We fool ourselves into thinking that our time on this earth is unique. That every challenge we face is new and different, and that no one else can possibly understand the pressures we face.

But the simple truth is there are numerous examples of similar circumstances throughout recorded history, whether analogous or identical. It just takes a bit of work to find them and understand the historical context that will prepare us for the future.

In this episode, it's on to the second of the third sculptures at the National Archives as we determine what the future looks like.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

A.I. this. Blockchain that. The latest in the tech wars. You'd think we're living in the future. In some ways we are, but our route here is an interesting and essential one to understand. Rooted in so much of what we need to address today – in marketing, business, and technology – is where we came from.

You've often heard the saying "those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it." It's not quite as bleak as that. But if you stop to observe, history has lessons that can actually provide a roadmap for us as we forge through the wilderness of the future.

In this episode, I'll take you to the steps of the National Archives in Washington, DC for a history lesson and a preview of things to come.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

"You have the grand gift of silence, Watson. It makes you invaluable as a companion." So said Sherlock Holmes said in "The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip." The emotionally intelligent leader knows when to be silent as well. Yet we often forget that, in the heat of the moment.

Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson and FDR were all tested by adversity, which informed their empathy, self-awareness, humility, and ability to reflect. Leaders of all stripes should heed the same advice as those leaders, and also recall some wise words from Cicero and John Calvin.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

Everyone makes stupid decisions. Uninformed decisions, hasty decisions, misguided decisions. But the worst example is when someone doesn't make a decision at all.

We all fear something. Rejection. Humiliation. Defeat. But should that be enough to hold us back? When we avoid putting ourselves out there – doing nothing rather than doing something counter-cultural or counter-intuitive – that sense of safety may be more damaging than the risk itself.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

Why define yourself by the constraints of typical topical titles? There's much more to the work that you do and why you do it: your motivation, your fulfillment, your service to others.

Instead of asking people what they do, ask more probing questions that get at the heart of what makes them tick. And always remember that there's someone far more powerful than executives or boards in charge.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

With a world full of complexities like GDPR, social media algorithms, artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop*, simplicity is your friend.

There's a unmet need for people who are able to take the complex and make it simple. And there's great talent in people who can make you feel like you've known it all along, without making you feel stupid.

This episode is a look inside the human mind – what causes us reflexively make things more complicated than they are, and why we're wistful for the past.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

There's one attribute that will set you apart as a professional. It separates the creative from the dull, the leaders from the followers. It can't be taught, and it can't be learned. It's innate.

And if you have it, you'll find that you'll be inspired on almost a daily basis. You'll ask questions and absorb information. And through that process, you'll find that you can reach your greatest potential.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

Brands are spending more money than ever on influencer marketing, and it's poised to go even higher in the next two years. But are they getting their money's worth?

In some cases, influencer marketing has devolved into a transactional numbers game. It's time to change that, recognizing the universal truth that drives interaction.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

When you spend so much time to get your messaging right, honing it to the perfect phrase that's repeatable and understandable, it can be a complete waste of time if employees treat customers in a way that negates it.

A century-old company provides a perfect example of how culture is communicated and demonstrate to and through every customer. And it serves as a reminder as to how far certain companies still need to go today.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support

What happens when the market knows you for one thing, and you don't deliver on that one thing? Or even worse, when you take your attention off of that one thing and instead focus on doing the right thing?

The answer is, of course, your stock tanks. Seems rather perverse. Perhaps a little integrity is needed upfront so investors know exactly what they're in for.

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scottmonty/support