Weekend Favs December 16

Weekend Favs December 16 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week.

I don’t go into depth about the finds, but I encourage you to check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one I took on the road.

• Murf – Murf is a versatile AI voice generator that transforms text into speech with stunning realism. Featuring a range of lifelike voices based on real people, it allows users to create studio-quality voiceovers in minutes. Ideal for podcasts, videos, and professional presentations, Murf’s AI technology offers an efficient and high-quality solution for anyone looking to add a professional auditory touch to their content without the need for extensive resources or voice acting talent. Whether for business or creative projects, Murf streamlines the process of bringing written content to life through voice.
• Calendar – Calendar transforms the way you manage meetings with its simple yet powerful online scheduling feature. It gives you the ability to let anyone easily schedule a meeting directly into your calendar. This intuitive tool safeguards against double-bookings by automatically detecting and preventing conflicts with existing appointments. All it takes is sharing your customized personal scheduling link, and Calendar takes care of the rest, ensuring your schedule stays organized and efficient. This feature is a game-changer for professionals looking to streamline their appointment setting process seamlessly.
• NeuralText – NeuralText is an all-in-one content marketing platform designed to automate and streamline your content operations. This sophisticated tool saves both time and money by generating high-quality content with just a title input. Whether you need a paragraph on “the best ways to invest money” or insights on “how to learn guitar on your own,” NeuralText crafts relevant, engaging content with ease.

These are my weekend favs; I would love to hear about some of yours – Tweet me @ducttape

If you want to check out more Weekend Favs you can find them here.

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From Stress to Success: The Groundbreaking Strategies for Optimal Health and Performance

From Stress to Success: The Groundbreaking Strategies for Optimal Health and Performance written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interviewed Jennifer Watson, a healer, high-performance coach, and breakthrough speaker. As the founder of Jennifer Watson Leadership, she is on a mission to help leaders heal and accelerate their deeper purpose of impact through vital wellness, leadership genius, and potent speaking.

Embark on a journey from stress to success as Jennifer shares groundbreaking strategies for optimal health and performance in leadership. Explore the transformative power of morning rituals, focusing on the vital connection between nature, breath, and movement.

Key Takeaways

In this illuminating episode, Jennifer Watson, a seasoned healer and high-performance coach, shares transformative insights to guide leaders from stress to success. Emphasizing the pivotal role of morning rituals, she unveils a 3-step formula for leadership mastery, emphasizing sunlight exposure and intentional breathwork. Watson explores the vital connection between nature, breath, and movement, advocating for the transformative power of outdoor exposure and mindful practices. Through a practical guide, listeners gain actionable strategies for morning transformation, delving into the science-backed rituals contributing to optimal health. Watson’s morning routine serves as an alchemical blueprint, merging stress reduction, mindset mastery, and physical well-being for holistic leadership excellence. From stress reduction strategies to fostering a people-centric culture, Jennifer Watson’s expertise provides a comprehensive roadmap for leaders seeking to navigate the complexities of work and creativity while achieving peak performance and optimal health.

Jennifer Watson’s expertise provides a comprehensive roadmap for leaders aspiring to thrive in both their personal and professional lives.

Questions I ask Jennifer Watson:

[00:41] What aspects of your background led to your entrepreneurial journey as a high-performance coach?

[04:11] Do you believe your experience as an athlete helped in your wellness approach to leadership?

[07:10] Would you agree that a lot of leaders are understanding the value of wellness in opposition to hustle culture?

[14:50] Would you agree that this approach could lead to a longer and more fulfilled life?

[15:06] When beginning with a new client is there a one-size-fits-all approach or is every step streamlined to each need?

[20:17] Where can people connect with you ?

 

More About Jennifer Watson:

• Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jennifer on Instagram

Get Your Free AI Prompts To Build A Marketing Strategy:

• Download now

 

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

Connect with John Jantsch on LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

Duct Tape Transcript

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John (00:08): Hello and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. This is John Jantsch. My guest today is Jennifer Watson. She's a healer, high-performance coach and breakthrough speaker on a mission to help leaders heal and accelerate their deeper purpose of impact through their vital wellness, leadership genius and potent speaking. She does this through her company, Jennifer Watson, leadership. So Jennifer, welcome to the show.

Jennifer (00:34): Thank you so much for having me, John. It's an honor to be here going into the holiday season and just honored to serve your community.

John (00:41): So you have, let's see, not necessarily a typical background entrepreneurial background. So I always sometimes love to say, how'd you get here? What was your journey that led you to this being what you were meant to do today?

