Listen in as Kwame describes how his desire to learn, blended with his innate curiosity, led to a unique set of skills. He opens up about why he credits his failures for his current success. You’ll learn how he took a deeply ingrained fear and transformed it into an unexpected strength that propelled him down a surprising career path. He also shares how being a father has forced him to become more efficient. At his core, Kwame believes in pushing past your fears and taking action without worrying about achieving perfection. He chooses to level up every day and teaches you to do the same.

Action Principles

Pick one to do this week: 

1. Knowing yourself. Ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now a fit for who I am?” If not, push past your fear of the unknown and follow your curiosity.  One action you could take: If the answer is no, choose one action that moves you closer to doing work that fits who you are as a person.
2. Level up. Even when the future is unclear, you can always improve the fundamentals. Ask yourself, “What’s a basic skill I can do better?” One action you could take: Take a course to improve that skill. For example, you could take Dave’s time management course or Kwame’s course on how to be both assertive and likable.
3. Set boundaries. Create clear finish lines for working hours and protect your personal time. This will force you to be more efficient and productive at work, getting more done in less time! One action you could take: Choose a work schedule with a clear stopping time each day.
4. Take action. Knowledge is only as powerful as the action that follows it. Remember, failure is simply practice and action is always better than perfection. One action you could take: Pick one of the actions you chose from today’s episode and schedule a time to do it. Don’t worry if the action you take isn’t perfect.

Guest Resources

If you’d like to learn more about negotiating difficult conversations, I strongly recommend subscribing to Kwame’s podcast, Negotiate Anything. You can also stay connected by following him on LinkedIn.

Suggested Courses

• How to Be Both Assertive and Likeable - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/how-to-be-both-assertive-and-likable/introducing-hamilton-chan-esq-8632073
• Find and Test Your Business Idea - DaveCrenshaw.com/idea

Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking—a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world. DaveCrenshaw.com