This is Your Life

My first big corporate job came with lots of perks. But after just a few weeks, I noticed some disturbing behavior among my peers and the company’s leadership.

I eventually came to the conclusion that my values just didn’t sync with the company’s. We were on a collision course. I knew I had to find a company that shared my values—or start one.

Building a values-based organization is critical if you want to create a culture that achieves lasting impact. But values have to be more than platitudes. You have to translate them into behaviors. And to do that, you have to drive them deep into the organization.

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So how do you make sure your Core Values become more than a plaque on a wall? I’d like to suggest six actions you must take as a CEO or a leader to drive your Core Values deep into your organization.

Live your values.

Teach your values.

Reward your values.

Hire people based on your values.

Review people based on your values.

Let people go based on your values.

The most powerful way we can communicate our values is by the decisions we make. People watch these carefully. The more we can connect our everyday decisions to our values, the more we will reinforce them and shape our culture.

Listener Questions

Mark left this comment on a blog post I wrote about core values: “Got to be honest, core values are code for do what I say and not what I do. My grandfather taught me a long time ago, people who run around telling you their values have no values. Values are what you live and do, not what you say, I have worked for three companies where leadership are talking core values, when it comes right down to all of them valued money.”

Daniel asked, “Do you think it is important to identify core values if you are a small company or is this just something that bigger companies do?”

Sheri asked, “Are core values relevant to vendor, customer, and investor relations?”

Special Announcements

People often write in to ask, “Can I pick your brain on something?” I finally decided to address this head-on. If you are interested in picking my brain on something, let me encourage you to go to MichaelHyatt.com/pickmybrain

If you have a question, comment, thought or concern, please leave me a voicemail:

This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because, if I use your question on the show, I will link to it.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Coaching: Building Champions

Magazine: Productive! Magazine

Membership: Platform University

Post: Question 7: How Do You Communicate Your Core Values?

Software: Nozbe

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode

When I started building my platform, it never occurred to me to make money from it. When someone suggested I start accepting advertising, I resisted because I thought (erroneously) it would compromise my integrity.

Then I realized that all professional creatives charge for their work. In fact, this is what separates the professionals from the amateurs.

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Let me share three ways you can maintain your integrity and monetize your art without selling your soul.

Promote Affiliates. The key is to find products you actually use and you believe will be beneficial to your readers. I have three rules when it comes to affiliate products:

I have to use it and love it.

The company must have outstanding customer service.

I disclose it.

Sell Advertising

Create Products

The key to monetizing your art without selling your soul is to offer ads, products, and services that are congruent with your brand and will add value to your readers. Make sure you look at the resources below. I included tons of tools and links in this episode.

Listener Questions

Lisa asked, “What do you think of the idea of selling ‘backlinks’ on your Blog as an additional way to monetize it? If you’ve got a good Google PageRank I assume a backlink is of value to other Bloggers (for SEO purposes) and hence may be prepared to pay for it.

Nina asked, “For attracting visitors, do you use the visitors or the page views per month? I have about 9,000 visitors and 20,000 page views, so if I doubled that, I could potentially sign up for BeaconAds. What do you think?”

Emily asked, “I’m curious if you think it’s appropriate to monetize a non-profit ministry’s blog. We mostly run off donations, and while we do have a handful of affiliate links, we've never sold ad space.”

Josh asked, “Do You think its okay to put affiliate ads on the sidebar on a fairly new blog with very little traffic?”

Scott asked, “What service do you use for automating the sale and distribution of eBooks from your website? I am just finishing my first and not sure how to set up my sales so I'm not personally processing payments and emailing books.”

Lori, asked, “Do you have a team of people pulling this all together for you so can concentrate on the content?”

Special Announcements

People often write in to ask, “Can I pick your brain on something?” I finally decided to address this head-on. If you are interested in picking my brain on something, let me encourage you to go to MichaelHyatt.com/pickmybrain

If you have a question, comment, thought or concern, please leave me a voicemail:

This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because, if I use your question on the show, I will link to it.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Advertising Service: Beacon Ads

Advertising Service: BuySellAds

Affiliate Program: Amazon Affiliate Program

eBook: Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly

eBook: Writing a Winning Book Proposal by Michael Hyatt

Today, I was thinking back to perhaps the busiest time in my career: the first few months right after I left Thomas Nelson, almost three years ago. At that time, I was spending all day, every day buried in administrative detail—responding to emails, making travel plans, and filling out expense reports.

Finally, I decided I had had enough. Something had to give. I needed to take a different approach if I was going to get my head above water.

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eaI took seven specific steps. My hope is that by sharing what I did, it will give you the inspiration and practical steps you need to take in dealing with being overwhelmed.

