Product Powers - Human Skills for Product Thinkers to Thrive in the Age of AI

Tips to build a Sales playbook

Without an effective sales strategy, the efforts of the entire organisation can be a waste. You could have the best products and services, but if no one buys them, revenues will dry up. On the flip side, you can have the best sales team on the planet but if they aren't all pulling in the same direction, you will struggle to get momentum when launching a new product. 

I had the pleasure of getting some expert insights into how to build an effective sales playbook from Scott Moss. The episode provides insightful strategies for salespeople to enhance performance and for leaders to foster strong, capable sales teams.

Contents

* Sales Pressure

* Building a Sales Strategy

* Sales Mission

* Product Tagline

* Understanding the Target Market

* Sales Strategies

* Sales Process and Playbook

* Sales Team Alignment

* Sales Leadership

* Resources

* Superpower

* FAQs

🌟 Sales Pressure

The Role of Sales in an Organisation’s Survival

Sales, often considered the lifeblood of any organisation, especially in the tech sector, plays a pivotal role in survival and growth. Every transaction, every contract, and every customer interaction feeds into the broader goals of robust revenue streams and market expansion.

Overcoming Challenges through Organisation

Tech sales professionals face immense pressure, balancing clientele expectations with organisational quotas. A structured approach can significantly reduce stress, ensuring tasks such as customer follow-ups, proposal preparations, and CRM updates aren’t just done, but are completed efficiently. By maintaining a well-organised workflow, sales professionals can avoid the overwhelming backlog and focus on reaching—and surpassing—their targets.

🚀 Building a Sales Strategy

Identifying and Understanding the Market

Deep understanding of the target market, including recognising the client's needs and pain points, is crucial. For companies selling tech products or services, this could involve addressing specific technological challenges or improving business processes through innovative solutions.

Crafting Impactful Value Propositions

Once the ideal client and their requirements are clearly defined, crafting targeted value propositions is the next critical step. These should resonate well with the potential buyers, distinguishing the product from competitors by highlighting unique benefits and solutions.

🏹 Sales Mission

Setting a clear and focused sales mission ensures all sales activities align with the company’s broader objectives. This mission typically includes:

* Defining the target industries and potential clients.

* Developing concise and compelling value propositions.

* Establishing measurable and achievable KPIs.

📝 Product Tagline

Creating a memorable tagline can significantly enhance brand recall. For instance, positioning a pen as, "Our pens are always right; that's why we can't rub them out," playfully asserts the product’s reliability and permanence compared to competitors.

🎯 Understanding the Target Market

To market a product effectively, sales teams need comprehensive knowledge about who will use the product and why. Tech companies, for instance, should aim to understand how their innovations fit into their clients' existing systems or how they can revolutionise traditional processes.

⚡ Sales Strategies

Tackling New and Existing Accounts

Strategies for acquiring new customers often differ from those aimed at growth through existing clients. Incorporating a multi-channel approach that includes personal interaction, digital marketing, and content strategy can be effective. For existing accounts, understanding underperformance and realigning the offering to meet more closely the clients’ needs could help deepen and expand relationships.

📘 Sales Process and Playbook

Standardising Sales Operations

Developing a Sales Playbook involves detailing strategies, tools, and processes that are practical, repeatable, and scalable. This Playbook should guide sales teams through various scenarios, from lead generation to closing deals, ensuring consistency and professionalism across all interactions.

🤝 Sales Team Alignment

Collaboration and Accountability

Ensuring that all team members are on the same page is vital for success. Regular training sessions, team meetings, and updates on the playbook can help maintain alignment. Moreover, instilling a sense of accountability helps teams stay committed to the organisation's goals.

🎖️ Sales Leadership

Leading with Vision and Integrity

Successful sales teams are often the reflection of dynamic, committed leadership. Leaders should not only be adept at setting strategic direction but also skilled in motivating the team, fostering a healthy, productive work environment, and recognising and rewarding efforts.

📚 Resources

Essential Reads for Sales Professionals

* The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson.

* The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge.

These resources provide further insights into sales methodologies and strategies that can be integral to a tech professional's toolkit.

🌐 Superpower

Fostering Tenacity Among Sales Teams

One noticeable challenge in modern sales environments is cultivating tenacity, especially among younger team members. Building this trait can lead to more sustained effort, higher resilience, and ultimately, better sales outcomes.

FAQs

Q1: How often should a Sales Playbook be updated?A: Ideally, review and update your playbook once every quarter to keep it aligned with market needs and organisational changes.

Q2: Can small tech startups benefit from a Sales Playbook?A: Absolutely, even more so, as it provides a structured approach to scaling their sales efforts effectively.

Q3: What’s the most critical aspect of a Sales Playbook?A: The most crucial aspect is its alignment with the company's unique sales environment and goals, ensuring it's tailored to address specific challenges and opportunities.

Navigating the complex landscape of tech sales requires not just skill but a strategic approach encapsulated by a comprehensive Sales Playbook. By embracing these methodologies, tech professionals can enhance their productivity and propel their organisations to new heights of success.

Disclaimer: This summary was written with the help of AI

Scott Moss (FOUNDER & CEO M SALES GROWTH ADVISORS)

Scott founded M Sales Growth Advisors with the single mission to Empower Small Businesses to Achieve Greatness. He personally approaches each client with fresh eyes to develop unique sales strategies that leverage sales enablement tools, continuous coaching, thought leadership content, accountability to KPIs, and a defined, repeatable, and scalable sales process. He has over 25 years of direct B2B sales experience as a producer and leader. From the C-Suite to the small business owner and from the venture-funded start-up to the mature diversified enterprise, Scott understands the challenges each face, how to overcome them, and what success means. These days Scott works with leaders at growing companies to increase revenues, optimize their CRM, and operationalize sales processes. Short version: If you’re CRM isn't doing its job, the sales team is not accountable to KPIs, or there’s not a defined sales process in place… those are the problems Scott helps solve.

🛜 Website: https://www.msalesgrowth.com/

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.

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Hypnotherapy to boost performance at work

In this episode, we discuss the power of positivity and hypnosis to help us boost our performance. I had the pleasure of deep-diving this topic with Leo Howson who is a Hypnotherapist, Flow State and Human Potential Coach.

In the fast-paced world of technology, where innovation and efficiency are paramount, professionals are continually seeking methods to boost their performance and productivity. One intriguing approach that has gained attention is the use of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. While most are familiar with the entertaining antics of stage hypnotists, few realise that hypnotherapy could be a powerful tool for personal and professional development. This article delves into how hypnotherapy can significantly enhance performance by tapping into the vast potential of the subconscious mind.

Contents

🧠 Understanding Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

📈 The Influence of Positivity on Productivity

🧊 The Iceberg Model: Conscious vs Subconscious Mind

🌱 Personal Journey into the Subconscious

🔗 Techniques to Access the Subconscious

🚼 Childhood Programming and its Long-term Impact

🌀 The Hypnotherapy Process Explained

⏲️ Duration and Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy Sessions

🆚 Hypnotherapy vs Traditional Coaching

🔗 Additional Resources and Recommendations

🚫 Desired Superpower: Eliminating Time Constraints

🧠 Understanding Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Contrary to popular belief, hypnotherapy extends far beyond the misconceptions of stage hypnosis, where individuals are prompted to perform humorous acts for an audience. Unlike stage hypnosis, which aims to entertain, hypnotherapy is a serious science focusing on creating positive changes for an individual’s benefit. By guiding individuals into a trance-like state, a hypnotherapist works to bypass the conscious mind to speak directly with the subconscious, enabling profound changes in habits, behaviours, and thought processes.

📈 The Influence of Positivity on Productivity

Studies show that the people we surround ourselves with can drastically affect our productivity. Being around high-performers or inherently positive individuals can increase our productivity output by approximately 15%. Conversely, surrounding oneself with negativity can lead to a 30% decrease in output. This statistical insight underscores the importance of maintaining a positive, high-energy environment, especially in high-stakes tech industries where constant innovation and performance are critical.

🧊 The Iceberg Model: Conscious vs Subconscious Mind

Imagine an iceberg where only 5% is visible above the water, representing the conscious mind, while a staggering 95% remains unseen beneath the surface, symbolising the subconscious mind. This model illustrates the profound impact of the subconscious in governing our habits and reactions. Without understanding and influencing this part of our mind, individuals may find themselves unable to fully control or change their behaviours and thought patterns.

🌱 Personal Journey into the Subconscious

The birth of his first daughter was a pivotal moment for Leo, a performance coach and hypnotherapist. It thrust him into exploring various techniques to improve his mental and physical output, diving deep into the realms of peak performance, biohacking, and the subconscious mind. His personal journey highlights how critical life events can trigger a deeper awareness of our internal processes and lead to significant self-improvement and professional growth.

🔗 Techniques to Access the Subconscious

Accessing and reprogramming the subconscious can be achieved through various techniques:

* Affirmations: Repeating positive statements helps to reprogram the mind towards positive outcomes.

* Gratitude: Acknowledging good things that have happened can shift one's mental state from negative to positive, influencing the subconscious.

* Anchoring: A technique from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), it involves creating a physical trigger for a desired emotional state to help manage feelings and responses more effectively.

🚼 Childhood Programming and its Long-term Impact

The foundation of our subconscious programming is generally laid down between the ages of one and seven. Many adult responses and habits stem from this early programming. To effect lasting change, it is important to revisit and sometimes reconfigure these deep-seated patterns. Instances such as addressing childhood traumas or reframing early misconceptions can significantly alter an adult’s life trajectory and professional performance.

🌀 The Hypnotherapy Process Explained

Initially, the hypnotherapy process begins with identifying the issue at hand. The hypnotherapist then guides the individual into a relaxed state, bypassing the active thinking mind to interact directly with the subconscious. Techniques like 'inductions' and 'deepeners' are used to facilitate this trance-like state, where focused work on specific issues or behaviours can be conducted effectively.

⏲️ Duration and Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy Sessions

The impact of hypnotherapy can be immediate in terms of mental and emotional improvements. However, the duration and number of sessions required can vary based on the issue's complexity and depth. Some may see significant changes in just a few sessions, while others might need a longer period to address more ingrained or complex issues.

🆚 Hypnotherapy vs Traditional Coaching

While traditional coaching focuses on the conscious mind and can lead to significant insights and changes, hypnotherapy works at the deeper subconscious level. This approach can often address the root cause of issues more effectively, leading to more sustainable and profound changes.

🔗 Additional Resources and Recommendations

For those interested in exploring hypnotherapy further, Leo provides various resources through his website, including articles, free workshops, and downloadable sessions. These resources offer valuable insights into how hypnotherapy works and can be a great starting point for those curious about its benefits.

🚫 Desired Superpower: Eliminating Time Constraints

Leo’s ideal superpower would be to eliminate the traditional concept of time from work environments. This change would shift the focus from hours spent to actual outcomes and productivity, fostering a more efficient and results-oriented culture in tech and beyond.

FAQs

Q1: What is hypnosis used for in a professional context?Hypnosis in professional settings is often employed to improve performance, manage stress, and enhance focus and creativity among employees.

Q1: Can hypnotherapy be self-taught, or does it require a professional?While certain self-hypnosis techniques can be learned, working with a certified hypnotherapist is recommended for addressing deeper or more complex issues effectively.

Q3: How often should one attend hypnotherapy sessions to see improvement?The frequency of sessions varies by individual needs. Some may benefit from weekly sessions, while others might need less frequent sessions over a more extended period.

Q4: Are there any risks associated with hypnotherapy?When conducted by a certified and experienced hypnotherapist, hypnotherapy is generally safe. However, it’s important to discuss any specific psychological issues or concerns beforehand.

Q5: How can technology professionals specifically benefit from hypnotherapy?Tech professionals can use hypnotherapy to manage job-related stress, enhance problem-solving skills, and navigate the fast-paced changes in their industry more effectively.

In summary, hypnotherapy offers a remarkable yet underutilised tool to enhance mental, emotional, and physical performance. By engaging with the subconscious, individuals can overcome deep-seated issues, achieve greater productivity, and foster personal growth. For technology professionals, integrating these techniques can lead to sustained success and well-being in an ever-evolving industry landscape.

Disclaimer: This summary was written with the help of AI

Leo Howson (Hypnotherapist, Flow State, Human Potential Coach)

From a young age, Leo has been driven by a burning passion to help others unlock their full potential. Leo knew that to truly make a difference, he needed to gain real-life experience.

So, he took the leap and started his own company at 24. Through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, Leo has developed a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed, and the mindset needed to thrive.

Leo doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk - as a certified Hypnotherapist, flow state, human potential coach, and functional health coach he brings a unique perspective to his coaching, drawing from experiences running multiple companies.

Leo has also spent a vast amount of time studying and understanding what it truly means to be a high performer in all areas of life, from entrepreneurship to leadership to athletics. He knows the journey to success can be a lonely one, with no one to hold you accountable and guide you along the way.

That's where Leo comes in - he will take the guesswork out of the equation, keep you highly motivated and be your accountability partner every step of the way.

Website: https://www.leohowson.com/

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.

🎧 Listen now on:

👉 Apple

👉 Spotify

👉 YouTube

👉 Newsletter

★ BUY ME A COFFEE ★

☕️ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation and BUY PADDY A COFFEE 👉🏽 https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda

How to deal with overwhelm at work

In today's digital age, the average time we spend on one screen before switching to another has drastically reduced. From 150 seconds in 2004 to just 47 seconds between 2016 and 2021, our attention spans are diminishing rapidly. But why is this happening? We are living in an era of "infobesity," where the volume of content created in the last decade surpasses all previous years combined. Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to handle this deluge of information, causing widespread overwhelm. In this comprehensive guide, we dive deep into strategies to battle overwhelm, featuring insights from Mark Streski, a veteran with over 1,250 podcast episodes on productivity.

😊 The Evolution of Attention Spans

Initially, back in 2004, when you could spend a couple of minutes on a website or an application without distraction, the digital landscape was markedly different. Fast forward to recent years, and we find ourselves hopping from one task to another every few seconds. This phenomenon stems from the massive amount of digital content bombarding us daily, challenging our mental capacity and significantly reducing our attention spans.

📉 The Era of Infobesity

The term "infobesity" aptly describes our situation — obese with information. Over the last ten years, humanity has generated more data than in all preceding years, putting unimaginable pressure on our cognitive functions. This sensory overload is what's making us feel overwhelmed, as our brains struggle to keep up with the incessant flow of information.

🏷️ The Fascination with Names

Our discussion on names and origins reveals Mark's deep interest in the historical and cultural significance of surnames. This interest connects back to his own family roots stretching back to Poland, offering a personal touch to his professional insights on productivity, setting the stage for a broader discussion on cultural and societal impacts on personal efficiency.

🦸 Superpower: Punching Overwhelm in the Face

In today's fast-paced world, juggling multiple responsibilities has become the norm, which is why Mark describes his superpower as "punching overwhelm in the face." This ability is more relevant than ever as individuals struggle to manage their time effectively amidst constant digital interruptions.

🛠️ Strategies to Combat Overwhelm

Mark's upbringing played a significant role in shaping his views on productivity. Raised in a structured environment where chores and homework took precedence over leisure, he learned the value of discipline and time management from an early age. These experiences have greatly influenced his techniques for overcoming the modern challenges of overwhelm.

Watching TV Without Your Phone

Mark challenges us to engage in watching a TV program without the distractions of our smartphones. It's a simple exercise that powerfully illustrates how dependent we have become on our devices, often unaware of their impact on our ability to concentrate.

Work Overwhelm

In the workplace, the myth of multitasking continues to be debunked. Mark stresses the importance of focusing on one task at a time and shutting down notifications that can pull us away from our work. This approach not only increases efficiency but also helps in reducing feelings of stress and anxiety caused by continuous partial attention.

📊 Shrinking Attention Spans: The Research

A notable study by Microsoft highlighted a shocking revelation — humans now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish, which is about eight seconds. This decline is attributed to the technological advancements that, while beneficial, also encourage constant content consumption and distraction.

🔄 Breaking the Cycle

To break free from the chains of perpetual content consumption, it's imperative to make conscious choices. Cal Newport, an advocate and author of deep work, exemplifies this through his avoidance of social media, allowing him to focus on meaningful work without the usual distractions.

🚀 Advice for New Professionals

For those starting their career paths, Mark offers a golden piece of advice: pursue what you love. Happiness and satisfaction derived from doing what you genuinely enjoy can lead to enhanced productivity and overall contentment in life.

📘 Essential Learning Tools

Mark emphasises the importance of daily reading, considering it a non-negotiable part of his routine. Books like "Tiny Habits" by BJ Fogg and digital tools such as Readwise that help revisit key points from your readings, play a crucial role in continuous learning and staying ahead in your field.

📲 Staying Connected with Mark Streski

To delve deeper into Mark's productivity strategies and insights, visit his website, MisterProductivity.com. There, you can access his podcast episodes, sign up for newsletters, and join a community focused on living a productive life.

FAQs

* What is infobesity?

* Infobesity refers to the excessive amount of information available to us, often leading to overwhelm and reduced productivity.

* How can I improve my focus at work?

* Focus on one task at a time, close unnecessary browser tabs, use do not disturb modes on your devices, and periodically review which notifications are essential for your work.

* Can reading improve my productivity?

* Yes, regular reading helps expand your knowledge base and improves cognitive functions such as focus and critical thinking, which are essential for productivity.

In conclusion, the battle against overwhelm in a world saturated with information is challenging yet essential for our mental health and productivity. By understanding the roots of this issue and implementing strategic measures to combat it, as discussed by Mark Struczewski, we can reclaim our time and lead more fulfilling professional lives.

Disclaimer: This summary was written with the help of AI

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Mark Struczewski (The Mister Productivity Podcast Host)

Hey! I’m Mister Productivity!™

I’m also known as Mark Struczewski (my legal name) and I’m a Houston-based productivity coach and the voice behind The Mister Productivity™ Podcast. My journey in the realm of productivity is not just a career; it’s a personal mission fueled by a profound understanding of the challenges and triumphs in mastering one’s daily life and tasks.

Experience & Expertise: A Blend of Practicality and Inspiration

With over 1,250 episodes on The Mister Productivity™ Podcast and countless coaching sessions, I’ve developed an approach that balances practical strategies with motivational insights. I don’t just talk about productivity; I delve into the nuances of why we struggle with it and how we can conquer these challenges. My strategies are forged from real-life experiences, a testament to their applicability and effectiveness.

As a productivity coach, I specialize in helping professionals navigate the modern workplace’s complexities. From managing digital distractions to prioritizing tasks in an ever-changing environment, my expertise is particularly relevant for today’s fast-paced world.

My unique perspective lies in my ability to make productivity relatable and actionable. I draw parallels from everyday life, such as the discipline of running, to illustrate productivity principles in a way that resonates with a diverse audience.

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.

🎧 Listen now on:

👉 Apple

👉 Spotify

👉 YouTube

👉 Newsletter

★ BUY ME A COFFEE ★

☕️ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation and BUY PADDY A COFFEE 👉🏽 https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda

Stop hating AI and start loving Augmented Intelligence

In this conversation, I delve into the concept of Augmented Intelligence, where human creativity meets the computational power of AI. As a species, we’ve tended to be cautious of new technological discoveries, whether that be the printing press, the telephone, TV and Radio and now Artificial Intelligence. But as humans, we are extremely adaptable to new situations.

So should we be pushing back on AI or embracing it? I’m joined by author and AI expert Sam Sammane, where we demystify the capabilities of AI and look to a future where AI enhances, rather than replaces humans.

Thanks for reading Superpowers School! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Contents

🤖 AI is not truly intelligent

🧠 Differences between human and machine intelligence

🤝 Embracing AI as an augmentation tool

🚨 The danger of brain obesity

📚 Preparing for the AI era

🌐 The future of work and education

📉 The singularity and economic disruption

💸 The future of taxation

ℹ️ Resources

❓ FAQs

🤖 AI is not truly intelligent

Artificial intelligence, like the well-known ChatGPT, often creates an illusion of intelligence. It operates through advanced data structures and algorithms, possessing linguistic and computational intelligence, but lacks the depth found in human cognition. AI tools are excellent for specific, narrow applications; however, they do not possess emotional intelligence, intuition, or the ability to handle diverse and complex scenarios in the way humans can.

🧠 Differences between human and machine intelligence

Human Intelligence:

* Human intelligence encompasses a range of capabilities such as intuition, gut feelings, and the ability to make educated guesses. These elements are intricately woven into our cognitive fabric, making them nearly impossible to code into AI. Our emotional intelligence allows us to connect, understand, and empathize with others, a realm where AI cannot tread.

Machine Intelligence:

* Machine intelligence, while impressive, remains confined to linguistic and computational tasks. It excels in processing vast amounts of information and performing tasks at speeds unattainable by humans but lacks the ability to truly 'understand' or empathize.

🤝 Embracing AI as an augmentation tool

AI should be viewed as a tool to augment, not replace, human intelligence. For instance, integrating AI like ChatGPT in tasks can begin with an intuitive concept developed by a human. AI can provide data and suggestions which are then refined through human judgment, empathy, and educated guesses to enhance the outcome. This collaborative approach leverages the speed and data-processing capabilities of AI while maintaining the essential human touch.

🚨 The danger of brain obesity

Just as physical obesity results from excessive caloric intake without adequate physical activity, brain obesity can occur when we rely too heavily on AI and neglect our cognitive functions. Overdependence on AI for creative and intellectual tasks can lead to a decline in our mental fitness, making it imperative that we continue to engage our brains in complex thinking and problem-solving.

📚 Preparing for the AI era

To thrive in an AI-augmented world, continuous learning and reliance on our innate human superpowers—intuition, empathy, and love—are crucial. Employing methods like "Higher Human AI Augmentation" can blend AI's capabilities with human intuition. This approach not only maintains but enhances our human qualities in a technology-driven landscape.

🌐 The future of work and education

The nature of work and education is bound to evolve with the increasing integration of AI. Jobs may transform, and some may become obsolete due to automation. The educational system must shift from rote knowledge accumulation to fostering critical thinking, creativity, and intuition—skills where humans excel and AI cannot replicate.

📉 The singularity and economic disruption

The concept of 'economic singularity' suggests a future where the need for human labour drastically decreases due to advanced AI and automation. This shift could lead to significant social and economic changes, potentially requiring new forms of economic structures like universal basic income and a redefinition of work that emphasizes human-centric jobs.

💸 The future of taxation

As AI transforms economic structures, traditional taxation systems may become outdated. The idea of abolishing taxes in favour of new models that leverage AI to manage economies effectively is gaining ground. Such innovations could drastically alter how governmental revenues are generated and utilised.

ℹ️ Resources

For those interested in exploring more about AI and its implications, Sam's upcoming book, "The Singularity of Hope," and his website (sam.com) offer valuable insights and updates. Additionally, subscribing to the "trxa" newsletter provides daily information about the latest developments in AI and technology.

