Read to Lead Podcast

If you’re anything like me, you know how important it is to not only set goals, but to actually make a habit of writing them down and tracking your progress. Otherwise, what’s the point, right?

Yet, despite what we know we should do, more often than not we end up falling off the wagon like a good-intentioned New Years resolution.

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In today’s episode of the Read to Lead Podcast we’ll chat with Erik Fisher, author of Beyond The To-Do List Volume 1: Goals, as he provides some much needed help toward turning our elusive goal-setting efforts into a bonafide habit.

In this episode, Erik will help us understand:

* Why so few of us set goals, even though we know they’re important

* How to implement the “Wheel of Life” into our productivity routine

* What “fuel” for your goals is and why you need it

* What some of the most common goal-setting fears are and how to attack them

* The importance of the three goal-setting support system levels and why you need all three

* How to avoid the dangers of comparing your goal-setting progress to others

 Save $200 on Your Road Trip Conference Registration!

We’re so grateful to the folks at the Road Trip Conference who have elected to offer you $200 off your registration just for listening to the Read to Lead Podcast.  Simply head over to the Road Trip Conference website and use my name ‘jeffbrown’ as your promo code. You’ll automatically save $200 on any tickets you purchase.

Resources

Podcast Answer Man hosted by Cliff Ravenscraft

Beyond the To-Do List hosted by Erik J. Fisher

No More Voices, a community site by Jon Acuff designed to punch fear in the face

Connecting with Erik

If you enjoyed today’s episode, let Erik know by sending him a tweet to @ErikJFisher

You can find Erik on the web at beyondthetodolist.com

You can order Erik’s new book Beyond The To-Do List Volume 1: Goalsthrough Amazon.

Erik’s podcast is part of the Noodle.mx Network of shows.

Books Erik Recommends

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters by Jon Acuff

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At first glance, reading a book titled Promote Yourself might sound a bit narcissistic. After all, social media has allowed many people to get quite good at it. And by good, I mean really, really bad.

What good, then, could come from being an expert self-promoter? Aren’t they the person everyone avoids at parties, shuns online and generally dislikes?

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Ah, but I’m talking about promotion of a different kind. The kind I liken to a quote from comedian Steve Martin in his book Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life. In it, he writes, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” Or, as Seth Godin puts it in Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, “Don’t wait to be picked. Pick yourself.”

It is in this spirit of picking yourself that we delve into into today’s episode. In our conversation with Dan, we’ll learn about:

* Dan’s thoughts on today’s job market and what it means particularly for Millennials.

* Ways in which some of today’s brightest companies are evolving to make their culture more Millennial-friendly

* The importance of being more than just your job description by developing new hard skills

* Tips for walking that fine line between gaining visibility and being seen as a promotional jerk

* The key things managers look for when deciding whom to promote

* The importance of mutually beneficial mentor/mentee relationships

* And a lot more!

Catch the Trailor for Dan’s New Book

Save $200 on Your Road Trip Conference Registration!

We’re so grateful to the folks at the Road Trip Conference who have elected to offer you $200 off your registration just for listening to the Read to Lead Podcast.  Simple head over to the Road Trip Conference website and use my name ‘jeffbrown’ as your promo code. You’ll automatically save $200 on any tickets you purchase.

Resources

Dan is hosting a free webinar called the Promote Yourself Book Launch Event happening September 10th.

Connecting with Dan

If you enjoyed today’s episode, let Dan know by sending him a tweet to @DanSchawbel

You can find Dan on the web at danschawbel.com

You can order Dan’s new book Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success through Amazon.

Dan is also the founder and creator of the Personal Branding Blog

Books Dan Recommends

Even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of all things Apple, it’s impossible to deny that the company has improved virtually every category they’ve chosen to enter.

From products and packaging, to marketing and advertising, the hits seem to far outweigh the misses. But what is it about Apple that has them firing on all cylinders more often that not?

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When Ken Segall, author of the book Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success, asked himself that question, he found a common thread in all the data, feedback and meeting notes.

In a word, it’s all about Simplicity.

When everyone else wants to include every feature but the kitchen sink, Apple says “Let’s wait on that.” When everyone else wants to offer a plethora of model choices, Apple counters with, “How about just a couple?”

It’s this “simplicity as religion” that serves as the common thread among all the successes.

