently published, a collection of smart people writing around that topic of What Matters.

   When you combine assets, limitations and inspiration into a blender, you’ll find ideas taking shape, and I knew there was something magical in the idea of “buy a book, buy a net” with a book co-created by a wide range of smart people.

5. Don’t give up, file away. Moving from idea to action is never easy. We lurched from hope to despair. Some big names contributors like David Allen and Brene Brown came on board early. But others didn’t. I identified the perfect charitable partner. And they turned me down.

   My publisher offered to underwrite the costs of publishing the books. But I couldn’t figure out how to get the money to the charity fast enough.

   So I gave up. I filed the idea away under It’s Not Working Right Now.

   But then Seth started The Domino Project, a publishing company with a radical new financial model. Suddenly, I could see how the project might work. Nudged on by some of the people I’d already got involved, the project found its new life.

There’s More of Course

Lessons learned about giving up control, inviting others in to play, the art of gentle nagging and the gift of being able to detach yourself from the outcome, knowing that all you can do is focus on the journey to get you there.

But that only happens after you’ve taken the first steps on your own Great Work Project.

What Will Be Your Great Work Project?

Michael’s a great champion for being thoughtful about creating a Good Life. To paraphrase Churchill, we shape our life and afterwards it shapes us. Finding and starting your Great Work Project is a keystone block in building your powerful Life Plan. Now’s a great time to start.

Last week, I spoke at the Catalyst Conference in Irvine, California on the topic of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Thomas Nelson, May 22). As part of my introduction, I shared how my audience has grown since I started blogging in April of 2004.

Note that these numbers reflect my average monthly unique visitors. I simply took the total number of unique visitors for the year and divided by twelve months (or in the case of 2004, eight months). With the exception of the first few years, this data came from my Google Analytics account.

I don’t share these numbers to impress you but to encourage you if you are working to build your own platform. Here are four insights I gleaned from taking a look at the big picture:

1. It took me four years to attract more than 1,000 readers a month. In fact, I blogged for almost three years before I had more than five hundred readers a month. If you are not seeing much growth in traffic, don’t get discouraged. Focus on generating consistent, quality content.
2. Suddenly, I hit an inflection point in my fifth year of blogging. I am not sure I can fully account for this, but I believe several factors contributed:
   • I started blogging more consistently (three days a week).
   • I focused more on my reader’s needs rather than my experiences.
   • A few big web sites linked to me, including Lifehacker. This gave me exposure to a whole new audience.
   • I found my blogging voice.

   So many people quit right before they hit the inflection point. I hope you won’t. Getting your message out depends on you sticking with it.

3. I built a platform long before I needed it. As my audience grew, I was able to use it on behalf of my company to correct the media when they got the story wrong. I was even able to report on stories I felt the media had ignored.

   I also used it to promote my own products and, eventually, to generate enough income I was able quit my day job to write and speak full-time.

   Perhaps you have heard the old proverb about the best time to plant a tree. It’s also true about building a platform:

   Question: When is the best time to build a platform?
   Answer: Eight years ago.
   Question: When is the second best time?
   Answer: Today.

4. It wouldn’t have taken me so long if I knew then what I know now. I made a lot of mistakes. I didn’t understand much about generating traffic. Social media didn’t even exist at the time.

   This is one of the main reasons I wrote my new book. I wanted to distill everything I have learned, so I could share it with people who need a platform but don’t have eight years to build it.

   Whether you are an author, recording artist, comedian, small business owner, or corporate marketing director, this book is for you.

Again, I am sharing this detail about my traffic to encourage you. Everything significant starts small. I didn’t achieve success overnight and you probably won’t either. But the great news is that it is possible. In fact, it’s never been easier—especially if you get started now and learn from the mistakes of others.

My monthly blog traffic is up 164 percent over the same month last year. Mindy, my advertising director, is pressuring me to raise my rates, to bring them more in line with the market.

I told her that I wanted to wait until May 1st. I want to give you, my faithful reader, an opportunity to get more than double the impressions at the same old price.

But you must act now: This will be the last time you can get this kind of exposure at these prices. I only have a few available slots, and they will sell out quickly.

My audience is demographically unique: more educated, more affluent, and more engaged than the average citizen. (You can read the specifics in my 2012 Advertising Kit.) If this is the audience you want to reach, you’ve come to the right place.

Though I am highly selective, I also offer sponsored posts to a limited number of qualified companies. If you have an idea, please email Mindy directly. If you are interested in a long-term partnership, she can craft a proposal to meet your goals and budget.

Interested? You can purchase an ad here. If you need an ad designed, check out RightBanners! or Web Ad Banner Design. We look forward to serving you.

On January 9th, 2003, my life was going according to the plan that I had envisioned. I was thankful for many things. At the top of the list was my healthy three-year-old, Eli. I had no idea that everything could change so quickly.

On that day, our precious toddler pulled a little red Playskool chair across his playroom under an open window. He then climbed upon the chair, hoisted himself over the window sill, and pushed out the protective screen.

Just moments later my wife went searching for him, noticed the empty room and the missing screen, looked out the window and witnessed our only child laying lifeless on the asphalt driveway thirteen-feet below.

Eli had suffered a severe head trauma and was med-flighted to the nearest university hospital. For the next three weeks, no matter how hard I pressed, doctors could not tell me if he would survive.

He did survive, but our lives would never be the same. Here are three leadership lessons that I’ve learned through this life-altering event:

1. Determine your values before a crisis hits. In crisis, you act on instinct. You default to what you truly believe. John Maxwell makes a case in his book, Today Matters, that we really only make a handful of true decisions in life.

   For example, we might make a decision at some point in our lives to manage our money well, serve our family, live healthy, or live out our faith. In our daily choices, thereafter, we simply manage those decisions that we have already made.

   Crisis creates defining moments because it reveals the decisions we have already made. Upon arriving in the emergency room on the day of the accident, I found my wife huddled in the corner of a small room crying uncontrollably. She explained what happened and it was clear that our son might die.

   I looked her in the eyes and I said, “No matter what happens, we will NOT let this come between us.” She agreed. We didn’t make a decision that day. We were simply affirming a decision that had already been made.

   Eighty percent of marriages fail after the serious injury or death of a child. Today our marriage is stronger than ever, despite our tragedy. I’m convinced that’s because our decision to make our marriage succeed had already been made before the crisis hit.

2. Work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God. Mark Batterson introduced me to this phrase in his recent New York Times best seller, The Circle Maker.

   When our son was hurt, we worked and we prayed. We did everything humanly possible to make our son well. We invested tens of thousands of dollars into uninsured therapy equipment.

   We received training to administer an intensive home-based therapy program. For three years, eighty percent of our waking hours were spent doing therapeutic treatment. We worked like it depended on us.

   We also prayed consistently, like it depended on God, because we needed supernatural help.

3. Be willing to burn your old vision and embrace a new one. Despite years of prayers and the best treatment possible, Eli’s brain injury has left him with significant symptoms. Now twelve-years-old, he walks with a cane, the entire left side of his body is weak, he has a severe stutter, and his sight and memory are seriously impaired.

   One of the hardest things that we had to do was to acknowledge, several years after the accident, that it was time to live life with disability. It had become a reality that we could not change.

   Instead of continuing to try to fix what we could not fix, or denying that this new reality existed, we had to develop and embrace a new vision for our child: A vision to make a positive impact on the world, despite his challenges.