Jennifer (00:56): Absolutely. I started as a high level athlete. I was a two-time, All-American track and field athlete. Used to be pretty fast everyone, and go figure. I had my chair of injuries and I started getting interested in the wellness and physical therapy world because I had physical therapy. I went to doctors to help with injuries. And during that whole journey I was also struggling with depression and anxiety. And I started realizing as an athlete that wellness and fitness actually incorporated more than physical. It was mental, emotional, spiritual. And it started my journey toward not only healing myself and optimizing overall health, but understanding that health is mind, body, soul. And because of my thought process on how to engage health in a more powerful way, I started my own practice just a few years after I graduated from PT school because I felt that traditional way of health care, at least in the areas of true healing and optimizing even performance with Hilo athletes was missing some pieces.

(01:57): So my practice has always incorporated mind, body, soul optimization. And from there I just took it in the last four to five years into coaching and consulting and speaking because what I found is beyond my four brick walls of healing, people in leadership positions and executive and business leadership positions wanted this information. And I knew, listen, how can I accelerate this information more powerfully in the workforce? And that's when I became a coach consultant. And now I get to also speak across the country on aspects of mental emotional wellness as well as really staying into performance and team productivity, no matter the environment that you can truly be successful and keep your health no matter what life gives you. And that's just an honor for me to do throughout the years that I've had here.

John (02:47): So I'm envisioning you working on somebody's knee and then chatting them up about leadership skills and it just blossomed from there. Is there a little truth to that?

Jennifer (02:59): It's absolutely, it's really interesting because a lot of people that came to me, John, were high performers, business leaders, executives that had physical issues but also had some anxiety and depression or had some performance and productivity issues with their team. So of course after working with them for a while, that's when they started getting some of my expertise. I was leading teams and I was pretty good at it and giving them advice on that. So it was a natural bridge. Such a great question, John, because people ask me, how did you go into coaching, consulting, and speaking from your PT practice, brick and mortar, it was actually a very easy bridge to craft because what you just said, a lot of people were drawn to the type of work I did as high performing business leaders, and I got to just use my skills as a wellness provider and a leadership person because I was growing my own business. So the two got married together to really bring out the coaching, consulting and speaking, and no one's ever asked me that. So thank you for asking.

John (03:53): I also, I've always said for years, I think a lot of people underestimate the physical aspect and maybe the sort of parallels to being an athlete to running a business. I mean, it is very physically demanding. There's a lot of the, you need to have rest, you need to practice, you need to perform on game day. I just think there's a lot of parallels. Do you feel like your background as an athlete really helped you kind of understand what was missing maybe in leaders and in entrepreneurial journeys?

Jennifer (04:22): It's interesting. A lot of executives and leaders that are drawn to me are prior athletes. So it's funny you should ask that question. And I will say this, I learned about leadership performing in different environments, in environments that were not maybe optimal for race performance in a powerful way. So I would agree with you, there's a lot of things I learned in performance, mental edge mastery and leadership as an athlete. However, I want all of you to get this. What I also found is some things that were detrimental as an athlete that I had to learn to transition into different skill sets for myself and for the people that I work with to help leadership and performance in a different way. What I mean by that is this, John, and I think it needs to be very clear because a lot of high performers and athletes, former athletes see performing hard as pushing through, as getting through the hard stuff as at all costs of often health, just get it done and be successful.

(05:22): And what happened is a lot of business leaders were tanked, were exhaust and overwhelmed, and I questioned that. I'm like, there's got to be an easy way in the business leadership world to do things that you can actually be healthy and vital and actually still be a great business leader. So some of the things I took from being an athlete that you had to push through didn't work in business. So the things I did extrapolate that were good as an athlete were powerful in leadership and performance. But one thing I really feel downloaded just to share with your audience is actually how the transition for me was different, becoming a leader that I had to get a different relationship with resilience, I had to get a different relationship with performance because if I kept up the whole athletic press on, don't tell anyone, suck it up buttercup.

(06:08): That's when I started self imploding to be quite frank in my health, in my relationships, Albany in my bottom line when I started shifting what performance meant to me and the relationship with it and shifting how I could shift that for my team and be a better leader in a healthier state is actually where my bottom line took off, where the productivity and performance of my team took off. So I did take powerful things from being an athlete, but the biggest caveat I would give the leaders now is be careful about the push push scenario. I'm not saying that's not necessary once in a while, but I'll say on average you need to be in a calmer flow state for you and your team to actually provide value and get things done effective on a time while keeping your health

John (06:52): Well. But one of the points there though, I think athletes are especially at a very high level where there's millions of dollars on the line of their performance. I mean rest is as equally as important as practice nutrition is equally as important as weightlifting. And I think that a lot of leaders are starting to wake up to that whole, I got to take care of my body if I'm going to make it through this product launch or something. And I think that's a really healthy thing that I think is finally starting to land and push out sort of the hustle hustle approach.