In today’s conversation with Ken, we’ll learn about:

* How Apple defines Simplicity

* Why more companies don’t just do what Apple does

* Why Steve Jobs insisted on keeping meeting groups small

* The dangers of trying to please everyone

* How being jettisoned from Apple was the best thing that could ever happen to Steve

* Why most “nos” should be challenged with a dose good ol’ common sense

Resources Discussed

Download Ken’s book for FREE with a free 30-day trial of audible. Just go to https://readtoleadpodcast.com/audible.

Upcoming Projects

Ken is currently working on his next book. Whereas his current book was about identifying all the elements of Apple’s passion for Simplicity, Ken’s upcoming book will break down how to successfully implement Simplicity within a company’s culture and how to ward off the complexity temptation.

Comment and Share

Be sure to leave your comments and ask any questions by simply scrolling down to the bottom of this page.  We would love to hear from you and welcome your feedback.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. I am mentioning the names of all who rate the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

We encourage you to join the Read to Lead Nation on Facebook.  It’s a community of like-minded leaders and leader-to-be, as well as fans of the Read to Lead Podcast.

You can tell your friends on Twitter about your love of reading and our new podcast by simply clicking this link

What is success to you? Where do your ideas and opinions on success come from? Are they your own, or are you striving to achieve someone else’s idea of what success is for you?

In today’s episode, we chat with author G. Richard Shell from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

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In his new book, Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success, he helps answer two key questions on success:

* What is success for you? (along with understanding how the expectations of others impact your assumptions on that question)

* How can you best go about achieving it?

In this conversation, Richard will help you understand how to:

* Realize it’s not too late to launch your search for success

* Determine what you can do better than most

* Strike the balance between the two sides of success

* Understand the positive value of negative emotions

* Challenge your assumptions about success

* Place equal importance on inner satisfaction and outer rewards

* And much more

Resources Discussed

Richard mentioned his two favorite books. One of them is Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) by Robert Cialdini. The other is The Bible written by, well, too many authors to mention.

You can find out more about Richard and his new book at his website. On his site, you can even take the Six Lives Exercise we talked about.

You can reach Richard via e-mail at shellric [at] wharton [dot] upenn [dot] edu. Feel free to let him know what you thought about the interview.

You can get Dr. Shell’s book for FREE with a free 30-day trial of audible. Just go to https://readtoleadpodcast.com/audible.

Upcoming Projects

Be on the lookout as Richard travels around the country over the next year sharing with various groups about how to determine what success means to them. He’s also working on his next book called Believing in Yourself: The Foundations of Confidence, a book on what it means to believe in yourself and what that entails.

Comment and Share

Be sure to leave your comments and ask any questions by simply scrolling down to the bottom of this page.  We would love to hear from you and welcome your feedback.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. I am mentioning the names of all who rate the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

We encourage you to join the 

The first time I heard the name Pat Flynn (just a few months ago) he came up three times in a single week. There was a friend, a blog and a podcast all referencing this guy. I had to find out who he was and why he was so important.

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If there was ever the perfect example of an individual honestly and ethically making his own way on the internet – employment be damned – Pat was it. A more personable, down-to-earth guy you’ll never meet.

He’s the proverbial exception to the rule. Nice guys finish last? Hardly!

In Pat’s world, nice guys are right where they should be: at the top of their game and graciously showing the rest of us how it’s done.

In his new book, Let Go, available exclusively via Kindle and the Snippet App for iOS, Pat shares his story of being let go from his job in architecture in 2008, despite doing everything right. In short, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him.

In this episode, Pat shares about:

* How he took something he was already doing and turned it into an ebook that leveraged the perception of his expertise

* The impact adding a podcast had on Pat’s online business

* Determining what it is you bring to the table no one else can?

* The importance of a dedicated physical space for those working from home

* Letting go of being on the “right path” and trying to fulfill societal and/or family expectations and, instead, living your own dreams

Pat Flynn Resources

Pat is the creator of the Smart Passive Income blog and the Smart Passive Income podcast.

Pat can be reached via e-mail at Pat [at] smart passive income [dot] com and on Twitter at @PatFlynn.

Let Go by Pat Flynn is available via the Kindle App for just $2.99 as well as on the Snippet App for iOS.