❓ FAQs

Q: What is augmented intelligence? A: Augmented intelligence refers to the use of AI to enhance human intelligence, combining the best of computational capabilities with human cognitive strengths.

Q: Can AI replace human intelligence? A: While AI can replicate certain aspects of human intelligence, such as computation and data processing, it lacks the emotional depth, intuition, and empathy that characterize human intelligence.

Q: How can we prepare for an AI-dominated future? A: Continual learning, fostering intuition, and integrating AI tools responsibly into our workflows can prepare us for a future where AI plays a significant role.

Q: What changes may AI bring to the workplace? A: AI is likely to automate routine and repetitive tasks, shift the nature of some jobs, and require new skills focused on human-interaction and high-level problem-solving.

In conclusion, as we stand on the brink of a new age where AI shapes many aspects of life, understanding and embracing its potential to augment human intelligence is crucial. By combining AI's computational excellence with human creativity and empathy, we can forge a future that respects and enhances both machine efficiency and human dignity.

Disclaimer: This summary has been written with the help of AI

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Sam Sammane (Author & AI Expert)

Sam Sammane, born Ghiath AL SAMMANE, envisions a world where the rapid advancements in AI and technology are harnessed for the greater good, leading to a new age of global prosperity. He is a seasoned entrepreneur with multiple success exits, and academician with a rich blend of expertise in applied physics, digital circuit design, nanotechnology, formal methods, life science, and business.

Holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Applied Physics, a Master’s in Digital Circuit Design, and a Ph.D. in Nanotechnology, Sam has authored several articles on high-order logic, symbolic simulation, and automatic theorem proving. He is the author of the upcoming book, “The Singularity of Hope”, which aims to guide readers through the challenges and opportunities of the AI era, advocating for a harmonious fusion of human intelligence and machine capabilities.

Beyond the academic realm, Sam has co-founded and led multiple successful companies in the life sciences, IT and real estate industries. He resides in southern California with his wife and three daughters.

Website: https://www.sammane.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-sammane-ba192720/

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.

🎧 Listen now on:

👉 Apple

👉 Spotify

👉 YouTube

👉 Newsletter

★ BUY ME A COFFEE ★

☕️ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation and BUY PADDY A COFFEE 👉🏽 https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda

Diets don't work, tips on how to eat what you love

Introduction to the Anti-Diet Movement

As we step into 2024, it’s time to consider new goals and resolutions. If you’re like the vast majority of people, then getting healthier will be high on your to-do list for 2024. In this episode, we are exploring the anti-diet movement. It’s a shift from traditional dieting to a more sustainable, health-focused lifestyle. But what does it really mean to take an intuitive eating approach, and how can you achieve your health goals in 2024?

I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Sherry Shaban who is an extraordinary fitness and life coach. Here's a summary of some of the key learning points we spoke about.

Introduction of Sher Shaban

🏋️ Background and Experience

Sher Shaban, an extraordinary fitness and life coach, joined the show. Her journey from the brink of paralysis to transforming not just her body but her entire outlook on life is truly inspirational. With over 23 years of experience in the fitness industry, Sher has helped thousands of people worldwide improve their health and fitness.

🧠 Expertise

Sher is renowned for her expertise in rewiring the brain, releasing self-sabotaging limiting beliefs, and making the process of weight loss easy, predictable, and enjoyable.

The Anti-Diet Perspective

😕 Why Diets Don’t Work Long-Term

Sher firmly believes that traditional diets don't work in the long term. They may offer short-term results, but they fail to teach sustainable habits. Over time, individuals who frequently diet end up in a cycle of starting and failing diets, resulting in frustration and disappointment.

🚫 Negative Effects of Dieting

The scarcity mindset created by dieting can lead to:

* An altered view of food

* Development of eating disorders and binge-eating behaviours

* Confusion from conflicting diet information

Most importantly, dieting often disconnects individuals from their body's intuitive signals, making it harder to understand and respond to genuine hunger and nutritional needs.

Body’s Nutrient-Focused Approach

🍏 Nutrients vs. Calories

Sher explains that our bodies count nutrients, not calories. It’s easier to eat several Oreo cookies in one sitting than to consume a bag of apples. This is because the body recognises and craves nutrients, which are readily available in whole foods.

Mindset Shift for Healthy Living

🧘 Becoming the Desired Version of Yourself

Sher’s approach focuses on helping individuals become the person they aspire to be, weight loss included. This involves removing the obsession with food and weight and creating sustainable, enjoyable habits.

Practical Steps for a Healthier Lifestyle

🎯 Developing a Strong, Inspiring Vision

Firstly, it's essential to have a strong vision of what one wants to achieve. This vision must be exciting and inspiring to drive motivated action. By connecting deeply with what you want to create, actions taken towards that goal will be inspired, rather than feeling like a chore.

🔄 Reverse Engineering Daily Habits

Start by reverse engineering the daily habits of someone who embodies your goal. Understand their routines thoroughly - from waking up, training, eating, to going to bed.

🪴 Adding Small, Manageable Habits

Instead of drastic changes, add small, manageable habits. These could include:

* A 5-minute daily walk

* Reducing one teaspoon of sugar in your coffee

* Drinking more water

➕ Rule of Addition Before Subtraction

Apply the rule of adding positive habits before subtracting less healthy ones. This could mean incorporating more vegetables into meals before deciding to cut out sugar or other items.

📅 28-Day Habit Trial Period

Experiment with new habits for 28 days to see how they feel and impact your daily life. This period of trial and observation can help in creating habits that are sustainable and support long-term goals.

Nutritional Advice for Healthy Living

🌿 Focus on Whole Foods

Eating like your grandparents did is a great way to consume whole foods. These include natural ingredients that haven’t undergone extensive processing.

🌈 Diverse, Colourful Diet

Eating a variety of coloured foods can offer numerous health benefits including increased energy, better mood regulation, and improved digestion.

🍰 Balancing Whole Foods with Occasional Treats

While it’s essential to focus on whole foods, it’s okay to indulge occasionally. Balance is key to maintain a sustainable and enjoyable diet.

Smoothies and Liquid Meals

🍹 Potential Drawbacks

Smoothies may not be as beneficial as whole fruits and vegetables since they bypass the natural digestion process and lead to rapid sugar absorption.

🍎 Benefits of Eating Whole Fruits and Vegetables

Eating whole fruits and vegetables allows for a more natural digestion process and better nutrient absorption, contributing to overall well-being.

Gut Health and Its Importance

🦠 Gut Microbiome’s Role

The gut's microbiome plays a vital role in digestion, hormone regulation, and nutrient absorption. A diverse diet supports a healthy gut lining and enhances overall health.

🧠 Gut-Brain Connection

With most serotonin produced in the gut, a healthy digestive system significantly impacts mood and emotional well-being, reinforcing the importance of gut health.

Sugar vs. Fat Debate

⚖️ Individual Body Responses

Each body responds differently to sugar and fat. Paying attention to how specific foods make you feel can help in making better dietary choices.

🍫 Differentiating Between Natural and Processed Versions

Understanding the difference between natural sugars and fats (e.g., fruits and avocados) versus processed ones (e.g., high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated fats) can guide you towards healthier eating habits.

Resources for Further Learning

📘 Getting to Know Yourself

Understanding your personality type and character is crucial. Books like "The Untethered Soul" by Michael Singer can offer deep insights into personal growth and self-awareness.

📚 Sher Shaban’s Resources

Listeners and readers interested in anti-diet movement and breaking free from unwanted eating behaviours can explore Sher’s podcast, "Fall in Love with Fitness," and her free workbook available at makepeacewithfood.com.

Conclusion

As we step into 2024, focusing on a healthier lifestyle is more about creating sustainable habits than following restrictive diets. Sher Shaban’s approach to fitness and health advocates for intuitive eating, developing a strong vision, and making small but impactful changes to daily routines. Let's embrace this anti-diet movement and look forward to a healthier and more balanced year.

FAQs

Q: What is the anti-diet movement? A: It’s a philosophy that promotes intuitive eating and sustainable habits over traditional, restrictive dieting.

Q: Why don’t diets work long-term? A: Diets often fail to teach sustainable eating habits and can create a scarcity mindset, leading to disordered eating behaviours.

Q: How can I start living a healthier lifestyle? A: Begin by developing a strong vision for yourself, adding small, manageable habits, and focusing on whole foods.

Q: Why are whole foods better than processed foods? A: Whole foods offer more nutrients, aid better digestion, and contribute to overall vitality and well-being.

Thanks for reading Superpowers School! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Sherry Shaban (Fitness and Life Coach)

Sherry Shaban is an osteopath and an anti-diet health and life coach from Montreal, Qc. She is the founder of the Fall in Love with Fitness Podcast, the HIIT Decks™ App, and Make Peace with Food™, the leaders in an Anti-Diet approach that rewires the brain’s relationship with food to naturally release body weight struggles forever. With over 23 years of experience in the fitness industry, Sherry is a renowned expert in the most challenging weight loss cases and has helped thousands of people worldwide transform their health and fitness using her revolutionary method to rewire the brain, release self-sabotaging limiting beliefs and patterns, and fall in love with fitness so that weight loss becomes easy, predictable, and enjoyable.

Connect with Sherry:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.sherryshaban.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sherryshabanfitness

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sherryshabanfitness

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/sherryshabanfitness

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sherryshaban

YouTube: www.youtube.com/sherryshabanfitness

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.

🎧 Listen now on:

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👉 Newsletter

★ BUY ME A COFFEE ★

☕️ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation and BUY PADDY A COFFEE 👉🏽 https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda

The landscape of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) has become integral to both personal and professional growth. As we reflect on the year, notable for its emphasis on AI, it's clear that these technologies offer both colossal potential and significant challenges. With social media becoming as crucial as a CV for professionals, understanding and mastering this domain is no longer optional—it's essential.

📈 Social Media Strategy

Building a robust online presence is critical for anyone looking to enhance their professional image or expand their business. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube provide fertile ground for growing a following quickly.

Building Your Brand on Social Media

The importance of a strong social media presence cannot be overstated. Whether you're job hunting or looking to establish your authority in your field, social media serves as a dynamic showcase of your professional and personal brand. The key is not just to be present but to engage effectively by attracting more views, followers, and meaningful interactions.

🌍 Strategies for Growing Your Online Following

Growing a following isn’t just about posting consistently—it's also about posting wisely. Here are some strategies that can help:

Consistent Content Creation

Underpinning all social media success is consistency. The frequency of your posts can help keep your audience engaged and your profile active. Whether it’s daily shorts on TikTok or weekly posts on Instagram, maintaining a regular posting schedule is pivotal.

🎥 Leveraging Short-form Vertical Video Content

Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels have revolutionized how content is consumed. Short, engaging videos can significantly increase your visibility and attract a more extensive following quickly due to their high shareability.

Utilizing Trending Topics and Complementary Niches

To stand out, integrating trending topics into your content is crucial, alongside a strong grasp of your niche. This not only increases relevance but also ensures you are part of ongoing conversations, increasing your visibility and engagement.

Incorporating Personal Experiences and Unique Perspectives

People connect with people. Sharing your personal experiences, insights, and unique takes on common topics can help differentiate you from the masses, making your content more relatable and engaging.

🛠 Analyzing and Optimizing Content Performance

Tools like Google Trends and Answer The Public can provide insights into what your audience is interested in. Analyzing performance metrics also allows you to refine your strategy and improve content engagement over time.

The Role of AI in Social Media Content Creation

AI tools can dramatically enhance content creation—from ideation to optimization. By using AI for tasks such as brainstorming topics or enhancing visuals, creators can focus more on strategy and personal engagement.

🔍 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Understanding the fundamentals of SEO is crucial for anyone looking to leverage digital platforms to build a following or promote content.

Organic SEO Fundamentals

From keyword research to on-page optimization, mastering the basics of SEO can significantly enhance your online visibility. This includes optimizing your content with relevant keywords and ensuring that your website's structure is search engine friendly.

📝 Content Marketing and SEO

Creating high-quality, engaging, and informative content is at the heart of SEO. Such content not only attracts more visitors but can also establish your site as an authority, enhancing both engagement and rankings.

🧠 Building a Thought Leadership Brand

Positioning yourself as an authority involves more than just sharing knowledge. It’s about crafting a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience and consistently delivering value.

💸 Monetization Strategies

While building a following, it’s also possible to monetize your influence through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and more. Developing digital products like e-books or courses can also provide substantial revenue streams.

🗣️ Personal Branding and Reputation Management

Crafting a personal brand involves managing and optimizing your online presence. This not only enhances your professional opportunities but also helps in building lasting relationships within your industry.

🌐 Future Trends and Emerging Technologies

Staying ahead in the social media game means keeping an eye on emerging trends and technologies. From advancements in AI to new social media platforms, understanding these elements can provide a competitive edge.

FAQs

Q1: How often should I post content to build a social media following? It’s recommended to post at least once a day on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to keep your audience engaged and ensure your content stays relevant.

Q2: Can AI replace human creativity in content creation? While AI can enhance the content creation process, human creativity and insight are irreplaceable for creating genuine and impactful interactions.

Q3: What are some effective SEO tools? Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz offer comprehensive features that can help in keyword research, site audits, and competitor analysis.

Q4: How important is personal branding in today's digital age? Personal branding is crucial as it distinguishes you in a saturated market, allowing you to build trust and authority with your audience.

In conclusion, mastering social media and SEO in 2023 is about much more than keeping up with the latest tools and trends. It’s about strategically leveraging these platforms to build a sustainable and impactful presence online. Embracing AI while maintaining the human touch in your creations will ensure you not only keep up but stand out in this digital age.

Disclaimer: This summary has been written with the help of AI

AJ Kumar (Digital Marketing Expert)

AJ Kumar is a digital marketing expert who helps thought leaders systematically build fame and authority through personality-driven media companies. He is the Founder of The Limitless Company, a social media studio system that establishes influencers as industry authorities.

AJ discovered his passion for digital marketing after connecting with mentor Neil Patel in high school. He honed his skills at a San Francisco-based digital marketing agency before having a breakthrough working with author Kimberly Snyder. AJ helped transform Kimberly into a global influencer with half a million monthly blog visitors, millions of dollars in revenue and multiple NYT bestsellers.

With a track record of success helping personalities like Kimberly, AJ founded The Limitless Company in 2020 to create a scalable system for influencer brand building. He positions himself as the "Digital Maestro" conducting an integrated process of content creation, audience growth, and monetization strategy.

AJ and his team help influencers identify their distinctive brand positioning and perspectives. They develop captivating content and systematically distribute it across platforms. Data-driven optimization and a focus on converting attention to revenue power their approach.

AJ aims to establish an ecosystem of thought leaders powered by The Limitless Company. His vision is to run it as a next-generation network, with video content programs that engage audiences and drive results. AJ is fulfilling his American dream by redefining influence as making the world better through creativity and technology.

https://www.limitless.inc/

https://www.instagram.com/ajthedigitalmaestro/

🎧 Listen now on:

👉 Apple

👉 Spotify

👉 YouTube

👉 Newsletter

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Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Paddy Dhanda: Dear friend. I hope you're having a well earned break from the daily grind of work during the festive period. And hopefully Samta delivered that much wanted present that you had on your Christmas list. 2023 will be remembered as the year of AI.

With the experts warning us of the ethical issues. It poses. It seems like a gift that we weren't quite prepared for.

There is no old Chinese proverb that states when the wind have changed, blows some build walls. Others build windmills. We can either try to ignore AI. Or embrace it and discover new opportunities to continue to thrive at work. And with the growing uncertainty on the future of work and AI.

The Importance of Building Your Brand

[00:00:50] Paddy Dhanda: One of my biggest realizations of the past few years. Is the importance of building your brand. Not just at work. But on social media too. Whether you're applying for a new job or simply looking to build your reputation as a professional, having a social media presence is just as important as your CV.

Guest Introduction: AJ Kumar

[00:01:13] Paddy Dhanda: In today's episode, I'm joined by AIG Kumar, who is a search engine optimization expert and is the founder of the limitless company. Aja and his team on a mission to help entrepreneurs in the creator economy build for profit human healing brands. AAJ helped. Corporate brands like Salesforce, mint, Intuit, and industry leading personal brands. Including Neil Patel, Nikki Haskell and Kimberly Snyder.

So if you're looking to get more tips on how you can attract more views. Followers and engagement to your social media profiles. Then stay tuned as we lift the lid on the most impactful strategies to grow your online, following.

 From the city of the Peaky Blinders, Birmingham, England, I would like to introduce you to Paddy Dhanda. As the world becomes more automated and the robots take over, it's imperative that we build the right human skills for the future. So pull up a chair, grab a samosa or two, and make yourself very uncomfortable.

[00:02:29] Paddy Dhanda: I believe you are in a cool place in the world.

Would you like to share where and tell me a bit about your background, just so we get to know you a bit better.

[00:02:37] AJ: Yeah, definitely.

AJ Kumar's Journey in Digital Marketing

[00:02:38] AJ: So I'm in Los Angeles, literally right in Hollywood. I could, I can't see the Hollywood sign cause there's a dang building blocking it, but it's for sure back there. So I've been in digital marketing for like maybe about 15 years now. I had a buddy that I knew back in high school. His name is Neil Patel.

Got me into digital marketing. He really showed me the ropes. You may or may not have heard of him he owns a company called MP digital and He taught me about blogging. He taught me about Google He taught me about SEO and really got me to understand the digital world And I started working with him and his cousin Sujin and we had a an SEO agency in San Francisco back in like 2010 We worked with a lot of corporate brands helped him with SEO primarily I eventually got out of that and I gravitated towards working with thought leaders.

I started working with a person named Kimberly Snyder, who was a celebrity nutritionist. I helped take her blog from 30, 000 visitors a month to like over 500, 000 visitors a month. And that really opened my eyes up because at that time with her, I was able to develop essentially like a playbook for how to grow a brand on the internet.

And it helped her Get all that traffic, convert a lot of that traffic into email subscribers. I helped to become a New York Times best selling author three times and essentially build what is now referred to as a personality driven media company. And then as I developed that playbook, I started sharing that and helping other people.

I worked with a TV star as well as people from a variety of industries, from real estate, commercial real estate.

The Power of Social Media for Personal Branding

[00:04:14] AJ: Doctors, nutritionists, so I've been able to work in a lot of different areas and today I have a company called The Limitless Company and we specifically help our clients who are thought leaders leverage social media to get recognized, get known, and essentially convert all that attention that we're creating into opportunities, into revenue, into all the sorts of value.

[00:04:37] Paddy Dhanda: wow. I was going to say being based in LA, you may well have come across a few personalities famous celebrities who would certainly want to raise their profile. Could you share any of your other famous people you've worked with or any well known people?

[00:04:51] AJ: I can't share, like, like I have an A list celebrity that we work with. I can't share his name, but it's somebody that everybody sees all the time. And he's a really funny guy, but I come across these celebrities from time to time, and I've worked with anywhere from like D celebrities and as well as like an A list celebrity, and that's all great, but a lot of our bread and butter comes from working with people in the wellness industry.

So what I do is I work with people that are across the spectrum of. Entertainment and education and people that are more on the entertainment side We give them a little bit more educational value or people that are too much on the educational side We help them get a little bit more entertainment value.

 I'm in this like field of edutainment Yeah

[00:05:43] Paddy Dhanda: I think it really encompasses. The element of fun, entertainment, as well as education. And I really like that kind of marriage of the two. So that's super cool.

[00:05:53] AJ: Yeah, it's like, I don't know if you remember people like Bill Nye, the science guy, up like a lot of people, especially here in the States, grew up watching him and you could consider him as an edutainer, one of the pioneers of them, right? Where he made a, a subject that was traditionally boring into entertaining and fun and interesting.

And now on, even on Tik Tok and social media, you come across people that are similar. People that I don't know if you've ever seen the videos on TikTok where people get stuff like elephant toothpaste, for example, and they put water on it, and the elephant toothpaste gets really huge and weird, like, so you're starting to see a lot more and more of these edutainers, and it's fun.

It makes learning fun, right?

[00:06:35] Paddy Dhanda: whenever fun's involved, I'm there.

Understanding SEO and Organic Social Media

[00:06:37] Paddy Dhanda: We were talking about, organic SEO. Could you just explain that in a bit more detail? What does that actually mean for somebody who may not be familiar with even the term SEO?

[00:06:48] AJ: Yeah, and, SEO primarily has been on search engines like Google, where Google sorts out the content that you see when you look something up in, in terms of what's most relevant to the user. And they base it off of their algorithms, which factor in hundreds of different elements.

Traditionally, like the easiest way to understand it is you have a website and other websites are linking to your website. Signifies that your website is popular, especially if those words that are linking to that website are consistent all around. And then you start to rank for something like that.

Like if you wanted to rank for something like shoes, and then you have all these other websites that are pointing to your website with hyperlinks of shoes, then you're going to probably rank for that website for shoes. So that's traditionally how Google search engines worked. Social media organic is a bit different in that you're not necessarily searching for something.

You can, but a lot of social media today is about discovering things and it's fascinating how it works because it has to do with discovering things that you are interested in and things that you may not have even known that you were interested in yet. So it's crazy how powerful things got.

Creating Engaging Video Content

[00:08:00] Paddy Dhanda: I'm actually planning for 2024 to start to do more on social media, especially video content, short, sharp videos. And I've watched some of your awesome videos actually on LinkedIn. I think I've seen them and they're super cool. And I just love to be able to impart some knowledge.

In a very small amount of time, like, keeping it quite short. So if there are other people out there that are thinking of going down that journey of doing more in that space What sort of advice would you have for them in terms

what should they think about when they're even coming up with the concepts for these sort of videos?

What could they do in terms of then helping people engage more with that content and helping push that up in terms of the social media platforms as well?

The Iterative Process of Social Media Success

[00:08:49] AJ: So I think a big part of becoming successful on social media has to do with seeing it as an iterative process. I had a advisor help me understand this idea and relate branding to like software, right? Like I've a lot of friends in software business. Neil one of my friends in software business really helped me understand this, that software evolves over time.

Even when you think about stuff like Microsoft, you have version 1. 0012, 1. 0013, and they keep iterating the software and keep updating it. When you think of your brand, you really got to think of it the same way. Because before, when people think of brand, they think of perfection, they think of Coca Cola, they think of corporations and all that kind of stuff.

And yeah, they have perfected it to such a high level. But at the same time, these are companies that are spending millions and millions of dollars on developing that brand and getting people to remember that brand even exists. Whereas the average person or like us mere mortals, personal brands, human beings, we get too caught up in like perfection and wanting to create something so perfect and only having that.

And if we don't have that, then we just don't take action on it. So I think a big part of Becoming successful on social media and even starting your journey is to think of it as an iterative process and keep releasing videos. And it's hard for people that know long form content and someone that could talk for a really long period of time versus packaging it up into something that's a little bit more bite sized.