   Eli has pushed through his challenges and he has lived into our new vision. He plays Miracle League baseball and participates in one-mile running races. He may not finish first, but he always finishes!

   He now sings, speaks, and races to raise money for organizations that help kids with special needs, such as the Miracle League and Children’s Hospital. He has become a voice that advocates for other kids, some of whom cannot speak for themselves.

This was not my original plan. Some days I still dream about my old vision. But that’s gone. It’s time to embrace our new realities and experience the blessings that come with a new vision.

In this podcast episode, I talk about what I have learned from the failures I have experienced—and I’ve had some doozies. I share the details of a business failure in the early 1990s, an IRS audit that turned into a nightmare in the early 2000s, and a speaking engagement that went south earlier this month.

Success is not a straight-line journey to the top. It’s full of twists and turns, including moments when you doubt yourself and are tempted to quit. In this episode I share a process I use for turning setbacks and failures to your advantage. This is a major key to success in life.

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Special Announcements

1. I will also be doing all the backstage interviews at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on May 4th in Atlanta. This is also one of the very best leadership conferences available. It is put on by the same people who do Catalyst, a company called Giant Impact. This year I am looking forward to interviewing Tim Tebow, Marcus Buckingham, John Maxwell, Soledad O’Brien, Patrick Lencioni, Andy Stanley, Coach Urban Meyer and many others. These interviews will be broadcast live and then replayed on my blog in the weeks following the event. In addition to the live event in Atlanta, this event will be simulcast to more than 750–800 locations around the world. You can find out more at Chick-fil-ALeadercast.com.
2. I will be speaking at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in New York City on June 5–7. I will be leading one of the “Super Sessions” on Thursday, June 7th, at 9:00 a.m. I am not quite sure yet what I will speak about. It will likely be something about Platform (my new book) and what I am currently learning about building a podcast platform. I hope you will join me at the conference. You can register here before May 15 and save $100 off the three-day blogger and podcaster pass.
3. I now have a new Listener Voicemail Hotline. I am very excited about this. I am going to change the format of the show to take more recorded questions. This is your chance to be on the show! You can also call (615) 656-5001 if you prefer and leave a question. (This is a different service but also records your message.) If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, I’d love to hear from you. You are also welcome to e-mail me if you wish.

Episode Outline

Not all failures end well. Sometimes, people suffer a setback and never recover. It doesn’t have to be this way. It is all in how you process it. If you are going to succeed in work and in life, you must learn to deal powerfully with failure.

There are at least six steps to turning failure to your advantage:

1. Step #1: Acknowledge the failure.
2. Step #2: Take full responsibility.
3. Step #3: Mourn the failure.
4. Step #4: Learn from the experience.
5. Step #5: Change your behavior.
6. Step #6: Enter whole-heartedly into the next project.

Listener Questions

I didn’t take listener questions for this episode. However, this will be the driving force for the show next week. I will be taking about the topic of work-life balance. If you have a question about that topic, please leave me a voice mail. I’d love to hear from you.

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Conference: Chick-fil-A Leadercast
• Conference: BlogWorld & New Media Expo
• Post: ”One Sure Sign You re a Professional” by Jeff Goins
• Website: PodcastAnswerMan.com (Cliff Ravenscraft’s Site)
• Ilene Muething’s Profile at GapInternational.com

Transcript

You can download a transcript of this episode here.

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You’ve heard it at conferences. You’ve read it in books. Everyone is a leader. Do you believe this? I don’t.

While everyone has the potential to be a leader, most never take up the mantle. They are content to let others take the risk and do the work.

Several years ago, I read a post by Tony Morgan called “10 Easy Ways to Know You’re Not a Leader.” I took that list, and then inverted and expanded it.

Here are twelve ways to know if you are a leader:

1. You long to make a difference.
2. You’re discontent and dissatisfied with the status quo.
3. You’re not waiting on a bigger staff or more resources to accomplish your vision.
4. Your dreams are so big they seem impossible.
5. You acknowledge what is but inevitably ask, “What could be?”
6. You realize that you don’t have to be in charge to have significant influence.
7. You refuse to blame others for your circumstances and take responsibility for finding solutions.
8. You foster unity by bringing people together and encouraging dialogue.
9. You are quick to say, “I messed up. Here’s what I am going to do to fix the problem I created.”
10. You value relationships more than tasks.
11. You walk your talk—not perfectly but sincerely and intentionally.
12. You are a learner. You read, listen to podcasts, attend conferences, and ask other leaders lots of questions.

If this sounds like you, congratulations. You are a leader—or well on your way to becoming one. Leadership is not about experience, education, or talent. It’s about the choosing to lead. That’s where it begins.

Trust is to an organization what oil is to a car engine. It keeps the moving parts from seizing up and stopping forward motion.

But trust is not something you can take for granted. It takes months—sometimes years—to build. Unfortunately, you can lose it overnight.

Some people seem to have a knack for building trust. When they speak, others take them at their word. When they are absent, people speak well of them. Even when they make a mistake, people give them the benefit of the doubt.

Others are just the opposite. People distrust what they say. They are suspicious of their motives. They interpret every comment, every e-mail, and every action as one more reason the person cannot be trusted.

Years ago, I had such a person reporting to me. Justin started out well. He had come to our company with an impressive resume. People assumed he was competent. But over time, he single-handedly destroyed his own reputation.

He didn’t keep his word. He was always late to meetings. He didn’t follow-through on his commitments. Worse, he never owned up to any of it. He always tried to “spin” the facts in his favor. From his perspective, the other party simply misunderstood what he had said or circumstances beyond his control kept him from keeping his commitments.

Unfortunately, I put up with Justin’s behavior longer than I should have. No one trusted him. First, his peers began to complain. Then his direct reports (risking his wrath) started coming to me and complaining. Even my own boss didn’t trust Justin. I was the last man standing.

I finally woke up and realized that others were beginning to doubt my ability as a manager. I was hoping to turn him around. I had even coached him on specific behaviors. But he just didn’t seem to “get it.” So, I took a deep breath and fired him. The only one surprised was Justin. Everyone else patted me on the back and, I’m sure, wondered what took me so long.

But things shouldn’t have deteriorated to this point. Justin could have been salvaged if only he had owned what was happening. He could have taken specific steps—steps I had encouraged him to take—to rebuild trust with his direct reports and colleagues.

If you are in a situation where you need to build trust—or even rebuild it—here are four specific steps you can take. These will work with your employees, your colleagues, your customers, your vendors—or even your spouse.

1. Keep your word. This is where it starts. People have to learn that they can count on you to deliver on your promises. If you commit to following up on something, do it. No excuses. If you can’t do it, proactively let the other person know.

   For example, “Terri, last week I told you that I would get back to you with a proposal. However, I am waiting for a bid to come through from an outside vendor. It looks like that might add a week to my schedule.” People are usually very forgiving if you take the initiative to communicate. However, if they have to chase you down, you lose points. Your reputation will take a hit.

   Also, be prompt to meetings. Tardiness also erodes trust. Sometimes, circumstances beyond your control prevent this, but you can’t allow it to become a habit. And, if you are late, apologize. Show some empathy and explain briefly why you were late.

