How To Be Awesome At Your Job: A Podcast For People Who Love Learning Improvement Tools For Happier Work, Career & Achieving

Director of Landscape Services at Ole Miss (and author), Jeff McManus offers fresh insights on “growing people." You’ll Learn A powerful storytelling approach to connect your team to a larger purpose How to massively stretch the impact of your learning & development dollar Why you might not want to fire that underperformer just yet About JeffJeff McManus grows things.  As the Director of Landscape Services at the University of Mississippi, he grows plants….he grows people….he grows ideas.  Taking his grounds staff, affectionately known as “weeders”, and developing them into “leaders” has been a joyous challenge that reaped acres of rewards in the form of national recognition by the Princeton Review, PGMS, Newsweek and every faculty, staff, student and visitor who has walked onto the Ole Miss Campus.  Building on that momentum, Jeff has designed a professional development plan for his Weeders called Landscape University – a replicable training program that promotes the individual’s innate ability to GRO

Meeting enthusiast and Engineering Program Manager John Poelstra shares how to give your meetings a needed boost. You’ll learn: When you do vs. don’t need a meeting How to “blame the agenda” to advance your agenda The CAT and WOOT frameworks for developing excellent meeting agendas John Poelstra is a Manager on the Engineering Program team at Red Hat, Inc., the world’s most successful open source software company. John is passionate about facilitating the best project meetings and he wants to help you do the same. He gets great satisfaction from bringing order to chaos and clarity to confusion so that owners can thrive. John achieves this using tools from a variety of disciplines including a current favorite, Trello. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep58    

Career strategist Jenny Blake shares insights about the when, why, and how of career pivoting. You’ll learn: When and how to make a “pivot” move in your career The three “E’s” of piloting something new in your life How to reinvent your role--right where you are About Jenny Jenny Blake is a career and business strategist and international speaker who helps people move beyond burnout and create sustainable careers they love. She is the co-creator of Google’s Career Guru Program, host of the Pivot Podcast, and author of the book Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One, which released yesterday. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com

Recovering procrastinator and professional speaker Rita Emmett lays out a handy framework for overcoming procrastination in the heat of the moment. You’ll learn: How to tackle the fears that breed procrastination Approaches to turn procrastination into prioritization The 5-step STING method to overcoming procrastination About RitaRita Emmett was once The World's Greatest Procrastinator. Then she converted and is now a "Recovering Procrastinator". She is also a professional speaker, and author of: The Procrastinator’s Handbook, The Clutter-Busting Handbook, and Manage Your Time To Reduce Your Stress. The books have sold over 300K copies in 42 countries, garnering Rita hundreds of media appearances, including Katie Couric. Rita’s customized presentations cover Procrastination, Clutter, Customer Loyalty, Burn-out, and Communication Skills have helped hundreds of organizations improve their performance, productivity and profitability, and head off burnout before it starts. Her clients include AT&T, Kraft Fo

Irreverent Great Work coach Michael Bungay Stainier provides mindset and questions to inspire your teammates--10 minutes at a time. You’ll learn: Why being a coach at work is a lot quicker and easier than you might think How to give less advice while getting more results 7 powerful questions for transforming your team About MichaelMichael Bungay Stanier is the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, a company that helps people and organizations all over the world do less Good Work and more Great Work. Michael left Australia 25 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He has written a number of books. His latest, The Coaching Habit, has been praised as one of the few business books that actually makes people laugh out loud. He was recently named the #2 Coaching Guru in the World, which caught him by surprise as he’s not entirely sure why.

Professor G. Richard Shell discusses how to find happiness in your work. You’ll Learn: The importance of changing your metaphor for success How to find happiness in every domain of your life – particularly careers How to self-monitor progress to land in a place of achievement AND fulfilment (instead of a crisis) About Richard G. Richard Shell is the Thomas Gerrity Professor of Legal Studies, Business Ethics, and Management at the Wharton School of Business. There, he created and teaches the famous Success Course. His books include the best-selling Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success, the award-winning Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People and The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas. He is director of the Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop and the Wharton Strategic Persuasion Workshop.   View show notes, transcript, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep54

President & CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Kate Bates discusses how to establish a successful career path at a young age. You’ll Learn: Why you should always be the ‘go-to’ person The value of a good connection How to be your own champion About KateKate Bates is the President & CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, longtime friend, and Danville High School Monopoly champion. The mission of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is to strengthen businesses and the economic environment for those who work, live and do business in Arlington.The vision of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is to be the essential partner for business success.