Jennifer (07:29): It's interesting because people obviously probably like you, John, say, what are the top three things that you think leaders need, especially post to 2020, what do you think accelerates them? It makes them maybe above the rest, like go from good to great or even from average to good at a powerful rate. And I will say from a physical sense, sleep is hugely important. There's so much research on this and I'm talking about sleep by the way, prior to midnight. You optimize more REM sleep and deep sleep when you're getting more hours before midnight. And I would say it's an active activity everyone. So that's a number one. Number two, I'm going to go into a little bit later, but it has to do a little bit with nutrition. That's a good thing that will help with all leaders. But a second middleman that I really want people to get, because people ask me this all the time, if you could pick just one thing, and I don't think it's just one thing ever, I don't ever think, but if I had to pick one thing that would really help leaders be better leaders, help them accelerate their performance, their productivity, create good team culture and connectness in their team and make a lot of freaking money doing it, is this, everybody listen up.

(08:33): You have to learn to manage, refine and master your emotional state. It doesn't matter if something external has triggered you into bad emotional state or something internal. A belief has put you in an emotional state, big or small, it does not matter Everyone, when you have emotions that you cannot harness to work for you instead of against you, you will lose hours perseverating in the emotion, perseverating in the belief and lose connection to your team and productivity. So I teach a lot of frameworks in my business and on my team as well as a lot of leaders in workshops and presentations on ways to master and harness no matter if it's whatever it's coming from. And you guys, that covers a lot of things from bottom lines to communication to losing staff at last minute to everything to maybe some personal stuff happening at home.

(09:27): And these templates really help people understand how to do that. When you do that, it game changes everything. And I see that leaders are understanding the value of that, especially since 2020. So I would say sleep is number one from a physical sense. Even over exercise, everyone, I'm a high level say that number one is sleep. Number two is the emotional regulation and mastery that I really, really want to delve into in the third. I can talk about in a second, but I'd love to answer any questions you have on that. But that's a big one for a lot of leaders and teams.

John (10:00): Yeah, and I think a lot of it just becomes automatic response. I mean, there's a lot of things that push our buttons throughout the day. And I do see this, and I know you talk a lot about meditation and pausing and mindfulness, which are all kind of practices to sort of bring all that back in, I think is the longer I stay in this, the more I realize how valuable that is. And I probably wouldn't go as far as saying I control my emotions all the time, but I realize when I'm being acted on as opposed to me mindfully acting. And I think that becomes, that's a tremendous skill for sure.

Jennifer (10:34): And the thing is, everyone, by the way, I can just give you kind of a tool right now just help gain traction on this. But there are some people that just have some core triggers that they just can't get rid on their own. That's why we have coaches and consultants to help people navigate through that. I mean, we're human, everyone. And no matter how many tools we try on our own and download from our YouTube, there might be times that you need support and that's okay. One thing that will help words are powerful, John, and what you said about trying to manage your emotions. I always say you guys shifting the words. So if you're feeling depressed, angry, sad, frustrated, especially those I call 'em more the negative emotions or negative feelings, I always say change the words if you're feeling angry, like I'm curious.

(11:14): Okay, curious everyone, that's a powerful word. It has a higher frequency to, I'm curious why I am feeling anger right now. And when you allow yourself to choose a different word, it actually calms the nervous system everybody. It's really important to calm your nervous system, to get it on board to chill out so it's open to its pollution or an idea or a reason in this case why you are angry. So when you choose different words, it already starts chilling out a little bit. I'm not saying a lot all the time depending on where the trigger's coming from, if there's trauma behind that, but a lot of times it's at least going to chill you out. And then that's what the brain does when it starts calming down the calm, parasympathetic state, the calm state of your nervous system. It's in more optimal use of brain resources.

(11:59): It wants to create an opportunity and solution for you. It's going to start looking for answers when you ask a question. So when you ask questions, I'm curious, why am I having anger right now? You'll find how you start journaling, figure out from their why and then often the solution. So that can create some momentum, you guys, for you, there's sometimes more depth, there's more layers to that, especially there's other team members involved. But it's a great way to help you start mastering that and moving forward because you're going to gain productivity, performance and ultimately your bottom line. So those are big things for emotional regulation. So we talked about sleep, we talked about emotional regulation. And the third thing really even before exercise, you guys also didn't say exercise yet. That's the fourth. The third is really nutrition. And by the way, I'm a big believer that it's specific to each person.