2. Tell the truth. This is harder than it sounds. Most of us like to think of ourselves as truth-tellers. But it’s easy to round the numbers up, spin the facts, or conveniently leave out the evidence that doesn’t support our position.

   But if we are going to build trust, then we have to commit ourselves to telling the truth—even when it is difficult or embarrassing. People are more forgiving than you think. (Witness all the celebrities who have publicly blown it, apologized, and received a pass.) They don’t expect you to be perfect. However, they do expect you to acknowledge your mistakes and to come clean when you screw up.

   Sam Moore, my predecessor as the CEO of Thomas Nelson used to say, “Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Whenever I needed a decision from him, I would give him both sides of the argument. I refused to withhold relevant information. I didn’t exaggerate. I always rounded down.

   Then I would make my recommendation and tell him why. Over time, this built trust. He didn’t have to ask someone else to get the other side of the story. As a result, I usually received his approval on the spot.

3. Be transparent. People will not trust you unless you learn to share yourself, warts and all. You have to take a risk and be vulnerable. This creates rapport and rapport builds trust.

   However—and be warned!—you can’t use this as a gimic or a technique. If you do, people will see it as manipulation. Instead, you have to be authentic.

   The reason this builds trust is because you are demonstrating trust. You are taking the initiative to go first. In essence, you are saying, “Look, I trust you. I am taking off my mask and showing you my true self. Some of it isn’t very pretty. But I am willing to take that risk, believing you will still accept me.”

   In my experience, this kind of self-revelation almost always gives the other person the courage to take off their mask, too. And that builds trust. The relationship is deepened. It goes to a new level.

4. Give without any strings attached. Nothing builds trust like love. What does love have to do with the workplace? As Tim Sanders points out in Love Is the Killer App, everything.

   You have to be willing to share your knowledge, your contacts, and your compassion—without expecting anything in return. The more you take the initiative to give, the more it builds trust.

   Giving lets others know that you know it’s not “all about you.” From this, people learn that they can trust you, because you have their best interests at heart. You aren’t merely looking out for yourself. You’re taking care of them, too.

   But, like being transparent, you have to be careful how you give. Otherwise, it will be perceived as manipulation. You have to make sure your motives are pure. You can’t expect something in return.

Trust can always be rebuilt. Granted, in some situations, it can take years. It takes doing the right things over a long period of time. But in most cases, it won’t take that long. Relationships can be turned around quickly if you own the problem and take the steps I’ve outlined above.

We live right next to an elementary school. If I’m going to an appointment, I’ll sometimes see the kids out at recess. Jumping, skipping, laughing—genuinely free.

Inevitably, the bell rings and the teachers start the impossible task of herding excitable, pint-sized people into the confines of a classroom. I can almost hear them from inside my house, “But I don’t wanna!” Such is life, I guess.

One afternoon after witnessing this scene, I started thinking how important recess is to those children. This brief break in the day provides them with the opportunity to blow off some steam, socialize with friends, and get some physical activity.

The consequences of having these basic needs unmet are dire. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you the worst days are the ones with inside recess. Simply put, kids need this time.

It’s easy for us adults to see recess as something only for kids. But are we, in all our sophistication, that different? Could it be that long after we’ve left the crayons, hot lunches, and paper maiche projects behind we still have a deep need to recharge during our day?

Our modern workday has been heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution. The name of the game was “efficiency” and the star of the show was the production line. Human beings became human doings.

Unfortunately, the work patterns of this era still follow many of us into our nine-to-five jobs. We’ve chained ourselves to the modern-day version of the production line (computer) and pushed ourselves past the point of productivity.

Is it any wonder that a Towers Watson study suggests that companies with a high percentage of disengaged workers (read: burned-out) reported an eleven percent decline in earnings and a thirty-two percent plummet in operating income?

I think grade school kids understand something that we grown-ups have forgotten.

Might I suggest an adult version of recess? A period of time during the day where you have the ability to clear your mind, chat with friends and co-workers, and get some physical activity?

If that sounds like something you’d want to try, here are some suggestions I’ve implemented into my own life:

1. Have lunch with a friend or spouse. An alarming number of people eat in the same place they work: at their desk. Adding insult to injury, this “cube food” is usually highly-processed, frozen, and devoid of all nutrients. Grab a friend and go out of the office for lunch. Even if you’re an introvert, you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel afterwards.
2. Read a fiction book. For fun. Having a young family, I can’t always read as much as I’d like. My “recess” allows me the time to catch up on books I’ve been neglecting for too long. Fiction accesses a different part of the brain and gets us out of our mental ruts.
3. Go for a walk. Have you ever wondered why solutions to some problems only come when we stop thinking about them? It’s because your brain is backlogged. Taking a breather gives it time to catch up. Taking a walk (or any physical activity) is a great way to give your brain a break!
4. Sit in silence. This might sound goofy for uninitiated, but your mind, body, and spirit crave the chance to quiet down during the day. Turn off your monitor, cell phone, close your office door (if you can). Any place you can shut out distraction. Then, just sit. Even if it’s five minutes, you’ll feel it. In going with our analogy, think of this as “nap time” for adults. Kids need it. So do grown-up kids, i.e. “adults.”

Depending on where you work (or who you work for) your options may be limited. That doesn’t mean you can’t unplug. You’ll just have to get creative.

If you start implementing some of these changes into your workflow, you will feel a difference. It’s biologically impossible for you not to!

There is high-level research being done on the link between rest and productivity. Suffice to say that taking breaks during the day allows us to gather the mental debris floating around in our heads and get rid of it. It’s not wishful thinking; it’s science.

So the next time you see a group of elementary kids playing in the schoolyard, ask yourself the question, “Did I get my recess today?”

As you may know if you are a regular reader of my blog, I started a weekly podcast on February 14th. It is called, "This Is Your Life.” Since that time, I have become a more regular podcast listener myself.

As Mike Elgan, opinion columnist for ComputerWorld, said,

Podcasting is the most under-appreciated, under-utilized media ever. Some people never try it. And many who do wind up giving it up unimpressed. Too bad. A new study found that students who listen to lectures on podcasts test better than those who listen in class. Podcasting is a powerful educational medium, second only to books, in my opinion. But unlike reading books, you can listen to podcasts while doing the dishes.

Here are six reasons I enjoy listening to podcasts:

1. You can find shows for your specific interests. Compared to radio programs, podcasters have almost no overhead. As a result, they don’t have to appeal to a broad audience to recoup their investment. They can target small, narrow niches. All it takes is a someone with a passion and some expertise. As a result, there are podcasts for almost any topic imaginable.
2. You can listen whenever you want. Podcasts are truly an on-demand medium. Unlike radio, you don’t have to tune in when the show is broadcast. Instead, you can subscribe or download episodes and listen whenever it is convenient for you—whether on your morning run or on your daily commute.
3. You never have to miss a show. Similar to blogs and news sites, RSS technology makes it possible for you to subscribe to your favorite podcasts and be notified when a new episode is available. In fact, most podcast apps will automatically download these episodes as soon as they are published. If you get behind, no problem. You can listen at your own pace.
4. You feel connected to the podcaster. Dan Miller pointed this out to me when he was explaining why he loved podcasts. Media doesn’t get much more intimate than having someone else’s voice inside your head via earbuds. Because of this phenomenon, I feel like I really know the podcasters I listen to regularly. I have found myself even more connected than what I experience through following blogs.
5. You can listen while you are doing something else. This is also why I love listening to audio books. I am able to redeem those times when my mind is otherwise idle—while exercising, on a commute, stuck in traffic, waiting in line, working around the house, mowing the lawn, etc. As a result, I feel like I am constantly being exposed to helpful and even inspirational content.
6. You can easily share shows with friends and colleagues. If you listen to a great radio show, how do you share it? You can’t—unless, of course, the show also records a podcast. The content evaporates as soon as the show is over. With a podcast, you can share a link to the most recent episode or even shows buried deep in the archives.

