From time to time, I’ll explain Influence Ecology and our approach by telling a story about the ABC television series American Idol. The award-winning series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents. The winner receives a record deal with a major label.

In one audition listed in the category of “worst of the worst” from Season 4, Mary Roach, sings “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King. When finished, a gobsmacked Simon Cowell asks, “what made you audition for this competition!?” Mary replies, “all my friends told me I was an awesome singer.” Simon responds, “Mary, not only can you not sing, you have one of the weirdest voices I’ve ever heard in my entire life.” Mary responds, “many people around me have told me I have an amazing voice…random people I don’t know have agreed.” With great care, Paul Abdul says, “Mary, they lied to you…”

…and we all know why – we live amongst people who don’t want to kill our dreams. They want to give us hope. They want to stroke our confidence and make us feel good about ourselves. Sometimes we even surround ourselves with people too much like ourselves and we can fall prey to a group bias for thinking we’re winning when we’re not…or making the right choices when we’re not.

In Mary’s case, her friends and family could have told her she was a mediocre singer. They could have saved her wasted time, an emotional toll, and international humiliation. They could have said to her that if she aspired to sing, that through practice, she might sing one day and if good enough, possibly consider American Idol.

So, how do we find our ignorance, challenge our hubris, and confront our naivete? Where can we find a means to see a correct reflection of our selves as others see us? Who gives us an accurate read of ourselves and our aims – before we spend time, energy, and money – before we make poor choices?

In today’s episode, we’ll hear how Influence Ecology has helped Paul Adams see an accurate reflection for himself – and how he helps his customers do the same. Paul shares how he’s growing his company with a team that genuinely supports his aims – and where their freedom to check his “inventor” hubris is cherished.

Paul Adams and Sound Financial Group help those making annual incomes of $300K to $2M secure their financial independence. Like Influence Ecology, Paul and his team are hired to help people confront their naivete so they live satisfying lives.

Here’s the interview.

Trisha Tyler began studying with Influence Ecology in 2012. She was single, struggling to transform a team’s performance, and had a fair amount of consumer debt. During her early participation, Tricia became a disciple of accurate thinking as it made her a better leader and decision-maker, good mentor, and coach. As a graduate of our curriculum, she is now married, has had several promotions and raises and now lives a life of surplus - a surplus of income, freedom, and adventure. Her experience and her journey are a case study in the kind of accurate thinking and planning that allows for living an inspiring life.

Trisha Tyler began studying with Influence Ecology in 2012. She was single, struggling to transform a team’s performance, and had a fair amount of consumer debt. During her early participation, Tricia became a disciple of accurate thinking as it made her a better leader and decision-maker, good mentor, and coach. As a graduate of our curriculum, she is now married, has had several promotions and raises and now lives a life of surplus - a surplus of income, freedom, and adventure. Her experience and her journey are a case study in the kind of accurate thinking and planning that allows for living an inspiring life.

I’m often confounded by those who claim to know something but can’t teach it to me. The famous Nobel winning physicist Richard Feynman understood the difference between knowing something and knowing the name of something, and it’s one of the most important reasons for his success.

Richard Feynman lived from 1918 to 1988. He made his mark first with his work on the Manhattan Project then won a Nobel Prize for his work in developing an understanding of quantum mechanics, and finally was a much-loved professor of undergraduate physics at Caltech University.

As he explains it, there are two types of knowledge, and most of us focus on the wrong one. The first type of knowledge focuses on knowing the name of something. The second focuses on, well – knowing something. These are not the same thing. Your competence first depends on the accuracy of your understanding. He developed an intuitive way to understand called The Feynman Technique.