(12:44): Metabolic rate, blood type, your past milk constraint. I've been a practitioner a long time. So specificity to your type of food plan is necessary to optimize your body and brain to feel vital that day. However, one thing I will say for every American across the board, and I'll say every American, okay, we genetically modify a lot of different foods in this country for a variety of reasons. And the thing is that's happening is we have a hard time digesting that colors, food colorings, all this. And one of the things we genetically modify the most are wheat flour, our carbohydrates. And the reason why that's important for Americans to understand is Americans, 90% of us eat too many carbs, too many wheat products. And most of us in research show that we have a mild to severe allergen to the genetically modified wheat products in everybody.

(13:35): So a mild to severe like celiacs where you have more of an anaphylactic response. And the reason why that's important, everybody, it puts inflammation in your entire body, your brain, your gut, your whole body. So you think if your brain's a little plane, do you think you're going to be able to be more clear on your message, articulate well during the day, write up an email effectively? No. Okay. So those three are going to be probably the biggest dominoes for you to start gaining traction as a powerful leader to stay in your vitality and create connectness and good productivity communication with your team, sleep anything before midnight, that's going to be the big chunk for you guys. Number two, learning how to manage and emotionally regulate your system. Sometimes you need coaching consulting here, but at least trying to shift your words will open up Pandora's box in the brain powerful way. And then third, looking at not necessarily eliminating, I don't eat gluten wheat flour, which is gluten itself, but at least in modifying its usage, which can help calm down inflammation in the brain. And then fourth, we could go into a whole nother podcast is movement and exercise. But those things I believe are really big things that can help people from a general level to create traction as powerful leaders and then delving in more powerful. We need more coaching consulting beyond that. She

John (14:51): Might actually live a little longer too. I mean, what you just gave was really a good recipe for having a more enjoyable life period, right? A hundred

Jennifer (15:01): Percent about the quality of life. Don't we all want that? The quality of life, longevity of life, right?

John (15:06): So if somebody came to you and said, look, I listened to this or I went to your website and I'm ready to turn things around, is there kind of a recipe for optimal health? Or you maybe said this already that everybody's different, but there's probably a few truths I guess that are going to show up on anybody's recipe, aren't they?

Jennifer (15:27): No, absolutely. This is number one, we're just optimizing health. And again, everyone, leaders, this probably goes without saying, this is your vehicle that God gave you. We don't treat it well hardly at all. It's really interesting. It's actually really brilliant just by the way we go on a whole nother podcast on this, the brilliance of the body to rise even with all the junk we inhale from pollution to the food, food to the less activity, to the toxic environment from social media, it's amazing. Our body actually rises as powerful. It does. So just be thankful and grateful for that everybody. But if you want to optimize this to actually work for you, because this is the tool, this is the vehicle we're using every day to show up, not just as John just said as leaders, but in our life as husbands, as fathers, as just wanting to enjoy life.

(16:10): First and foremost. I don't care if you're a person that's fit or a person that's athletic, you don't have to be get outside. The first thing I do in the morning all the time is get outside in the sun. Even if you don't have a lot of sun in your area and it's cloudy, it's still indirectly getting sun from just being outside in the light. There's so much that happens from vitamin D to actually grounding with the earth because we're positively negatively charged. Being so is the earth. It helps pull us into a powerful state of calm state, a parasympathetic state for us to get ready for a day and optimize this. So get outside five minutes, you guys. I'm even saying three hours exercise, five minutes every day, get outside, put your head up in the sun and this is where you're also going to second breathe.

(16:53): Okay? Breath is life. It's not only necessary for all the interactions, it's a catalyst for many things inside our body to happen autonomically, but it also is huge for stabilizing our nervous system, our brain to body to be in a calm state. Again, the reason why I keep saying this, everybody 90% of the day, our human beings are supposed to be in a calm, parasympathetic state is actually reversive that so many Americans and leaders are stressed out. But the reason why that's important, research shows we need that for optimal brain and body to function. So that's why they get outside. Now that you've been outside for five minutes, we start breathing you guys, there's so many different types of breath work out there. I use Wim H method with some of my clients, depends on what your needs are with more performance based, trying to help with anxiety.