The bottom line is that you have more control. You can listen to what you want, whenever you want, as many times as you want.

But what if you have never listened to a podcast? How do you get started? In the old days of podcasting—say a few years ago!—it was a hassle. You had to subscribe to a show in iTunes, download episodes to your computer, and then connect your device, and sync the two together.

Those days are over. Now you can subscribe and download shows directly onto your device, thanks to several inexpensive apps. Here’s how to get started:

1. Install a dedicated podcast app. I use Downcast on my iPhone. However, Pocket Casts and Instacast are also options. All three programs are excellent and sell for the exact same price: $1.99. You will be pleasantly surprised how easy these programs are to use.
2. Subscribe to a few shows. Use the programs search function to browse by category (e.g., “Business,” “Health“, or “Technology”) and see the most popular programs. Or search manually to find the more narrow, esoteric programs.

   Here are ten podcasts I am currently subscribed to:

   • 48 Days Podcast
   • Ancient Faith Radio (a podcast network)
   • In the Loop with Andy Andrews
   • Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
   • Catalyst Podcast
   • EntreLeadership Podcast
   • Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
   • Internet Marketing for Smart People (from Copyblogger)
   • Podcast Answer Man
   • Smart Passive Income Podcast
3. Find a regular place to listen. Just decide when and where you will listen to podcasts. I listen every morning when I am exercising. I no longer have a commute, but I also listen while running errands in the car.
4. Share your favorites with your friends. This is the easy part. Because I get so much valuable information from podcasts, it is natural for me to talk about them. Increasingly, I am finding myself talking to friends about the shows we are listening to.

If you haven’t tried podcasts, I suggest you give it a two-week trial. Experience the value first-hand. Perhaps this medium won’t work for you. But it might just open up a whole new world.

Last week was a really difficult for me personally. First, I encountered enormous obstacles in trying to record six video sessions for a new product. We experienced technical problems, construction noise, and a loud thunderstorm. The recording took three times as long as I had budgeted.

Then the head of the marketing firm we had hired to manage the pre-launch campaign for my new book resigned. It was a total surprise and a big disappointment.

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After these two challenges I found myself asking a very bad question: “What is wrong with me?” In this episode, I talk about the importance of asking the right question and suggest five strategies for doing so.

Special Announcements

1. I will be speaking at Catalyst West on April 18–20 in Irvine, California. I will be leading one of the Labs on the topic of my new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. In fact, I will be speaking at all the Catalyst conferences this year, so if you can’t make it to Irvine, join us at Catalyst Dallas on May 9–11 or Catalyst Atlanta on October 3–5. If you haven’t registered, you can do so at ComeToCatalyst.com. Catalyst is one of the very best leadership conferences out there. I look forward to it every year.
2. I will also be doing all the backstage interviews at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on May 4th in Atlanta. This is also one of the very best leadership conferences available. It is put on by the same people who do Catalyst, a company called Giant Impact. This year I am looking forward to interviewing Tim Tebow, Marcus Buckingham, John Maxwell, Soledad O’Brien, Patrick Lencioni, Andy Stanley, Coach Urban Meyer and many others. These interviews will be broadcast live and then replayed on my blog in the weeks following the event. In addition to the live event in Atlanta, this event will be simulcast to more than 100 locations around the world. You can find out more at Chick-fil-ALeadercast.com.
3. I now have a Listener Feedback Hotline. You can call (615) 656-5001 and leave a message or a question. The system sends me an e-mail with an audio file of your message as soon as you hang up. If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, I’d love to hear from you. You are also welcome to e-mail me if you prefer.

Episode Outline

Questions are powerful tools. They can ignite hope and lead to new insights. They can also destroy hope and keep us stuck in bad assumptions. The key is to be intentional and choose our questions well.

Examples of bad questions:

1. Why does this always happen to me?
2. What did I do to deserve this?
3. What’s wrong with me?

As soon as we ask these questions, our brains go to work, serving up answers. It is almost automatic. The answers have a way of reinforcing the assumptions behind the question.

For example, I recently met with a friend of mine who lost his job about nine months ago. He had plenty of interviews but had yet to receive a job offer. He asked me, “What’s wrong with me?”

The problem with this question is that it assumes something is wrong with him. If you ask questions like this, your mind immediately begins proposing possible answers. Maybe it’s because:

• You’re too old.
• You’re too young.
• You’e inexperienced.
• You’re overqualified.
• You’re too passive.
• You’re too assertive.

Listener Questions

I also answer four questions from my listeners.

• “I am having a hard time identifying the questions I am asking myself. How can I get better at this?”
• “I am miserable in my job. Unfortunately, it is affecting my life outside of work. I feel that I am slipping further and further into depression. What can I do to turn my situation around?”
• “I often witness my friends asking themselves the wrong question. How can I point this out diplomatically in a way that is helpful without making them feel defensive?”
• “What separates a good question from a bad one?”

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Conference: Catalyst Conferences
• Conference: Chick-fil-A Leadercast
• Book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Transcript

You can download a transcript of this episode here.

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I am a technology enthusiast and love to learn from others. So I thought I would share a list of the programs I launch when my computer starts. This might help you discover a few interesting programs. Hopefully, you will share some you use in the comments below.

Let me begin with a disclaimer. I use a Mac, so all my recommendations are Mac related. If you use Windows you can usually find an equivalent program.

I also manage all my start-up programs with a really cool program called Startupizer. It allows me to create different start-up sequences, depending on various conditions, including the day of the week and whether or not I am holding down a modifier key (e.g., ⌘, ⌥, or ^).

These are listed in the order they load.

So now it’s your turn. What programs do you automatically load when you restart your computer? If you are not sure (and not using a program like Startupizer, look under  > Preferences > Users & Groups > [Your Name] > Login Items.

I’m a pretty good coach, but I would make a terrible counselor. Whenever I am put in that situation, I get agitated. Why? Because the solution to the person’s problem seems obvious. It’s all I can do to retrain myself from blurting it out.

Recently, my friend and former coach Ilene Muething shared with me this really funny Mad TV skit with Bob Newhart. In it, he plays the role of Dr. Switzer, a psychologist with a simple theory of human behavior. The clip is only six minutes long but worth every second. It’s hilarious.

When it comes to my own problems, things seem a little more complex. The solution isn’t so obvious—at least to me.

Could it be that we are simply addicted to our problems? Think about it: problems often persist because they are meeting some deep need for certainty, variety, connection, or significance. For example:

• Bill smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. He has tried to quit several times. However, when he begins to feel stressed out, he has to light up to calm down. Could he meet his need for certainty in a more healthy way?
• Karen is a compulsive gambler. She started out small, but now her addiction threatens to ruin her family financially. She tries to stop and does fine for a while. But then she gets bored and heads to the casino. Could she meet her need for variety in a more healthy way?
• Ed has tried to lose weight for years. He has tried numerous diets but can’t shed the pounds. Could it be that he is addicted to the connection he feels with others around food? Could he meet his need in a more healthy way?
• Susan is in a bad marriage. She and her husband are always fighting about something. Though she says she is miserable, she likes the attention she gets when she complains to her friends. Could she meet the need for significance in a more healthy way?

