The Double Win

Has this ever happened to you? You land what you think will be your dream job. But after a few months, you realize . . . you really don’t like it.

Aargh! That’s happened to us, more than once. Sometimes the job wasn’t what you thought. Sometimes the role changes as the company grows (or downsizes). And sometimes you just realize you’re in the wrong career.

Either way, it kind of makes you feel stuck. It’s demotivating to wake up every day and realize the job you have is not the one you want.

But there’s hope! Together, we’ve held dozens of jobs in the business world. We know better than anyone that it’s easy to wind up in a role that just doesn’t fit. Over the years, we’ve reshaped our responsibilities, switched jobs, and even changed careers. It can be done!

You don’t have to feel stuck in a job, or even a career, that no longer fits your passion and proficiency. In this episode, we’ll give you three possible actions you can take. One of them is sure to lead to a role that fits you.

We’re also joined by Ken Coleman, host of The Ken Coleman Show and author of The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead To The Career You Love. If you think your best option is simply to find a new career, you won’t want to miss his advice.

A job is like a pair of running shoes. With the right fit, you can go a lot faster and feel a lot better. Today, we’re going to help you get the right fit.

Don’t spend another year lamenting the fact that you’ve wound up in the wrong spot. Today is the day you can begin to make a change!

This episode of Lead to Win is brought to you by The Focused Leader Masterclass, an online course to help focus your leadership and deliver greater results. Find out more at leadto.win/masterclass.

Time Stamps:

• Big Announcement about Megan’s family! [0:28]
• Michael talks about making the decision to re-career after his role changed dramatically. [2:50]
• Learn why it’s not a good idea to “just quit” a job you don’t love. [4:20; 27:54]
• Find out how the Freedom Compass™ can help reshape your current role. [5:55]
• Get tips on how to learn and grow in a job that’s limiting you. [8:10]
• See how to approach your boss when you want to eliminate, automate, or delegate parts of your current role. [9:03]
• Understand how to leverage your current experience, even if feel “too old” or “too young” for the job you want. [10:27]
• Learn why it’s critical to separate your role from your identity. [13:00]
• See the critical signs that you are in the wrong job. [18:23]
• Learn to overcome the fear of re-careering or making a major change. [19:37]
• Find out how to leverage the power of relationships when your résumé doesn’t match the job you want. [23:30]
• See how the right attitude always leads to opportunity. [27:30]

How about This?

If you’re loving Lead to Win, would you tap on of the social links on the left and share this episode with your friends? I’ll bet a lot of people you know could benefit from this advice on getting into a role you’ll love. Please help spread the word!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever worked for a really bad boss? The kind that kind that makes you want to tear your hear out, or quit, or maybe both? Nearly everybody has at some point, including us! In fact, we’ve got a few of our best bad boss stories to share today—plus some from our listeners.

So what do you do when your boss is really insufferable?

In our experience a bad boss can do incredible damage to morale, productivity, and even the emotional health of the team. The good news is that there are ways to do more than just cope with the situation. We’ve got tips to share that can help you thrive even in a less-than-ideal work team environment.

Oh, and if you are a boss, as many of our listeners are, there’s something here for you too. You can use these insights to reverse-engineer your leadership and be sure you’re not exhibiting any “bad boss” behaviors.

This episode of Lead to Win is brought to you by The LeaderScore Assessment, a simple tool to evaluate the health of your leadership. Find out more at leadto.win/leaderscore.

Here’s a peek inside the show—

• We each share our worst boss experiences, including one that led me (Megan) to quit after two weeks and another brought me (Michael) to offer up a resignation.
• Using bad boss stories from several listeners, we’ll share tips and insights for dealing with the Undercommuncator, Mr. Fudge-the-Numbers, Ms. Insecure, and other types of bad bosses.
• We’ll define the difference between a boss who lacks skill or awareness and one who is unethical or immoral—with tips for how to respond to each.
• You’ll learn specifically how the Enneagarm and other personality assessments can benefit anyone in leadership—including you, if you’re a boss.
• We’ll give you some insight on when and how to confront a boss, depending on the severity of the situation.
• We’ll also define some parameters for when to confront a bad boss and when to report his or her behavior straight to human resources.
• We’ll show you which circumstances may call for your resignation on ethical grounds—and which don’t.
• You’ll get a handle on when it’s best to support your boss in public as you confront in private—and when to escalate the situation.
• Best of all, we’ll show you the one way you can profit from any boss experience, no matter how bad it may be.