The Feynman Technique starts with writing out something as if to teach it to a child. If you struggle, you have a clear understanding of where you have some gaps. That tension allows you to discover the edge of your knowledge. As competence begins with knowing the limit of your abilities – this is where the learning starts. Go back to the source material and re-learn it until you can explain it in basic terms. Then organize the concept into a simple story that flows. Read it aloud. If the explanation isn’t simple or sounds too confusing, that’s a good indication that your understanding in that area still needs some work. But if you genuinely want to be sure of your understanding, run it past someone (ideally who knows little of the subject). The ultimate test of your knowledge, Feynman asserts, is your capacity to convey it to another.

This conveyance is where competence and teaching go hand in hand. Learning is a reciprocal, cooperative effort, requiring inquiry and engagement on the parts of both students and teachers. In doing so, both parties learn a great deal about the subjects AND themselves. Together they discover something new while validating or modifying their approach, understanding and the application of that knowledge in practice.

On knowing something Feynman says; “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”

Joe and Joni Rocco are life-long learners. Married for 20 years, with four children and a thriving business, they have a newfound role as teachers to their family, their employees, and the community. They own Artistic Floors by Design, a boutique wood floor contracting business in Denver, offering Colorado’s only Nationally Certified, Award-Winning Wood Floor Advanced Master Craftsman.

Studying with Influence Ecology since 2013, their income has increased, their relationship and family life has improved, and they are working on training their employees to experience the same satisfaction with their skills. We interviewed them in 2016 and as part of our ‘where are they now’ series, wanted to offer an update. To develop her competence, Joni has graciously offered to mentor other students at Influence Ecology and more recently, joined our faculty. Why? Teaching allows mastery not found by any other means.

I’m often confounded by those who claim to know something but can’t teach it to me. The famous Nobel winning physicist Richard Feynman understood the difference between knowing something and knowing the name of something, and it’s one of the most important reasons for his success.

Richard Feynman lived from 1918 to 1988. He made his mark first with his work on the Manhattan Project then won a Nobel Prize for his work in developing an understanding of quantum mechanics, and finally was a much-loved professor of undergraduate physics at Caltech University.

As he explains it, there are two types of knowledge, and most of us focus on the wrong one. The first type of knowledge focuses on knowing the name of something. The second focuses on, well – knowing something. These are not the same thing. Your competence first depends on the accuracy of your understanding. He developed an intuitive way to understand called The Feynman Technique.

The Feynman Technique starts with writing out something as if to teach it to a child. If you struggle, you have a clear understanding of where you have some gaps. That tension allows you to discover the edge of your knowledge. As competence begins with knowing the limit of your abilities – this is where the learning starts. Go back to the source material and re-learn it until you can explain it in basic terms. Then organize the concept into a simple story that flows. Read it aloud. If the explanation isn’t simple or sounds too confusing, that’s a good indication that your understanding in that area still needs some work. But if you genuinely want to be sure of your understanding, run it past someone (ideally who knows little of the subject). The ultimate test of your knowledge, Feynman asserts, is your capacity to convey it to another.

This conveyance is where competence and teaching go hand in hand. Learning is a reciprocal, cooperative effort, requiring inquiry and engagement on the parts of both students and teachers. In doing so, both parties learn a great deal about the subjects AND themselves. Together they discover something new while validating or modifying their approach, understanding and the application of that knowledge in practice.

On knowing something Feynman says; “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”

Joe and Joni Rocco are life-long learners. Married for 20 years, with four children and a thriving business, they have a newfound role as teachers to their family, their employees, and the community. They own Artistic Floors by Design, a boutique wood floor contracting business in Denver, offering Colorado’s only Nationally Certified, Award-Winning Wood Floor Advanced Master Craftsman.

Studying with Influence Ecology since 2013, their income has increased, their relationship and family life has improved, and they are working on training their employees to experience the same satisfaction with their skills. We interviewed them in 2016 and as part of our ‘where are they now’ series, wanted to offer an update. To develop her competence, Joni has graciously offered to mentor other students at Influence Ecology and more recently, joined our faculty. Why? Teaching allows mastery not found by any other means.

Marcus “Bellringer” Bell is an American music producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, singer, social media influencer, activist and entrepreneur.