(17:40): But no matter what, just getting outside, taking 10 to 20 deep breaths starts that cycle, going to get you into a calmer state. Again, there's more specifics. I teach to get more nichey. Depend what your needs are, but getting outside and breath is next. Third, the one thing that I always say you guys have to do is move. It doesn't have to be exercise move. It could be dance for five minutes. It could be jumping jacks. It could just be you doing some burpees for five minutes. It could be you just walking your dog. The reason why that's also important is it's a triple kind of opportunity for you to not only get the blood flowing, okay, movement to the brain, the body get blood flowing. But guess what else it does. If you're waking up with way, we talk about the beginning of all this emotions that don't feel good.

(18:28): Emotions are energy. Just like food is energy. When you start moving, you actually start moving some of those negative anger, depression, anxiety, outside of your body. I'm not saying it's going to be perfect, depends the layers of what's going on there, but it can move it through you guys. I do this every morning. If I'm feeling anxious about something, I literally will jump up and down outside and it does move me into that calmer state because I'm moving energy that's not good out of my body and I'm getting the circulation pump for the day. So get outside deep. And

John (19:03): It makes for some good Instagram posts too.

Jennifer (19:07): Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Those are biggest, those are probably the biggest three things, John. But then I would say is this connection is key. We're relational beings and one thing that's going to help us from a vitality of physical standpoint and also an emotional standpoint is get connected to people that are your tribe. It's not just your team that's in your business that's on the same mission and mission that love it, but also the people outside. We always hear this that the five people that you're on the most also influence you the most, right? But get around people that you feel good around. Everyone that works on your physical, emotional, mental wellbeing. Let alone all the things that can help you and mastermind and get the things that you want done in your business. So connection with people is the right people. Moving, really making sure that you're doing some breath and getting outside. If I give any tools, will be the that I would give to people to start your day off. This is going to help you get to a higher frequency, calm the nervous system to be ready to go and perform no matter what is happening in your environment that day.

John (20:10): Well, I happen to be lucky enough to live in a national forest, so forest bathing is certainly something I do every single day. Well, Jennifer, I appreciate you taking a moment to stop by the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast anywhere you want to invite people to connect with you.

Jennifer (20:23): Absolutely. So I'm the most active on LinkedIn and Instagram. LinkedIn. I'm Jennifer Watson and then on Instagram it's the Jennifer Watson and I do answer my own dms. So if you have any questions about this podcast or connecting with me more and learning more about what I do and how I can support you, connect with me there. I'd be more than happy to support you.

John (20:43): Awesome. Again, thanks for taking a moment to stop by and hopefully we'll run into you one of these days in Colorado. Soon.

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Unlock Your Creative Compass: Merging Mysticism, Marketing, and Making

Unlock Your Creative Compass: Merging Mysticism, Marketing, and Making written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interviewed Will Cady, Reddit‘s Global Brand Ambassador and founding Head of Karma Lab – a team of best-in-class creative and strategic minds, backed by media, marketing and ad industry experience that make them uniquely positioned to guide and collaborate with brands as they find their home on Reddit and around internet culture. Will’s unique background combines mysticism, marketing, and making, creating a rich tapestry of insights for navigating the world of creativity. His latest book ‘Which way is North?‘ outlines seven directions, which help professionals divide their inner world into different experiences through meditation to convert anxiety into action.

Key Takeaways

Embark on a transformative journey through the seven directions, strategically open-ended questions designed to unlock creativity at the intersection of mysticism, marketing, and making. Will Cady shares insights on turning anxiety into a catalyst for innovation, the power of divergent thinking in strategic questions, and the integration of head and heart in the creative process. The episode explores the normalization of meditation and its potential to unlock human potential, offering a comprehensive roadmap for navigating the dynamic landscape of creativity and self-discovery. Tune in for practical tips and valuable insights into building a people-centric culture in the ever-evolving dynamics of work and creativity.

 

Questions I ask Will Cady:

[00:43] What is Reddit?

[01:22] Is it fair to say the company is best at ensuring conversations in community spaces stay in context?

[03:03] What does a global brand ambassador do?

[04:36] How does being a brand ambassador integrate with leading at Karma Lab?

[05:58] Explain how your book title ‘which way is north’ diverges from the common saying ‘find your true north’?

[07:28] Given the context of the book, did you feel any creative pressure in writing it?

[08:40] How do you suggest people use the book?

[12:12] To what degree did your background in music influence the creation of this book?

[14:26] Can you touch on the line your draw between mental health and creativity?

[16:51] Can you talk more about the necessity and normalization of meditation in entrepreneurship?

[18:33] Can you pick apart what you call the seven directions in the book?

[22:52] Where can people connect with you and find a copy of which way is north?