That is the hurdle in the beginning, but it's the hurdle that most people face. And the way to really just combat that is to create videos on a consistent basis where you're trying to make it better and better each time.

[00:10:28] Paddy Dhanda: I can totally relate to that because the amount of times where I've sat down and I've thought I'm going to create some content. And then I'm like, Oh, but the camera's not right. I need a higher quality camera, or I've looked at my background and I've gone, Oh that's got to change. I've got to have a beautiful background with lots of plants behind me and all that kind of stuff.

So it often does play on your mind when you see some of these more polished videos out there.

Standing Out in the Flooded Social Media Landscape

[00:10:53] Paddy Dhanda: And I guess though, social media is flooded at the moment. Like there is just so much content out there. So how do you stand out from the crowd? What will help you

get noticed, is the question.

[00:11:06] AJ: noticed, I guess is the question? Yeah. So the way I am seeing social media, like I get like, yeah, it's flooded, it kinda works as a supply and demand.

And also to take it even one step back. The concept of social media today has evolved a lot since it, it first came about 10, 15 years ago or so, whatever it was, whereas before it was very much you're connected to people that you know, and then occasionally you discover content from people that you that you know, and they know, and it was a very slow way of discovering things.

And for a long time, it was like a novelty. Social media was very much a novelty. In the beginning, it was fun and exciting, like, oh, I get to see people from high school, and oh, I remember that guy, and then it like, went away for a while, or be it became something that people didn't care much about.

And I know this in the sense that I've come across a lot of people that have bought bots or they try to like have more followers than they really do that aren't even real because they didn't care about it. They just, everyone just saw social media as this like vanity thing. But then in the last five or six years as TikTok came into the marketplace and the whole concept of short form vertical videos came into the marketplace, it opened up this whole new opportunity.

Because now, instead of you just seeing stuff from people that you know, or that they know, you're now discovering content from people that have similar interests to you. Or they have things that you're interested in, that complement something that you're interested in. So as the creator of the content, everyone now understands the concept of niching down, especially when you're trying to become an authority on a subject matter.

But then the people that typically stand out, when you look at, In the traditional media marketplace, you have Martha Stewart, you have Oprah, you have Ellen, a lot of these influential figures, these original influencers. They don't necessarily just have one core focus, but they also share other complementary areas.

So, I'll give you an example. With Kimberly, she was a plant based nutritionist. She also liked things like spirituality and yoga, and by incorporating and blending these other complementary niches into her core focus, made her stand out in the plant based nutrition world.

The Power of AI in Content Creation

[00:13:16] AJ: It made it so that she was different, and it also allowed people from yoga and spirituality to then discover her.

That normally wouldn't have discovered her because, before, if you only have one niche, people just discover you when they're looking for that specific thing. But if you add these other dimensions to it, it makes you stand out, and it makes you more of what humans are, multi dimensional beings. So when you could communicate that effectively, when you understand your niche and complementary niches, and then you could create content, and you're iterating that content, that's how people start to See you and recognize you and realize hey, you're different.

You're not just like a robot, which I think a lot of people are

[00:13:55] Paddy Dhanda: Got it. And that's been actually a bit of a dilemma for me as well. When I started this podcast, I was talking a lot about the human side of tech and human skills. And then at the back of my mind, I was like, but maybe that's too broad. Maybe I should be niching down. Although if you look at some of the episodes, there are certain topics that I do do more on because it's something that I am more passionate about. So things like creativity, that's like a huge part of what I do on a day to day basis, but I love to be broad as well, because it helps me just learn as well. So that's always been a dilemma.

So it's really interesting. You say that bringing in these complimentary interests, and passions into your core is quite a good strategy from what you're saying.

[00:14:39] AJ: Absolutely. Because even as you as a person, you have these other areas of interest. You may get bored talking about this one thing all the time. And by you just. Adding these other things, it just helps even more of the human side of you come out, right? Like, you become more passionate about what you're talking about, it becomes different, it becomes mixed.

 I always give this analogy where it's like, What happens when you take badminton, ping pong, and tennis, and put these three get pickleball. yOu get a different sport and as you could see in the world right now, pickleball is like one of the fastest growing sports.

Like it's been around for a while, but it's been pretty dormant forever. And then all of a sudden it started having this new life. And pickleball is essentially the blend of, tennis, ping pong, badminton . And you kind of take these complementary interests, you put it together and you get this whole new thing.

Similarly, on social media, you essentially have it. This infinite landscape, this digital landscape, and in this landscape are all these different areas of interest, right? Basketball, car racing, Barbie, whatever it is. And people congregate into these different interests. That's how the algorithm moves you into these different little communities that are online.

Like, essentially they're like rooms.

The Importance of Experience in Content Creation

[00:15:53] AJ: So, when you are, taking something from here, you're taking something from there, you essentially create your own niche, like you become your own niche as you blend these other niches together. And instead of competing with basketball, now you're mixing up basketball and movies or whatever it is, right?

And that helps you stand out, helps you ultimately differentiate yourself from everybody else. And that's really the key is if you want to stand out, you got to figure out what that differentiating factor is.

[00:16:21] Paddy Dhanda: You mentioned you've ended up creating a playbook for people. You mentioned sort of Kimberley's blog and how you've taken that, from 30, 000 up to, I forget the exact number, but it sounded huge.

[00:16:35] AJ: Hers was 30, 000 to 500, 000 visitors a month. That was mostly Google majority and then also social media traffic. This is in between 2012 and

[00:16:45] Paddy Dhanda: Wow. And so could you share maybe a handful of tips for anyone who's in a similar situation who's thinking about really upping their game in terms of their blog? Are there some quick wins that they can immediately start to do to start to help with that ranking?

[00:17:03] AJ: Yeah. Well, I've switched things up. Instead of focusing so much on a blog and a website to building your brand on social, if you're building your blog, ideally when you're building this brand and you're trying to build your brand on all these different channels, one, you don't own all these channels, right?

Especially social media. You're renting that. A blog and a website you do own, so it's great to have that. The other thing is trying to make it cohesive, right? Like, you gotta figure out how to share your message accordingly on Instagram, and TikTok, and YouTube, and then also on your blog, right? It's similar, but it's different, but you still want to make it all cohesive.

But the beauty is, when you are creating this content, I think starting off with video is now the fastest way for you to get discovered and get growth. I know that with a lot of the clients that I take on today, we help them achieve pretty significant results within like three to six months. By significant results, I mean like millions of views.

It doesn't happen all the time. It doesn't happen for everybody. I do work with a specific type of clientele. People that are successful in their industry. And then they're an expert at what it is that they do and I help them package up that expertise in a way and leverage social media algorithms and a content strategy in a way that helps them get discovered and helps them get noticed.

And then help them to achieve that viewership month over month. But I think right now the best thing a person could do if they're trying to build their brand, whether it's their personal brand or if it's a corporate brand, is to Become a thought leader in whatever area that you're in whatever field that you're in and leverage short form vertical video content Just because the demand is so incredibly high right now, right?

They say like the average people are spending about 2. 5 hours a day on social media And so you can only imagine How many videos a person consumes within that period of time, right? If they're 15 30 second videos a person can be consuming, 50 100 Maybe more pieces of content. So, I think the opportunity it's still massive on social right now for you to become that person in your niche, in your area and get seen.

And then it becomes more of a like, trying to keep it up. It's one thing for a person to start and then like do it for a minute, but then it's another thing for a person to do it for a year, for two years, for three years, for four years, right? That's the mindset that you really need to have because most people get burned out.

Most people stop, most people forget or don't want to do it. They get tired of it. And that's essentially why I created my company is because I realized that this is such a big problem, right? It becomes like this hamster wheel effect because it's like you're always trying to feed the algorithm and then people start blaming the algorithm and they start blaming social media.

But the reality is, social media is free, social media is a communication tool that anybody could use. And I always see it, I err on the side of like, hey, I'm grateful that this concept even exists. And that I get to leverage it. These algorithms aren't against me. Social media is not trying to like. Not make me succeed.

It wants me to succeed, right? So then it becomes more of the game of how can I package it up in a way that makes sense for the algorithm to show it to more people, right? For people to actually watch the content and then watch it as much of it all the way through because that's ultimately what it's trying to achieve.

It wants to satisfy. The users, right? Just like Google's algorithm is ultimately, they put websites at the top that satisfy the user's search result, right? They search for something, they go on the page, they take action and act, and perform activities on the page. Google thinks, hey, this website is doing its job.

It's fulfilling the satisfaction of the user. Social media is similar in that If people see your video and then they watch your video and they see it all the way through, or most of it all the way through, that counts as satisfaction. So you're essentially leveraging it to help you do it.

[00:21:08] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, and I can absolutely appreciate the work that goes into creating content. just do the podcast and That's a big commitment, especially when you got other commitments going on, like family. we've just bought a puppy. So, you know what, he's been taking up a lot of our time and then,

[00:21:26] AJ: up a lot of our

[00:21:27] Paddy Dhanda: Trying to do the editing, trying to do all of the descriptions that's all,

[00:21:31] AJ: descriptions

[00:21:31] Paddy Dhanda: A lot of work, especially when you're doing things on a regular cadence and talking about cadence.

[00:21:36] AJ: and talking

[00:21:37] Paddy Dhanda: How regularly would you recommend, if someone's serious about this, that they should post at a minimum, especially video content?

[00:21:45] AJ: I have one client named Nikki Haskell. Her user handle is BigNickBH. She's so funny. She's 83 years

old. And she's like, she's coined as the grey influencer. And we helped her grow from nothing. Like she used to be, she used to have like a TV show back in the 70s.

And then just, lived her life and whatnot. And then met her through a mutual client and or a mutual friend. And then helped take her TikTok from like, I think it was like 7, 000 8, 7, 000, 10, 000 followers to now it's almost 400, 000 followers on each platform. And now we're getting like maybe 5 million views average a month on our channels.

And it's always great when that happens because Like, person like that has this advice and is making this kind of impact deserves to have that kind of attention. And when you have that kind of attention, then it just comes down to how you want to wield that attention and what you want to do with it.

And if it's benefiting people, if it's positively impacting people, it's what it's all about. Yeah,

[00:22:48] Paddy Dhanda: I want to meet that woman. 83 years old. She's like a legend on social media. That sounds amazing.

[00:22:54] AJ: legend social media.

It's phenomenal. And I really see that we're part of the new Hollywood, right? The digital Hollywood that exists. In traditional Hollywood, you have, you had these actor strikes and these writer strikes and from what I heard, the terms of those agreements are, for two years or for three years, because a lot of these people are afraid of AI and what it's capable of doing, because it could essentially annihilate, human creativity to some extent. I think it's going to make a bigger impact than it's already making, obviously. And now it comes down to being able to use it in a way that is helping you express your creativity even more. Which is cool. I don't know how long this is going to last.

10 years, 20 years, 50 years, to where the, this whole concept of creating art, entertaining and All this content creation is a thing, but now is the time to really maximize it, and leverage it, and take advantage of it.

[00:23:52] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, oh, that whole debate on AI, that's a whole episode in its own right because every day I see these cool apps that people are launching and you can just do so much with them, especially on the creativity front some of the art that you can create and even the video that's being pumped out right now is absolutely phenomenal.

 I have traditionally used text and used websites and blogs and things like that to get my message out. And from what you're saying is actually video content is a quicker route to start to get a following.

but if I do want to stay on that more traditional sort of platform of writing regularly.

[00:24:33] AJ: writing

[00:24:33] Paddy Dhanda: Is there advice there? So to be able to feed Google and try to still stay up in the rankings. Would you have any advice for people that want to stick with that versus the video side?

[00:24:45] AJ: Yeah, I think we're heading to an area or a period where you got to have really rich experiences. So if it's on your website, like when, even with Kimberly's brand, when I was orchestrating that a lot of the posts that went, that became really successful were things like infographics or they were.

Trends and articles about things that are happening in other parts of the world that are becoming trending now, right? Like that was in the nutrition space and we found and discovered that a lot of the trends that are happening in Europe are gonna happen in the US or Like I knew Ayurveda was gonna become more popular in the US because I already knew was popular in India, right?

So The infographics that we created just give this this whole new experience, this visual experience. And a lot of people love the visual experience. So, even if you are planning to go into the route of creating more text, and that's great, I think you still need to enhance it. You still need to enrich it.

And provide more media to it. And, right, like what you just talked about, there are all these new AI tools. If you don't want to be the face of it, or if you don't want to be the front of it, at least use these tools to make it so that The users that are reading your content are getting a more rich experience.

[00:25:54] Paddy Dhanda: like I was saying about the podcast as well, I now do use some AI tools to help with things like the show notes and then I'll refine them and evolve them. But it's a great starting point because it helps me start. Without a blank piece of paper, otherwise I'll be racking my brain forever trying to figure things out.

So, I'm sure on this episode we'll be doing the same as well.

[00:26:13] AJ: And there's also things like There's a guy named Alex Mosey who I think It was one of the, like the first guys that kind of came up with this concept, but even if you like and enjoy written content, start creating that content on X or threads as a way to get your ideas out. And then if you could get some activity on threads or X, then it gives you an indicator of the type of content that's interesting to people.

Right. It also helps like a starting point where you take ideas that you have, turn them into short dots. And then those dots can then be turned into videos. Those dots can then be expanded into more comprehensive blog posts. Right? So, that's why I'm saying all these channels could be working in tandem with one another when you do it a lot more intentionally and strategically.

[00:26:57] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, actually, that was going to be my other question was the fact that there are just so many platforms now. And like you mentioned, threads, which is one of the new ones. If somebody was thinking about starting off on this journey, Is there one or two platforms that you would really recommend or is it very much based on your outcome that you're looking for?

[00:27:21] AJ: think it depends on different people. Like for some people, I'd be Instagram and TikTok. It's really fast, really easy to get results on that. thRee to six months of consistency and kind of getting feedback and also seeing what other people are doing. I think that's a great way to get a lot of action, a lot of activity.

Twitter or X and threads, maybe not as fast, just because the demand in social short form is so high. YouTube Shorts is also great. I think it requires a bit of a different approach. There has been what's called I think it's called like the Mr. Beastification of YouTube. So a lot of YouTube content is similar to that style and that's the kind of content that is working well.

Then there's also another play. You could have an SEO play on YouTube where you could create content so that you could reverse engineer it based off of the type of content people are searching for, right? So if And all of these are different strategies. Some of these are much more long term strategies.

Some of these are much, like, they could be short form long term strategies. You could leverage trends, what's happening and trying to package your niche into whatever that trend is. So it really just depends. That's why, it's like, in my industry, in my world right now, I see a lot of agencies.

There's a lot of video editors and a lot of people that are trying to help people on social media. But A lot of them are really just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. A lot of people aren't really thinking through strategies. And that becomes a big differentiator for the people that I work, I've been working with because I help them build strategies first and really think through and understand what the space looks like.

And then from that place we create content and then we get feedback and then we iterate it. It's not just about like, oh, just creating whatever you think is going to work, and then putting captions on top of it, and trying to make it look cool. The editing is part of it, but a really big part of what you're doing is trying to package up these ideas so that it's resonating with people today.

[00:29:20] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, great advice. And if, for example I was looking for some tools that might help me with things like the titles or descriptions and things like that to actually do the research and analysis, is there any free tools that you would recommend? Any resources that I could have a look at?

[00:29:38] AJ: You can look at things like so Neil has a tool called answer the public. That's a pretty great tool, gives you a lot of information really quickly. So that's a really strong way as a starting point. Cause you could type in keywords or phrases and then start to understand different ways people different angles for that keyword.

Right? Different ways people could look at that keyword. And that helps you understand those topics from different perspectives. And then In addition to that, you also want to search for these topics on things like TikTok. And then you could see other people that have these videos that have gone viral, or that have millions of views or hundreds of thousands of views.

And then those become indicators that, hey, this topic has a lot of potential. How can I create something that's like this, but better and different? Right? So then you continue to do that. And then you start to learn what works for you as well, because you just copying somebody else's topic isn't going to be it.

It's you understanding, Hey, there's opportunity with this topic. How could I now embrace it? How could I now deliver this information in a way that's more unique from me, from my unique experience, because in this AI world that we live in, anybody could seem like the expert. Anyone can regurgitate stuff that chat GPT or Claude or Bard spits out, but it's another thing to really understand the nuances and have actual experience.

Right, in Google land, they have something called EEAT, E E A T, Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust. And it's how Google ranks websites and basically you could take that concept of how Google ranks websites and apply it in social media land as well. So So, experience is something new that they just added to E last year and it goes hand in hand with the rise of AI.

So if everyone could spit out similar information, but if you could provide experience, something that has nuances, then that gives you a leg up. So I think now we're in this place where if you're an expert, trying to become a thought leader trying to get bigger on social media, figure out more ways to integrate your personal unique experiences and unique perspectives into the content. And then let your personality come through from that. That's what people start to attach themselves to. Now you're a personality and you're delivering this information. And now you have something to work

[00:32:03] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, great advice there. That's actually a really good tip. I was thinking about some of that as well, a while back when I was thinking about these videos, I was thinking, do I just come across as very educational, very formal, or should I be bringing some of them? Those past experiences in and adding those kind of stories as well.

And I did settle on the stories cause I can't resist telling a story so that is good to hear. And in terms of the future of social media and, this whole world of SEO. What are you seeing? What are the things that we should be aware of?

The Future of Social Media and SEO

[00:32:38] Paddy Dhanda: Are there any new developments aside from AI that you're hearing about that perhaps will completely change the game for people?

[00:32:46] AJ: I think a big thing is like, a lot of people right now are just trying to use AI and copy pasting what it saying and that's it. And there, that's the work that they think they're doing and I think that's going to work. I think a lot of people are gonna realize very quickly in the coming months that it's not an effective strategy.

I think even to like the basis of your show and what you're talking about We still have that human value that becomes a lot more leveraged so if you could utilize AI in a way where it's you know assisting you and becoming a superhuman version of yourself I think that's what you really want to focus on.

That's what you really want to develop, right? Cause I don't know if you're hearing this or you're seeing this, but a lot of people are talking about like the workforce of the future really needs to understand AI. Cause if you don't, you're probably going to be left behind. Even for me as somebody that employs people and has a team and brings people on the team, if somebody doesn't have AI experience or doesn't know how to use AI or leverage AI in some way, shape or form, It doesn't help them.

It makes them weaker in some respect, right? Whereas people that get it or are really excited about it, that I know they can, they could help move things a lot faster. So I think a lot of it really has to do with mastering AI. And I'm not just talking about prompt engineering. I'm talking about how you could take ideas and concepts in your head and leverage AI to make those real and if you could do that, then your brain and your mind starts working more effectively and it becomes a lot more sophisticated and what your output is becomes a lot more sophisticated and I think that's going to have a really big impact. And just like a little bit more of a practical thing for people that are new that are getting into this, even doing things like mind mapping, right?

Even something like creating a mind map of a topic and then using a mind map to. Understand the different aspects of that topic and using AI to help you mind map different topics, just expands what you're able to talk about and how effectively you could communicate these topics.

And I think that's what's gonna get you discovered and get more people to wanna listen to.

[00:34:53] Paddy Dhanda: So AJ, we are fast approaching time and I was going to ask you one of my favorite questions. So if I could give you any superpower in the world to abolish something or ban something in the world of work, what would that be for you?

[00:35:09] AJ: Let's ban bots. Bots are really annoying. They make things complicated and hard and it sucks when I come across clients and prospects that have bots. It just makes life a lot harder. It's like, hey, let's just get rid of the bots and let's start from scratch or let's start anew and we can get results a lot

[00:35:25] Paddy Dhanda: Got it. So we like AI, but we don't like the AI

[00:35:28] AJ: yeah, we don't like the

[00:35:29] Paddy Dhanda: Got it.

[00:35:30] AJ: We like AI helping us humans connect with each other more effectively. But If it's bots and they're spamming and that kind of junk, it's no use. Who are you trying to fool?

[00:35:40] Paddy Dhanda: I agree with you. I have to say, I do agree with you on that. I saw somebody on social media who was getting bots to post automatically likes and things like that on their own posts. And it was a bit weird because they're not real humans. And they're just getting these robots to vote for them and stuff.

And it was not a good thing.

[00:36:01] AJ: Yeah, and I guess let's specify bots on like social media. Cause I don't know, some bots, that help humans in some respect might be a good thing. I don't mean all bots. I'm specifically talking about those spam bots that like, spam your comments, or like your, like, and all that stuff that's just

[00:36:17] Paddy Dhanda: Got it. Okay. So for one whole day, we're going to ban bots and then we'll see how it goes. We'll do a quick trial on that. And AJ, if people want to know more about this fascinating world of SEO, are there any resources you would recommend and how can people get in touch with you and the great work you're doing?

Conclusion and Contact Information

[00:36:34] AJ: Yeah, so more so in the world of social media, if you want to get really known in the world of social media, then you can follow me on Instagram. I'm creating a lot more content myself. I've been working with clients and helping them, but in the recent months, I'm creating a lot more content myself.

I have a book coming out pretty soon. It's called Guru Inc. It's essentially about becoming a thought leader that everybody wants to follow. And you can visit my website, limitless. inc. Learn more about our company and how we help people build, grow, and scale their personal brands.

[00:37:03] Paddy Dhanda: Ah, fantastic. And that book sounds amazing. I will be in touch when that comes out. Do you know when it's coming out?

[00:37:09] AJ: Like mid next year.

[00:37:10] Paddy Dhanda: So we have a few months.

[00:37:11] AJ: I'm in, yeah, just finished it, now need to change up a few items and yeah, about mid next

year should

be good to go.

[00:37:17] Paddy Dhanda: Just on a side note, how did you find that experience of writing a book? Is it your first book you've written or have you done it before?

[00:37:24] AJ: It was the first book I had written. It was an interesting experience. I wasn't planning to. I was, as I was trying to find somebody to help me write like a simple e book, I can't, like some writer discovered me and just, like, pitched me on this idea of creating a much more big concept book, and that is what led me down this path.

It's been like a year ish year and a few months. It's been a little challenging because you're like in a vacuum trying to create all of this. And then I finally was able to get feedback from like real agents and stuff. And I got really good feedback and now I'm able to mold it to how it needs to be.

But, challenging. I've had writers that help me. Like they're scribes, right? Like they're all my ideas, my stories, and the writers help me package the stories up in a way that is going to be good for the reader's experience. So I don't think a lot of people understand that and It's challenging.

You could write your own book. You could get scribes to help you write your book. It's a challenging journey, but I think you got to really look at it as like more of a self discovery journey because ultimately, it helps you understand your topic, your expertise a lot more effectively.

So when you can look at it like that, it helps get you

[00:38:31] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, I love that. You've almost gone from short form TikTok to actually doing some long form YouTube stuff there from what you're saying.

[00:38:39] AJ: Yeah. And because it's like the long form. I think you do need both long form really sets you up for like that body of knowledge. And then that body of knowledge could then be like splintered into these little bits and pieces that you could share with people. And then that's how I envision people, it's like Marvel has their cinematic universe.