I often wish that Dr. Switzer’s stop-it formula was sufficient.

But real change—real transformation—usually take a little more work. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend years in counseling, but it does mean that you must take action. Here are four steps to get you moving in the right direction:

1. Select a habit you want to change.
2. Identify the cue that triggers the behavior (stress, boredom, loneliness, insignificance, etc.).
3. Understand the need the habit meets (the reward).
4. Now, without changing the cue or the reward, replace the routine with a new, healthier behavior.

This process is laid out in detail in The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. I highly recommend it. If you want the “Cliff notes version,” read John Rochardson’s post, “How to Change a Bad Habit into a Good One.”

I love to-do lists. Are you a to-do list person? Not sure? Take this one question quiz to find out if you might be an official to-do list person.

Question: Have you ever completed a task that wasn’t on your to-do list, and then added it on to your to-do list, after you completed the task, just so you could enjoy the twisted satisfaction of crossing that task off of your to-do list?

If you have, then you, my friend, are officially a to-do list person. Welcome to the club.

The major challenge I have with my to-do lists, like many people, is that I have more tasks to do on them then any ten people could possibly finish in a week. Sound familiar? Because we live such frenetic lives, we can quickly become mired in the tyranny of the urgent, and prioritizing my tasks for the week becomes paramount if I am going to move closer to my goals.

One of the questions I like to ask myself, in order to determine what tasks get assigned a higher priority, is the following,

“What tasks on this to-do list should, or can only, be accomplished by me?”

We can all think of tasks in our area of responsibilities, for many reasons, that are best done personally, and asking the question, “What tasks can only be accomplished by me?” is an especially important question to consider when we are organizing the tasks and responsibilities of our professional and personal lives.

Last summer my wife, Rachel, found this to-do list that my then eight-year-old son, Harrison, had in his room, and it really made me re-think the types of tasks that are on my to-do lists. Take a look.

In case you can’t read my son’s writing let me go over the list:

1. Bionicles (this is a toy made by Lego)
2. Go to Joshua’s (his friend)
3. Legos (Do you remember when Legos were on your to-do list?)
4. Nap (I wish!)
5. Go-Go’s (This is a toy not the 80s band)
6. Computer (I was glad to see that #6 and #7 were left incomplete.)
7. T.V.
8. Play with Dad

Even though Harrison had a hectic summer schedule, which consisted of playing with friends, building Legos, and recreational-sleep he still put “play with Dad” as an important task to be completed.

Honestly, this to-do list got me more than a little choked up. At times I can be more focused about writing down work related tasks than I can be about the things that matter the most, like my family and important relationships. It made me think about the fact that I spend a crazy amount of time being strategic and intentional with my job, and I want to remember to apply that same intentionality to my relationships as well.

I am great about creating and tackling lists that need to happen to lead a productive work day, but I am less intentional about the fact that:

• I am the only father my children have.
• I am the only husband that my wife has, and I am called to be her partner, champion, and lover.
• No one is going to run three miles for my heart or loose fifteen pounds on my behalf.
• If I don’t spend regular time with God I will have a harder time recognizing his voice in my life. (John 10)

Like many people, I am much more comfortable asking the question what is there “to-do” and a lot less focused on what/who I am called “to-be.”

So, in order to be more intentional with developing habits that remind me that I am not simply a collection of my accomplishments and my to-do’s, I have started thinking about not only my to-do list but my to-be list.

What is a to-be list? It is simply a list of the time and tasks that I need to invest in, so that I can move towards being the person God has called me to be.

Here are a few examples of my “to-be” categories with one task on each list.

In order “to-be” a caring father I will:

• Find time each week to spend with each of my children, one-on-one, doing something they love.

In order “to-be” a loving husband I will:

• Make sure I tell Rachel every day how much I love her, and give her specific example of how much I appreciate what she does for our family.

In order “to-be” the Barry God has created me to be I will:

• Exercise at least three times a week for thirty minutes.

In order “to be” a child of God I will:

• Spend time listening to God’s voice, every morning, for at least twenty minutes through prayer and the reading of scripture.

You see, I get so focused about meetings and tasks that sometimes I forget to prioritize the things in life that most need to be accomplished, and that can ONLY can be done by me—like my relationships with my friends and family.

Let me encourage you that I am not writing this because I have all the answers figured out, but because I have been challenged by these things more than I would like to admit, and need helpful tools, and people, to keep me accountable. It took the to-do list of my eight-year-old son to remind me what is important in life.

As an exercise, I encourage you to take a few minutes today and write down a few “to-be” categories and add one task to each category.

If you have followed my blog for more than a few months, you know that I am a huge fan of Don Miller and, especially, his most recent book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story. In fact, last year I had the men in my Mentoring Group read through the book and discuss it. It was life-changing.

That’s why I am so excited to share with you about Don’s Storyline Conference. Gail and I attended last year in Portland and loved it. It is a two-day event, held in three locations: Portland (April 30–May 1), Nashville (May 6–7), and Santa Barbara (June 8–9).

Don designed this conference to help you examine your life—who you are and who God created you to be—and then guide you through the process of creating a more meaningful story. It is fully congruent with my e-book, Creating Your Personal Life Plan, if you are familiar with that.

The Storyline Conference is specifically designed for:

• Those interested in personal development;
• Those in the midst of a transition; and
• Those who want to live a bigger, more compelling story.

Over the course of two days, you will discover:

1. How you are uniquely wired
2. How to create a filter for your major decisions
3. How to be motivated by a single life-purpose
4. How to take up every day knowing what you are supposed to do
5. How to inspire the world with the story you are telling
6. How to partner with God in the work He is already doing
7. How to create a a storyline you can reference for the rest of your life

If you want to register for the conference, you can do so here.

Here’s the cool thing: Don has offered my readers a special $50.00 discount. It works whether you register as an individual or a group. And, that’s in addition to the Early Bird Discount, which ends on April 20th for Portland, April 24th for Santa Barbara, and April 26th for Nashville. Please use the code: STORY2012.

Note: this special discount is only good for NEW registrations.

Last summer, Gail and I visited the Royal Gorge near Cañon City, Colorado. It is only a few hundred feet wide at the top but more than 1,250 feet deep in places. This ten-mile long canyon was cut into solid granite over approximately three million years, at just a half an inch per century. It is an awesome example of the power of incremental change over time.

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Special Announcements

1. My new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, is still on schedule to be published on May 22nd. I’m going to ask you NOT to pre-order it yet. This may be a strange request, coming from the author, but there’s a method in my madness.We have put together a bonus package of seven resources worth $375.98! To get this special bonus offer, all you have to do is buy the book. I can’t tell you more yet, because we are still putting together the landing page. Once this is up, I will provide explicit instructions on how to take advantage of this special Pre-Launch Offer.
2. I now have a Listener Feedback Hotline. You can call (615) 656-5001 and leave a message or a question. The system sends me an e-mail with an audio file of your message as soon as you hang up. If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, I’d love to hear from you. You are also welcome to e-mail me if you prefer.