I decided I had to make a change. This sounds almost trivial, but it is essential. The first question to ask is, “Are you ready for a change?”

I spent time reviewing the productivity basics. I concluded that:

Some stuff is no longer worth doing. That’s the stuff that can be eliminated.

Other stuff can be put on auto-pilot. This is the stuff that can be automated.

Most of the rest can be handed off. This is the stuff that can be delegated.

Do you know which activities in your life fall into which category?

I suggest you download my Productivity Assessment Worksheet. It has four columns: Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, and Do. Print it out and keep it at your work station.

Now, go through your typical workweek and each time you do something—anything—write it down in one of these four columns. Don’t put anything in column four that you can put elsewhere.

I identified my three high payoff activities. You have probably heard me quote Dawson Trotman before on this. He said, “Never do anything of importance that others can or will do when there is so much of importance to be done that others cannot or will not do.”That’s the key: what are the important things that you and only you can do? What are your high payoff activities?

I identified my three biggest productivity sinkholes. I decided I had to eliminate—or at least dramatically reduce—these activities in my life.

I did the math. If I can bill my time at $50.00 an hour (hypothetically speaking), is it a good investment for me to do tasks that I can hire done for $12.00 an hour? I don’t think so. This is not only bad math, it is bad stewardship.

I hired a virtual executive assistant. With the exception of my daughter Megan who works in the business with me, my entire team is virtual. I have fourteen different people who work with me on a regular basis:

two assistants

a bookkeeper

a web developer

a graphic designer

an automated marketing manager

a customer service rep

a booking agent

a copyright and trademark attorney

a videographer

a podcast and audio producer

a transcriptionist

an overall business consultant

Have you ever considered a VA? I highly recommend BELAY. This is the company I personally use.

I schedule the important tasks. What gets “calendared” gets done. If something important doesn’t make it onto your calendar, you’re unlikely to do it.I used to use my calendar only for appointments. Now I schedule appointments with myself. I have appointments for research, writing, and speaking.

How much of your calendar this week is dedicated to high payoff activities?

Listener Questions

Levi Pierpont,

If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will soon. Eventually you are going to work for someone who is immoral, incompetent, or just mean—maybe all three!

The good news is that you often learn more from a bad boss than a good one. But only if you are open and teachable.

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Here are five ways to cope—and maybe even thrive—when working for a bad boss.

Manage your expectations.

Evaluate the impact.

Consider your options.

Be assertive.

Support your boss publicly.

Listener Questions

Andy asked, “What do you do when someone you love works for a bad leader?”

Cheryl asked, “What role does HR play in dealing with a bad boss?”

Philip asked, “When, if ever is it appropriate to go to your bosses’ boss with a complaint about how your boss has handled an issue? I work in the medical field and I’m facing some issues now with my supervisor which potentially compromise patient safety. My feeling is that I have a responsibility to my patients take things up the chain as far as I need to go.”

Ashley asked, “How do you decide whether to stay and fight or leave and find another job?”

Tim asked, “What if you are working for someone who doesn’t want to grow or change? What if they are not open to new ideas?”

Special Announcement

People often write in to ask, “Can I pick your brain on something?” I finally decided to address this head-on. If you are interested in picking my brain on something, let me encourage you to go to MichaelHyatt.com/pickmybrain

If you have a question, comment, thought or concern, please leave me a voicemail:

This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because, if I use your question on the show, I will link to it.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Page: Pick My Brain

Screencast: How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

As a leader, you are going to draw fire. People will criticize you. Some will second-guess your decisions. Others will impute motives that aren’t there. A few will falsely accuse you.

If you are going to be effective as a leader, you can’t afford to be easily offended. Don’t take the bait! Nothing will derail you faster and consume your energy—energy you could be using to do what matters most.

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When I am tempted to get offended, I remind myself of four great truths I have learned—and am still learning—about offenses.

Truth #1: Offenses are inevitable.

Truth #2: Offenses are usually unintentional.

Truth #3: Offenses can be good for us.

Truth #4: Being offended is a choice.

The greatest leaders I know are not easily offended. Instead, they practice the habit of overlooking offenses. They take the high road, give the offender the benefit of the doubt, and move on. What about you?

Listener Questions

Brian Sherman asked, “What steps do you take to overcome your fears?”

Heather Pocock asked, “How do you insure that you don’t squander your weekend or holiday time?”

Hunter Clarke Fields asked, “Should I invest the profits from a successful product launch into improving the product or doing additional marketing?”

Matt McWilliams asked, “Should I think people who retweet me or link to my posts?”