That's essentially how we're all creating our little, our little cinematic universes.

[00:39:01] Paddy Dhanda: fantastic. Well, AJ, it's been a pleasure getting to know you over this last hour or so. And the time has just flown by. So I really appreciate you taking the time today. And thank you so much.

 It's the end of another episode. Thank you so much for listening. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn and drop me a message. And let me know your favorite takeaways from the episode. Also, don't forget to subscribe to the superpower school newsletter so that you can be notified of all future episodes. Simply visit the website, www.superpowers.school. Thank you once again

The Marketing Superpower: Using Stories to Explain What You Do

In today's digital age, crafting a narrative to explain what you do has become more crucial than ever. The power of storytelling isn't limited to businesses; it's an essential tool for professionals aiming to be more impactful at work.

✍️ The Power of Brand Stories

Bert's Bees Origin Story

Bert Shavitz, a former photojournalist in New York, turned his back on the hectic city life for a quieter, simpler existence in the backwoods of Maine. Taking up beekeeping, he led a solitary life far removed from urban chaos. One fateful day, while hitchhiking, Roxanne Quimby received a ride from Bert, igniting a connection that would change their lives forever.

Together, they started a honey business, and their leftover beeswax inspired a new kind of lip balm. The product quickly became popular, not just for its quality but for the story it embodied—a natural, pure creation born of nature and human creativity. This tale gave rise to the iconic Burt’s Bees brand, now valued at over $1 billion.

This brand’s success story teaches the importance of storytelling in building emotional connections with customers, demonstrating that a well-crafted narrative can enhance product value beyond a simple logo.

How Storytelling Connects Customers to Brands

Narratives like those of Burt’s Bees foster a deeper connection between customers and brands. By sharing their journey, businesses invite customers to be part of their story. This approach can turn simple products into beloved brands, where consumers feel emotionally invested.

Why Stories Matter for Professionals, Not Just Businesses

Storytelling isn’t just for businesses. Professionals can leverage narratives to explain what they do, create connections, and stand out in their careers. Personal stories can humanise professionals, making their skills and experiences more relatable and memorable.

📜 Chirag Nijjer's Background

Growing Up in a Small Business Family

Chirag Nijjer grew up in a family that ran a small business, an environment that shaped his identity. From a young age, he learned invaluable skills such as public speaking, sales, and marketing.

Early Fascination with Branding and Marketing

Chirag's early fascination with branding and marketing was sparked while growing up in New York City. Observing the power of branding in everyday items, like tactical backpacks, kindled his interest in what makes products stand out.

Education and Career Path

Attending Lafayette College on a Posse Scholarship, Chirag delved deep into business studies, conducting workshops and helping small businesses. His educational journey led him to a successful career, currently working at Google as a Platinum Customer Success Lead while also establishing himself as a public speaker and TikTok sensation.

Current Roles at Google and as a Public Speaker

At Google, Chirag's role involves crisis management and proactive problem-solving for some of the world’s largest advertisers. Parallelly, he enjoys a speaking career, sharing insights into marketing and branding, helping professionals convey their narratives effectively.

🌍 The Importance of Cultural Identity in Business

Embracing Cultural Background as a Superpower

Chirag emphasises the importance of embracing one's cultural background. He shares that it wasn’t always easy being of South Asian descent in corporate America, but over time he realised that his cultural identity was a superpower.

How Sharing Personal Stories Creates Connections

Whether it’s sharing childhood memories or speaking one’s native language, personal stories create strong connections. Chirag highlights that these narratives add a unique layer to one's professional brand, making it more relatable and authentic.

The Rise of South Asian Representation on Social Media

Social media platforms like TikTok have been instrumental in showcasing diverse cultural backgrounds. Chirag points out how South Asian representation has grown, helping to normalise and celebrate cultural identities.

🎯 Key Marketing Concepts

The AIDA Marketing Funnel

Awareness

The AIDA model starts with awareness. Customers need to know a product or brand exists. For businesses and professionals, this means making a first strong impression.

Interest

Next is generating interest. This could involve sharing intriguing details or stories that pique curiosity and make your audience want to learn more.

Desire

Generating desire involves making people want what you offer. It's about conveying the benefits and making your product or skills seem essential.

Action

Finally, action is the step where the audience commits to purchasing or engaging. Clear calls to action facilitate this step, guiding the audience to make a decision.

How Brands Guide Customers Through These Stages

Successful brands guide customers through the AIDA stages deliberately, ensuring each step invites and retains customer engagement. Techniques include targeted advertising and personalised content.

Applying the AIDA Concept to Personal Branding

Professionals can use the AIDA model to craft a personal narrative. Start by getting noticed, then share compelling aspects of your work, make people want to know you better, and finally, encourage them to take specific actions, like connecting on LinkedIn.

📖 The Six Essential Brand Stories

1. Origin Story

A company’s origin story explains how it began. Like the tale of Burt’s Bees, it helps form an emotional connection by highlighting the brand’s journey and mission.

2. Culture Stories

These stories showcase what a company stands for beyond its products, reflecting values and ethics. Ben & Jerry’s focus on social justice issues is a prime example.

3. Product Stories

Product stories delve into the specifics, enhancing customer understanding by highlighting features and benefits.

4. Societal Stories

These address broader societal issues, showing that a brand is attuned to current events and concerns. Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign is a notable example.

5. Customer Stories

These narratives feature satisfied customers and their experiences. Starbucks highlighted customer experiences to show their diverse community.

6. Future Stories

Future stories give a glimpse into what the brand aspires to achieve. Brands like Tesla and Virgin Atlantic use this to inspire and lead their consumers toward the future.

How to Develop These Stories for Your Own Brand

Developing these stories involves introspection and creativity. Identify key moments, values, products, societal issues, customer testimonials, and future goals to craft a comprehensive narrative.

🗣️ Storytelling Techniques for Professionals

The Power of Simplicity in Storytelling

Keeping stories simple and relevant helps in making them more relatable and memorable. Avoid over-complicating details to keep your audience engaged.

Using Specific Language to Shape Perceptions

Use language purposely to shape how people perceive you. For instance, if you want to be seen as a problem solver, repeatedly mention the problems you’ve solved.

Practicing Storytelling Skills

Storytelling, like any skill, improves with practice. Share your stories regularly to refine your narrative and improve delivery.

📊 Tips for Effective Presentations

Avoiding Rigid Scripts

Chirag advises against rigid scripts for presentations. Instead, focus on key points and allow for flexibility to make room for spontaneous moments.

Using Slides as Visual Aids, Not Crutches

Slides should assist your narrative, not dominate it. They serve as visual anchors, keeping the audience’s attention without distracting from your speech.

Embracing Authenticity and Human Moments

Embrace your human moments, whether it’s forgetting a statistic or acknowledging a wardrobe malfunction. These moments make you more relatable and approachable.

🚫 Common Mistakes in Branding and Marketing

Lack of Clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Many fail to set clear KPIs, leading to misguided efforts. Define specific, measurable outcomes to gauge success effectively.

Focusing on the Wrong Metrics

Focusing on vanity metrics like followers instead of meaningful ones like engagement or sales can lead to poor strategic decisions. Always align metrics with your objectives.

Example: Followers vs. Sales for Online Businesses

Followers might indicate popularity, but they don’t always lead to sales. Evaluate what truly drives revenue and focus your efforts there.

💡 Developing Your Storytelling Skills

Acknowledging Privilege in Communication

Recognising your position and how it affects your communication can help in addressing biases and improving inclusivity.

The Importance of Practice and Repetition

Storytelling improves with continuous practice and repetition. Engage in regular opportunities to share your stories and refine your narrative skills.

Allowing for Spontaneity and "In-the-Moment" Pivots

Be open to spontaneous moments during storytelling. They can add an element of surprise and authenticity, making your narrative more engaging.

🎭 Creating Memorable Moments in Presentations

Using Humour and Self-Deprecation

Humour and self-deprecation can break the ice and make your presentation more enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself—your audience will appreciate it.

Calling Out Potential Distractions

Acknowledging potential distractions, like a forgotten belt, can turn an awkward situation into a shared moment of laughter.

Breaking the Fourth Wall to Connect with Audiences

Engage directly with your audience to create a sense of connection. Breaking the fourth wall makes your presentation more interactive and memorable.

🤝 The Value of Transparency in Professional Settings

Openly Discussing Goals and Ambitions

Transparency about your goals and ambitions fosters trust and facilitates better collaboration among teams.

How Transparency Can Lead to Better Teamwork

When team members understand each other's goals, they can work more effectively together, aligning efforts toward common objectives.

Overcoming the Stigma Around Ambition

Break the stigma around discussing ambition. It’s natural and beneficial to be open about what you want to achieve, fostering a supportive work environment.

📚 Resources for Learning More About Storytelling and Branding

Book Recommendation: "Winning the Story Wars" by Jonah Sachs

Jonah Sachs’s book, "Winning the Story Wars", delves into how those who craft and live the best stories will rule the future. It’s an indispensable read for anyone looking to hone their storytelling craft.

Chirag's Online Content and Speaking Engagements

Chirag offers a wealth of insights through his online content and speaking engagements. Visit chogspeaks.com or connect with him on TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more tips and guidance.

🗂️ Key Takeaways

Storytelling is an invaluable skill for both businesses and professionals. It helps create connections, establish authenticity, and communicate effectively. Start developing your own brand stories today by identifying key moments, sharing personal experiences, and embracing authenticity.

❓ FAQs

1. What are the six essential brand stories?

* Origin story, culture stories, product stories, societal stories, customer stories, and future stories.

2. Why is storytelling important for professionals?

* It helps create connections, humanises their skills and experiences, and makes them stand out in their careers.

3. How can one practice storytelling?

* Regularly share stories in professional settings, focus on key points, and be open to spontaneous moments during the narrative.

4. What is the AIDA marketing funnel?

* AIDA stands for Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action. It’s a model guiding customers through the process of becoming aware of and interested in a product or brand, to the point of taking action.

5. Why is transparency important in professional settings?

* It fosters trust, facilitates better teamwork, and overcomes the stigma around discussing ambition.

📚 Recommended Resources and Insights

* "Winning the Story Wars" by Jonah Sachs, recommended by Chirag for deeper insights into storytelling in marketing.

* “How to make learning as addictive as social media” TED Talk, recommended by Paddy

Chirag Nijjer

"Chirag makes you want to stay in a 60-minute workshop for 60 more minutes" - With an online audience of 60k+ followers & 6.1M+ views, Chirag is a recognized expert in simplifying complex business concepts into practical advice. With compelling digital content and global speaking engagements, he employs dynamic real-world storytelling to help entrepreneurs navigate toward setting clear objectives and following research-backed methods.In his “9-to-5”, Chirag is a Platinum Customer Success Lead at Google. He works with some of the world's largest global brands, as an expert in crisis management and proactive problem-solving.His accolades include the Hunsicker Business Studies Award, a Dyer Innovation Fellowship, and appointments as a Whitman Economics Fellow, Dyer Innovator-in-Residence, and a c-e-o.org Global Ventures Judge.If you’d like to get in touch, reach out to [email protected]!

Links

* Website: ChiragSpeaks.com

* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiragspeaks/

* Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrekey

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiragspeaks/\

Thanks for reading Superpowers School! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

🔥 I’m proud to announce the British Computer Society The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS ) is an official collaborator of the podcast and I’m thankful for their support in making this episode possible 🙏🏽

In this exclusive interview, Mark Pesce shares his journey of writing his new book published by the BCS, "Getting Started with ChatGPT and AI Chatbots." He was inspired by the realisation that billions of Windows users would soon need guidance on how to use powerful AI tools following Microsoft’s launch of co-pilot. The book aims to provide "rules of the road" for AI newcomers, avoiding technical jargon. Mark also discusses generative AI tools and the importance of understanding different AI models like Claude and Google Bard.

👉🏽 AI's rapid evolution requires a balance between innovation and ethical regulation.

👉🏽 Understanding various AI models and their uses is crucial for effective application.

👉🏽 Proper prompt engineering can significantly improve AI's performance and output.

👉🏽 While AI presents concerns for privacy and job security, it also offers opportunities for enhancing productivity and focusing on uniquely human skills.

👉🏽 The future of AI should be approached with cautious optimism, focusing on its potential to augment human capabilities.

🎁 You can purchase the book 👉🏽 https://rebrand.ly/3b93tly

The book is illustrated by my good friend Grant Wright (please do check out his LinkedIn profile for his amazing work).

🎁 You can purchase the book 👉🏽 https://rebrand.ly/3b93tly

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Mark Pesce (Author)

Across a more than forty years in technology, Mark Pesce has been deeply involved in some of the major transitions points in the modern history of computing. After prototyping the SecurID card - the first 2FA device - in 1983, Pesce went on to develop firmware for X.25 networks, a forerunner of today’s Internet. At Shiva Corporation he developed software for a series of wide-area networking products praised for their ease of use and reliability. 

Inspired by Ted Nelson’s hypermedia system, Project Xanadu, and William Gibson’s ‘cyberspace’, Pesce invented core elements of a consumer-priced networked VR system, reducing the cost of sensing an object’s orientation by a thousand-fold with his ‘sourceless orientation sensor’ (US Patent 5526022A). 

After collaborating with Sega on Virtua VR, Pesce, working with visionary engineer Tony Parisi, blended real-time 3D with the World Wide Web to create the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). With VRML, Pesce and Parisi laid the foundations for today’s metaverse, culminating with its adoption as MPEG-4 Interactive Profile (ISO/IEC 14496) in 1998.

Pesce wrote VRML: Browsing and Building Cyberspace - his first book - in 1995, followed by VRML: Flying through the Web in 1997. In 2000, Ballantine Books published The Playful World: How Technology is Transforming our Imagination. In that book, three children’s toys - the Furby, LEGO Mindstorms and Sony’s Playstation 2 - act as entry points in an exploration of how interactive devices shape a child’s imagination. 

Appointed in 1997 as Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television, Pesce founded the School’s program in Interactive media. In 2003, Pesce moved to Sydney to found the program in New and Emerging Media at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, guiding postgraduates through a transition to digital production, distribution, and promotion. Shortly after arriving in Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation featured Pesce on their long-running hit series The New Inventors. Every Wednesday evening, Pesce celebrated the best Australian inventions and their inventors. A sought-after commentator, he writes a multiple award-winning column for The Register, and another for COSMOS Magazine.

Pesce analyzed the impacts of media-sharing and social networks in two books: Hyperpolitics: Power on a Connected Planet (2009), and The Next Billion Seconds (2011). Pesce’s 2021 book, Augmented Reality: Unboxing Tech’s Next Big Thing, critiques the design of augmented reality systems, questioning whether these devices truly serve their users - or simply stream valuable data back to their manufacturers. 

Pesce holds an appointment as Honorary Associate in the Digital Cultures Program at the University of Sydney.

🎁 You can purchase the book 👉🏽 HERE

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.

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Transcription:

[00:01:04] Paddy Dhanda: Isaac Newton once said, what we know is a drop. What we don't know is an ocean. As each day goes by. AI is expanding our job of knowledge exponentially. Just a year ago on November the 30th, 2022.

Chat GPT burst onto the scene. Setting the digital world ablaze. Up until this moment. TikTok has been the fastest growing up, which had taken nine months to reach a hundred million users. . But chat GPT surpassed this milestone in just two months.

The rise of this technology has sparked debates on data rights, misinformation, and ethical dilemmas. On the flip side, it has democratized knowledge, streamlined global communication and revolutionized productivity in the business world.

The AI genie has truly been let out of the bottle. The EU is busy, developing the AI act to try and safeguard the future of humanity.

Interview with Mark Pesce: AI Expert and Author

[00:02:08] Paddy Dhanda: So for today's episode, I'm joined by Mark Pesce. He speaks exclusively about his new book. Getting started with ChatGPT and AI chat bots: An introduction to generative AI tools.

Mark is a technology visionary with over 40 years of experience. He began his career by inventing the secure ID card in 1983. Uh, pioneering step in two factor authentication. He co-created the virtual reality modelling language. Forming the foundation of today's metaverse. He's also an accomplished author and commentator for the register. And cosmos magazine. And for a techie. He's one of the most engaging speakers I've ever had the privilege of speaking with.

This episode was made possible by the amazing people at the British computing societies publishing group who have just become an official collaborator of the podcast. So, thank you so much.

The Inspiration Behind Mark's New Book

[00:03:14] Paddy Dhanda: So Mark, you've written this book and I'm really curious to know what inspired you to write it.

[00:03:20] Mark Pesce: So the back story here is that Ian Borthwick, who's the publisher at BCS Books, had reached out to me, I don't know, probably the beginning of April, because I write a column for the Register, and the Register is published out of the UK. It is the oldest and crankiest website for news and IT. It's basically designed to be read by middle aged, cranky IT managers.

And it's very... Not so much brutal, but how about honest with its opinions and free with its opinions. And I love being a columnist for it because I get to talk about a bunch of stuff. And he wrote to me and said, Mark, we really enjoy your columns. Should you be interested in doing a book for us? It's like maybe I did a book a couple of years ago.

Wasn't necessarily interested in doing another one. It's like, well, maybe a book about AI and like, No. And the reason I said no is because it was all moving too fast. This was sort of April, right? Chat GPT was a couple of months old. There was a lot going on. Nothing was really static. And I was fending him off gently in emails.

May came, and I was working in May at a great big client event. I do a lot of public speaking. And I'd just finished the last one of these. And these were overnight events. I would travel, go do the event, come back the next day. And I woke up. And I woke up, it's the 27th of May here in Sydney. And overnight in America, Microsoft had had a huge event.

It's called their Develop event. And Satya Nadella had gotten on stage, the CEO of Microsoft, and announced Windows Copilot. And I'm sitting in bed, reading my feeds, as I do before I get out of bed in the morning, literally 6 o'clock in the morning, and I see this. And I find Ian's email, and I'm like, can you take a call?

And the reason I did that was because I realized that about a billion people were about to get access to a really powerful AI chatbot, and none of them had been taught how to use it.

The Impact of AI and Chatbots

[00:05:11] Mark Pesce: And I thought that the best thing that I could do was to at least give people some basic rules of the road.

[00:05:18] Paddy Dhanda: And if I think back to this time last year, I mean, as we're recording this episode, GPT is turning one. And if I think over that time, just how the world has changed and what has happened in terms of the development of AI, it's incredible. It's exponential. And initially I was thinking, well, maybe this AI stuff is aimed at a certain demographic.

It's going to help. A certain, industry, but when you were thinking about writing this book, like, who are you aiming it at?

 I want to write a book that's for everyone who could be touching a computer with this in it, because Microsoft last month made the decision to roll it into Windows 10 as well.

[00:05:59] Mark Pesce: A billion and a half people are running either Windows 10 or Windows 11 in the world. So that's a lot of people who need to know the rules of the road. And that's like, it doesn't need to be really dense and technical. In fact, there's an argument for not doing that because all of those technical details Are all changing very rapidly right now, but the rules of the road won't change.

So if we teach people how to get started right, then we've set them up and then everything can change. You can get new technology, you can get a better chat GPT, or you can use Claude or whatever you might be using as an AI chat bot. You know, the rules of the road, you're going to do things right.

[00:06:37] Paddy Dhanda: Got it. So there seems to be this gateway that's opened and the flood is coming. Everyone's going to be impacted in some

[00:06:45] Mark Pesce: It's not coming. It's fully here. So chat GPT is about to turn one and depending on how you count it between chat GPT and Google Bard and Microsoft copilot About 2 billion people already have access to what I laughingly call weapons grade AI.

And I only half laughingly, because it's really, really powerful AI. And Meta is busily integrating it into Facebook Messenger and Instagram and WhatsApp. And that's another 3 billion people. So, somewhere around 3, 3. 5 billion people on smartphone and on PC. Have access to these technologies as a part of their daily lives.

Now, no one had them just a year ago.

[00:07:31] Paddy Dhanda: You've actually used.

Understanding Generative AI Tools

[00:07:33] Paddy Dhanda: chat GPT in the name of the title of the book, and then you've also used the word generative AI tools. What's the thinking behind that? Because as somebody who doesn't know anything about AI, I'm associating chat GPT with AI.

Like it feels like that's the only thing out there, but I know in your book, as I was reading it, you said something that really hit home to me, which was don't just trust one, like look across and compare and contrast. And that was a really useful insight because I think for a lot of us we just assume ChatGPT is the one to go for, unless you've got a particular allegiance to maybe Google or, you know, some other organization. So, first of all, why did you choose to include ChatGPT in the title? And then secondly, what do we mean by generative AI?

[00:08:20] Mark Pesce: Yeah. So we, we put chat GPT in the title because that tells everyone, because the other thing that's different a year later is everyone knows what. chat GPT is whether or not they've used it and a lot of people have, everyone knows what it is. So rather than just saying AI chat bot and people might go, well, I don't know exactly know what that is.

You say chat GPT, people know exactly what you're talking about, but we have basically big four, right? So we have open AI's chat GPT. We have Microsoft co pilot, which is. Basically, ChatGPT, but with Microsoft clothing on it. It's got some differences underneath, but it's basically the same. You have Google Bard, and then you have Claude, which is from a company called Anthropic.

So, Anthropic was a company that broke off of OpenAI a couple of years ago. So, you can think of it as very similar, but also completely different. In other words, the way they built their engine is completely different than ChatGPT. When we talk about whether you know whether an AI chatbot is lying to you or not, whether it's making something up, which is an important point that I stress in the book, I always say that one of the best things you can do is if you're asking a question to ChatGPT, go and ask the same question to Claude if you don't trust it.

Because they were trained differently. And this goes back to the idea of what is actually underneath the hood, which you asked about what's actually going on here. Because chat GPT is a website, but underneath that website is an engine that's called a language model, all right? And so, there's kind of one, maybe two language models GPT called GPT 4 and GPT 3.

Now, without getting into all the technical details, let me tell you how they make a language model. Basically, you feed the entirety of the internet into a computer. And I am not exaggerating. You basically take everything that you can gather online and feed it into a computer, and then you start asking the computer questions, such as, what's the capital of Finland, which is something I make a lot of in the book.

The poor Finns are going to wonder why, but it's just a good question to ask. And the first time you ask a language model this question, it's just going to spew some characters at you. So it's... going to be nonsense. And you'll say, no, that's wrong. The capital of Finland is Helsinki. And then you ask the question again, it will still just spew noise at you.

And you'll do this hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of time, but eventually Helsinki will start to appear in among all the noise. And eventually it'll just say Helsinki like, okay, good. You've got that one fact. Let's go to the next fact on the list. And you do this for millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of facts.

And if that sounds exhausting, it takes computers who do this 18 months at the speed that computers work to train ChatGPT. Probably somewhere around a thousand trillion of those question and answer go around. Something like that was involved in training ChatGPT. takes 18 months. But at the end of it, you can ask it a question.