Episode Outline

You can make small, daily investments that will soon lead to big results. Here are seven examples to get your creativity flowing:

1. Losing weight.
2. Paying off debt.
3. Improving profitability.
4. Writing a book.
5. Running long distances.
6. Reading the Bible.
7. Improving your marriage.

How can you harness the power of incremental change? By following these five steps:

1. Identify a goal.
2. Make sure it is S.M.A.R.T.
3. Identify your incremental change (or new practice).
4. Track your progress.
5. Recruit a growth partner.

Listener Questions

I also answer three questions from my listeners.

• “How do you get yourself motivated to make the change in the first place?”
• “I just don’t seem to have much will-power. Is there any hope for me?”
• “When do you take massive action verses practicing incremental change?”

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Software: LoseIt
• Website: JeffGalloway.com
• Book: The NKJV Daily Bible
• Website: OneYearBible.net
• Website and App: YouVersion
• Website: Logos.com
• Book: One Year Bible (Tyndale)
• Book: Mentor Like Jesus by Regi Campbell
• Website: RadicalMentoring.com
• Website: Joe’s Goals
• Website: iRunURun.com
• Website: LifeTick.com

Transcript

You can download a transcript of this episode here.

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Problems always come in pairs. There’s the immediate problem that must be fixed. Then there’s the problem behind the problem—the breakdown in the process, the policy, or the people that led to the problem.

If you don’t take time to fix both, you’ll end up with the same problem happening again and again.

Some time ago, when I was a publisher at Thomas Nelson, we had a major gaffe with one of our most important authors. In order to protect the guilty, I won’t go into the details. Suffice it to say, we dropped the ball in a major way, and it caused a significant author relations problem. So much so, that it took almost two days of my time to fix the problem. I was embarrassed and frustrated.

Obviously, we had to fix the immediate problem. We created a mess, and we had to clean it up. We all understand the necessity—and urgency—of this part of the equation.

But the bigger issue is the breakdown in the process that led to this problem. If we don’t fix this, then we will experience another breakdown in the future. It’s virtually guaranteed. As the philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Great leaders address both issues. They are quick to right wrongs, fix problems, and clean up messes. But, as soon as they get past the initial crisis, they ask the bigger question, “How did this happen and how can we keep it from happening again?”

If you will take time to debrief on the business problems you encounter, you will find that your organization steadily improves. In this sense, there is no failure, only feedback and the opportunity to improve.

I have been using task-management software since the late 90s, when I first installed a program developed by Franklin-Covey. Since then, I have tried almost every system available, including Things, Remember the Milk, OmniFocus, Midnight Inbox, iGTD, Wunderlist, and many more.

But the one I have used for more than four years is Nozbe. In my view, nothing else comes close. The company just released a new desktop version (both Windows and Mac), which I have been beta-testing for the past few months.

If you are looking for a task management software tool—or are tired of the limitations of the one you have—here are eight reasons you should consider Nozbe:

1. It follows the GTD methodology. This is the task-management methodology made popular by David Allen in his best-selling book, Getting Things Done (i.e, GTD). Rather than organizing tasks in a rigid, hierarchical fashion, he developed a flexible system for organizing tasks according to the context in which they are done (e.g., while online, while at the office, while at home, errands, phone calls, etc.) Nozbe follows this structure.
2. It has an elegant, beautiful interface. The interface is much different from the web version, which, frankly, was showing its age. (Note: it, too, is being completely redesigned.) The desktop version is faster and easier to use. In my opinion, it still needs some work. It is missing a Preferences panel, for example, along with standard Mac menu items and keyboard shortcuts. For example, rather than entering ⌘-N to start a new task, you enter the letter “a.”
3. It has the ability to share projects. This is one of my favorite aspects of Nozbe. It is designed with teams in mind. You can easily share projects with others, so they show up in their Nozbe. You can then assign tasks to individuals. The best part is team members can comment on individual tasks to update the status of the project, share resources, and ask questions. For example, my wife, Gail, and I use this for sharing shopping lists.
4. It syncs seamlessly in the cloud. This is the primary reason I stopped using Things, another GTD task management system. It allowed you to sync over a WiFi network but not in the cloud. This proved to be too cumbersome in every day use. (The developer finally has a cloud version in beta, but the process has been painfully slow.) Nozbe uses auto-sync in the latest version, so everything is instantly synced in the cloud and pushed to every other device you have running Nozbe.
5. It works with third-party applications. This is another aspect of Nozbe I love. For example, you can forward e-mails to Nozbe so a task is automatically created and the e-mail is attached as a comment. You can also sync individual Evernote items to specific projects. This is very handy if you use Evernote as much as I do. You can also attach individual files to projects or link them using DropBox. This makes Nozbe a veritable command center.
6. It is available on almost every device. I use Nozbe on my MacBook Air, my iPad 3, and my iPhone. It is also available on Android. As a result, I always have my cloud-synced task management system with me, no matter what device I am using. The iPhone app in particular is a delight to use. And, I understand a HTML 5 version with offline support is in the works.
7. It provides a Quick Entry mode. Nozbe is easy to use but was built with power users in mind. The new quick entry mode, for example, allows you to enter a task and then, using a hashtag (i.e., the pound symbol) immediately add a context, project name, due date, etc. This is a big time-saver.
8. It is supported by an active development team. The founder of Nozbe, Michael Silwinski, is a personal friend of mine. His energetic, can-do attitude is infectious. He has a great vision for the product, leads a talented team, and is committed to releasing updates every few months.

The more I use Nozbe, the more I am impressed. It’s not perfect—and it’s not the least expensive—but it is better than anything else I have found on the market. The product is at once simple to use and yet full of numerous, advanced features. It is the only task management system I feel comfortable recommending.

The app itself is free. Nozbe makes its money by charging a subscription fee to sync your data between devices. It is worth every penny. However, you can try this service risk-free for sixty days. You can download the free Nozbe desktop apps (Mac and Windows) from the Nozbe home page.

What do penguins have to do with leadership and changing your toxic team culture? More than you realize.

The power of a few can influence the behavior of many. Leadership, as John Maxwell suggests, is really nothing more than influence.

Margaret Mead wrote that we should “never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. Indeed, that’s all who ever have.”

But when handed the reins of leadership and asked to turn around an organization that has been suffering from toxic team culture, it becomes difficult to keep Mead’s words in mind.

Whether you are a coach taking over a perennial loser, a new principal at a troubled school, or a manager promoted to a new position over a group with low sales numbers, there really is hope!

While I could point to another dry study or survey as evidence, the best illustration of how to change your team culture can be found at the San Francisco Zoo. A few years ago, something remarkable happened there that carries a leadership lesson for all of us.

It involved the behavior of forty-six birds that had been long-time residents of the zoo and the impact that a few transplanted birds had on the original group after they arrived. It happened in 2003, and the birds were penguins.

Penguins are supposed to swim. In fact, those original forty-six penguins had been taking regular leisurely dips in the pool to cool off occasionally and make sure their feathers remained sleek. Life was easy and un-challenging.

Imagine the forty-six of them lying around, eating, swimming, resting, and then repeating the process at a comfortable pace every day of their existence. Perhaps, it sounds much like some of the people in the organization you are intent on turning around. But things changed dramatically when six new penguins moved in from Ohio.