Having first participated with Influence Ecology in March of 2012, we interviewed him in Aug 2016 - and focused on deliberate practice - that "most people don't and won't practice". His piano practice began at age 2 with his first record company by 12 years old.

In his lifetime he has marketed and promoted, produced, remixed and written for, mentored and developed some of the world’s biggest superstars and brands including Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, Arista Records, EMI and Universal Music. He has also created music for worldwide brands such as McDonald's, General Mills, and Peter Diamandis. Bell has also written and produced chart-topping songs for artists in Turkey, Lebanon, India, Japan, Korea, and Europe.

Today, we talk about how to go from unknown to known - and what it means to be well known. After the break, we'll listen in on a webinar where Co-Founder Kirkland Tibbels and I talk about our career identity and how some people may not truly understand how powerful this is.

Marcus “Bellringer” Bell is an American music producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, singer, social media influencer, activist and entrepreneur.

Having first participated with Influence Ecology in March of 2012, we interviewed him in Aug 2016 - and focused on deliberate practice - that "most people don't and won't practice". His piano practice began at age 2 with his first record company by 12 years old.

In his lifetime he has marketed and promoted, produced, remixed and written for, mentored and developed some of the world’s biggest superstars and brands including Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, Arista Records, EMI and Universal Music. He has also created music for worldwide brands such as McDonald's, General Mills, and Peter Diamandis. Bell has also written and produced chart-topping songs for artists in Turkey, Lebanon, India, Japan, Korea, and Europe.

Today, we talk about how to go from unknown to known - and what it means to be well known. After the break, we'll listen in on a webinar where Co-Founder Kirkland Tibbels and I talk about our career identity and how some people may not truly understand how powerful this is.

Knowing Requires Doing and Fitness Requires Practice with Suzanne Pool

To develop our fitness to transact effectively, we must practice.

For example, consider how we get competent at swimming. We could read about it, study it, watch videos, discuss it, and perhaps even practice on dry land and yet still we wouldn’t know swimming until we got into the water and tested our understanding through action. Furthermore, our fitness to swim could not be developed in a single attempt.

For competence, knowing requires doing and fitness requires practice.

We would never consider that we know how to swim or are fit to swim until we get in the water. Yet, in our experience, many people claim to know things they have never themselves done, practiced, or applied. Often, we claim to know a topic we’ve merely read in a book or seen online. In fact, our collective wisdom allows us to share in a kind of knowledge illusion, where we all think we know more than we actually do and rarely inventory how little we truly understand.

The recent Gladwellian phrase of “putting in your 10,000 hours” refers to this aspect of this discourse on practice: the notion that “talent” and specialized ability, expertise, and knowledge are as much a function of the environment as they are practice—a lot of deliberate practice.

Deliberate practice shapes the experience that in turn shapes the perception of new opportunities. Simply put, you do not and cannot see the same tennis ball serve as someone who has deliberately practiced the ability and expertise to return thousands of serves.

Suzanne Pool is a Cambridge grad developed her early career as an intellectual property lawyer working for large and small media organizations across London. She says: "did well financially but I was fat, unfit and bored with life."

When she began our programs, she realized that she didn't understand everything that was being taught - and had to consider her arrogance in relation to learning. She started applying deliberate practice to her habits and lost 70lbs in 18 months, grew a business in a new field and internationally, developed new partnerships. She states: "Having broken through my own barren, celibate, career-dominated life of my 30s - to living a fulfilling, adventurous and seriously fun (in all ways!) life in her 40s, I show her clients it is possible to grasp life by the horns, conquer their fears and live life as a daring adventure - no matter their age, or where you live in the world!"

Suzanne now owns a consultancy for Women’s Sexual Empowerment and supports women in their 30s, 40s and beyond - to have the most mind-blowing sex and enjoyment of their lives! As she says "You want your orgasm back - And it’s been missing for more than a decade?" Speak to Suzanne Pool

Here's the interview:

Influential Environments with Christopher Mercier