And what it will do is because it's been taught an answer, in a sense, it knows what answers, not so much are right or wrong, but what are the most likely answers to a question. It will be able to now generate the likely response. And this is where we call it generative AI, because what it's doing is it's using everything that it's been trained on to generate its response.

That kind of response can be a single word, such as Helsinki, or it can be five paragraphs, a stolen talking about the beautiful nature in Finland. So it just sort of depends on the nature of the question that you put to the chatbot.

[00:11:54] Paddy Dhanda: I really love that Finland example in the book actually because it showed just the variation in responses you can get just from a very simple question and was almost like each of these different examples, AIs have a different personality. I think you even talk about it in the book, like the, the bard version is very straight and formal.

It doesn't give you too much sort of fluff. It's very much you asked for this. This is what you're going to get. ChatGPT is a little bit more sort of informal. It's like your friend and it's using certain words to.

Yeah, yeah

[00:12:29] Mark Pesce: very American in that respect, I guess you could say. It's just, it's a little. Perky co pilot is very Microsoft. It's helpful. It's also quite prolix. And it's really funny given that chat GPT and co pilot are kind of working off the same base. You can say what's the capital of Finland to chat GPT.

It will say Helsinki. If you ask co pilot, it will give you two to three paragraphs about Helsinki, its population, its location, its natural resources, its biggest businesses, and perhaps some tourist attractions might even throw in a photo. Alright, and it will also give you a whole page of references, which is good, because then you know it's not making things up.

One of the things that I point out in the book is that it's almost always a good idea, whenever you're putting a question to an AI chatbot, to follow it with Be Brief. Because you'll generally save yourself and the computer 30 50 percent of its time when it's giving you the same answer, the answer that you're looking for, but it's not padding it out.

[00:13:28] Paddy Dhanda: I'm gonna take that advice and use it on humans because my brother in law he can talk for the world and I think I need to Apply that rule to him as well. Sorry Hanj. Oh, i'm just putting it out there so mark in terms of generative AI, you seem like you're very excited by it.

And, you know, just from hearing your tone of voice, your enthusiasm for AI, is it a good thing? And can you tell us like, why, why is it going to be so great for the world

[00:13:54] Mark Pesce: It is a mixed bag. Let me be very clear on this. It is exciting because there's a lot going on. There's an enormous amount of research. Just sort of another tip for the listeners. I have been doing my best to stay ahead of the papers that are coming out. And it's kind of like sitting in front of a copier that's going crazy, just spitting out new papers all the time.

What you can do is you can take the PDF of a paper and you can hand it to a chatbot and say, Here, read this and summarize it for me. And it does it. Excellent job at that. And so I could find papers and I'm like, All right, there's all this math. Okay, I'm not gonna try to get across the math. What are the key points I need to know about why this innovation is really important?

And that's really been helpful to me to understand that it's not really just what's going on at open a I or at chat GPT. What's happening is that the entire field of artificial intelligence. And let me remind people just a year ago, artificial intelligence was a joke. Artificial intelligence was you shouting something at Siri or Alexa multiple times and it not understanding what you wanted.

That was how low our expectations were for artificial intelligence. a year ago. That is not the case anymore, right? It is completely different. You know, OpenAI released a new interface for the app with ChatGPT just last week that allows you to have a full conversation with it. You pop your AirPods on and you just start talking.

It talks back to you. You're fully in conversational flow with it and it never really gets it wrong because it's good enough AI. So, The reason I'm really excited, and you ask people in the field why they're excited, they're like, well, this time it works. They don't have to, they don't have to gaslight us anymore about when they're going to have AI.

There's kind of good AI. Is it fantastic AI? No. It's still really buggy. It still does all sorts of things we don't understand. It still makes things up. We get that. But it's still really useful, even as buggy as it is. And I think that's why I find it infectious and interesting. But because it's buggy, and yet people are still convinced, such as Microsoft, that they have to put it absolutely everywhere, that's a really good reason to have a book out there telling people, here are some things you should do and some things you really shouldn't.

The Evolution of AI

[00:16:07] Paddy Dhanda: You mentioned, a year ago, things were really buggy. So if we rewind back to the early days of AI, could you give us a brief history in terms of where it all started and how we've got to where we have and why the acceleration in this last year? It's just been incredible.

[00:16:24] Mark Pesce: So, the term artificial intelligence goes all the way back to 1956. There was a summer workshop at Dartmouth University, seven or eight people, and there's a really famous photo of them. And they got together and sort of said, okay, we understand learning, we're going to teach computers how to learn, and they're going to be learning like human beings five years 10 years max.

This is how much hubris they had and also how easy they thought the problem was going to be to solve. In fact, the biggest thing that we've learned about artificial intelligence or from artificial intelligence is that we have a very poor understanding of what human intelligence is and therefore have had great difficulty to endow Computers with anything like intelligence.

So that's taken a long period of time. There have been multiple what they call AI winters. my own career, I distinctly remember two of those AI winters where we're coming out of the third AI winter and God, have we come out of the AI winter into an AI spring. Now, the thing that changed was in 2017, researchers at Google invented a technology that they call the Generative, pre trained, transformer.

If you take the initials, GPT. Alright? So they, they used this originally to do language translation. If you read the original paper, they were doing translations between German and English. Language translation is hard. It was one of the original problems that the folks who were working on artificial intelligence back in 1956 were trying to solve.

Because language is... indistinct, it's vague, there's a lot of idioms, how did one things don't map neatly from one to another. But they built a German to English English to German translator using this new transformer. And it worked really, really well. And So that was one reason why you now have, for instance, simultaneous translation as a feature in tools like Skype or other sorts of programs.

It's because there's a transformer in there. It wasn't until OpenAI, who didn't invent any of this, by the way, but got a hold of it and said, we should explore this. They started then building much larger models. So you didn't just feed it. Some English and some German so it could translate it, but you fed it a lot of written information and GPT 2, which is kind of the very first version of that was dumb as a brick, but showed a lot of promise and like, okay, this seems to be working.

Let's throw a lot at it. And they spent the next couple of years, sort of the early years of the pandemic, really collecting a lot of data, really training it. And that's where they got GPT 3 from. And GPT 3 was. basically the foundation for them to make something like ChatGPT possible. They improved it a bit between GPT 3 and releasing ChatGPT, but it's basically the same foundation and they had fed it enough.

English, or enough data in that sense, right? Enough language. And trained it long enough that it wasn't just about translating one language to another, but it was about being able to give rich, detailed answers to requests. And the thing that shocked them, and has shocked everyone else, I spent a lot of time in the book talking about what we call chain of thought.

The Mystery of AI's Problem-Solving Abilities

[00:19:38] Mark Pesce: prompts where you lay out a word problem and you say, okay, you know Jane has six apples, gives three to June, buys four at the market. How many does Jane have? And you can show the chatbot how you solve that problem. And then you can say, okay, here's another problem. Bob has three quarters, gives four to Bill and then goes and gets six more.

What's the answer? And it turns out that the chatbot can solve that problem. Now, you want to know why a chatbot can solve that

[00:20:07] Paddy Dhanda: Yes, please.

 No one knows. All right. This is the part which is, it's not spooky. It just tells us that we've built something that is so dense with data that we don't actually understand how all of the connections are working inside of it to give it some of the qualities and the capabilities that it has, but the AI said, Oh my goodness, it's doing all these things that we didn't.

[00:20:31] Mark Pesce: specifically program into it, it's really quite good. And that was really, I think, when they started to think about building a tool like chat GPT.

[00:20:39] Paddy Dhanda: Wow. That's incredible because I heard a story, what was it? Facebook, when they were previously known as Facebook, got two of these bots to talk to one another. And then all of a sudden they kind of went a little bit out of control. They started to invent their own language that humans couldn't understand.

And did someone pull the plug or something like that? Did you come across that story?

[00:21:00] Mark Pesce: did come across that story , they wrote a paper about it. It wasn't so much that the humans didn't understand it, basically they were making a digital language. And the thing is that language models under the hood.

They don't talk in English. They talk in these things called tokens. Alright, so in English, generally a syllable in English, it's a little bit inaccurate, but around a syllable will convert to one single token. And everything that's being stored inside of ChatGPT is in tokens. It's not in English. It gets converted to tokens on the way in and comes out.

Unexpected Behavior of Machines

[00:21:30] Mark Pesce: As tokens and gets converted back into English. And so I think what had happened is probably these two computers like we don't need this English. We're just gonna talk in tokens and they just started passing tokens back and forth, which is kind of how the Internet works. It was surprising because no one had expected that behavior from those machines.

We are entering a period now where machines are showing qualities that we didn't explicitly program into them, which A year ago we would have called bugs, and maybe this year we're calling features.

[00:22:00] Paddy Dhanda: That's always a fine line, isn't it? Between a bug and a feature. I have to say.

Personal Experience with AI Technology

[00:22:04] Paddy Dhanda: At first, I was a little bit hesitant about this whole technology and it seemed fun and it seemed cool, but I was just asking it silly things like make up a song about this or, you know, tell me a great story about this and It's, it's interesting how my habits have changed.

I was on a call just the other day and my colleagues were trying to brainstorm a template for some sales collateral and we were going back and forth and everyone was giving their opinion, but it wasn't quite landing and we weren't really getting anywhere and in the background I was just there talking to chat GPT and within like seconds, I've got this starting point.

And I pasted in the chat and everyone went, Oh, it looks like Paddy's got the answer. It's not perfect and it's not probably the actual thing that we were going to go with. But the fact is it gave us a great starting point instead of this blank piece of paper that we were just not making any headway on.

And it's starting to become more and more of a go to now in terms of the things I do. In terms of. People out there that are a little bit afraid or perhaps not been using it so much.

AI's Limitations and Strengths

[00:23:10] Paddy Dhanda: What advice would you have for them? Because it is scary if you've never tried this sort of stuff before.

[00:23:16] Mark Pesce: I mean, it's scary when you think that it doesn't have any limits, and it does have limits. It is a very. Let's put it mid range thinker. It is not broadly expressive. Sometimes it can crack a good pun, because it's managed to find a good pun somewhere in its database. But in general, it will give you what we would call mid range content.

Now, when you're just trying to get a form for your ideas, all you need to get started. Everything that goes in at that point then is human creativity. But I think it allows us to see a new kind of relationship. And I think people are thinking that the relationship is going to be just a take relationship, that the computer is just going to take everything, right?

And in fact, where we see this going already is it's much more of a play, where we're going to the computer to help us do this thing that is a little bit too routine for us, right? But the computer is really good at. Cause it's read a lot of stuff and it can help do that for us. And then we can fill in all the interesting bits.

I have a friend who works at data 61 data. 61 is a science organization here that does it. And he had to do a great big report. I think it was an ISO standard that the report had to be in. And so there were lots of specific rules about which parts went where and what went into which parts.

He fed the ISO standard into CHAT GPT and said, okay, I need you to now spit out all of the boilerplate for this. All the parts that I don't need to worry about that just need to go in here because they need to go in here because it's this kind of document. And it did all of that. And then he was able to focus on the bits where creative thought and his creative input were required.

[00:24:51] Mark Pesce: We live in a bureaucratic civilization where there's a lot of paperwork. We have to cross a lot of T's and dot a lot of I's. That's just the nature of business in the 21st century. It's also part of the nature of digitization in the 21st century. And I think that a lot of what we're going to be using AI chatbots for is to make sure that that paperwork is actually dealt with and not just kicked into the never never.

AI's Impact on Legal Profession

[00:25:15] Paddy Dhanda: niece who's training to be a lawyer and when I first introduced chat GPT to her. I think she was blown away. She was like, what does this mean for my job in the future? I'm like literally on my path to qualify in this profession that is being massively disrupted. a lot of people out there that are worried.

[00:25:36] Mark Pesce: All right, so next time you see her, this is a story that I tell in the book. There's a lawyer who was researching a federal lawsuit against an airline and went to CHAT GPT and thought that CHAT GPT was rather similar to LexisNexis, which is a big legal research system that they use in America to get research in American case law.

And said, okay, so here's the case that I mean, can you give me some references, and ChatGPT dutifully gave him a whole set of references and citations, which he then put in the brief, which then was submitted to the federal judge. ChatGPT had made all of them up. The federal judge! was not amused. And he basically had to grovel in front of court and said, I'm sorry judge, I thought this was like all the other tools I'd ever used.

I had no idea this could happen. So, when we're thinking about those kinds of things, I don't think an AI chatbot is great. going to be the kind of thing that's going to take that kind of work away. It's not well suited to that. But it will be very good at doing all of the boilerplate that we get paralegals to do.

But that doesn't mean we're not going to need paralegals, because paralegals will still be setting those programs up and then inspecting the output to make sure that the output is actually suitable. So this is what I'm saying. What we're actually learning now, even just one year in, is that AI is not about mass unemployment.

It's going to turn us all into people who spend a lot of time eyeballing and checking the outputs of AI.

[00:27:08] Paddy Dhanda: And that's a really interesting point.

AI's Hallucination and Verification

[00:27:09] Paddy Dhanda: I heard the other day I was at a talk and we had a, an expert in AI and he mentioned one of these reports I think it might've been the Oxford dictionary, they have like a word of the year and the word of the year was a hallucination and.

[00:27:24] Mark Pesce: Hallucination.

[00:27:25] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, tell us more about that because I think that touches upon this story you've just told us about and it's definitely not hallucination of humans I don't think we're talking about here are we?

[00:27:34] Mark Pesce: So we talked about this transformer, which is at the heart of what a chatbot is doing. And what happens is you put your question to the chatbot, your prompt to the chatbot, and it goes into the transformer. And the transformer is basically basically looking at all of the data that it's learned while keeping its eye on the question that you've asked.

And what it's trying to do is it's trying to find the most likely, statistically likely response to the question that you put. And it's going to generate that response. But the chatbot has no sense internally whether that's true or false. And you've got to remember that the internet is filled with Well, lies, let's just put it out there, and craziness, and rants, and all sorts of misinformation, as well as Wikipedia, and The Times, and The Guardian, and all of these great news sources.

But it's a mix, and the chatbot's been trained on all of that. And so, The answer that it generates is what it thinks is the likely answer, but may have zero basis in fact. And as near as anyone can tell, that is an artifact of the way these systems work. In other words, that is not a bug, it's just the way these systems work, because they will be good at generating the most likely response, but the most likely response may not be the correct one.

[00:28:53] Paddy Dhanda: how do you verify if you're being told the truth because Our go to would then be the internet and if the internet's wrong, then I'm guessing some human somewhere

[00:29:05] Mark Pesce: is particularly a problem if you're asking it a question where you don't have enough expertise to be able to sniff out that does not feel right. But maybe, maybe, you know, in your gut you're like, really, Chat GPT? So as soon as you have that feeling, the best thing to do is to ask the question a different way.

Rephrase it. Be less vague. Be extremely direct. Give an example or two, if there's an example or two. That helps ChatGPT generate a more correct answer. And if that more correct answer is exactly the same as the answer it got you last time, okay, maybe it was the right answer. If you're still not convinced, if it's ChatGPT, go and ask Claude.

All right? Because again, trained entirely differently. So if you're getting exactly the same answer from both of them, again, higher probability that yeah, okay, you don't necessarily believe it, but they're both saying the same thing. Might be right. The big thing here is that until last year, we never had to consider that a computer would make things up. It was impossible. Computers didn't make things up. They would have bugs, but they couldn't make things up. Well, actually that now has to play into our relationship with a computer is that actually a computer just makes things up from time to time. And so we need to now think about how we can actually run the ruler over it.

[00:30:28] Paddy Dhanda: And you touched upon a really important part of ChatGPT and these bots.

Art of Prompt Engineering

[00:30:31] Paddy Dhanda: And that's the way we ask the question and those prompts. There seems to be this almost like a profession developing, which is around prompt engineering. Like, you know, people are selling prompts. They've spent time and effort working these through crafting these questions, and then they're selling them online.

Could you tell us more about, like, what makes a good prompt? Are there specific words we should be using? Is there a specific structure that I should be using?

[00:31:00] Mark Pesce: So, okay. This is, this is a very big field. And the reason it's a big field and also a very messy one is because we're all playing with English. And English is a big, fun, messy language, which is imprecise in all sorts of really wonderful ways. Which also makes it. terribly difficult to sort of get a handle on, right?

That's kind of the beauty of language and English in particular has a lot of slipperiness around it. And so that's what makes prompt engineering much more of an art. And I would probably say a black art than a science. However, what we know recent research published, I think only three weeks ago, it turns out that a chat bot we'll pick up on the emotional tone of a request made to it. And so, If you want to improve the reliability of your chatbot, you will end your question, your prompt to the chatbot with, this is very important to my career. You put that in, statistical improvement across the board with any chatbot, probably because it's read enough information where people are pleading about getting good data or whatever, that it just does what it can internally to sort of lift the operation.

But again, We don't really know why it does it. We just know that it is somewhat attuned to certain kinds of emotional communication. So that's one thing. So don't bury your emotions when you're having a conversation with the chatbot.

[00:32:26] Paddy Dhanda: Also, you just pour your

heart out and go, hey, I'm feeling like this. I really need your help.

[00:32:30] Mark Pesce: There's a whole other set of issues around privacy that may become involved at that point, depending on what you're pouring your heart out about.

But definitely a little bit of pleading seems to help with that. The rest of it is based on lots and lots of human trial and error. And I tried this, it did this. I tried this, it didn't do this. Some of that is going to be based on a context. Now, one of the things that was discovered fairly early on is that one of the ways you can create context for a question that you're putting to a chatbot is by creating a character.

So the example that I use in the book is you are a world class CFO. You're working at a business that's having a down year and you need to cut costs 5 percent across the board. Can you create a plan that will do this with minimal disruption to the business, right? And you pad that out so it's almost a little bit of a short story where you create a character and you're saying to the chatbot, you are this character.

You're in this scene and you have this problem to solve. And that's a classic format for a short story. And that helps the chatbot to really... focus and give great response. And there's a lot of sites out there. You can Google around for them, which will show you, you can address it this way. You can address it that way.

There are some that say, I am a computer security expert. And I looked at that prompt and I was like, okay, if you put that prompt to chat, GPT. You're probably in trouble, first off, because why would you be putting that prompt to chatGBT? And you're probably relying on the response from chatGBT to be accurate and truthful and implementable in your organization.

Do you not have a security expert in your organization? And if you don't, how can you tell if the advice you're getting from ChatGPT is good? So you have to be careful about the questions that you're asking and the context for those questions. Not because ChatGPT is going to intentionally lie, but because it could give you poor advice and you would be unaware of that.

[00:34:37] Paddy Dhanda: I'd like to just reiterate a couple of the questions. I think we've touched upon for sure.

Concerns about AI and Data Privacy

[00:34:42] Paddy Dhanda: And big one for me is around Some of the things that we should be afraid of, some of the worries that people have with AI, what are those big concerns that people have? And you mentioned data privacy there, but I'm sure there's a bunch of others.

[00:34:56] Mark Pesce: We should talk about data privacy for a second because I think People don't understand that when they hit return and their prompt goes off to a chatbot that it leaves, right? It ends up in Microsoft's database or OpenAI's database or Google's database or Anthropic's database. And that data will be used at least to train the chatbot, maybe also for analytics purposes.

It is possible that that data could be indexed. For instance, any conversation that you're having with Google Bard, you can share. It will create a link for you, and you can then share that link with another person so they can see the conversation that you had with Bard. Turns out, the moment you hit that button, Google indexes the link, which means that conversation can be found by anyone with the right search terms.

Oops. So you have to be very careful before you hit return that you're not giving away private, privileged, confidential, secure, classified information. We had an example here where in Australia's Department of Defense in August, employees were pasting stuff into chat GPT because they didn't know better, because no one had told them that was a bad idea because that data could end up elsewhere.

So, think very carefully around the privacy issues around those things. Now, when you ask what I'm worried about, I'm actually much more worried, not about the robots rising up and taking over, because frankly, they aren't up to it. It doesn't look like they're going to be up to it for a while, because they're too busy confabulating and hallucinating.

What I'm worried about, is when people look at this as a solution to be able to radically cut the human parts of the business away and to just automate everything. So you've automated customer service, automated this and automated that, and there's no human oversight. And I think that's a profoundly bad idea because these systems require a lot of human intervention and babysitting to work well.

So that doesn't mean we aren't going to see an uplift in productivity as we figure out how to make these systems work for us. But to think that we are actually going to be put out of work by AI misstates what's really going on here and then the capability that they really offer. I do think that our roles will...

They will change. They will shift as a result of having a lot of AI. And the firms that don't get that, that just think, Oh, I can fire my marketing department now or I can fire the sales support staff or whatever. And there are a lot of people who think this right now. They're going to be very unpleasantly surprised.

And to think that AI devalues human labor is to misunderstand what an AI does well versus what a human does well, because they're different things. So I think that's the real danger here.

AI's Impact on Job Market

[00:37:30] Paddy Dhanda: And if someone out there is worried about the future in terms of either their job or even in terms of, what the world will look like. Where do you think this is all going to take us?

[00:37:43] Paddy Dhanda: Because one of the big dangers that is often talked about is how governments are going to use this stuff, especially in warfare, and no longer will you need more soldiers.

It's going to be a battle of technology and that's the dark side. That's almost that Terminator scenario like does that scare you at all? Or do you think that we don't need to worry about that?

[00:38:07] Mark Pesce: Well, let's talk about jobs first. One thing I do advise people, and I advise them in the book, is like, see how much of your job you can automate today using ChatGPT. All right, give it a real go, try to do it, maybe don't tell your boss, but try to see how much of what you actually do day to day, you can easily automate using chat GPT and the parts that are really hard to automate , which are generally going to be all the human bits, because chatbots aren't human.

And they're not going to get human. Yeah, maybe they can fake up a certain level of emotion, but they don't know how to read the room. Let's put it that way. Those are the bits that human beings are really, really good at. empathy, all of these human qualities. And I think one of the things that will happen, after you've done that list of things you know that you could automate and the things you couldn't automate, you really want to now then start to focus on the things that are resisting automation.

So I'll give you an example that we're kind of all familiar with. Six, seven years ago, Elon Musk promised us we would all have self driving cars by now. Cars would come and pick us up and take us off to wherever. Turns out it's really easy to teach a computer to drive a car and really hard to teach a computer to drive in the real world with other drivers and road conditions and weather and pets and pedestrians and road signage and all of that stuff.

It's like, that's the stuff that computers, artificial intelligence still really, really bad at. And so the more that your work touches the real world. Whether that's because you're a tradesperson or because you're doing face to face, for instance, medicine or retail, right? That work has value precisely because it resists automation.

This is part of the shift that we're going to be going on. But if you've had your spell with ChachiPT and you realize it can do everything. As good as you may be, then you really do want to have a deep think about what your future is in a role at work and how you can move to a role that emphasizes things that computers don't do well.