 

More About Will Cady:

• Get Will’s new book – Which Way Is North: A Creative Compass for Makers, Marketers, and Mystics
• Connect with Will on LinkedIn

Get Your Free AI Prompts To Build A Marketing Strategy:

• Download now

 

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

Connect with John Jantsch on LinkedIn

 

This episode of The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by ActiveCampaign

Try ActiveCampaign free for 14 days with our special offer. Sign up for a 15% discount on annual plans until Dec 31, 2023. Exclusive to new customers—upgrade and grow your business with ActiveCampaign today!

 

 

 

 

Duct Tape Transcript

Email Download New Tab

John (00:08): Hello and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. This is John Jantsch. My guest today is Will Cady. He is Reddit's global brand ambassador and founding head of Reddit's Karma Lab creative strategy team. And we're going to talk about his recent book, which way is North, a creative compass for Makers, marketers, and mystics. So will welcome to the show.

Will (00:33): Thanks for having me. Excited to be here.

John (00:35): So let's pretend you were at a cocktail party and there was a person there that somehow had never heard of Reddit, and they just came up and said, what's Reddit? How do you tell people? What's the quick version of what is Reddit?

Will (00:49): Yeah, the quickest way to say it is Reddit is where the best questions live, and it's been that way for over 18 years now, just celebrated it's 18th birthday. So it's pretty foundational to the internet and what makes it different than the other places is the questions that people ask remain and you can see the conversations and communities that form around them. So when I say best questions, I mean like Reddit is literally famous for some of its questions like the ask me anything or is a hot dog a sandwich, for example?

John (01:21): Well, it's also pretty famous for policing too, right? I mean, there are a lot of people that are very passionate community members that you better up your game if you're going to go there and answer a question or ask a question. I mean, is that a fair assessment?

Will (01:37): It's become famous for figuring out how to structure the way we connect and converse online into these community spaces that have clear rules. And the community construct is something that is, it's a part of the internet past, but it's also looking to be a part of the internet future.

John (01:56): And I guess policing is probably not the right word. I think they're just passionate about staying on topic, for example, and the topic is in some better than, I mean, there's some topics on there that are so micro that they've probably collected the 10 people that care about that thing on that subreddit.

Will (02:16): Sure, yeah. Well, the keyword is context and that's become such an important word for business as well. And when you have a context and a conversation that everybody's trying to have in that context, then there's things that do and don't belong in there. If I started droning onto you about my baseball card collection right now, you'd be like, that's nice, but that's not what we're here to talk about. Will we got to bring it back to the context that this conversation is supposed to be in. And that's happening at the scale of millions upon millions on Reddit every day, people holding the context that they want to have a conversation in.

John (02:54): So my rookie Reggie Jackson card, you don't want to hear about is that what saying

Will (02:59): Maybe do you want to pivot?

John (03:02): This is another dumb question, but I have to ask, what does a global brand ambassador do? Is there a job description of that?

Will (03:08): Yeah, the way that I approach it is with this speak, listen, build framework. So I've been at Reddit for over eight years now. I started expanding into Los Angeles. There was an experimental hire to see if there's opportunity for Reddit as a business in la and of course there was. You've got so much going on down there and my role back then was really to tell our story and to share that and then listen to what people reflected back, like what stuck with people, what did they believe when we shared that story that Reddit actually is, and then bringing that back to the team and saying, here's where the story is resonating. Let's build against that common point. So a lot has happened in the eight years since I was just the one phone number in LA to call for Reddit and we're a global business now, so I'm effectively doing that same thing at a different scale. This year alone, I've been to Amsterdam, I've been to Sydney, Australia, I've been to many different cities across the US and it's bigger audiences, but it's the same thing. Speak, tell the story, talk about community, talk about context, talk about where we're going, and then listen to how people respond to it and then converse internally say, this is where the opportunities are because these are the stories that people are actually picking up that we're putting down.

John (04:36): So the other part of your title I guess is founding Head of Karma Lab. So how do those two things, well, I guess you're probably better describe what you do at Karma Lab, but then how do those two things kind of integrate?

Will (04:50): Karma Lab is Reddit's internal creative strategy agency. So when I talk about those early days when me and a group of people were going out and we were telling the Reddit story and figuring out what people wanted from Reddit, when we were sharing that story, it started to build a little bit of a playbook for activation on the platform. If you are a business or a celebrity, we know the Ask Me anything, for example, that's just one play in the playbook. And for those that don't know and ask me anything is going to a community on Reddit. It could be the food sub Reddit, it could be the car subreddit. Again, the context for a conversation and having that conversation that's relevant to what it is that you want to be talking about and the way that I have this book in the world and I want to talk about it. That's one example of many different activation strategies for engaging with Reddit. Karma Lab is the creative strategy agency that is internal to Reddit that was built around that playbook that we started to develop and it was my privilege to be the leader and the founding that team.