The newcomers, upon their arrival, jumped into the pool and swam. And they swam. And swam some more. In fact, the six penguins from Ohio kept swimming laps all day long. Day after day.

The zookeeper didn’t notice them squawking at or fighting with or nagging the original residents to join them or change their attitudes—they just went about their business of swimming around the pool.

The newcomers started early each morning and kept swimming in circles until they would stagger out of the pool, exhausted, at dusk. What was most amazing, though, is that those six penguins soon convinced the original forty-six to change their leisurely lifestyle and join them.

Before the Ohio penguins arrived, the San Francisco penguins had been lazy and comfortable. Soon, they were busy swimming the whole day long. What was the secret to the impact the Ohio penguins had?

Sometimes, the shock of a new idea or way of doing things inspires people to live up to others’ expectations and levels of performance. Given the chance, all penguins want to show their abilities, leadership skills, and penguin-hood.

Those six penguins from Ohio changed the lifestyle habits of the other forty-six entirely. The zookeeper was even quoted as telling reporters, “We’ve completely lost control.”

The impressive point was not that the forty-six penguins learned to swim, which they had always done as a pastime, but that they so quickly would change and go into aquatic terminator mode. The Ohio penguins motivated them to change their toxic team culture—and left us a few lessons:

1. Be willing to try new ideas. This can shake up how people have done things in the past and lead to change.
2. Changing others’ behavior is more about showing than telling. Penguins (and people) are less open to advice and suggestions than you would like to think. They need to see it and be given a challenge to live up to in order to change.
3. Don’t give up.If six little penguins can turn a group of 46 lazy home-bodies into workout monsters, just imagine how you might influence the group that you have been assigned.Leadership truly is influence, and sometimes the most influential thing we can do is roll up our sleeves and work as hard as we want others to. Spend time sharing your vision, building relationships, and “swimming your laps in the pool” at your zoo. Pretty soon others will rise to the challenge and join you.

One of the best ways to forge better relationships, clarify your team vision, and build leadership or communication skills is with a team-building event where your people have the time and opportunity to grow together and experience challenges that prepare them to collaborate and learn from each other.

If you are looking to change the toxic team culture in your organization, or if you just need to give your people a chance to turn address a teamwork issue, the answer is often found in taking responsibility for what you can control: your own effort end example.

Team motivation is often the result of one person being bold enough to shake up the status quo with an extraordinary work ethic or enthusiasm that spreads to the entire group.

Andrew Jackson, our seventh president, is credited with saying, “One man, with courage, is a majority.” He became a national hero for his courage in the War of 1812, winning the battle of New Orleans despite being outnumbered and earning the nickname “Old Hickory” for his toughness.

Sometimes a country, team, or even a group of penguins find themselves in need of leadership that is willing to show the way instead of making demands.

By taking action and setting an example for others to emulate, you improve your culture, and give others permission to join the crusade, as well.

Question: What’s an example in which you’ve shown instead of told as a leader? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

I am a habitual nap-taker. I take one almost every day and have for years. I used to feel a little guilty about it—like I was slacking off or something. Then Sam Moore, my predecessor at Thomas Nelson, admitted to me he too was a napper.

“Every day after lunch, I lie down on the sofa in my office,” he recounted. “I hold my car keys in my right hand and let my hand hang toward the floor. When the car keys fall out of my hand, I know I’m done.” (Evidently, the famous artist Salvador Dali had a similar practice.)

Napping Celebrities

Then I discovered many other successful people who were nappers:

• Leonardo da Vinci took multiple naps a day and slept less at night.
• The French Emperor Napoleon was not shy about taking naps. He indulged daily.
• Though Thomas Edison was embarrassed about his napping habit, he also practiced his ritual daily.
• Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, used to boost her energy by napping before speaking engagements.
• Gene Autry, “the Singing Cowboy,” routinely took naps in his dressing room between performances.
• President John F. Kennedy ate his lunch in bed and then settled in for a nap—every day!
• Oil industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller napped every afternoon in his office.
• Winston Churchill’s afternoon nap was a non-negotiable. He believed it helped him get twice as much done each day.
• President Lyndon B. Johnson took a nap every afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in order to break his day up into “two shifts.”
• Though criticized for it, President Ronald Reagan famously took naps as well.

Could these successful leaders know something you don’t?

Napping Benefits

I suggest you seriously consider taking a daily nap for the following five reasons:

1. A nap restores alertness. The National Sleep Foundation recommends a short nap of 20–30 minutes “for improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.”
2. A nap prevents burnout. In our always-on culture, we go, go, go. However, we were not meant to race without rest. Doing so leads to stress, frustration, and burnout. Taking a nap is like a system reboot. It relieves stress and gives you a fresh start.
3. A nap heightens sensory perception. According to Dr. Sandra C. Mednick, author of Take a Nap, Change Your Life, napping can restore the sensitivity of sight, hearing, and taste. Napping also improves your creativity by relaxing your mind and allowing new associations to form in it.
4. A nap reduces the risk of heart disease. Did you know those who take a midday siesta at least three times a week are 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease? Working men are 64 percent less likely! It’s true, according to a 2007 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who led the study said, “Taking a nap could turn out to be an important weapon in the fight against coronary mortality.”
5. A nap makes you more productive. Numerous medical studies have shown workers becoming increasingly unproductive as the day wears on. But a 2002 Harvard University study demonstrated a 30-minute nap boosted the performance of workers, returning their productivity to beginning-of-the-day levels.

Napping Tips

I typically take a 20-minute right after lunch. If I can’t do it then, I try to squeeze it in before 4:00 p.m.

While working in a motor shop in college, I would eat lunch in my car and then lie down in the back seat. When I was CEO at Thomas Nelson, I napped in a “zero gravity chair” that reclined to a horizontal position. Since I now work from my home, I retreat to my bedroom and lie down in my bed.

Here are a few practices I have found helpful.

1. Be consistent. Try to nap at the same time every day. This helps stabilize your circadian rhythms and maximize the benefits.
2. Keep it short. Avoid “sleep inertia,” that feeling of grogginess and disorientation that can come from awakening from a deep sleep. Long naps can also negatively impact nighttime sleep. I recommend 20–30 minutes. Set an alarm on your phone to avoid oversleeping.
3. Turn off the lights. Light acts as a cue for our bodies. Darkness communicates it is time to shut down—or go into standby mode. If you can’t turn off the lights, use a simple eye mask. I bought mine at Walgreens. Turn the lights back up to full brightness when you wake up.
4. Use a blanket. When you sleep, your metabolism falls, your breathing rate slows, and your body temperature drops slightly. Though not imperative, you will usually be more comfortable if you use a light blanket when you nap.
5. Be discreet. Getting caught napping at your desk is not a good way to earn respect. In some old-school environments, it might even get you fired! But most people get an hour for lunch. Eat in half that time and then go snooze in your car, an unused conference room, or even a closet.

Finally, shift your own thinking about naps. People who take them are not lazy. They might just be the smartest, most productive people you know.

Gail and I have attended a Women of Faith Conference every year for the last ten years. That may sound strange since I am a man but stay with me!

Women of Faith is owned by Thomas Nelson. Most of the speakers at the conference are Thomas Nelson authors. So as the former CEO of Thomas Nelson, I had a business reason to attend. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.)