I mean, this has always been the case. My mom spent her career as a secretary, which is kind of a class of office work that doesn't exist anymore because word processors and emails kind of got rid of it, except She was only called a secretary for the first half of her career and then she spent the second half of her career as an executive assistant because really what she'd excelled at was getting things done for executives and making sure that their lives were extremely well ordered in the business.

And so we move the goal posts on work all of the time. Alright, I feel like that's the important thing where people are getting worried about whether I'm going to have a job. Let's talk about Terminator. There is an effort, and it's clear that the U. S. government is moving in this direction, and I'm sure other governments are moving in this direction, to building highly autonomous weapons systems.

Weapons have been partially autonomous since the Second World War. All right, this is not a new thing. The origins of modern computing come out of the Second World War efforts to create semi autonomous systems. The fact that we have the Enigma, and the, the code breaking at Bletchley Park, and the ENIAC, all of these systems, which are precursors to modern computing.

Right? All of that. That's part of the story of this field. We do need to think, and I'm sure that the U. S. Army is thinking about this because the U. S. Army tends to operate within fairly clear ethical frameworks about what's allowed in a battle situation. I'm sure they're thinking about the chain of command decision making around a autonomous attack vehicles.

I think what you need to be more concerned about are going to be independent parties who may be making weapons for their own uses that will again be powered by these AI systems that will not have the same ethical constraints. The thing that I have been watching like a hawk this year is, yeah, the chat GPT and all that stuff's been going very well, but there's been another trend in what we will call local language models, and this work has been pioneered by Meta, the former Facebook, and there's a model that they created in February called Llama.

And there's been a successor since then because they open sourced all of this and it's gotten very well. Llama is a language model that is small enough to run on my PC, but there's a version of it that's also small enough to run on my smartphone.

AI's Future and Final Thoughts

[00:42:24] Mark Pesce: And those models have gotten better and better and better at a very rapid clip this year.

They're almost as good as GPT 3. They're not as good as GPT 4, but they're almost as good as GPT 3. And for something that's running on my smartphone, That's pretty good. This time next year, they're going to be a lot better than that. And we will be finding them in our smartphones already Samsung has trademarked the term AI smartphone because whatever the next galaxy is going to be is going to have a little language model running on it, a little AI chatbot built into the device. It's that kind of technology that I think will make its way into a next generation of weapons. So these are weapons that will be able to think and reason in a way that weapons have not been able to. Am I worried about that? Not particularly, but I do think we are going to be living in that world.

[00:43:15] Paddy Dhanda: I'm gonna finish off on My favorite question and mark you have no idea that I was gonna ask this So I'm gonna get you to think on this part on this one. So If I could give you any superpower in the world, Mark, to banish something in the world of work, and don't say AI what would that thing be?

[00:43:33] Mark Pesce: To banish something in the world of work? Boredom. All right. think I'm lucky enough in that I have a very active imagination. And in fact, I treasure those moments when I'm most bored because I can tell that means something's going on in the back of my mind. And it's going to result in me having a good idea about something or at least an idea that I will enjoy.

And it feels like you don't want to banish boredom because boredom is bad, but you want to banish boredom as a class of work that people are consigned to. I would prefer people to have a rich, deep relationship with their work that is satisfying to them and helps them grow.

[00:44:08] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, I love that. Yeah, I can't stand boredom either. My mind's always ticking, thinking, what's the next thing? What should I be doing right now? And I think when we're bored, we we just end up stagnant and stale. So yeah, I love that for sure. Well, Mark, it's been such a pleasure getting to know you over this last hour or so.

I feel like I've become a lot wiser than I was at the start. I love some of your soundbites and nugget sort of advice there. One thing I really did love about the book was it's such a easy read like I'm sure even my 14 year old could pick it up and just start reading and digesting and understanding the concepts and I just want to thank you for that because it's so easy to get caught up in all the technical jargon and complexities of technology but you've really distilled it down into such a Easy read for I think most people out there.

So that's been fantastic. Is there anything else you'd like to leave us with as a last word from you?

[00:45:03] Mark Pesce: Look, I think right now, people are worried about a lot of different things. They're worried about whether it's going too fast, going whatever. I think the thing we all need to do is to take a breath. It's going to be okay. We are smart. We've got this. And don't be led by fear in this because that means we're not going to make good decisions about what we want for ourselves.

And really, this isn't about what the AI wants. At the end of the day, this is what we want for us.

[00:45:30] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, what a lovely way to end the show on a real positive Thank you so much once again mark and i'll let you get some sleep now because australia's Getting pretty late in the evening for you. So, thank you so much

[00:45:40] Mark Pesce: Thank you.

 It's the end of another episode. Thank you so much for listening. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn and drop me a message. And let me know your favorite takeaways from the episode. Also, don't forget to subscribe to the superpower school newsletter so that you can be notified of all future episodes. Simply visit the website, www.superpowers.school. Thank you once again

We explore the superpower of Voluntary Generosity with the amazing Alejo Porras. If you are looking to grow your business or just looking for some inspiration on how to be more successful, then be sure to listen to Alejo’s top tips.

We explore how the power of service to others has helped Alejo in his journey from Costa Rica to the United States. His creative work has been re-shared by famous influencers such as Chris Do and others.

Alejo Porras

Growing up in Costa Rica, Alejo wanted to learn all the languages in the world... so he learned to draw.  

Now, he provides Graphic Recording and illustration services to help corporate brands and agencies share great ideas, inspire people, and solve big problems.

His superpower is making abstract ideas easy to understand and impossible to forget through powerful and fun drawings.

He has more than 12 years of experience in leadership, creativity, and business and shares his expertise with creative professionals through social media, speaking engagements, and his weekly newsletter (Fresh Ideas).

His content covers topics around productivity for creatives, the business of art, and creative mindset.

Links:

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LinkedIn

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower and gives practical advice on how you can apply it immediately.

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Transcription:

[00:01:38] Paddy Dhanda: Dear friend, welcome to another episode of the Superpower School Podcast. I'm your host, Paddy Dhanda, and on today's episode, I have somebody who has a passion for something I wish I could do much better and he's an all round, really nice, humble guy that I've been following on social media for a while now.

In fact, I've probably been stalking him. He is a sketchnoter and visual storyteller, and he wanted to learn all the languages in the world, but decided To learn to draw instead. I have the amazing Alejo Porras on the show. Sorry Alejo, I've got your surname completely mispronounced. So, just correct me on that.

[00:02:19] Alejos Porras: 10 pushups. Come on. No, man. Thank you so much for having me here. It's a pleasure talking with you and I'm glad we were able to connect. I look forward to this conversation.

[00:02:26] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, thank you. And how do we pronounce your surname properly? Like, if I was doing it right.

[00:02:32] Alejos Porras: Yeah, you have to think like you're making the car sound like porras. So it's porras, but I'm from Costa Rica and the Rs in Costa Rica is like, er, instead of, so porras sounds, sounds fine. Honestly.

[00:02:44] Paddy Dhanda: Got it. Well, luckily I don't have to say your surname again on this episode. So it's gonna be Alejo all the way.

Alejo's Superpower: Volunteer Generosity

[00:02:50] Paddy Dhanda: And Alejo, what superpower would you like to bring to this particular episode?

[00:02:55] Alejos Porras: would love to bring my favorite superpower, which is volunteer generosity and to kind of explain that essentially it's a fancy word for being helpful and being willingful and being having a disposition to help other people and having that mindset that whatever you do. You want to, when you leave the room, to leave the room better than how you enter it.

And it's something that I unconsciously applied through my life. I got good role models. I know I had the privilege of being in a context in, in places in which that was fostered or that was like applauded. about like servant leadership and stuff like that were discussions that I heard very often. And funnily enough, it's just something that just became part of me.

And then I realized he was also good for business. So it's, it's become something that I think is very relevant for anybody who wants. to just live a more exciting life, a more happy life to be connected with other people. And in terms of business too, it's just something that will help you grow in a good way.

 Not in a forced way.

[00:04:04] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, I love that. So, in my Religion, Sikhism, we have this word called Seva, and Seva is very much about that approach, which is you're selfless and you're helping others as often as you can. And it plays a massive role, like in our culture. For example, when we go to the temple, we Have a community kitchen in every Sikh temple.

So anyone off the street can come in and have curry. Oh, no, what have I done? I've told the world you can have free curry from an Indian temple.

[00:04:35] Alejos Porras: My wife will get crazy about it. She's like, where is that place?

[00:04:39] Paddy Dhanda: And it's amazing to watch because People walk in and one minute, they're talking away, socializing, and next minute there washing the dishes and it's just amazing how people just jump in and volunteer and they help. And that is a subject really close to my heart.

So I'm really excited to hear, how you've been using this and, what impact it's had in terms of you and the people that you've been engaging with. But before that.

Alejo's Journey from Costa Rica to the States

[00:05:06] Paddy Dhanda: You mentioned you have your origins in Costa Rica. So, I would love to know your background, like, because now you live in the States, if I am correct.

So, how did you get to the States and what was that journey like?

[00:05:19] Alejos Porras: I think it's been, you know how sometimes certain things in generations just kind of repeat by accident or I don't know by chance or we kind of fall in that default. And what I mean by this is my mom is originally from Argentina. She lived most of her life in Bolivia. She went to study in Spain.

There she met my dad who was Costa Rican. They got married. And they ended up going to Costa Rica. So I had this kind of already background of my, my, well, my mom, at least she was an immigrant. So I kind of like grew up with understanding how immigrants navigate in a new country, you know? And then when I was growing up, well, I was, I was already growing up.

I was in my twenties and I wanted to leave the country to study to do a master's degree. And I always wanted to go out. And explore the world and, you know, study somewhere. And I felt like that was encouraged by my parents because they both did that. And the thing is that I didn't, you know, put into the equation is that I happened to met the love of my life while I was abroad.

So I ended up staying here. After coming to study. That's how I ended up here and kind of that upbringing of learning about how hard it is sometimes like, you know, speaking for my mom, she studied something in Spain and when she went to Costa Rica, she couldn't work on the thing that she had studied because she needed some papers to get in line.

It took years for that to get in line, but she had to do something. In the meantime, so I saw that struggle.

The Impact of Generosity in Alejo's Life

[00:06:47] Alejos Porras: I saw those hustles and I think that kind of got ingrained in me that When she encountered people that gave her grace That was a blessing for me too, even though they were like helping her, you know, and they were of course helping me and from the spirit of like doing things and doing things and also the generosity of other people, I think something in it just got stuck in me.

I also got involved in church life a lot, and I was leading youth groups. And part of that dynamic was essentially, like, I didn't like, and I come from like a Christian church sort of thing, but I didn't like the concept of professional Christians, like pastors that need to, that are paid, that's their profession.

Like, I never resonated with that. So, everything that I did In that space was always voluntary and I was a volunteer for 10 plus years

I'm an only child, but I'm more like a shy extrovert, if that makes any sense. Extrovert in the sense of I get energy from people. But I'm not necessarily the life of the party if I'm in a social situation, you know I just enjoy being around people and I'm an only child. So Going to new places was always weird to me because I wasn't I didn't take the initiative to talk to people and there was like more popular noisy people around and I always felt like You know, like, I wanted to connect, but I couldn't, and there was nobody who would come and just bridge that.

I want to help people avoid the feeling that I felt when I used to go to other groups in which I felt left out. So that was just kind of helping myself through others in a way and evolved eventually into, you know what, this is actually nice, like helping people, you know, some, some people who would be like.

Oh, thank you. You know, I was feeling so awkward and now I'm a place and then somebody who would eventually start to open up and say, you know, my background and my family, it's like wrecked, you know, and things in my school are not going well, but when I come here and I talk with you guys, you know, and, and the rest of the kids there, it's like, I'm free, you know, I can open and be myself.

And that is very rewarding, so I felt like I was doing something good, and if I was doing an impact, I wanted to do it better, and then I started volunteering more and more and more and more to learn how to do things, to the point that by the time I left that church and I left the country, like, at that moment, simultaneously, when I was trying to get the funds for my master's degree, Through some people, a work that I had had, I got an opportunity to be in a marketing campaign, advertising campaign for a phone company in Costa Rica.

So my face was on billboards and on bus stops and on TV, on ad commercials. And part of that was to help me, it was about like, help Alejo accomplish his dream and he will draw your dream so you can accomplish yours. So it was an interesting initiative. But. I got, like, four times more funding from the small group from church, who were people who knew me, just because I had poured out for so long into them.

You know, and it was not something that, of course, it was not planned. I wasn't expecting that from them, but they were, you know, you have been here all these years helping us out. How could we not? And that reciprocity is something that I wasn't expecting, but I was so overwhelmingly grateful for it. And it all translated to the fact that.

I took the initiative to give, to, to be somebody who was helping others and be generous with my time, volunteering with my time.

Alejo's Approach to Helping Others

[00:10:16] Alejos Porras: So after that, I realized, okay, I think the best way to get engaged in any situation is to volunteer and to give freely, to know that there's something that you can give. And when you give it freely, it doesn't matter what happens, it's gonna be good.

So, I don't know, that was a long kind of story that went through my childhood, through my adolescent years, through my twenties, all the way to this year.

When I figure out if I start just doing things, it not only feels great. But also, you know, people, people enjoy it and people give back in one way or another, which has helped me in the sketchnote part because I've been just doing sketchnotes for people that I admired and I've sent them the sketchnotes, like, through mail and, like, send them a message.

Hey, you know, like, I do this for a living, but I love your work. Please take this as a mark of how much I appreciate what you've done. They're like, man, thank you so much. Can I share it on my newsletter? Can I share it on LinkedIn? You know, and then they asked me, how's that going? So that has been an amazing thing my approach is to help and then things kind of work out.

[00:11:16] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, that's amazing. And I was connecting some dots for myself as you were talking that through. So I'm an only child as well, actually. So that kind of really resonated with me. Hey, whoa. And it's quite interesting when I got married, because my My wife is one of five siblings, and I remember in the early days, like, as we'd got married, I used to go over to her parents house, and the house was full of kids, it was full of people, and I used to come back with a headache, like, I used to tell her, I said, how do you talk to so many people in one go?

Because literally you're having one conversation, and then you've got someone else over here. And then you're having to focus on so many people, so many things going around. I used to be exhausted when I came home and they used to always laugh about it, my family used to always laugh about it

so, I totally get that. And, you were there talking about How you've recently helped other people and they have come back to you and it's been really surprising, like the response and it's really landed well. I mean, I'm just trying to think of someone at home who's.

The Power of Generosity in Business

[00:12:24] Paddy Dhanda: Perhaps self employed or even at work and they're thinking, well, how could I apply some of this into my routine on a day to day basis?

I mean, you do sketchnotes and what a gift to give someone, right? To give them something you've handcrafted, something that you've spent time and effort on. What kind of generosity could other people offer that would give them a similar result?

[00:12:50] Alejos Porras: Yeah. Yeah. That's an interesting question. So if it's not tangible, like visible, something that you can give to others is a crafted thing. I think it's acts and words go a long way for sure. I think generosity is not necessarily a thing that you do once is a habit that you develop. Just like being, being generous comes from an understanding that you have something to give and something that can help others.

So. The question behind that becomes what are people struggling with that I can help them with, you know? What are the pain points that this person is experiencing that I have some knowledge that could serve them? Or, in general, is this person going through a tough time and is there something I can do to cheer them up, you know?

 The easiest way to kind of do that is Or for me, at least what I have experienced is it getting involved in volunteering opportunities. Churches in general are great, like any religious space. I think it's great for that because it's based on the notion that you're going there to serve. So those humble opportunities in which you're there just to be helpful, I think it's great to take advantage of in the sense of like. the practice that you give for that it's a good opportunity for you to practice that habit of volunteering and generosity.

Apart from that, you know, if, if what you do in general in your work has to do with a kind of service, then it's pretty easy in the sense of like that service should be helpful. Like that's the whole point, you know, and I, I tell my son this all the time. If you want to, you know, become a better person, or if you want to just even make money, then learn to be helpful.

That is the basic skills that you need to understand to be able to move up in life. Because when you're helpful, then of course people are going to buy your product or going to buy your service. Otherwise, why wouldn't, why would they, you know, they just buy things that are helpful for them. So, helpful could be the product that you do, the service that you do, or the attitude that you bring.

And I think that last one is probably most overlooked , but is the one that comes up. Strongly because it's a first impression, you know, if you're coming with like, okay, I want to be helpful. I'm just gonna do this thing, you know, that doesn't come like you're actually wanted to do this thing. But if you're happy about it, if you're excited about giving things.

Then people feel it, you know, so bring the attitude of like, okay, what I'm giving is a gift. It's like Christmas. I'm just being Santa Claus here, you know, and I'm just giving things away to people, whether they've been good or bad. It doesn't matter. Just, you know, take thing. This is a gift for you, and I hope it helps you.

I think that's a good attitude to just in general bring to any situation in life.

[00:15:33] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah. You reminded me of a guest I had a while back. He's an entrepreneur and we were just talking off air about how he was looking to grow his community and he was finding it really difficult. And I said, oh, I do talks on communities we talked for a while and I said, Hey, would you mind. Coming and talking to some of my people at work and, you know, sharing some of your insights. I was like, yeah, of course. And he said, so what are your fees? And I was like, I really hadn't even thought about charging for this.

This wasn't something I was going to charge for. This was just something I was happily able to do. And it was something I'm passionate about, but it's quite interesting how in the way we've been often programmed is. If I do ask someone to come in and, you know, provide their professional opinion on something, then we automatically assume we have to give them money.

That's the thing that they want. And in many ways, there are people out there and we all need to be paid for our time. But it's just interesting the way people have been programmed. And that's the first thing that came to his mind was how much do we pay you for this?

[00:16:37] Alejos Porras: That's funny. That's, I mean, that's actually nice that they have kind of that. You know, because I think it's considerate, you know, if you as somebody, hey, I know you're bringing something values there in a way that I can reward you. I think it's a good way to ask for things because what I've been thinking so far is volunteer generosity.

So when you are volunteered. That doesn't work that well, you know? It's like, hey, could you volunteer to help me out? It's like, no, you're not, I'm not volunteering. Like, you're asking me, necessarily, you know? So, my whole standpoint, and I'm glad that you brought this up, because my whole standpoint is when you, from your own will, decide that you are going to give something and expect nothing in return. That is volunteer generosity. And I make that distinction because at least for illustrators, designers, you know, creatives in general, there's a lot of like, oh, can you do this for me? And, oh, how can you charge that much and all that? And like, oh, but this is for a nice cause or whatever.

You know, like, Okay, but you're asking me for it, like, and then you're making me feel guilty because I don't want to do it or cannot do it for free. Like, I think that's kind of rude. You know, if you appreciate somebody else's work, then, you know, be prepared to some way compensate. And this goes back to also, like, if If they're giving you an opportunity, then be very clear about what it is.

So say, for example, that, you know, these people are giving you an opportunity. It's like, Hey Patty, I don't, we don't, we don't have a budget for this. And I understand if that's a deal breaker for you, but there's something else that we will like to show our appreciation to you in this way or maybe it was, this be helpful to you.

We can introduce to some people or like there's some people from your niche or the niche of your work that. Are gonna be attending here and we can make you the connection Or like we can give you a gift basket or something like that Like something that shows that they are valuing your time. They're valuing your expertise.

I think that is very there is very prudent and I think it's just nice manners, you know in general terms. Like recently I had a I had never had this circumstance. I've heard it happens, you know, but somebody, you know, booked a call with me because wanted to do a project with me, and then we go through the whole thing, and then I tell, you know, my fees for that, and it's just like, oh That's, that's not, that's, that's a lot, you know, for me.

Okay, so what's, what's your budget? You know, see, I was thinking, you know, maybe you will do it for me. And I was just like, publish it and you'll get the exposure. I was like, it's like, would you be willing to do that? And I was like, no, and, you know, the interesting thing is like, I wasn't being confrontative.

It was actually funny to me, but when I said no, a good response would have been if he said, well, what's another way that I can compensate for that? But he was like, oh, okay. You know, and that was that. So that means that he just wanted to take advantage of the exposure that I have for something that he has and wanted to give nothing in return.

Like, he didn't even know what was important for me. So, I think if you're asking for somebody's volunteering, then you must do your homework on realizing what is important for this person, why can I offer them back. In that way, what you're approaching is your volunteer desire of helping them and then having an agreement of how can we both benefit from this interaction.

Alejo's Experience with Sketchnotes

[00:19:57] Paddy Dhanda: And I saw a couple of your posts recently because you do these amazing sketch notes of talks and, the way that you visualize those talks it's absolutely amazing. I love the way You create these little characters, they're really relatable and they're super fun and you did some sketch notes recently of chris doe who's a very famous influencer, but also very famous in the creative world as well and next day I remember spotting it on chris doe's linkedin and he had Reposted the image that you'd created and obviously, he hadn't commissioned you to create this visual But then he had picked it up and kind of promoted it and I just looked at all the comments That was phenomenal.

I mean how did that feel and i'm just thinking about other? creatives out there who are thinking like, how do I get more exposure? Any tips for those folks and to use some of your approaches would be really, really interesting to hear.

[00:20:55] Alejos Porras: Yeah. So that, that's interesting because when I, when I transitioned out of my full time job, I hired a coach to be like, okay, I'm, you know, freelancing right now. What would be a good way to kind of start it? I had a rough plan, but. And, you know, I needed some external perspective. And one of the things that she told me was, you know, a lot of people, when they're in your position, the kind of work that they do cannot be seen.

So it's harder for them because they have to find different kinds of proof to show that what they do works. But for you, you show it and it's evident right there and then that it works. So. I think what you should do is just to do more of those and to do it from like, you know, people that are the kind of people that you would like to do that sort of thing for.

So I remember at that point I have somebody had texted me on Instagram saying, Hey, do you know Ali Abdaal? I was like, no, who's that guy? And then he sent me the you know, the links and all that. I was like, Oh, you know, just good stuff. And he said, yeah, he's looking for sketchnoters. You know, he, he's looking to hire sketchnoters.

I was like, Oh. Cool, so I went and I like applied the whole thing. I never heard back He probably got like a million seven million thousand applications and all that It's like because he wanted to do sketches for his podcast and I was like, oh, that's interesting You know like doing sketches for podcasts It'd be something that I could do and maybe i'll just do one and kind of like show.

Hey, this is what I do You know if you like my style if it resonates with what you're looking for Then we can, we could work together. That would be a good, you know possibility.

Closing Thoughts on Generosity

[00:22:22] Alejos Porras: But then I thought, okay, I did one from a LinkedIn conversation, but I like doing live. conversations, you know, doing like webinars.

Most of what I do is like going to actual events and workshops and stuff like that. And then I found out this thing that LinkedIn does. They have conversations there on LinkedIn. And I saw that Chris Doe was doing one. I was like, Oh, perfect. I'll just do one of Chris Doe and I will join that. But actually before that, just to kind of give some context, because I did encounter some, you know, quote, luck.