John (05:57): So let's talk about your book, shall we? One of the things that you and I were talking a little off air that there are some other books that are maybe sort of in this category that are structured much differently and I'll just start with the title. There are a lot of books that encourage you to find true north, your true north and you start with which way is actually north. I think right off the bat, that's a very different approach. There was supposed to be a question in that, but I really just wanted to hear if that resonates with you.

Will (06:27): There is a question in that. The question is the title. So one of my principles here is I believe in big questions. I believe in good questions. That's what my time at Reddit has taught me is that questions are more powerful than answers because they are the beginning of a journey, not the end. So which way is north? It really describes the whole attitude of my voice in that book. I'm not telling anybody what their true north is. That's not for me to say. What I am offering is a way to think about that. And so the book goes through a lot of other different questions that help people to unlock their creativity for themselves in their own language, in their own terms, identify their purpose, and it's a formula that I've used over and over again with many different people and with businesses and it works. It's the questions that make it work.

John (07:23): I want to get into the directions because obviously that's the heart of the book, but I'm curious as an author, if you're going to throw a book out there for makers, marketers and mystics, did you feel any creative pressure yourself to feel like, oh, I have to be extra creative in this writing?

Will (07:42): I did. I felt like I was betting on the de-stigmatization of the topic of mysticism as the years go on following the de-stigmatization of things like mental health and following the cultural response to uncovering the human elements that AI can't reach. So where I felt the most pressure was how do I write this book in a way that is going to be relevant years from now, five years from now, 10 years from now, and still be relevant for when it comes out in 2023?

John (08:28): The book is for when people pick it up and read it, a collection of essays, meditations, somewhat memoir, which is not a classic format necessarily, especially for a nonfiction book. How do you suggest people use this book?

Will (08:44): Best way to use it is to pick it up and give it a read through and then have an ongoing relationship with it, like an oracle in a way. Just open it up to any page and see what that first sentence has to say that pops into your vision. You could even start with that too, so you could buy the book and never read it front to back and just use it like that. And it's really, it's a book that's written in the age of short form Hot Takes, right? Everything from Twitter slash x to all of these 120 character, whatever. I wrote it with a sense of prose, but also with a sense of at the beginning of some paragraphs, at the end of some paragraphs, I'll condense big ideas into one pithy line because it's meant to be a little bit of a fortune cookie in that way.

(09:38): When do you open up a page? So that's one way to use it and another way to use it is to really dive deep into it. I did write every sentence with a lot of intention. I did create every exercise and meditation with a lot of intention and a lot of people have reflected back to me that they're taking this book very slow and that they're really digging into what each page has to offer, and they're experiencing very powerful positive transformations because of that. So it's designed to meet people where you're at whatever your level of comfort is. This book is designed to meet you there.

John (10:17): It's my pleasure to welcome a new sponsor to the podcast. Our friends at ActiveCampaign. ActiveCampaign helps small teams power big businesses with a must have platform for intelligent marketing automation. We've been using ActiveCampaign for years here at Duct Tape Marketing to power our subscription forms, email newsletters and sales funnel drip campaigns. ActiveCampaign is that rare platform that's affordable, easy to use, and capable of handling even the most complex marketing automation needs, and they make it easy to switch. They provide every new customer with one-on-one personal training and free migrations from your current marketing automation or email marketing provider. You can try Active Campaign for free for 14 days and there's no credit card required. Just visit active campaign.com/duct tape. That's right. Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Listeners who sign up via that link will also receive 15% off an annual plan if purchased by December 31st, 2023. That's activecampaign.com/ducttape.

(11:22): Now, this offer is limited to new active campaign customers only. So what are you waiting for? Fuel your growth, boost revenue and save precious time by upgrading to active campaign. Today I want to get into the questions you called 'em the seven directions, because you're right, I can see where people would take a long time because they might just not be able to answer number two for a long time when they got there, right? Yeah, we'll get to that because people don't know what I'm talking about, but I want to back up a little bit. I didn't read in your bio but on air, but I know you have a background in music as a musician, and I'm wondering what role in the classic sense, you don't practice music today, but I'm wondering what role that background played in the writing of this book, in the nature of which in songwriting, every line has to be so intentional in a short song, right? So I'm wondering what to the degree you understand that role or that background played in the creation of this work?