Pat mentions another podcast (but doesn’t name it) that was instrumental in 2008 as he learned all he could about starting an online business. That podcast was Internet Business Mastery and is still today a top podcast in iTunes (and they just released their 200th episode!).

One of Pat’s favorite productivity tools is

Jonah Berger is a business writer and professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Contagious: Why Things Catch On, and you and I get to learn from him this week.

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In this episode, Jonah lays out the six STEPPS to helping your idea, product or service catch on.

Follow these key STEPPS to craft contagious content:

* Social Currency – People care how they look to others. Make them feel like insiders

* Triggers – Top-of-mind means tip-of-tongue

* Emotion – When we care, we share

* Public – The more public something is, the more likely people will imitate it

* Practical Value – News you can use. Useful things get shared

* Stories – Stories are vessels, so build a Trojan Horse

Jonah’s Greatest Leadership Lesson Learned

Jonah says, “Don’t follow the crowd.” It’s easy to get caught up in the marketing hype and shiny new social media “toys.” It’s important to remember that the tools are nothing more than technology. They are not a strategy.

Jonah’s Book Recommendation

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Where to connect with Jonah

You can tweet him and let him know what you thought of today’s conversation at @j1berger

At Jonah’s website, you’ll find a workbook, the Contagious framework that outlines the 6 STEPPS we talked about, as well as a Reading Guide that you mind find quite helpful, especially if you’re reading it in a group (your team at work, a book club or MasterMind group, etc.)

Comment and Share

Be sure to leave your comments and ask any questions by simply scrolling down to the bottom of this page.  We would love to hear from you and welcome your feedback.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. I am mentioning the names of all who rate the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Join the Read to Lead Nation on Facebook.  It’s a community of like-minded leaders and leader-to-be, as well as fans of the Read to Lead Podcast.

You can tell your friends on Twitter about your love of reading and our new podcast by simply clicking this link and sharing the tweet you’ll find at the other end.

And, by all means, if you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons below and up top.

Finally, thanks for listening and, remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”

Jay Baer is a hype-free digital marketing strategist, speaker, and author. He founded Convince & Convert in 2008. This is the fifth marketing services firm he’s started or managed.

Jay has consulted with more than 700 companies on digital marketing since 1994, and he was named one of America’s top social media consultants by Fast Company magazine, and the Convince and Convert blog is ranked as the world’s #1 content marketing resource.

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His new book about making marketing useful is called Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype and is a New York Times best seller.

An active angel investor, he’s also involved in an advisory capacity with several social media and content marketing start-up companies.

In this conversation with Jay, we discuss:

* Why being remarkable is not enough and why being “useful” is instead what marketers need to master

* Examples of businesses putting “be useful” marketing to work for them and the results from doing so

* How  “be useful” marketing practices can be applied to any industry

* The role that apps play in the process of being useful

* The importance of giving away at least some of your knowledge and expertise

* How consumer awareness has changed historically and how it impacts how you must do business

* The transition we’ve experienced from Top of Mind to Frame of Mind to Friend of Mind awareness

* The 3 Types of Youtility

Resources Discussed

River Pools and Spas – A great example of a company creating Youtility for their customers

Buffer App – Allows you to share content on various social media platforms at specific times you’ve chosen in advance (full disclosure – Jay is an investor)

Jay’s Two Most Important Leadership Lessons Learned

1. Some days you’re the pigeon. Other days you’re the statue.

2. At the end of the day, whether your clients decide to accept your advice (as a consultant) is on them.

Jay’s Recommended Books

1. Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future

2. Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd

Connect with Jay

@jaybaer on Twitter (send Jay a Tweet and let him know what you thought about our conversation)

Youtilitybook.com

The Social Pros Podcast

One Thing – The News You Need and Nothing Else (newsletter)

Convince and Convert website

In January 2011, Jeff decided to begin a new blog. Something he’d done a few times before, but this time it was different.

Jeff decided, instead of chasing an audience, to go all in. He began by writing a blog post every day for a year.

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This consistent pattern started a snowball that would lead to 50,000 readers and over 10,000 subscribers by the end of the year.

In this episode, you will learn about:

* How Jeff turned what had become and expensive hobby into a legitimate business

His experiments with eBooks, online courses and affiliate products that allowed his wife to stay home with their new son and allowed Jeff to quit his job to write and speak full-time.