We really think this episode is going to be a game changer for frustrated employees. And for some leaders who may lack self-awareness. Whichever role you’re in, team member or leader, these insights will make your work environment less stressful and more productive.

Share the Love

If you’re loving this podcast (and we hope you are!), take a minute right now to write a brief review on iTunes. That really helps keep the show visible to other leaders so they can benefit from it too. And it just takes a few seconds. If you’re not sure how to find the review page, click here for a simple tutorial. Thanks so much.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What’s your biggest roadblock to productivity? Many people would say, “Interruptions and distractions! I can’t get anything done because I keep getting interrupted!”

If that’s you, we’re going to solve that problem for you right now.

First, a little celebration. We are so excited that Free to Focus made 4 major, national best-seller lists! That includes number one spots at the Wall Street Journal business list and the Amazon.com list for personal time management. We’re so excited!

To celebrate, we’re releasing a second free audio chapter in this bonus episode of Lead to Win. (The first chapter is here.)

Today’s episode is “Activate: Beat Interruptions and Distractions.” And we promise it’ll help you slam the door on time stealers like email, social media, drop-in visitors, electronic notifications, and more.

Put the techniques we reveal here into practice, and you’ll be amazed at how your productivity skyrockets!

Here’s a peek at what’s inside the episode—

• Learn how to limit instant communications so you can respond on your schedule.
• Get tips for taking control of your inbox—so others cannot use it to delegate to you.
• Understand the concept of “downhill work” and stop using it to avoid complex tasks.
• See the true cost of task switching on your productivity, and find out how to focus longer on a single task.
• Learn the science behind how certain types of music can boost your concentration.
• Gain tactics for using technology to fight technological interruptions.
• Use Implementation Intentions to pre-program responses to interruptions, so you never get pulled off track.

We’ve coached thousands of people on the techniques we’re giving you in this episode. And we know how powerful they are in beating distractions and boosting your focus.

So here’s our challenge for you. Listen to the episode, and pick one or two of these techniques to implement today. You’ll be more productive than you ever thought possible!

Are You Feeling the Love?

If you love Lead to Win, we’d love it if you left a rating and brief review on iTunes. This is super helpful in spreading the word about this great content. If you’re unsure how to leave a review, check this simple tutorial. Thanks so much!

And don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen! Don’t miss a single episode of practical advice and insight.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt

• LeaderScore Assessment

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you have a really big dream or far-out goal that you’ve never told anybody about? We’ll bet you do because we’ve had them too. What’s sad is that most of those dreams  get buried under a huge mound of fear and insecurity. It doesn’t have to be that way! We’ve felt that same fear of acting on our deepest desires. And we’ve learned from experience that when you do take the risk of sharing your dream, people usually tell you “get real” or “be practical.” It’s discouraging. After a while, it’s just easier to play it safe. Here’s the thing: nothing good in our lives has come from thinking small. All the breakthroughs—every single one—have come as a result of dreaming big and nurturing those dreams to reality. Thinking big is a skill, just like anything else. You can train yourself to it, and we’ll show you how. I (Megan) had to learn that lesson to overcome my lifelong fear of public speaking. To do that, I had to envision a bigger future for myself. In this episode, I share that journey and how it transformed my life and leadership. We’re excited about this message because we know it will be a turning point for a lot of people, maybe you. This episode is brought to you by the Full-Focus Planner. Pre-order in the Executive, Classic, and Bold lines. Here’s the insight you get in this episode— Learn why the biggest change you need is in your mindset, not your behavior. Identify the primary emotion that keeps us from dreaming big. Recognize the predictable process that causes you to give up on big ideas. Find out why writing down your dreams nearly guarantees they’ll be realized. Understand the difference between a dream and a goal, and why both matter. Discover the most vulnerable stage in thinking big, and learn how to ensure your dream doesn’t die here. Hear the magic question that moves you from dreaming to doing. See why most big dreams are not achieved. (Hint: It’s not lack of ability.) Seriously, this is one of the most exciting episodes we’ve produced. We hope it’ll inspire you to dig deep, think back, and recover the big ambition you’ve been too afraid to voice. We know you can do it! Here’s Something that Would Really Help Are you a Lead to Win subscriber? If not, you’re missing a major opportunity to get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen. If you need help, click here for simple instructions. And if you’re really loving the show, we’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review. Resources Mentioned in This Episode The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale https://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-Thinking-Norman-Vincent/dp/0743234804 The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Thinking-Big-David-Schwartz/dp/0671646788 Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser https://www.amazon.com/Write-Down-Make-Happen-Knowing/dp/0684850028/    