Author and fellow podcaster David Kadavy discusses how to train yourself to get into and maintain a productive mindset. You’ll learn: Powerful rituals for powerful productivity A handy set of categories to zero in on ideal mind states Approaches for quickly shifting your mind state About David David Kadavy is author of the #18 Amazon best-selling book, Design for Hackers: Reverse-Engineering Beauty and the host of the Love Your Work podcast. Prior to writing Design for Hackers, David founded the Design departments at two Silicon Valley startups, and freelanced for clients such as oDesk, PBworks, and UserVoice. David also launched numerous other projects on his own, none of which failed hard enough to be worthy of mention here.

Amanda Mitchell, founder of OurCorporateLife.com, shares hidden sources of workplace politics that may hinder productivity -- and how you can prevent it You’ll learn: 1. Approaches to identify and eliminate unnecessary suffering at work.2.How to deal with “pot-stirrers” at your job 3.The importance of focusing on your agenda before anyone else’s About Amanda Amanda is an executive coach and strategist specializing in helping senior executives deal with disruptive drama within their teams. An advertising agency veteran, she experienced first-hand the business implications of corporate drama both with her Fortune 500 clients and within the Manhattan ad agency she led.  A practical problem solver, she founded Our Corporate Life (www.ourcorporatelife.com) to help executives solve the problems no one wants to deal with. She has been published in Bloomberg Businessweek and quoted in Fast Company, CNBC.com, and Monster.com. She lives in New Jersey (aka the Land of Enchantment!) with her family.

James E. Lukaszewski, the man known as America's Crisis Guru, shares how to handle and resolve crises within organizations from a strategic perspective. You’ll learn: Why it’s better to give options instead of solutions The 7 disciplines of being a trusted advisor The 6 steps to giving impactful 3-minute advice About JimJames (Jim) E. Lukaszewski is one of America’s most visible corporate go-to people for senior executives when there is trouble in the room or on the horizon. As America’s Crisis Guru®, He has been recognized for lifetime achievement in his profession by most of the major public relations organizations in the United States. He served for 22 years on the Public Relations Society of America’s Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS) and is now its first Emeritus member. He has written twelve books, including Why Should The Boss Listen to You, and hundreds of articles. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com

Positive psychology researcher (and former CBS News anchor) Michelle Gielan discusses correlation and causation between happiness and career success. You’ll Learn: 1. How happiness truly translates into career performance 2. How to use “small shifts” to talk about solutions instead of problems 3. The “4 C’s” of delivering bad news better About Michelle Michelle Gielan is national CBS News anchor turned positive psychology researcher, who is the bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness. Michelle is the Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and is partnered with Arianna Huffington to study how transformative stories fuel success. She is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course. Michelle holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her research and advice have received attention from The New York Times, Washington Post, FORBES, CNN, FOX, and Harvard Business Review. View tr

You’ll learn: How to deal with “wicked problems” How to channel your imagination for extra creativity What the “trap of advocacy” is -- and why you should avoid it   About Brook Brook Manville is Principal of Brook Manville LLC, providing consulting and executive development on strategy and organization. He publishes on leadership, networks, and learning communities at Forbes and elsewhere. He coaches leaders on their organizational effectiveness, in the context of a hyperconnected world. He’s a former Partner in McKinsey & Company’s Organization Practice (and the firm’s first Director of Knowledge Management). He’s held senior positions at Saba Software and United Way of America. His first job was as an assistant professor of history at Northwestern University, teaching and publishing on classical Greek democracy. He’s a graduate of Yale and Oxford. Brook and his family live in metro Washington, D.C. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep48.

Architect and author Leigh Stringer shares how to adjust your workspace to enhance your performance. You’ll learn: 1. The powerful connection between relaxation and creativity 2. What “biophilia” means and how it can improve your performance 3. The difference between good workers and great workers we learned from athletes About Leigh: Leigh Stringer, LEED AP, is a workplace strategy expert and researcher whose work has been covered by national media, including CNN, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America. She works for EYP, an architecture, engineering and building technology firm. She is the author of the book The Healthy Workplace: How to Improve the Well-Being of Your Employees—and Boost Your Company’s Bottom Line and lives with her husband and two daughters in Washington, DC. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep47