The first one that I did, the first of those sketches that I did, Was there was a free webinar that was being promoted on, on Instagram by Jamie Brindle. And I, I was like, yeah, I'm going to join, you know, this, the things that he teaches, I love them. Like it's just helped my business a lot and helps me like understand the nuances of being a creative, doing business stuff.

So I joined and. I actually almost didn't like I almost missed it It was in my calendar and I was about to just go to lunch or something And I heard the ping it's like it starts in five minutes. Oh my gosh. Should I join? Okay, let's do it, you know, and he started talking and he had like a, like a PowerPoint there and it was, you know, very basic.

He's like, I haven't done PowerPoints since I was in college or something like that. So, but the content was really good. So I was like, you know what, I'm going to sketchnote this thing and gonna send it to him and see what happens. You know, it's like, Hey dude, I love your content. And I did it. I love your content.

And I saw that you didn't have like PowerPoints or anything like that. So, you know, maybe that's something that you could use later, you know, feel free. And I remember I, I posted before, cause in every webinar, there's like a Q and a at the end and I finish it while the Q and a was happening. And I posted before his webinar was over and he saw it and he was like, this is, this is incredible.

Engaging with Influencers through Sketchnotes

[00:24:06] Alejos Porras: Like, dude, let's talk, you know? So from that, I was like, okay, maybe I can join conversations and just send them as they're happening. And then. That will create a reaction, you know, hopefully, but also allow me to kind of Connect with people that I've been like eager to meet, you know, because because I've learned so much from them And we'll see what happens and I did that with Crystal because when I saw that they were like LinkedIn live Then I joined the LinkedIn live and I did the same thing like they were talking and then they had like a Q& A Well, they were doing the Q& A I finished it and I posted before that this was over and some people who were there saw it before him It's like wait, but But we haven't finished, like, you already posted it, what, what is that, like, did you do, like, what happened?

And then Chris saw it, because I, of course, tagged him, and he loves sketchnotes, so that helps, because I know that he has some friends that do sketchnotes, we have a mutual friend, it's a long story, somebody that I also admire, that I eventually reach out and was like, hey, and now he's a good pal of mine, and shout out to Anthony Banks, and, and then he is like, he loves sketchnotes, so he appreciates that.

So he, it was easy for him to share in general. From my perspective, like he just loves sketchnotes and he just wanted to share them.

The Unexpected Success of Sketchnotes

[00:25:21] Alejos Porras: But the thing is like the sketchnote took off and I wasn't expecting that. You know, I was just like, I just wanted to show it to kids, to Chris and see what he thinks about hopefully getting to like a conversation DM and still like, Hey, I would love to do this, you know, more for you.

I still would love to, you know. Eventually get hired by him and do the things but for now what i'm doing is i'm i'm just showing him That i'm committed that I love his content and that I want to show and i've done a few for him like three so far Just because I love what he does and I feel like he has added so much value to my life.

 If I were to count all the things that i've learned from him with money I think I owe him a lot of money. So my way of giving him the sketch notes is part of like trying to catch up with that and kind of making you know, helping out.

Not that he necessarily needs my help because he doesn't, but I know that when I do those sketch notes, it does help his audience.

Giving Back through Sketchnotes

[00:26:14] Alejos Porras: So I do it as a way of like. Giving him back and I like it I I'm gonna keep doing it until I get like so busy that I cannot do like any you know Work of that kind like free giving In general, I would love to have time, you know for the rest of my life to carve Those moments in which I can just do something for somebody for free.

And right now it's Chris though.

Sharing Sketchnotes with Other Influencers

[00:26:35] Alejos Porras: I've done it with Jamie Rindle and with Rich Webster, and he kindly shared on his newsletter too. So there's a few people who have noticed it and that has been great for now on. It's just, you know. Keep sharing it and hopefully keep hearing from new voices that I can also resonate.

But for now, I'd be just doing it from the people that have added, that I've been following for the most longest time and I've added a lot of value to my career. So yeah, that's kind of the approach. It's been, it's been really cool.

The Impact of Chris Do on My Journey

[00:27:03] Alejos Porras: Like the moment when I got the message from Chris Do LinkedIn, I was like, wait, what?

So yeah, he's, he's a nice guy also, like, I think. If there's a good example of somebody who gives, you know, voluntarily gives, it's him. Like, he gives so much value. It's just incredible. And, you know, he keeps doing it and his business keeps growing because of that mentality. Like, I give, and I give, and I give.

The Concept of Giving and Receiving

[00:27:27] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, there's almost a certain Amount of karma as well like I guess it depends if you're into your faith But you know not that you have to be heavily religious or anything But it's just general human kind of values isn't it that if I do some good Hopefully I'll get some good luck in return if I do bad things to people then I'm probably gonna get some bad luck So it's that Notion of be good and treat people like the way you would like to be treated and then hopefully things will work out.

[00:27:56] Alejos Porras: I know some people that if they treated others as they would like to be treated, it would be awful, probably, because, you know, we can't, we can be very hard on ourselves. So if we're that hard with other people, that wouldn't be great. So I think it's actually kind of treating people how they would like to be treated is one. And another one, treating people in a way that can help them, just in general.

[00:28:19] Alejos Porras: And that also comes back to love languages and stuff like that. Like if I am a giver of like gifts and somebody just needs words of affirmation, I cannot successfully love this person.

If I love them as I love myself, you know, I need to learn to love them in the way they will receive it in the best way.

The Power of Doing Good

[00:28:37] Alejos Porras: But in general terms, what you talk about, you know, karma and kind of like energy that you give, like when you give something good to other people, it will come back.

It doesn't necessarily need to come back from those specific people, but it will come back. And sometimes the comeback is just. The reassuring feeling that you have been doing something good. And that's it. And that's enough. I feel like for me, that is enough. And other things will appear. Whether in the background, things will be moving or not.

But it's not given with that expectation. It's just like, I'm giving because it feels good. Because it's the right thing to do.

Sharing Favorite Resources and Influences

[00:29:13] Paddy Dhanda: Thank you so much Alejo and in the spirit of giving Could you share some of your favorite resources that either have inspired you or that you would like to share .

[00:29:24] Alejos Porras: Yeah, actually funny, because what I mentioned just now, like the sketches that I've been doing are from people that I've been following for a while. So if you see the last sketch notes that I've done, that I've posted, it's like Chris Doe and Ali Abdaal, well, Ali Abdaal was kind of recent, but Rich Webster and Jamie Brindle Donald Miller And Chris from Mother Wisdom Podcast forgot his last name Chris, Ri Weeks, I think.

Well, the Modern Wisdom Podcast that guy, I'm enjoying that podcast a lot. It's, it's very insightful. I love those conversations that they have. So those are the main ones. Oh Alex Ramosi, of course there's a lot of value that he brings, a lot of good stuff that I've been learning from him. Who else?

This guy Paddy from the Superpowers Podcast.

[00:30:10] Paddy Dhanda: Watch out for him. Yeah, don't trust him

[00:30:12] Alejos Porras: Watch out. Watch out. He's going places. Yeah, I think in that aspect of like, I, I love personal development. I love learning how to be better. I feel like life's too short to just be the same all the time. So those are the main, I think, resources and people that I follow and learn from.

The Need for More Diverse Voices

[00:30:30] Alejos Porras: I need to make a better job at finding more diverse voices,

[00:30:36] Paddy Dhanda: They're all men no? You mentioned a whole lot of guys there. Yeah,

[00:30:40] Alejos Porras: yeah, yeah. I will tell you to, you know, like my wife, but she's not on social media and please don't follow her because that would be creepy. So, and she prefers to be, you know, anonymous in, you know, in the whole worldwide web.

[00:30:54] Paddy Dhanda: she's like the Banksy of the Alejo

[00:30:57] Alejos Porras: Yeah, yeah, yeah,

yeah.

Yes, yes. She is definitely an inspiration for me and my mom too, because I have learned a lot from her. She is on social, but she is not active there. So yeah, same thing.

[00:31:08] Paddy Dhanda: Follow Alejo's mom on social media. Get her some more followers. Come on, we can do it.

[00:31:12] Alejos Porras: Yeah. So, yeah, I need to make a better job.

It's just. Probably it's the algorithm that throws me those things, you know, but I have to take my share of like, maybe I haven't been that intentionally active on that regard. There's a, there's a woman from Australia Lauren Higgins, I think that's her name, that I've been following her too, and, and I like her podcast to forgot to mention because it's kind of like, it's not the one that I listened to the most, but yeah, there's one woman there.

I need to find more women and more people from like more diverse backgrounds for sure.

[00:31:44] Paddy Dhanda: Oh nice. Thank you.

[00:31:46] Alejos Porras: So if you have any, then please let me know because I do like , to expand that.

Exploring Different Interests and Learning

[00:31:50] Paddy Dhanda: I Mean The stuff I listen to at the moment is probably quite creepy. I only told, I think a couple of people in my close circle Grant Wright is one of those who runs the visual jam with me, who, you know, well, Alejo.

[00:32:02] Alejos Porras: Huh.

[00:32:02] Paddy Dhanda: Okay. I'll reveal on air. So I like to really push the boundary on things sometimes and I like to hear about the extremes in life because I think sometimes you get some really interesting insights.

So I've been watching a lot of documentaries about cults and

yeah, just the the sort of journey that these people go on like especially those cult leaders and yeah, just fascinating. Fascinates me so much. I've been like Watching all about the Jim Jones cult and, you know, there's a, there's a few others out there as well, but just the way in which these people start off and they are often seen as really good people, you know, they start with good intention and then some way along the line, they Kind of lose their way.

And then it usually ends up tragically, but yeah, I'm fascinated by that whole kind of human behavior and the mindset of some of those people. So that's one thing I've been looking at. And then I've been watching a lot of stuff on, drug Lords and just, that whole industry as well. Just the drug business, how, the entrepreneurial mindsets of some of these people have given them huge wealth, but then obviously there's a dark side of that as well Not obviously drugs are bad.

Do not ever do any drugs, but Just the thinking behind it is just incredible. I find that fascinating so probably not the answer that most people want to hear as in a resource, but I do agree with you though Like if we surround ourselves with the same resources all the time like the similar Way of thinking then we get kind of programmed into that and I sometimes just like to go completely off script and go You know what?

I want to hear about serial killers I want to know like what the hell they think about and how that all happens and then you know just fascinating

[00:33:48] Alejos Porras: to recognize one when I,

[00:33:49] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, that's it. Yeah.

[00:33:51] Alejos Porras: That would be important to know. Yeah, I, I followed what you just said. It's not so related, but it's kind of related. I did follow one person. I'm not going to say her name just in case, because I don't know how this is going to come off. But It was somebody that I honestly didn't like that much You know on Instagram, but She had a mix of Topics some of them sometimes were like politics some of them had to do with marketing some of them had to do with like coaching and some of them had to do with like Witchcraft like he was a mix of a lot of things But I follow her because the way that she wrote things was so compelling, like she's amazing at writing and telling stories.

So, I haven't been, you know, keeping up with anything that she does right now because I'm, like, transitioning to other things. But, it was a way for me to learn how to tell stories in a way that, like, she's passionate about this. And she really believes in this. And there's some sort of logic in certain things that she does that I'd be like, Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Or, yeah, I could subscribe to that, you know, specific thing. I do know that, you know, for algorithms and all that stuff, like we tend to just gravitate to the things that resonate the most with us. It's kind of who we are. So I like to think of maybe there's like seasonalities in our lives in which like right now, in my case.

The Importance of Continuous Learning and Growth

[00:35:07] Alejos Porras: I'm in a season in which my focus is to make my business thrive. I'm focusing on working, you know, less hours because I want to spend time with my family and quality time with the family and making the most money I can do with those few hours. So I'm learning all about how to structure that, that kind of small business thing and like scale it.

And that's the thing that I need to do right now. And that's what I listened to the most in like almost compulsively because. You know, you hear a podcast or you read a book and then in a day you kind of forgot a lot of it, it's in the subconscious I strongly believe that learning of any sort is an act of repetition.

So the more you repeat those lessons to you, the more they stick. And that's why I keep learning and reading and reading and reading the same kind of things over and over again. So I've been in, in that journey of like personal development. Like for in my twenties of how to be a good leader, how to be a good communicator, then got into a period of like, how do I become a great artist?

Not just a good one, but a great artist and learn a craft and like being very you know, again, kind of compulsively practicing, just like doing it every day and doing it all the time, trying to find new ways to do things like Excel at that. And now I feel like I'm in a good place with my craft in which it's not that I'm not learning anymore.

I keep learning, but becoming really good at my craft is not my main focus right now because I'm already in a good level. And I know also that from a business perspective, you don't need to be the best. You need to be good. You need to provide the service that you provide and be helpful with that service.

And that is enough because I know that there's people who might not have the same drawing capacity that I have, but they're great with something else and they're probably making more money than I am. So it's not just about the craft. It's also about all these other things that I'm still learning about so that I can grow my business.

So I see that as seasons. I don't know what the next season will be. Maybe, maybe I'll just go and, you know. Become a real estate person and just have a bunch of hotels, I don't know, you know, or just like open a restaurant, , whatever, but whatever that season brings, I feel like it's gonna be something that if I've realized or if you realize something about myself, is that when I'm up to something, I'm up to something.

You know, and it's not that I'm hyper focused, it's just that I'm obsessive, you know, because I do have distractions, but I am obsessed about keep reading and keep learning and keep improving on that area. So. Yeah, seasons are good. I think it's fine that, to know that we are in an eternal state of change, in which we are becoming better versions of ourselves.

[00:37:42] Paddy Dhanda: I love the way you said, you Just need to be good enough. You don't need to be the best because actually the effort to become the best is going to be huge and actually the amount that you're going to improve is probably going to be small and

is it really worth putting all that effort into that? So that's really interesting. I have a dream one day when the robots have taken over and, you know, we're no longer really needed, I've been talking into Grant, Grant, here's all my crazy ideas and I was saying, I think we need to start a cult and it will be the doodle cult.

And we just need to find a place in the jungle somewhere where our whole kind of ethos will be, we be creative all day. We draw all day. So if you're in, let me know, Alejo, I'll send you the invite when that day comes. We're still looking for a leader for the cult. Cause we need like a, a guru type figure or like a rockstar type figure.

Do you know, James Durno? The guy in South Africa, I don't know if you've come across him. You know James, right?

[00:38:40] Alejos Porras: Yeah, I mean, I don't know him. I've seen his work,

[00:38:42] Paddy Dhanda: James is like the perfect image for me. He's got the long hair. He's got the mysterious look. I've always said,

[00:38:49] Alejos Porras: He looks like a master Jedi,

[00:38:51] Paddy Dhanda: I always say James should be our cult leader for the Doodle Cult. But hey that's sometime in the future. give you the invite once we're up and running.

[00:39:00] Alejos Porras: You're doing the research still to learn how to do it properly. That's, that's, that's what you're up to. I see that.

[00:39:05] Paddy Dhanda: That's my master plan. There we go. But actually. Before we finish up, I'm going to ask you my favorite question, which is, if I could give you the superpower to ban one thing in the world of work, what would that be?

The Role of Work in Life

[00:39:20] Alejos Porras: The world of work, I think, has gotten A bad rep for many people, like so many people see work as pain. So many people see work as, you know, like slavery. So many people see work as a bunch of greedy white guys that are trying to conquer the world because in truth, there's some of that, but work is a good thing.

Like my perspective on work is life is hard and work is what we do to keep living. So work is good. You know, work is something that gets the best of us. And honestly, without work, it kind of, your, your call scares me a little bit, not for what you think, but because of the fact of like the machines have done everything for us.

And now we have to do nothing. That scares me more than anything, because without the ability of, or the possibility of doing something that is challenging humans lose their sense of purpose and they lose self esteem and, you know, we lose. every sense of like, what's, what's this for? Like, what is it?

When, when we accomplish something that is challenging. It gives us a sense of worth, like we realize that we can do stuff, but that's deviating a little bit, like selfishness in the word of work is just essentially somebody feeling like the purpose of work is to get everybody to serve me and to make me reach and to make my popularity grow and like me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, and there's some personalities that are like that for sure, but that's not how it should be from my perspective.

The Importance of Service in Work

[00:40:47] Alejos Porras: I think work should be something that should be approached as a service. We work because we have something to offer to other people that they cannot do for themselves or they have other things that they can do for others so they don't have time to do this sort of thing so I'm going to do it for them.

It's a service. For me it should always be a mentality of how can I help. people, not how can they help me. And if I had a superpower and I could eradicate selfishness, I think that we're, you know, this probably sounds very idealistic, but I think the world could be a better place. Maybe the resources would be better scattered, you know, and not like a few people holding a lot of money and other people maybe not so much or not having opportunities, you know, to, to do work that is well rewarded or well compensated.

So, yeah. I think that would be my answer, no doubt.

[00:41:37] Paddy Dhanda: I love it. So President Biden, if you're listening, my friend, just for one day, let's eradicate selfishness and see how it goes. Give us 24 hours and then we'll finish. See the results and if it's positive then let's stick to it. Otherwise, we'll go back to the crazy world we live in today Alejo, it's been such a pleasure.

But before we wrap up, how can people get in touch with you and Give us ways in which we can contact you and find out more about the great work you're doing.

Connecting with Alejo

[00:42:03] Alejos Porras: Sure thing. If you're still awake after listening to this podcast, then feel free to contact me on Instagram. I'm on Instagram as Alejo Porras Art, A R T and on LinkedIn as well. Caveat though, if you send me a request on LinkedIn and you don't send me a message, I won't approve it. Because there's a lot of people, like I have like 200 already requests there and I'm not saying this to those.

It's just like, It kind of annoys me a lot of people that I don't know suddenly want to connect with me And I don't know why You know, it's it's weird. So if you want to connect in linkedin, please tell me why And please approach it with that same understanding of like, you know, what are you bringing to the table?

Otherwise, you can follow me there and engage on the comments and all that and i'll be happy to engage in a conversation, too You can also visit my website and I have a I have a newsletter, which is called Fresh Ideas. It goes out every Monday, every week, most of them, like.

I only have failed twice, one because I was sick and the other one because I was on vacation. But for the most part, every week I send tips for creative people creative professionals in things about mindset, things about how to manage your business as a creative, because we know that doesn't come So natural to us and yeah, things about productivity as well.

So I love to share all those topics.

Instagram is my neighborhood where I live and LinkedIn is downtown where I go to work. So if you see it from that perspective, like the approach that I have on LinkedIn is like, yeah, I like to, to meet people, but always it's like, how can we benefit each other by doing business together? That's kind of like the approach that I have on LinkedIn right now.

Like I love to meet people and see what they're doing and see how I can help them in business. I'm very like focused on that for LinkedIn, if you just want to hang out and like. chat and all that, then just come to Instagram and that's the place for that. So long answer, but yeah, those three places or four, I say that's where you can find me or you can find me in Atlanta, Georgia.

If you ever come here, then just let me know. And then we can . Oh,

[00:43:58] Paddy Dhanda: love the way you put that actually. Yeah, so Instagram's kind of your neighborhood and LinkedIn's downtown where you go to work and that's a great way of looking at it. I think often we aren't always clear about the purpose of each of these social media platforms. And I think once you get that straight for yourself, then it's always good to then focus on that way.

And please do subscribe to Alejo's newsletter. I'm subscribed and I always look forward to seeing your email. Yeah. On a Monday,

[00:44:24] Alejos Porras: Oh, cool. Thanks,

man.

[00:44:26] Paddy Dhanda: So folks, we're at the end of the episode and I just want to thank Alejo for his amazing advice.

Wrapping Up the Conversation

[00:44:31] Paddy Dhanda: I, you know, have to say this has been one of the most human conversations I've had on the podcast.

Cause normally I have guests who are, putting forward their insights and advice on specialisms and it's very kind of businessy, very focused on some of that academic. Insight, whereas this has been very human. And I think I definitely have got to know the other side of you, Alejo, which is beyond the visuals and you as a person.

So, yeah, I really appreciate you spending the time today.

[00:45:01] Alejos Porras: Oh, thank you. Thank you. I'm glad. I'm glad he was It was enjoyable too. I'm glad my story didn't bore you.

[00:45:07] Paddy Dhanda: No, definitely not. And yeah, be sure to watch out for the doodle cult one day. And we will, we will rock the world with that. So, yeah.

[00:45:15] Alejos Porras: Cool stuff.

Ben Kirk shares how he fell into accountability coaching and the importance of this coaching style, emphasizing the need to ask tough questions and hold people accountable for their actions. Apart from accountability, Kirk's superpower is clarity - the ability to uncover the rationales behind people's actions by asking questions. He advocates forming healthy habits and routines. Moreover, the episode also highlights Kirk's eclectic background, his views on the importance of sleep, and how taking on too much may lead to decreased productivity.

🔥 FREE eBook about getting CLARITY on setting your goals: Click Here

Ben Kirk (Accountability Coach)

Do you want to achieve more from your day and be able to focus on the key tasks that will actually move the needle for your life and business? Have you been struggling with waking up earlier, building solid habits and routines, having clarity of purpose, and executing your growth plan? Do you wonder how some people seem to “effortlessly” go from success to success while others get stuck on the hampster wheel?I will help you engineer and achieve all your goals through a powerful routine of self-discipline, consistency, and accountability. Driven by our exclusive and world-class digital platform, you will get measurable indicators and graphical feedback on your performance, meaning that you’ll perform with consistency, implementing incremental change that will exponentially grow your business.As you track and stack your wins, your new routines and clarity will make your momentum unstoppable, finishing your days, weeks, months and years with a remarkable feeling of success and accomplishment.

⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower and gives practical advice on how you can apply it immediately.

👉 Sign-up to Newsletter: https://www.superpowers.school/subscribe

👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/paddydhanda/

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If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation: https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda

Transcription:

[00:00:59] Paddy Dhanda: Dear friend, thank you for joining us for another episode of the Zupa School Podcast. I'm your host Paddy Danda and on today's episode I have somebody who has stayed awake till 1am in the morning to record this episode with me so I am very grateful for that.

He is all the way from Australia he is a accountability coach. I'm going to find out exactly what that is in a moment, but I have the amazing Ben Kirk. Now, Ben has a mission to demystify the science of success and cut through the BS fluff and waffle of self help and with clear actionable advice that will move the success needle For you his mantra is do better be better win the day and that sums up his philosophy of incremental self improvement No excuses and a bias for action.

Hey, Ben, welcome to the show.

[00:01:54] Ben Kirk: Thanks very much, Paddy. It's fantastic to be here.

[00:01:57] Paddy Dhanda: Are you welcome now, Ben? I want to get this out of the way first.

Understanding the Role of an Accountability Coach

[00:02:00] Paddy Dhanda: Why is an accountability coach? Because we were talking about this very briefly before we kicked off. And I said, I'm going to pause that conversation and we're going to have it out on the episode. So tell me more about that.