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you know why Steve Jobs insisted that the original iPhone have only one button? Because nothing succeeds like simplicity. Take out your iPhone, if you have one, and compare it to a Comcast remote. See the difference? Sleek simplicity versus mind-boggling complexity. We all know that simplicity increases speed and fuels business growth. But we seem to be stuck with clunky, cumbersome business systems. And they multiply like rabbits! Hiring, project approval, communication tools, and even expense reporting can be numbingly complex and tedious. We feel that too, which is why we recently simplified one of the main aspects of our business, our software solutions. We now use a combination of only four products to run our business: G-suite, Slack, Spark, and Asana. Are they the best tools out there? We don’t know, but they’re the simplest ones that meet our needs. We’re collaborating faster and better than ever before. And our team loves it. Simplicity always wins. In this episode, we show you how to simplify your business systems. Not just tech, but everything you do. Our chief content officer, Joel Miller, joins us to explain why complexity is such a huge problem for many businesses, and how you can eradicate it with four deliberate actions. Here’s an overview of this episode— Joel explains why complexity multiply so quickly in a business. We talk about the subtle clues that complex systems, not true business needs, are creating the need for more staff. We offer tips to help you recognize complexity creep. Michael opens up about the a-ha moment when he realized the need to simplify our product line. We give real-world advice for eradicating complex systems from your business. One more thing. After you listen to this episode, don’t be afraid to take the plunge and start eliminating tools, processes, or even products that are slowing you down. Sometimes it’s hard to let go, but you will never regret making your business simpler and more responsive. You can do this! Resources Mentioned in This Episode The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth by Chris Zook and James Allen Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall “On Style” by Arthur Quiller-Couch (see paragraph 6) Business Health Assessment Here’s One Thing That Will Really Help If you’re really loving the show, would you leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. And it really helps us make the podcast better. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. We read every single review, and we’re grateful for your feedback. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review.  

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you could make a single hire that would revolutionize your productivity, would you do it? Of course we all would say yes. But we’ve found that most leaders procrastinate when it comes to hiring an executive assistant. That’s right, an EA is the most important hire you’ll ever make. Having a good assistant makes you incredibly productive by taking on your low-leverage tasks and helping you channel your time and energy where you can be most effective. That creates an instant boost in productivity! But lots of us put off hiring an EA out of fear. We’re afraid we can’t afford it, or we’ll lose control of important tasks, or there won’t be enough for them to do. We’re here to tell you that simply isn’t true! In fact, we’re so convinced that hiring an EA will skyrocket your productivity that we’re devoting the entire episode to showing you how and why to do it.   Plus? We have a visit from Jim Kelly and Jamie Hess, our executive assistants, who give a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work with us. Here’s happening in this episode— We give you our top three reasons why you should hire an EA right now. We promise, you won’t regret it. We each reveal the top tasks we depend on our assistants to accomplish—because we’re really not good at them! You’ll discover the ways having an EA boosts margin and improves family time. Jim and Jamie will tell you the number one task you need to hand off (and probably don’t know it). We outline the first steps to hiring an EA, which are much easier than you’d think. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Belay Solutions “The 10 Characteristics of a Rockstar Executive Assistant” by Michael Hyatt “The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make With Executive Assistants” by Michael Hyatt Business Health Assessment Michael’s New Book Is Red Hot! We just learned that Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less his spiked to #2 on the USA Today best-sellers list for business books. Claim your copy today at freetofocusbook.com. Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you a Lead to Win subscriber? If not, you’re missing a major opportunity to get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen. If you need help, click here for simple instructions. And if you’re really loving the show, we’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review.  