You can actually get paid for doing stuff on the internet

The difference between choosing to call yourself a ______ (fill in your dream job/vocation), and “faking it until you make it.”

The false self versus the true self and getting past the fear of sharing your true self with the world

The 3 Secrets to Building an Audience

No matter what you do and how well you do it, someone is always going to criticize you

And a lot more!

Where and How to Connect with Jeff Goins

Jeff blogs several times a week about writing and building a platform at Goins Writer. I’ve been a reader and subscriber to Jeff’s blog for nearly two years and can highly recommend it. And you can connect with Jeff on Twitter  at @JeffGoins.

Recommended Reads

Jeff’s recommended reading list includes a couple of fiction titles in addition to nonfiction.

Think and Grow Rich (with linked TOC)

The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice

The Millionaire Next Door

The Great Gatsby

John Adams

Jeff’s New Book The In-Between

The single best place for learning more about Jeff’s new book can be found at The In-Between Book site. Here’s the trailer for the new book:

Listener Question

This week’s listener question comes from Alex Barker. He asks  Jeff what authors inspire him as a writer. That list includes:

Ernest Hemingway

John hosts a 7-day-a-week podcast. I know, crazy right? Each day on his show, John welcomes a successful and inspiring entrepreneur to share their unique journey.

Entrepreneur on Fire currently enjoys over 200,000 unique downloads every month in 145 countries. And just think, it didn’t even exist a year ago.

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In this episode John shares, among other things:

* Why you or your business should consider podcasting as part of your marketing strategy

* How it’s possible to start with nothing and build a powerul platform through podcasting

* The importance of finding and hiring a coach, someone already doing what you want to do

* And lots more!

Resources and Links

Podcast Launch – A Step by Step Podcasting Guide Including 15 Video Tutorials

Social Media Marketing World in San Diego

Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner

Chris Brogan

Jaime Tardy, host of the Eventual Millionaire podcast was John’s coach and mentor early on

New Media Expo (formerly Blog World) and some of the people John met there last year:

* Pat Flynn

* Adam Baker

* Derek Halpern

Fire Nation Elite MasterMind Group is John’s exclusive, members-only MasterMind group.

Entrepreneur on Fire is John’s site for all things EOFire!

Books Mentioned

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz

The Slight Edge (Revised Edition): Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success by Jeff Olson

How many days have you been alive? Do you know? Have you ever thought about your life in anything other than years?

Robert D. Smith had an epiphany one day upon realizing that he was just about a month from reaching 20,000 days on this earth.

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This realization caused him to spend 2 days away from all the distractions of life in order to reflect on the next 20,000.  While Robert didn’t plan it this way, the book 20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course for Mastering Your Life Right Now came out of that time of reflection.

If you desire to make every day count going forward, you’ve come to the right place.  In this episode, Robert shares:

* No matter your age, it’s never too late to make every day count

* The importance of celebrations and celebrating often

* How starting the day off right begins with prepping the night before

* Conquering rejection forever and learning to “eat nos for breakfast”

* How you can leave behind a legacy that lasts long after you’re gone

* How to accomplish more in a single day than most people do all year

* Why most of us live with self doubt and how to overcome it

* Being an expert on a given topic is as close as reading 5 books on the subject

* It’s okay if you haven’t pinpointed your passion yet…Robert hasn’t either

Robert’s energy and effervescent personality are hard to resist.

Resources

The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

Robert’s website includes the Day Calculator and the Battle-Tested Branding ebook

Robert manages author Andy Andrews.  Here is a list of Books by Andy Andrews

Please consider visiting our sponsor Brown Knows Media.  If you’re a small business owner or an author, speaker or artist, Brown Knows Media can help you with your website and mobile marketing needs.  They also build presentations for professional speakers.

Comment and Share

Be sure to leave your comments and ask questions by simply scrolling down to the bottom of the page.  We would love to hear from you and welcome your feedback.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others.  Those rating the podcast with 5 stars will be mentioned in a future episode of the podcast.

Join the Read to Lead Nation on Facebook.  It’s a community of like-minded people and fans of the Read to Lead Podcast.

You can tell your friends on Twitter about your love of reading and our new podcast by simply ...