Nate Richards asked, “How can I build a better team culture when my employees are part-time?”

Special Announcements

I've cut back a lot this year on my speaking schedule, but if you would like to see me live:

March 21st, I will be speaking on Platform-Building at Dan Miller’s Innovate Conference in Franklin, Tennessee.

March 26th, I will also be speaking on “7 Rules for Writing Blog Posts That Get Read and Shared” at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, California.

April 7–11, I will be co-leading the Launch Conference in Orlando, Florida.

If you are interested in having me speak at your event or conference, you can find my demo reel, list of most requested topics, and endorsements from previous event sponsors at MichaelHyatt.com/Speaking

Registration is now open for the Launch Conference, April 7–10 at the beautiful Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Whether you are a professional speaker—or just want to be one—this conference will teach you how to start where you are and take your business to the next level.

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of

Great conversations are a balance of give and take like a ping pong match. You wait for the ball to come over the net, then you hit it back to the person on the other side. Then you do it all over again—and on it goes.

This is an essential leadership skill and one that can be learned with a little practice.

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I certainly have much to learn, but over the years, I have used five strategies in trying to become a better conversationalist. These will work in your professional life and your personal life.

Strategy #1: Listen with your heart.

Strategy #2: Be aware of how much you're talking.

Strategy #3: Hit the ball back over the net.

Strategy #4: Ask follow-up questions.

Strategy #5: Provide positive feedback.

Your ability to lead is directly tied to your ability to lead powerful conversations. But this isn’t going to happen unless you are genuinely curious and other-centered. Regardless, if you want to increase your influence, you have to perfect the gentle art of conversational ping pong.

Listener Questions

Andrew asked, “What do you do if someone just won’t engage in the conversation or says, ‘I don’t know’?”

Kari asked, “What role does body language play in being a good conversationalist?"

Drew said, “The best advice I’ve been given is to ‘be interested, not interesting. Do you agree with that?”

Lori asked, “How do I handle a co-worker who always interrupts and talks on top of me? It really shuts me down.”

Adam asked, “What’s your single best tip for getting a conversation started? I’m okay once it gets going, but I really struggle in situations where I don’t know anyone, like a trade show mixer.”

Special Announcements

I've cut back a lot this year on my speaking schedule, but if you would like to see me live:

Today, as this podcast is being released, I am speaking on “The How of Wow” at the Love Travel Stops General Managers Conference.

March 21st, I will be speaking on Platform-Building at Dan Miller’s Innovate Conference.

March 26th, I will also be speaking on “7 Rules for Writing Blog Posts That Get Read and Shared” at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego.

April 7–11, I will be co-leading the Launch Conference in Orlando, Florida.

If you are interested in having me speak at your event or conference, you can find my demo reel, list of most requested topics, and endorsements from previous event sponsors at MichaelHyatt.com/Speaking

Registration is now open for the Launch Conference, April 7–10 at the beautiful Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Whether you are a professional speaker—or just want to be one—this conference will teach you how to start where you are and take your business to the next level.

Early Bird Registration ends on February 14th. BUT, you can take an additional $200 off the early bird pricing by using the code “HYATT.”

Episode Resources

The key to keeping your team aligned in the midst of change or chaos is communication. Unfortunately, most leaders are not intentional about this. They either don’t communicate or don’t have a plan for rolling their message out. The result is that people are left to create their own narrative about what is happening.

If you are going to be an effective leader, you must be deliberate in keeping your team informed. If you don’t, you will create a tremendous amount of “sideways energy” as people speculate and come to the wrong conclusion.

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You can keep your team aligned in the midst of significant organizational change—or crisis—by taking these six steps:

Determine what you want to communicate.

Commit the message to writing.

Secure alignment with your leadership team.

Contact influential stakeholders—personally.

Announce the change through available media channels.

Make yourself available to answer questions.

Listener Questions

Steve asked, “What do you do when you are blind-sided by a customer with news about your company that turns out to be true?”

Jeni asked, “Do you think the communications strategy you outlined in a recent blog post applies to churches and other non-profits as well?”

Brad asked, “I understand the communications strategy when it comes to public announcements, but what about information that is more sensitive, like why you terminated someone?”

Maria asked, “We just don’t have time in our company to communicate as well as we would like. With the continued tough economy, we have fewer people trying to do the same work. What do you suggest? How can we find time to communicate in this context?”

Special Announcements

Registration is now open for the Launch Conference, April 7-10 at the beautiful Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Early Bird Registration ends on February 14th. BUT, you can take an additional $200 off the early bird pricing by using the code “HYATT.”

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Conference: The Launch Conference

Post: How Do Leaders Create Alignment?