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As business owners, we’ve learned that we can’t do our best work sandwiched between meetings and phone calls. We need focused time for strategizing, writing, and working out difficult problems. You probably do too. But how many times do you get distracted in a typical day? Ten? Fifty? A hundred? Research indicates that the average worker is distracted once every three minutes. We’re swimming upstream against a flood of emails, notifications, texts, and drop-in visitors. You just can’t be productive in that environment. The good news is that regaining your focus is easier than you think. Just a few simple practices can slam the door on distractions and interruptions and give you the focused time you need for high-leverage work. I’m talking about things you can start doing right now, today. Here’s happening in this episode— You’ll get practical tips for getting in the “alone zone” so you’re not interrupted. You’ll learn about “meeting free Thursdays” and how that’s boosted our business. You’ll learn how to fight fire with fire, using technology to block distractions. You’ll learn what types of food are scientifically proven to increase mental acuity. You’ll see the connection between listening to music and problem solving, backed by solid research. You’ll hear the best method for ensuring that you take frequent breaks to keep your mind fresh. You’ll learn how the one tool you use every single day can become your firewall against unwanted meetings and visitors. Plus, our producers surprised us a pop quiz about our own favorite productivity hacks. It was a ton of fun! After you listen, we hope you’ll choose at least one or two of these simple hacks and start using them today. You’ll be amazed at how it will boost your productivity. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Books Rework by Jason Fried and David Hannson When by Daniel Pink Deep Work by Cal Newport Platform by Michael Hyatt Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Digital Resources Gail Hyatt’s Spotify Playlists to Improve Focus Classical Music for Studying, Writing and ConcentrationWriting and Concentration Film Scores for Studying, Writing and Concentration Soundtracks, Film Scores, for Studying, Writing and Concentration Freedom app Focus at Will site Focus Booster Pomodoro app Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you a Lead to Win subscriber? If not, you’re missing a major opportunity to get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen. If you need help, click here now for simple instructions. And if you’re really loving the show, we’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are so excited to announce the release of my (Michael’s) latest book, Free to Focus: A Total PRoductivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less! In fact, we’re having a party! You can read the first chapter of Free to Focus here. Here’s what’s happening inside the episode— We outline the 3-part system of productivity: Stop, Cut, Act. We tell what makes this system different from the many other task- and time-management approaches. You’ll hear from actual users of the Free to Focus method, who talk about the transformation it made in their lives and businesses. We show you the surprising power of getting more done by focusing on just three tasks per day. You’ll hear how to claim up to $798-worth of free bonuses by ordering the book this week. We announce the winners of our free giveaway of all Michael’s books from among  those who shared this podcast on social media last week. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Free to Focus: A Total PRoductivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less Free bonuses for buying Free to Focus by April 13. Read a chapter of Free to Focus Michael’s Instagram Megan’s Instagram Subscribe & Review in iTunes If haven’t yet subscribed to our podcast in iTunes, do it today. You’ll get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Click here now to subscribe in iTunes. We’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're so excited that Michael's new book is coming out on Tuesday! It's called Free To Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less and today you're getting to listen to the first chapter here on this bonus episode of Lead to Win.

Also, as a special extra bonus for our listeners, we’re giving away five bundles of Michael's best-selling books, Your Best Year Ever,  Living Forward, Platform, No Fail Meetings, and Free to Focus. For your chance to win, share this podcast episode on social media with the hashtag #FREETOFOCUSBOOK. We’ll announce our five winners on the podcast on April 9th. So tune in next week to see if you’re one of our five winners.

This episode is brought to you by the new book Free to Focus. To pre-order and receive $498 dollars in free bonus content, visit www.freetofocusbook.com.

 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What’s your biggest distraction? Be honest! For us, there’s no question about it—our biggest distraction is ourselves. Too often, we find ourselves responding to text messages or jumping from low-priority task to another instead of tackling more demanding work. Well today, we’re going to show you how to beat distractions and make yourself more productive than ever! Research shows that the typical worker is interrupted about every three minutes! Worse, we often distract ourselves by checking social media or surfing the web. All those “little” breaks undermine your productivity. Today, we’ll tell you how to— Silence the noise (literally) that interrupts your focus. Gently but firmly discourage drop-in visitors from breaking your concentration. Use technology to fight technology, which so often interrupts your work. Increase your frustration tolerance so resist the temptation to bail on a task. Heighten your focus with music scientifically proven to help you concentrate. Use social cues to signal your unavailability for a “quick question.” Wean yourself off of dopamine, brain chemical that produces a momentary high when checking messages. This episode is sponsored by my (Michael’s) new book, Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less. This proven system has helped thousands of people end the overwhelm and regain their margin at work and at home. You can pre-order the book now and claim a ton of exclusive bonuses. The bonuses are for a limited time, so order now. Subscribe & Review in iTunes If haven’t yet subscribed to our podcast in iTunes, do it today. You’ll get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Click here now to subscribe in iTunes. We’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Freedom app Google Voice Focusatwill.com “4 Ways to Turn Off Annoying Notifications on Your Android Phone or iPhone”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.