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

Author William Poundstone discusses the importance of knowledge in your head in the modern era. You’ll learn Why it’s important to still have general knowledge in the era of Google Why those who listen to podcasts tend to be the most informed people of all ;) It’s nearly impossible for humans to be unpredictable. About Bill William Poundstone is the author of 15 books, including Fortune’s Formula, which was named Amazon Editors’ pick for #1 Nonfiction Book of the year. He has written for The New York Times Book Review, Village Voice, Esquire, Harpers, The Believer, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Poundstone lives in Los Angeles. Show notes, transcripts, and more available at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep39 Copyright © Optimality

Author Greg McKeown expounds the idea of essentialism--the disciplined pursuit of less, but better. You’ll Learn: The meaning of essentialism and why to eliminate non-essentials. How to use extreme criteria to determine priority. The power and importance of having some buffer time. About GregOriginally from London, England, Greg McKeown is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” and the founder of THIS, Inc, a company with a mission to inspire millions of people to design their essential mission in life. Their clients include Adobe, Apple, Airbnb, Cisco, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo! View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep38.

Professor Michael Marquardt explains how great questions make for great leadership.  You’ll learn: How to use questions to solve problems and build relationships What makes a question great How to avoid “dis-empowering” questions   About Mike Dr. Michael Marquardt is a senior consultant with Aspire Consulting, Professor of Human Resource Development and International Affairs, and Program Director of Overseas Programs at George Washington University. Mike also serves as President of the World Institute for Action Learning. He has held a number of senior management, training, and marketing positions in major organizations. Dr. Marquardt has trained more than 100,000 managers in nearly 150 countries. He’s consulted many major organizations such as Microsoft, United Nations Development Program, Samsung, Singapore Airlines, and the governments of Indonesia, Zambia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Honduras, Swaziland, and many others. Mike is the author of 24 books and over 100 professional articles in the fields of leader

Old friend and Team Clock originator Steve Ritter shares his experiences on the key differentiators of toxic vs. healthy teams...and key steps for making the leap. You’ll learn: Why strategic planning is often a monumental failure The pillars of Ritter’s “Team Clock” model for successful teaming Common behaviors that cause dysfunction in teams --and how to correct them About Steve Steve Ritter has served as a human resources leader, teacher, author, and consultant. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Founder and CEO of the Team Clock Institute, the Managing Director of the Midwest Institute & Center for Workplace Innovation, and the author of Team Clock: A Guide to Breakthrough Teams and Useful Pain: Why Your Relationships Need Struggle. Steve is on the faculty of the Center for Professional Excellence at Elmhurst. He is the former Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources at Leaders Bank, which won the #1 Best Place to Work in Illinois in 2006 the APA’s Psyc

Lee Caraher separates fact from fiction when it comes to millennials, and discusses how to work through intergenerational conflict. You’ll learn: 1. Just what defines a millennial, exactly? And why do 72% of us reject the label? 2. What’s actually different about millennials vs. traditional generational bashing? 3. How to coordinate well cross-generationally. About Lee Lee Caraher started Double Forte in 2002 to work with good people, doing great work for good companies. Her friends and colleagues call her "The Millennial Whisperer." After struggling with how to work well with Millennial clients and now staffers (more than half of Lee’s staff is under 35) and then working to figure out how to make that work, Lee has written a positive and practical book about the topic, “Millennials & Management: The Essential Guide to Making it Work at Work.” She served as the Vice President of Corporate and Consumer Communications at the $1.6 Billion SEGA of America—their youngest US VP. She then served as Executive Vic

Globetrotting trainer Kevan Hall shares how to minimize waste and frustration in work environments complicated by multiple bosses, countries, and priorities. You’ll learn: The “stars vs spaghetti” perspective to minimize unnecessary meeting attendance Approaches to getting needed clarity at work Frameworks for quickly sizing up and adapting to cultures About Kevan Kevan is CEO of Global Integration and author of the books “Making the matrix work - how matrix managers engage people and cut through complexity” and “Speed Lead – faster, simpler ways to manage people, projects and teams in complex companies.” He is the author of the “Life in a Matrix” blog, videos and podcasts. As an experienced corporate line manager he spent 14 years leading teams in manufacturing operations, HR, and strategic & market planning in the Telecoms & FMCG sectors. He has lived in the UK and France and worked around the world. As an entrepreneur, he has founded, built and runs Global Integration, a group of companies based

User Experience designer and recovering alcoholic Victor Yocco speaks about habit formation--good and bad. You’ll Learn: Victor’s personal story and implications for forming effective habits and breaking ineffective ones The power of teaming up with others to achieve your ambitions How to use a design approach to construct and reach your career goals About Victor Victor is a Philadelphia-based research director, author, and speaker. He received his PhD from The Ohio State University, where he studied communication and psychology. Victor regularly writes and speaks on the application of psychology to design and addressing the design and tech culture of promoting alcohol use. He has written for A List Apart, Smashing Magazine, UX Booth, User Experience Magazine (UXPA) and many more. He is the author of Design for the Mind, a book from Manning Publications on the application of principles of psychology to design. View View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep33. Copyright ©