Inventor extraordinaire Afif Ghannoum shares tactics for conceiving, testing, and selling great ideas. You’ll learn: 1. The conditions necessary for creativity to flourish 2. How to successfully borrow, tweak, and validate ideas from giants 3. The three credibilities you need for a compelling story About Afif: Afif Ghannoum is the founder of NapkinToShelf.com. He is a formerly frustrated lawyer that has launched over ten products that have sold in over 27,000 stores and online. Afif also has two patents, licensed technology to a large pharma company for a product sold in tens of thousands of stores in multiple countries, and has raised nearly $9 Million (and Counting) in venture funding. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep46

Leadership thinker/author/speaker/consultant Emmanuel Gobilott lays out how people really work best together. You’ll learn: What charisma really is and how to project it When collaboration is ideal vs. inappropriate The four steps to collaborative success About Emmanuel: Emmanuel Gobillott is one of Europe’s most sought after leadership speakers and has been described as ‘the first leadership guru for the digital generation’ and ‘the freshest voice in leadership today’, He is the author of Kogan Page’s UK and US bestsellers The Connected Leader, Leadershift, and Follow The Leader. His new book Disciplined Collaboration provides further insight into new leadership and organisational models. He is the founder of leadership development consultancy Emmanuel Gobillot Limited and co-founder of Collaboration Partners, a boutique consultancy specialising in helping organisations release the value of collaboration. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep45.

ABC news anchor Dan Harris shares how meditation has helped him and other high-achievers accomplish even more.  You’ll learn: Dan’s wild story of how he came to discover meditation and its benefits--including a panic attack on national television The key question to reign in sub-optimal ruminations The meditation dose required to see substantial benefits About Dan Dan Harris is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller 10% Happier, the co-creator of the '10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics' app, and the host of the podcast 10% Happier with Dan Harris. He is also co-anchor for ABC News’ Nightline and for the weekend edition of Good Morning America. He has been at ABC News for 15 years, receiving Murrow and Emmy awards for his reporting. Prior to joining ABC, he was in local news in Boston and Maine. He grew up outside of Boston and currently lives with his wife, Bianca, and son, Alexander, in New York City. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep44.

Legendary vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams offers powerful tactics for making your voice make a bigger impression. You will learn: The most powerful and underutilized speaking tools Why Renee is “obsessed with consonants” Benefits of incorporating silence into speeches and negotiations About Renee Renee Grant-Williams is a vocal coach to hundreds of successful singers including legends like Keith Urban, Miley Cyrus, Tim McGraw, Christina Aguilera, and Garth Brooks. She’s the author of Voice Power: Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention. She lives in Nashville, TN and I’ve personally found her quite helpful in our voice lessons. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep43.

Popular productivity blogger Ben Elijah of inkandben.com fame teaches how to form effective habits and provides pro-tips on determining optimal contexts to rock your to-do list. You’ll learn: The importance of context in your day-to-day to-do list, and how you can use it most effectively How Ben jots ideas down while in the shower (and now I do too) How to ingrain new habits by using the habit loop  About BenAuthor of The Productivity Habits, Ben studies how our relationship with information affects the way we live and work. As a writer who straddles science and the arts, Ben has a uniquely analytical approach to problems such as information overload, life goals, and well-being. View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep42  

Legendary speech coach Dr. Nick Morgan shares verbal and nonverbal keys to making a powerful impression. You’ll Learn How to hook audience attention in presentations What vocal cues can unconsciously undermine how your peers see you Keys to cooperating with the adrenaline that speaking produces About Nick Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication theorists and coaches. He has spoken, led conferences, and moderated panels at venues around the world. Nick is a former Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He founded Public Words Inc, a consulting firm specializing in communications, in 1997. Nick has been commissioned by Fortune 50 companies to write for many CEOs and presidents. He has coached people to give Congressional testimony, to appear on the Today Show, and to deliver an unforgettable TED talk. He has worked widely with political and educational leaders. Nick helps people find clarity in their thinking and ideas, developing thought leaders –

Business communication guru Casey Hawley shares tips and tricks for delicate conversations around the office. You’ll learn: How to deal with your ‘dragons’ Key words and phrases for dealing with a bad boss How to enroll others in mentoring you and championing your ideas About Casey Casey Hawley teaches at Georgia State University and has consulted clients such as the NFL, Department of the Interior, and over a dozen Fortune 500 corporations on communication. She conducts workshops on writing and speaking for professionals. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep40. Copyright © Optimality