Screencast: How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or LessDownload: My Ideal Week (PDF)

Software: Evernote

Software: Google Alerts

Software: Mention

Software: Nozbe

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist,

I have just gone through an incredibly busy time in my life and business. Last year was extraordinary, but it was also exhausting. Last weekend, I found myself feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.

I knew it was time to stop the merry-go-round, take a deep breath, and recalibrate. That’s what I did on Monday. I knew if I didn’t, I would soon end up burned out—or worse. Are you feeling the same way?

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In his excellent book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, Richard Swenson, M.D. describes margin like this:

Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.

The problem is that very few people know what margin is, let alone ever experience it. So why don’t we have any? Why are we so overcommitted and crazy-busy?

While external causes are a factor, most of us lose margin because of something a little more personal: our own fear.

Fear of missing an opportunity.

Fear of disappointing others.

Fear of being left out.

Fear of being judged.

Here are six ways you and I can reclaim lost margin and restore sanity to your lives.

Recognize your current load is unsustainable.

Acknowledge that the real problem is you.

Develop an abundance mindset.

Create your ideal week.

Enroll the people around you.

Put it into practice.

Life is a long-distance run not a sprint. If you and I are going to be effective over the long-term, we have to create margin and pace ourselves.

Listener Questions

Karl Rosenblum asked, “What system do you use for filing electronic documents?”

Mark DeJesus asked, “How do I decide whether to make an article a single post or a series?”

Steve Stewart asked, “How do you know when to persevere and when to give-up?”

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Book: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson, M.D.

Grovo: Learn How to Use Expensify

Podcast: Episode 64: Two Kinds of Thinkers: Which One Are You?

Screencast:

As a leader, the health of your marriage directly affects the impact of your leadership. I have witnessed this time after time. Being effective at work or in ministry begins by being effective at home.

Praising your spouse in public is one of the most important investments you can make—in your family and in your leadership. In this episode, I share five reasons why it positively impacts your effectiveness.

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You get more of what you affirm.

Affirmation shifts your attitude toward your spouse.

Affirmation helps strengthen your spouse’s best qualities.

Affirmation wards off the temptation of adultery.

Affirmation provides a model to those you lead.

To be a truly effective leader, you must lead yourself, and then you must lead your family. Your marriage is a powerful visual of how you treat the people you value the most.

When you speak highly of your spouse, your followers are more likely to trust you. It takes your leadership to another level.

Listener Questions

Erica wrote, “My husband and I are struggling. I think we need professional help, but this has such a negative connotation to him—like we are admitting defeat. How can I convince my husband to go with me to a marriage therapist?”

John asked, “I am afraid my wife and I are locked into this vicious cycle where we make fun of one another in public. To outsiders, it probably seems harmless, but, honestly, it embarrasses me and make me resentful. How can we stop this cycle and get back on track?”

Patricia asked, “My husband and I have been guilty of bashing one another in public. We had an honest talk about it and committed ourselves to change. That was several months ago. Now he has slipped back into the old patterns, and it hurts now more than ever. He says I am just being ‘too sensitive.’ How can I convince him to get back on the wagon without me looking needy and weak?”

Megan said, “I have seen so many girlfriends complain about their husbands as a way to connect with each other. I don’t believe it is healthy. What should I do when it happens and I am present? I always feel awkward but am not sure what to say.”

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Emerson Eggerichs

Course: How to Create Your Best Year Ever

Membership: Platform University

Screencast: How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode,

The ability to build rapport and trust is a critical success skill in leadership. This is obvious if you are an author or speaker, but it is necessary even if you aren’t.

If you are going to be successful in influencing others—even if it’s just to buy your point of view—you must become proficient at building trust.

Last week, I participated in a panel discussion at NMX on “The Formula for Creating a Top Ranked Podcast in the Business Category of iTunes.” Cliff Ravenscraft, Dan Miller, and Ray Edwards were my co-panelists. I was asked to speak on the trust part of the formula.

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I shared five ways you can build more rapport and trust, regardless of your role or context.

Show empathy.

Be generous.

Tell the truth.

Honor your word.

Be transparent.

When you do these things, you build trust. Trust is the lubricant that makes it possible for you to influence others.

Listener Questions

An anonymous female caller asked, “I have a difficult time following through on my intentions. How can I change this?”

Shirley Showalter asked “How do I move beyond my core audience to find a larger one?

Wendy asked, “I added the word ‘blog’ to my domain name because my name was already taken. Is that going to be a problem down the line?”

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Love Is the Killer App by Tim Sanders

Course: How to Create Your Best Year Ever

Membership: Platform University

Software: Bartender for Mac

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.