Chris Bailey’s extreme commitment in productivity self-experimentation has yielded a boatload of insight into channeling your time, attention, and energy for maximum achievement. He shares the best of the best with us today. You’ll learn: What 35 hours of weekly meditation does to your productivity How to galvanize your daily attention using the rule of three The power of single-tasking and claiming the missing 47% of our attention About Chris When Chris Bailey graduated University, he received two full-time job offers, but decided to decline them both to dedicate a full year of his life to exploring his weird passion: productivity. For a full year he did anything and everything to become more productive. His work has received national and international media attention from outlets like The New York Times, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, and countless others. The prestigious TED Talks blog said that he “might be the most productive man you’d ever hope to meet.” Recently, Fast Company called him a "product

Executive coach Julia Atkinson shares her experiences coaching teams across three different continents, and provides insight into how to thrive when cultures collide. You’ll learn: The differences between Eastern and Western styles of communication A quick rundown of the four different Myers-Briggs preferences, from ENFJ to ISTP What is “Guanxi”? A Chinese word that has worldview implications worldwide About Julia Julia Atkinson is an Executive Coach with more than 8 years experience of living and working in China before taking her business to the US, Chicago. 10 years of leading teams in Multinationals in IT and Telecommunication give her first hand corporate know-how. Julia uses an interactive coaching process to help clients attain awareness of deeply rooted beliefs and values and related behaviors. From that awareness, she helps them identify and implement shifts that will effect lasting change where they want it. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep31

Leadership advisor Randy Street shares fascinating insights gleaned from his advisory firm’s in-depth analyses on thousands of senior leaders--the biggest database on leaders in the world. He then shares strategies and tactics for putting those insights to work. You’ll learn: The 5 essential interview questions to boost your hiring success rate from 50% to 90% The 3 key areas that full-powered leaders master (Priorities, Who, Relationships) How to say “no” perfectly About Randy Randy Street is the Managing Partner of ghSMART, a leadership advisory firm whose mission is to help great leaders amplify their positive impact on the world.  In collaboration with founder Geoff Smart, Randy co-authored the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, Who: The A Method for Hiring and Power Score: Your Formula for Leadership Success.  Who remains the #1 book on hiring on Amazon. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep30. Copyright © Optimality

Professor, author, and consultant Michael Watkins shares best practice strategies and tactics for getting the optimal start in a new role at work. You’ll learn: The most critical ingredient for a successful transition How to accelerate your arrival at the “breakeven point” for your new role The key questions to discover what you REALLY need to know quickly About Michael Dr. Michael D. Watkins is a Co-founder of Genesis Advisers and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at the IMD business school. Previously, he was on the faculty at the Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Dr. Watkins wrote The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Smarter and Faster, which The Economist recognized as “the on- boarding bible.” The enduring classic has sold more than a million English copies and has been translated into 24 languages. The revised and expanded 10th Anniversary Edition released in 2013. At IMD, he is the Director of the "Transition to Business L

Human Resources uber-guru Rita Trehan shares anecdotes from her years of experience helping HR professionals grow and succeed, and talks about how we can maximize our full potential at work. You’ll learn 1) The positive benefits of acknowledging the ‘elephant in the room’ 2) Tips for giving effective and constructive feedback to others 3) The truth about what goes on in the HR department at the office About Rita Ranked among the Top 100 Human Resources Officers, Rita has helped improve performance at organizations such as Honeywell, AES Corporation, Coca-Cola and the World Bank. She’s a regular contributor to the Washington Post and numerous journals including Forbes magazine. She recently authored the book Unleashing Capacity: The Hidden Human Resources. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com.

Author and consultant James Sudakow takes a sledgehammer of silliness to corporate jargon to help boost your credibility and relatability in corporate communications. You’ll learn: 1) Why do we do this jargon in the first place? 2) How the use of such jargon can actually damage our credibility and make people take us less seriously 3) Some key phrases to avoid right away--and what to use in their place James Sudakow is author of Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit… and Other Stupid Stuff We Say in the Corporate World (Purple Squirrel Media, February 2016). He serves as the principal of CH Consulting, Inc., a boutique management and organizational effectiveness consulting practice he founded in 2010. Sudakow specializes in helping companies manage organizational transformation, create talent management strategies and programs that maximize employee capabilities and improve business performance. Before starting his own consultancy, James held leadership roles in several global multibillion-dollar organizations across

