Lead Out Loud Podcast

What did you do during the summer when you were eight years old? Jackson Brooks created his own 3D Printing World on YouTube. He has more subscribers than we do. In the third and final installment of our conversation with Brian Brooks, he shares the benefits of a 4/10 work schedule (every Friday off) and how he managed to pry his son away from Roblox. Rex is so gobsmacked by the conversation he forgets how to end the show.

We’d like to welcome you to episode 8–and in fact, we’re going to. Brian Brooks is back to discuss culture, making people feel good, and happiness. He also suggests a few words you should consider eliminating from your vocabulary. Spoiler alert: one of them may be in the title of this show. It’s too late for us, we already bought the domain name. But you should tune in to find out how culture is related to getting the job done.

Are you familiar with the latin phrase Nos Tatus Quo? You will be after listening to this episode. You’ll also be familiar with Brian Brooks, a guy who likes to learn things. He’s not a reader–reading puts him to sleep–but he loves audio books. More than that, he loves to apply the things he learns from those audio books in his daily life as a senior manager in a Fortune 100 company. For example, when he found out he’s going to be managing a new team in a few weeks, he put the advice in Michael Watkins’ The First 90 Days to immediate use and created a 90 day plan. Brian also loves feedback, so he crowdsourced his 90 day plan on LinkedIn. But what happens if you get feedback you don’t agree with? What happens if it hurts? There’s a barrage of advice in episode 7 and a brand new hashtag movement.

Will it be hot today? It’s a simple question that seems to solicit one of two answers–yes or no. But in real life, it may not be that simple–especially if the question is asked of a technical person. The answer may contain long, wandering stories of interconnected ideas instead of an explicit yes or no answer. There is always a question behind the question. What is the definition of hot? What part of the day should be evaluated? What geographic location should be used as a reference point? Any one of these questions can lead to debate and an unproductive fixation on precision. In this episode, envisioneer Michael Erickson explains how to use the artistic skills everybody has (see episode 5) to hold the space in a conversation until coherence is reached. Only then can communication truly occur and you can, in his words, “go forth and be powerful.” It’s more wisdom from “the guy what draws.”

A high school dropout with one year of college created a niche for himself in one of the largest aerospace companies in the world. His name is Michael Erickson and he is a self-proclaimed “envisioneer.” In this episode, he’ll explain why that’s not the same thing as being a Disney “Imagineer.” He’ll also tell some stories about the B-52, Leonardo DaVinci, and the power of a clipboard and a pen. Over three decades ago, he was the temp in the corner of the room sketching out pictures of what he heard people talking about. Today he leads a team of “envisioneers,” helping technical people to see what they say so they can understand what they do. Find out why, if you can draw the alphabet, you are an artist.

Do you know what you want? Do you know what stands in the way? Andrea Clough, the engineer whisperer, is back to discuss a method for figuring out what you really want and how to remove the obstacles that prevent you from achieving it. It’s called an “idea party,” and while Andrea didn’t invent it, once a month she hosts one, creating a space for strangers to listen to each other and help remove the obstacles standing in the way of what they want.

Last week it was Plato, this week it’s cornhole and the afterlife (and somehow, more dog poop). Andrea Clough is the “Engineer Whisperer,” and she has the distinct honor of being the inaugural guest on the Distracted Driving Podcast. Andrea helps great engineers become impactful engineers, and in this episode she goes deep. Growing up in Romania, Andrea loved spending time with her grandmother who regaled her with vivid stories and entertained her endless questions. As a young, five year old girl, she was so excited when one day, grandma asked her a question. Though she only had a fourth grade education, grandma is still the wisest woman Andrea knew and the question changed her life, ultimately putting her on a trajectory to be a professional coach to engineers. 

Who changes out the bottle in the office water cooler? How do two computer scientists and an engineer solve the problem of a burnt out light bulb? These questions are answered as Rex and Sean get philosophical, covering everything from Plato's cave allegory to Steve Martin, Bill and Ted, and dog poop. Let's hope there's a guest next time.