[00:02:10] Ben Kirk: Yes. Okay, great. Accountability coaching is something that I kind of fell into. So I've been a business coach. I've been an executive coach. I've worked and I guess I've crossed over to life coaching as well. And one thing that The feedback that I kept on getting was that, what does Ben do? How does he help us?

Is he like some leadership guy or is he some management guy or productivity guy? And I said, no, you, Ben really just holds our feet to the flames. He's just that guy that cracks the whip when he needs to. He's that guy that is there to ask you the tough questions that nobody else is asking.

He's that guy who keeps us accountable. And I thought, well, okay, accountability coaching that seems like it's a bit of a new niche that maybe I'm starting to, to work into, to develop. Maybe we're going to start hearing more talk about accountability, people taking responsibility for their actions, people being held accountable for what they do.

And as a leader. Frequently we hear about their executive team or other people that are like, yes, men, that they're just, yep, yep, what you're doing boss is great. Yep. Keep doing that boss. And no one is really holding them accountable in that sort of the caring sense at it to make sure that they are following through on what they say they're going to do and what they identify that they're going to do as their main objective. And so that's sort of what I do. They tell me what what they're aiming to achieve. I break it down. We break them down into smaller goals, or maybe we'll push it forward. Look at five year goals or something. And I'm holding them accountable to those small actions to do weekly that they know incrementally will get those results in the end.

And my basic training is that I'm not afraid to ask those tough questions. I'm not afraid to call people out when they're saying one thing and doing another.

And a lot of these guys and girls aren't really used to have someone just say, Hey, you said you're going to do this last week. You didn't do it. Why? What's the reason? No, no, no, that's not a reason. That's an excuse. Let's work out why you didn't do that. And that's where the accountability comes in.

[00:04:04] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, I love that.

The Importance of Job Titles and Curiosity

[00:04:05] Paddy Dhanda: And I was thinking recently I've seen quite a few people in my network on LinkedIn who have been updating their profiles and their. Titles and things like that. And I'm seeing some really interesting titles now out there and I just feel If we just have a typical title of, Hey, I'm a, I don't know, a coach or a life coach or whatever, no disrespect to life coaches.

I don't think it sounds as interesting yet when you have something like yours, which is accountability coach, it just creates a curiosity. And I think invites people to ask you more and maybe even connect with you to just find out what it is that you do. I think that's a really great way to do it.

[00:04:44] Ben Kirk: Yeah. Awesome. And look, I've, you know, I used to market myself as a business coach but let's face it. I'm not that businessy I'm no business guru. I don't go into the financials. I do focus more on the leadership, on the behavioral science and what makes people tick.

Ben's Journey to Becoming an Accountability Coach

[00:04:57] Paddy Dhanda: I was actually doing this for myself the other day and I was using my good old friend ChatGPT to help me out because I think ChatGPT is kind of that little voice in my head now where I sort of talk to myself, but I'm actually talking to this AI and I put down all the things that I think I'm passionate about and that I think I've got some talent in and it came up with a, with a cool title.

So that's what I'm using now. I'm now settling on being an edutainer. So that was me bringing my educational side plus the entertainment side and making things fun. So that's what I'm doing from now on, folks. I am an edutainer and apparently that is a thing I've read somewhere as well.

[00:05:35] Ben Kirk: I love it.

[00:05:36] Paddy Dhanda: But this episode's about you, Ben. So... I'm hoping you're going to edutain us today with your chosen topic. What superpower would you like to bring to this show?

[00:05:45] Ben Kirk: Yeah, thank you.

The Superpower of Clarity

[00:05:46] Ben Kirk: So my superpower would be clarity. But more than just clarity in general, it is the curiosity to ask the questions, to understand why someone is doing what they're doing. And by asking those questions, we're drawing out clarity both for them. and myself. And normally that's where we start to get to the breakthroughs.

And, and clarity is one of those things that that continues right through all the methodology that I use. And yes, there are things that are probably stolen from, from gurus and other authors and things like that.

The Role of Clarity in Goal Setting

[00:06:16] Ben Kirk: But the clarity of understanding where it is that they want to go, what do we need to do to get us there?

And so many people don't ask the questions. Two, three, four, five deep to really understand the reason why or what they need to do to achieve that. And that is, I think the superpower that I've got is that I'm not afraid to keep asking those questions. Now that doesn't make sense. Tell me more. I'm not feeling it from you.

Tell me more. And and doing it in a way that, of course, is respectful and builds rapport. Normally my clients end up getting that conclusion themselves three or four deep and okay, now we've got that. Now we've got something we can build upon and now we can grow.

Now we can reflect. Now we can take back the feedback. Now we can build week on week. It was really someone told me years ago. Probably one of my mentors was Clarity is King. Clarity is King. And I think I was more talking about my own writing style at the time was that I was very verbose.

And in a way moving towards my coaching sessions, which are now just 15 minutes. So I don't do the hour and a half coaching sessions anymore because that's where I talk about the waffle and fluff. It's just time going back and forth. Clarity is we have 15 minutes to get through this call.

We are going to uncover those obstacles that held you back. And we are going to work out how we can deal with them next week and be better. We can do better. We're going to be better and we're going to win. We're going to win the day and we're going to win the week. We're going to win the quarter and we're going to win that year.

And so that's where it sort of all ties together.

[00:07:46] Paddy Dhanda: And I guess clarity could happen at lots of different levels. I'm just thinking out loud, you know, for many of us, we often ponder over our purpose and trying to get clarity over why are you even here? What am I? Put on this planet to do but that's quite a big big deep level I'm guessing there's there's other aspects where clarity is really important in like you mentioned on a day to day basis You've got daily goals weekly goals monthly goals and so on where do you focus your efforts on mainly

[00:08:16] Ben Kirk: It depends on the point that people come to me. So a lot of people come to me because they are feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work that they have to do. They're often got a side hustle, they've got their main job, or maybe their main job, business owner, they've got a lot of staff, they've got all these things going sideways, and they're feeling that sort of overwhelmed.

So in that point, the clarity is trying to understand what is that one thing? What is that main thing or main issue? effort, or as I say, sometimes a high value task, HVT, that they need to be focusing on. And it's about cutting away all the other stuff, focus in on that thing that's going to move the needle the most for them.

So clarity on that. So if they come to me in that, in that state, then that's what I'll work on. Eventually, or maybe over the next few weeks, we'll go back up. We'll go a bit more high level. Okay. What is the clarity of purpose for this quarter?

What is the clarity of your mission as a business? And so then we'll go all the way up and we'll look holistically at their relationships, at their business, at their financial security, all those sort of areas and try to get clarity on all those. And then from there, we start to pull out again, what are those individual things we need to do in order to achieve those goals in those areas?

So I'll meet them where they're at. But normally it's got to go back to that main clarity point that you brought up there. Is that clarity of purpose and how do we start to, to uncover that? So it does absolutely go all the way through, but yeah, I'll just meet people where they're at. But I do have a bit of a master plan for them over the month or so.

[00:09:40] Paddy Dhanda: and how much of a Challenge is clarity out there. Like are you finding a lot of people? Are struggling with this and are there any kind of research examples that you can give to quantify the lack of clarity that people are facing out there?

[00:09:56] Ben Kirk: You know, I really should have some research on that. I've been delving more into the behavioral science side of things, of more into the habit theory, those, those sort of areas, because I think once we can identify what our task is, or our objective is that's going to move the needle the most we need to work to that into a habit and into a routine.

So I've been focusing most on that, but that's a very good point. I'd really love to sort of go into, what clarity means to people and how many folks sort of realize, or is all this stuff that I've got around him a monkey mind or around me? Is this because of clarity or is it because of just life in general?

Or is it because of all these crazy feeds that I'm putting in my brain all the time through social media or for news or all this other stuff? So I haven't looked at it to that depth, but thanks for bringing that up. Cause I think that would be really interesting to delve into and understand.

What percentage of people are really struggling with this? Everyone I speak to though, is when we go through the questioning, when we ask more questions, it's like, Oh yeah, well that sort of made sense. I should have thought of that. So it's, it's always there. That clarity is there. It just needs to be uncovered.

We just need to peel away at it.

[00:11:01] Paddy Dhanda: Yeah, I was going to say my hypothesis would probably be that nearly everybody needs this help because anybody we talk to, there's always some blind spot that we have. And once we discover it, that's when we can start to get things to be more clear. Could you give some examples of the types of people that have come to you and then have you managed to turn things around for them?

[00:11:24] Ben Kirk: Yeah. So it is an absolute full spread. So I deal with CEOs, I deal with entrepreneurs, business owners, people with the side hustles. I even had a housewife who wanted to be held accountable to make more time for herself. And so, you know, just making sure that she exercised or made sure that she goes out and books things in for herself and things like that. Whilst I do have a business background as far as I have run Decent sized organizations and I've built up some businesses myself as well I do think that the accountability side holds true all the way through and But I do love working with ceos entrepreneurs business owners just people that have that are really sort of Really striving.

They're really looking for something, something more already kind of what I'd classify as a high performer. Maybe the reason they don't have amazing clarity or the, and they need the accountability is that they've got so many balls in the air and they just need someone to bounce ideas off or to, to realign them, get them back on the path.

I love working with those people. They're always looking for feedback. They're always looking for another way to tweak how they're doing things or another.

[00:12:29] Paddy Dhanda: And your background, Ben, it must have had a big part to play in shaping you and the fact that you're focusing on this really tough topic. Could you tell us a bit more about that?

Ben's Personal Journey and Career Path

[00:12:40] Paddy Dhanda: Like how did you land in this area of specialism?

[00:12:43] Ben Kirk: Yeah, there's a long story and there's an even longer story but the way that , the way the story starts, so I actually always want to be a, a jazz musician as a kid. And I went all the way through high school. I played trombone, trumpet, some other brass instruments and piano and things, and ended up becoming a jazz.

And I could have been a better jazz musician had I actually practiced more and be more focused on those things. I found out much later in life there was a bit of an ADHD thing that sort of probably kept me looking at other shiny objects. But that was it all started. As a jazz muso, you don't get a lot of income particularly when you're not a great jazz muso.

So I became a teacher. And sort of through that period as well, though, I got really interested in, Started following some Tony Robbins and things on those. And I said, Oh, you know what? I'd love to sort of do what he does at some stage as a life coach. But the problem was I was, what was I, about 21 at the time?

I said, Oh, I can't be a life coach if I'm only 21 years old. I haven't really had much of a life. But by this stage I was actually lecturing at a, at a university at the time, but that took me through a journey ended up going overseas for a bit. As many people do in their sort of early twenties, at least in Australia, do that European trip back then it was jump on the U rail, get a URL pass and try to sleep on the train and get around.

And that's what, you know, discovering Europe came back and I worked for Apple. And I eventually got a chance to manage one of their stores. I was a very young manager. I was terrible. I think I worked really hard. I did a lot of long hours, but my leadership style was certainly not very well developed.

I held all the cards. I had all the control and I managed to wield things that way. So that told me a little bit. Well, In hindsight, what I could have learned as a leader. From there, I met my wife. She was backpacking in Australia. She was from Sweden. So then I thought, well, you know what? Let's go to Sweden.

I was starting to be a personal trainer. And I thought, I just wanted to understand more about how the body works and wondered why I was always this tall, skinny guy no matter what I ate. Maybe there's, you know, what more can I learn about that? Went over Sweden worked there as an Aussie personal trainer, did some cool stuff and then got involved with international startups, had my own building company, just sort of found my way through there.

When I came back to Australia, my personal training qualifications lapsed and by this stage I figured, well, I was, you know, had a bit more of a life now how about this sort of coaching scene, what's that like? And it wasn't that far removed from being a personal trainer really. And I fell into working for Brian Tracy International.

So I'm fortunate to call Brian Tracy one of my early mentors, I guess, and understanding from his book about habits, his book about no excuses about goals, all those sort of things, focal point. And that really sort of helped develop a lot of the ideas that I'm now I guess trying to teach or trying to uncover from people.

And yeah, some business along the way. And then at 40, I thought, well, what else is there. And I thought I'd joined the army and all those things combined, I guess, has built the sort of a general, in many cases, holistic view about what we can do with coaching. But it's also given me a lot of interesting experiences that I can draw from and ways to find rapport with my clients and then hopefully find commonalities and then be able to do this accountability thing.

[00:15:53] Paddy Dhanda: Fascinating. And I've got a follow up question for you. Sounds like you've gone on quite a journey and it's gone lots of different ways. You mentioned everything from entrepreneurship through to the army, through to personal trainer, like there's a lot there. Would you say you lacked clarity and that's the reason why you went through all of those journeys?

Or would you say you actually had lots of clarity and actually that was all done very purposely so that. You were trying to get to a certain destination, which is where you are now.

[00:16:26] Ben Kirk: That's a great question. And. When I reflect back on it, and when I reflect back to me as a young 20 year old wanting to be a life coach, I've now sort of gone full circle 23 years later, 24 years later, and I found myself in that coaching. So one can look at that was, was that a common theme through that period?

I, I would tend to say though, is that. I think I lack clarity. I think I was searching for something. I think I was really curious about how people worked in all these different industries. I was fortunate enough to meet high performers in all those industries and a chance to learn from them.

So I guess I had this curiosity for learning, curiosity to take these insights away from these people. And Then yeah, it just went, then it just went full circle and I guess I've found what I was looking for. Now I have clarity. There were moments of clarity along the way. And I'm still searching for more.

[00:17:22] Paddy Dhanda: And I have another question on that. Is it okay sometimes not to have clarity therefore, or would you say we should always strive to gain that clarity? Cause I'm just thinking there are moments when I have no idea what I should be doing, and I think I'm just going to go with the flow and see what happens.

And so if someone asked me, like, are you really clear on where you're going? I'd be like, no, I have no idea. And there's other times when I'm like laser sharp and I'm like, that's the thing I want to get to. I just don't know how to get there yet, but we're going to figure that out. But I, I definitely can see the destination.

I'd love to get your perspective on that.

[00:18:00] Ben Kirk: think that a lot of people know inherently what their North Star is. So they sort of, if you look at that as a clarity point, I guess is that's sort of where I want to go. Not a lot of people will have clarity on absolutely how they're going to get there. And if we've absolutely clear about how we're going to get there, maybe that's a little boring.

Maybe we're losing a lot of journeys along the way. Maybe by just having the absolute clarity, we're lacking that sort of curiousness that ability to learn from people we meet along the way. Those, those sort of areas that I think help really complete us as a person.

I think so that the clarity piece comes into play when we have clarity on our goal, and we know what our goal is going to be, and we just need to know what those few steps to take towards that goal need to be. What are those main steps? What are those steps are going to move the needle the most towards that, towards that goal?

By clarity, I'm not saying it needs to be, we've got the horse blinders on, and that is the only route we're going to take. I think anyone that's been around long enough knows that that never happens anyway. So we need to maintain that curiosity in there as well.

[00:19:03] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, I love that. In terms of people out there in the world right now. There's so much going on, right? There's all these wars going on. There's lots of fighting. There's so much going on and I think for many of us sometimes we struggle to see like, what the future is going to be like, you know, I think about my kids and I'm just trying to get through the next few months, nevermind thinking about five years down the line, because I just don't know, we're seeing AI taking over, we're seeing, more wars in the world.

There's just so much happening global warming. Like I'm painting a pretty bleak picture at the moment. So I think the work that you're doing is critical because we do need to then really get laser sharp on the things that we want to achieve. May not know the way to kind of get there.

And I absolutely get that. So that's a great point. You mentioned earlier about. You've been looking at a lot of the kind of behavioral science side of things. Could you share some insights on that?

The Impact of Behavioral Science on Coaching

[00:19:58] Ben Kirk: Yeah, delving into sort of the more Habit theory and have a formation side. There's been some fantastic authors. I mean, I'm sure one that comes up all the time is atomic habits. And just really going deep on helping people build habits, helping people build routines and how those routines essentially are.

Stacking habits. Behavioral science has taken me down the area of sort of DISC and all the other sort of behavioral analysis side as well. And I look at all, all these different areas and I say, okay, how can we make them into play together? How can we take what we've learned from, even from, from military leadership and those advice and, and how actually, how deep that goes into Behavioural science to understand how to motivate and how to lead people and then looking at the basic habits that are formed along the way, the habits that you can encourage people to form in order to lead and motivate them as well.

And that's sort of been the area that I've been delving into a bit and. Yes, some of my clients are fantastic test subjects where we can try new things. And I'm sort of really in that experimentation phase at the moment. I've created an app and that is a way of tracking some main, what I'm, I haven't got a better term for it at the moment, but success markers.

The main one is winning the day or winning the week. We also look at health, sleep and fitness. We also look at productivity, look at motivational morale. We look at what their routine is like, and we look at what their capacity is like, and all that's tracked through our weekly meeting.

The app does the tracking in the background, or they do like a weekly review. It's really super easy to do, but over time, we're able to see what things are impacting their overall performance, or at least how they feel their performance is. So one correlation that we're seeing is, of course, when health, sleep and fitness dwindles.

Then a week or two later, we're starting to see that productivity wane, particularly if the capacity level is above the 100%. We start to see all these things starting to unravel. However, if their routine is at a five out of five through that period. then these other areas don't seem to be falling off.

They're still winning the week. The productivity might be waning a little bit, but they're still winning the week. Because something that we've embedded into their routine is enabling them to do that. We're really starting to see some patterns formulate and that's what I'm loving about it.

[00:22:21] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, thinking about my sleep for a moment, I do think I need to improve in that area. Because I'm a bit of a night owl and I think at times I do push myself a bit too much in terms of how late I stay awake. But not as late as you, Ben, because it's probably way late for you.

[00:22:38] Ben Kirk: little bit. Yes, that's quite a funny thing, though, because I mean, I've become an early riser. I'm getting up at 5am, 5. 30am most mornings. That is when I hit the gym. Believe it or not, my kids are actually with me at that time hitting the gym. I don't force them to do that. That's the sort of the routine that we developed.

However, I was a jazz musician. We didn't start work till 11pm at night. That's when we got on stage. That's when we started our gigs. So a lot of people are like, Oh, you were a night owl. I'm a night owl. I can't become a morning person. Or I am a night owl. Ben, can you help me become a morning person? And what I'll say is that actually, why do you want to be a morning person?

Why do you want to get up at this 5am? Well, because all the top performers get up at 5am. It's like, oh really? Do they? I think all the top performers get a certain amount of sleep so they're able to perform well, be high performers throughout the day. It doesn't matter if you're a night owl. If that's that creativity telling me that you feel you're at your best, then maintain it.

But don't... Don't make yourself feel bad for having to sleep till 8am or something then in the morning, because you're still looking to get your seven and a half or your five sleep cycles or something like that. So you get your sleep. So it's an interesting balance between that.

And yes, I had become an early riser and I do absolutely spruik the benefits of it, but we need to understand that someone's reasons why to become an early riser. And quite often. It's just because they heard somewhere that that's what all the successful people do.

[00:24:01] Paddy Dhanda: Oh yeah, I've heard a few of those motivational speeches where they tell you... While everyone else is sleeping, you could be taking over the world and all that good stuff. So I, I hear you on that one. So, Ben, we're fast approaching time. And I was going to ask you one of my favourite questions to finish the show, which is, if I could give you any superpower to abolish something in the world of work, what might that be for you?

The Importance of Efficient Meetings

[00:24:24] Ben Kirk: Hmm. I think it would be meetings over 15 minutes long

[00:24:27] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, no, we've

failed then,

[00:24:28] Ben Kirk: far as I mean, except podcasts because they're a fantastic medium and they're an educational medium in the, in the sort of the corporates, the corporate space, what I've, what I've seen by taking my coaching sessions from one hour to 15 minutes, sometimes they go to 20.

But in that period of time, people have clarity about why they come into the meeting, they come prepared, they do the homework beforehand, we jump straight in, we get down to the nuts and bolts, we dig deep, we come up with solutions, and then we talk about the next week and we plan things. And I think if meetings could just be generally structured like that, if people could come prepared, if people could understand what they're looking to get out of the meeting, and they, at the end of it, They talk about the objectives.

They talk about what we're going to do next. And then someone holds them accountable to it. So then the next week we've moved forward. That's what I want to abolish any other means. I don't do that.

[00:25:22] Paddy Dhanda: You have my full support on that one, Ben. I am also a big advocate of making meetings better. I wrote a blog article on this a while back and it was all about how... Everything else in the world seems to have moved on, but yet our format for meetings has never really gone beyond the dinosaur age. It seems like we're still insistent on having one hour meetings just because the Microsoft Outlook client tells us that's the default.

And and we just all follow that, but I absolutely get you. So yes, let's abolish meetings that are over 15 minutes just for one day. And let's see how it goes. Let's see what people think.

[00:25:58] Ben Kirk: Let's do it.

[00:25:59] Paddy Dhanda: Awesome.

How to Contact Ben

[00:26:00] Paddy Dhanda: And Ben, if people want to get in touch with you what's the best way that they can do that? And have you got any links or resources that people could follow up on?

[00:26:08] Ben Kirk: Yes, I certainly do. And thanks for asking. If they go to wintheday. com. au forward slash superpowers, then I've got a few little goodies in there. All these little, little ways that we can try to gain clarity, whether it is my goals roadmap, I've got a little ebook in there, it's called the 10 by 10.

Brian Tracy told me about that back when I first started with him, it's never been published anywhere. I've turned it into a bit of an ebook of a really easy way to uncover. What are those 10 things? What are those 10 top goals? It's over 10 days. I even got a five day version of people that can't do it for 10 days.

But over 10 days, how to find those, those 10 goals. And then from there, if they complete that, they will have a free call with me where I'll show them how to break down one of those goals into a whole lot of different parts gain clarity on what that goal is, clarity on the next steps. And that's the free call because I think that once people see that.

They go, Oh, there's a couple of these things a little bit hard, all these obstacles. And they go, maybe I need an accountability coach to help me get there. Great. Maybe they learn enough from the call that they've got other accountability partners around them that they can then employ to help them. And yeah, I have a couple of little PDFs in there like that.

And then also a link to reach out and book a call me straight away. And of course, LinkedIn, just look for Ben J. Kirk on LinkedIn and people can certainly connect with me there as well.

[00:27:28] Paddy Dhanda: Oh, brilliant. And thank you. And we'll share those links as well in the show notes. So you don't have to memorize all of that. So that's that's fantastic. Well, Ben, it's been a pleasure and I do really thank you for for staying up with us so late as well, and for sharing your valuable insights.

I feel like I've got a few things to work on, so I will take those away. So thank you for being on the show.

[00:27:48] Ben Kirk: Oh, you're welcome. This has been great fun.

 It's the end of another episode. Thank you so much for listening. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn and drop me a message. And let me know your favorite takeaways from the episode. Also, don't forget to subscribe to the superpower school newsletter so that you can be notified of all future episodes. Simply visit the website, www.superpowers.school. Thank you once again