Master facilitator Tim Hurson shares some of his favorite insights and approaches for creativity and problem-solving. You’ll learn: 1) The know-wonder and GPS tools for sparking additional creative ideas 2) The mighty benefits of the “third third” when coming up with creative ideas 3) A wonderfully obvious secret of productivity Tim Hurson is a founding partner of thinkx intellectual capital (www.thinkxic.com), a firm that provides global corporations with training, facilitation, and consultation in productive thinking and innovation. He's both a faculty member and Trustee of the Creative Education Foundation, and a founding director of Facilitators Without Borders. Tim thinks the phrase “out of the box thinking” should be put back in the box and buried in a deep hole. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep26

“Competition” within an organization is often frowned upon, but “workplace provocateur” Dan Rust discusses the benefits and tactics associated with competition, politics and more.  You’ll learn: When internal competitiveness can be positive for an organization A secret tip for crushing your next yearly performance review The massive benefits of bringing just a little bit more energy to each work day About DanDan Rust is the founder of Frontline Learning, an international publisher of corporate training resources. His award-winning keynote speeches and workshops focus on employee engagement, productivity, and career management. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He’s the author of Workplace Poker: Are You Playing the Game, or Just Getting Played? View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://awesomeatyourjob.com/ep25

Entrepreneur and app developer Anshul Bhagi introduces Ummo, a powerful app for public speakers, and the lessons learned along the process of making it. You’ll learn: How the new speech-coaching appUmmo can enhance your speaking When the use of filler words is helpful What is “upspeak” and its implications on how you’re perceived About Anshul Anshul Bhagi is a 2017 Harvard MBA with an undergrad and Masters in Computer Science from MIT. Previously, Anshul did PM and development at Microsoft / Apple / Google, spent two years at McKinsey & Company, and founded education startup CampK12 to teach kids in India to code. Together with his Harvard / MIT classmates Yasmin, Andrea, Sam, Damola, and Sinchan, he is building Ummo, a personalized speech coaching app (available for download here). View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://awesomeatyourjob.com/ep24  

Michael Kerr shows us how to see the humor in our daily work frustrations, and the benefits it brings for long-term success. You’ll learn: 1) The critical link between humor and creativity 2) How to turn a stressful situation into something humorous with the three R’s (reframe, reward, relax) 3) Approaches to building a humor “first-aid” kit About MichaelMichael is listed as one of Canada’s most in-demand speakers. He is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), best-selling author, and one of only 22 speakers to be inducted into the Canadian Speakers’ Hall of Fame. Building on his experience as a “recovering senior manager,” Michael travels the world researching, writing, and speaking about what makes a great workplace,well…great! He is known as one of North America’s leading authorities on how to create a more positive and inspiring workplace: the kind of workplace that drives phenomenal success. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://awesomeatyourjob.com/ep23

Former marketing VP and current speaker/author Catherine Kaputa discusses strategies for developing and communicating your personal brand at the workplace. You’ll learn: How smart elevatorconversations can catapult your career Approaches to take the ‘work’ out of networking Techniques to subtly communicate your value About Catherine Catherine Kaputa is a personal brand strategist, speaker and author of the newly released "Graduate to a Great Career: How Smart Students, New Graduates and Young Professionals Can Launch Brand You" (graduatetoagreatcareer.com). She is also the author of the best-selling" You Are a Brand," now out in ten languages. She is the founder of SelfBrand (selfbrand.com). Previously, she served as a Senior Vice President and Director of global branding/advertising on Wall  View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://awesomeatyourjob.com/ep22

How do you make an email stand out amid overflowing inboxes? Chief Marketing Sumo and email expert Alex Berman teaches how to craft effective emails that get responses. You’ll learn: How to send cold emails, without being a spammer How to zero in on a recipient’s email address Best practices in customization, subject lines, and openers to ensure your email gets read About Alex Alex Berman is the Chief Marketing Sumo for InspireBeats and is responsible for generating over $20 million dollars in B2B leads this year. He and the team at InspireBeats have sent over 1 million cold emails to funded startups and software as a service companies in the last two years. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://awesomeatyourjob.com/ep21

Living for a century will soon become the norm. Psychologist Lynda Gratton explains how this new found longevity will alter the stages of life, and what this means for your career.  You’ll learn: 1)The massive implications a 100-year life has on your career strategy 2) The importance of spending time with people at different ages 3) An easy tool that allows you to step back and ‘audit’ your own intangible assets, at any point in your career About Lynda Lynda is a Professor of Management Practice at London Business School where she directs the world’s leading program on human resources. Her eight books cover topics related to the impact of a changing world on employment and work. In 2012 her book The Shift received the business book of the year award in Japan and has been translated into more than 15 languages. Lynda has been named one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world. View transcript, show notes, links, and more at http://awesomeatyourjob.com/ep20