The truth is we love this conference. With world-class speakers, amazing singers, this conference is always an unparalleled, inspirational experience.

In the video above, I interview Lisa Harper, a Women of Faith speaker and now the new Director of Ministry. In this short, seven-minute conversation, I ask her six questions:

1. What are you the most excited about with regard to Women of Faith this year?
2. I know you have gone through a lot of changes at Women of Faith this past year, what are some that are the most compelling to you personally?
3. Tell me about your new role at Women of Faith?
4. Can you tell me about the new speakers at Women of Faith for this season?
5. Tell us some insider information … what can we look forward to with Women of Faith?
6. 2012 is the biggest season for Women of Faith ever. I understand you have added several new events. How is it different?

This years speakers include Andy Andrews, Christine Caine, Ken Davis, Sheila Walsh, Amy Grant, Mandisa, Marilyn Meberg, Patsy Clairmont, Sandi Patty, and many others.

Let me encourage you to visit the Women of Faith schedule and find the tour city closest to you. Here are a few ways you can participate:

• If you are a pastor, why not make Women of Faith your women’s event for this year. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can take advantage of the best speakers in the best environment. I promise, the women in your church will come back encouraged and inspired.
• If you are a husband, why not send your wife (and daughters for that matter) to Women of Faith. Forget the roses. This is the best gift you can give her, one she will be talking about for months. It would make a great Mother’s Day present.
• If you are a small group leader, take your whole group. Everyone can pay for their own tickets and you can share hotel rooms. It’s like a giant slumber party. It’s a great way to share a powerful experience together and bond in a deeper way.

Do you feel overwhelmed by your e-mail? Do you feel like you are hopelessly behind and will never catch up? Do you feel like stuff is falling through the cracks? If so, I have great news. In this episode I talk about how to take control of your e-mail inbox. Specifically, I outline four behaviors that will transform how you think about e-mail.

Click to Listen

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play in browser | Download

Special Announcements

1. I will be speaking at BlogWorld in New York on June 5–7. My friend, Cliff Ravenscraft of the PodcastAnswerMan.com, invited me. I don’t have the details nailed down yet—like my exact speaking time—but I will announce them on my Speaking page when I do.
2. My new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, is still on schedule to be published on May 22nd. I’m going to ask you NOT to pre-order it yet. That may be a strange request, coming from the author, but there’s a method in my madness.

   We have put together a bonus package of seven resources worth $375.98! To get this special bonus offer, all you have to do is buy the book. I can’t tell you more yet, because we are still putting together the landing page. Once this is up, I will provide explicit instructions on how to take advantage of this special Pre-Launch Offer.

3. I now have a Listener Feedback Hotline. You can call (615) 656-5001 and leave a message or a question. The system sends me an e-mail with an audio file of your message as soon as you hang up. If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, I’d love to hear from you. You are also welcome to e-mail me if you prefer.

Episode Outline

You can stay on top of e-mail by practicing these four behaviors:

1. Empty your inbox every day.
2. Don’t get bogged down, keep moving.

   Ask yourself, Is this e-mail actionable? In other words, Is the sender asking me to do something?

   If the answer is “yes,” you have three options:

   • Do
   • Delegate
   • Defer

   If the answer is “no,” you have two options:

   • Delete
   • File
3. Use keyboard shortcuts and avoid the mouse.
4. Let e-mail rules filter the low priority stuff

Listener Questions

I also answer three questions from my listeners.

• What do you do if you are already thousands of emails behind?
• Should I use a professional e-mail address and an everyday e-mail address?
• Do you use a system where your assistant filters your e-mail before you see it?
• Are salutations and valedictions still required in the modern email world?
• How do you manage e-mail on a mobile device?
• Have you found a way to use signatures in Gmail to create automated templates?
• How long does it take you to respond to e-mails that you put on your to-do list?

Episode Resources

I mentioned the following resources in the show:

• Book: Getting Things Done by David Allen (see also his excellent e-mail setup guides)
• Software: KeyCue
• Post: Is It Time to Declare E-mail Bankruptcy?
• Post: “Using E-mail Templates to Say ‘No’ with Grace”
• Software: Apple Mail
• Software: Nozbe

Transcript

You can download a transcript of the show here.

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When I started out in my career, the key to success was having the right answers. If the boss had a question, he expected me to have the answer—or know where to get it. Those who advanced in their careers the quickest were seemingly the ones who had the most answers.

But as I began to ascend the corporate ladder, I discovered that the key to success began to shift. It became less and less about having the right answers and more and more about having the right questions.

In the age of Google, answers are the easy part. You can look up virtually anything and have the answer almost instantaneously. But this only happens if you know how to ask the right questions.

If you are going to be a successful leader, you are going to have to learn how to ask good questions. Here are seven tips for taking this skill to the next level.

1. Ask open-ended questions.Questions that can be answered “yes” or “no” are closed-ended questions. They don’t generate discussion and they rarely yield any insight. By asking open-ended questions, you get far more interesting insights.For example, instead of asking, “Are you happy with your results?” you might ask, “Why do you think you got the results you did?” The first question can only be answered “yes” or “no.” The second question invites reflection and starts a discussion.
2. Get behind the assumptions.Every business decision is based on assumptions. If you don’t understand these assumptions, you may, in fact, make a bad decision. It’s often helpful to ask yourself first—and then your colleagues—“What are we assuming in this scenario?”Then you need to keep peeling the layers off the onion until you get comfortable with the assumptions. This is where people often make mistakes. The logic may be impeccable, but if it’s built on faulty assumptions, you’ll end up with a faulty conclusion.
3. Get both sides of the story. It is so easy to hear one side of the story, act on the information, and then be embarrassed when you find out that you only had halfthe facts.I have done this hundreds of times, I’m sure. I think I am getting better at getting both sides of the story, but I still consider myself “in recovery.” I have to constantly remind myself, There are at least two sides to every story.
4. Ask follow-up questions.Avoid the temptation to comment on every question. Sometimes I like to see how many questions I can ask in a row without commenting. It’s amazing what you can learn when you do this.And it makes your comments or decisions much more informed. Often you don’t get to the real meat of an issue until you’ve gone several questions deep.
5. Get comfortable with “dead air.”Most people get uncomfortable when things get quiet. They feel the obligation to fill the space with chatter. You can let this work to your advantage by just keeping your lips locked and your ears open.When you do, you will often find that people volunteer amazing amounts of information that you would have never obtained any other way.
6. Help people discover their own insights. One of the best ways to mentor others is to ask rather than tell. Yes, you can pontificate to your subordinates, but your insights will not be as meaningful to them as they are to you. You can accomplish far more by leading them with good questions.One of my favorite, especially in the wake of a mistake or disappointment, is this: “What can we learn from this experience that might be useful to us in the future?”
7. Understand the difference between facts and speculation. One of my former bosses once told me, “Make sure you tell me what you know and what you thinkyou know, and make sure I know the difference.”People make all kinds of statements that they think are based on the facts. These should immediately cause your radar to go off. Often you will have to ask, “Do you know that to be a fact?” If so, “How do you know?” or “Can you provide me with the source for that statistic or claim?”

Finally, when you are asking questions, take notes. It communicates tremendous respect for the the person you are interviewing. It is also very helpful when things get quiet. You can go back over your notes and discover new questions you haven’t yet thought about or asked.