Will (12:21): Here's the thing, I'm trying to be a voice that represents the rebalancing of the humanities in our education and our investment because during my upbringing, and when I say we, I mean America. We rightfully invested in STEM because science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, they build what we need in order to create our future. But we divested from the humanities in that process. We made humanities, arts and music and understanding different cultures. We made that pay the price for this investment. That wasn't the path that I went on. It wasn't the path that I was originally going to be on. I wanted to be an astronaut. I went to space camp and I was like a math whizz, but then somebody put a guitar in my hand and it was over and I went into art. The truth of my career as it's born out is that my greatest skills that I've had to offer have come from my education in the humanities.

(13:24): And while technology is able to build the future that we want, it's the humanities that help us choose it. I think we all feel right now, we haven't chosen the future that we want. There is a crisis of humanity. So my musicianship, yeah, just a bass player, but also not just a bass player because through the base I learned so much about the human experience that can't be put into words, that can't be put into technology, that can't be calculated, that can't be engineered. It's not about this domain of explanation and logic. It's about the domain of experience and intuition. So music really is the backbone of this entire book, and if I as a musician can put forward a perspective that helps people to think about the importance of prioritizing humanities again, then I believe that others that come from similar backgrounds and creativity, we'll be able to do the same.

John (14:24): One of the other important threads, you already mentioned mental health, but there's a line in there where you talk about transforming anxiety into creativity. So talk a little bit about the role of anxiety in makers, marketers, and mystics. Is there an elevated sense of anxiety if you consider yourself a creator?

Will (14:46): Relate to this? I haven't really shared this perspective before, but maybe the core experience, there's a lot of core experiences where this came from, and I recount them in the book, but this is not in the book. Learning how to take a solo in a improvisational jam session, especially as a bass player when that's normally what you do. I mean, you want to talk about turning anxiety into creativity. Everybody's watching you, and then all of a sudden the light is on you. You got to say something interesting. That is the current that I learned to play with that I have put into this book. It also comes from some of my experience on the mystical side. There's a scene that recounts a sit that I had with a zen master that talks about fear. There's a lot of other different stories and exercises in the book like that. But what I feel is that, well, it's not even a feeling, it's a fact. I mean, we're in a anxiety pandemic right now. The amount of anxiety that everybody is suffering through is enormous. And my submission into the conversation is basically, Hey, y'all know about art therapy, about this idea of taking what you have on the inside and getting it out. Here's a formula for doing that. And it's not really just about feelings. It's actually an engine for inspiration, for innovation, for driving purpose in your life and your business. It's really a reframe.

John (16:14): You talked about, I don't think you used the word normalize, but meditation is still one of those things that I think increasingly, I have been practicing probably for 30 years, and it was very out there from a western standpoint. Even then it's come into business conversations now, I think particularly as people talk about MINDBODY spirit for entrepreneurs, a lot of this book is about, I mean, you've even called these questions meditations and going into meditation to consider them. Is that something that's just, if you're going to call yourself a mystic or a maker, are you just going to accept that or do you still find some resistance in just the concept of meditation and how people think about it?

Will (16:55): It is being normalized. Meditation. It's really moved a long way. And if you've been meditating 30 years, then you may or may not agree with the sentiment I want to share here, but there is so much more to go than the first steps that our popular culture is currently on. And isn't that an incredibly exciting premise that we as a modern culture, as a working culture are just beginning to bring meditation into the workplace? But it's an infinite game that keeps going, and your human potential expands with every step that you take. So imagine what's ahead for you, listener. If you're just beginning meditation right now, it keeps going. And as it keeps going, you keep going. You become more creative, you become more purpose driven, you become more aware, you become more calm, you become activated. Whatever that descriptor is, it's further down that road.

(17:56): At the beginning of writing this book, and I talk about this in the opening, the identity as a mystic felt like a bit of an embarrassment to my identity as a marketer and vice versa. But they've integrated. They're all coming together into this one identity. So I do think that my hope is that this book will stand the test of time, but my hope is that the subtitle will be non-essential within a couple of years because I'm pointing to three different things that are coming together right now. And I hope that in five years people will be like, oh, that's just a creator.

John (18:33): Yeah. So let's talk about what you call the seven directions. And maybe I'll just let you run with it because I don't want to pick which one is your favorite direction, but I'll throw out their example. Question number one, what is in front of you? And I mean on the surface, that's a lot from a question standpoint. I'm curious, however you want to talk about the seven directions, because I think the questions are all so insightful and so deep, but they seem so simple.

Will (19:02): I refer to them as strategically open questions, and that comes from the merging between my, well all three of the maker, the marketer, and the mystical background. So as a maker, as a creative, you have something that's called divergent thinking. How many different things can you do with this pen and all these different ideas that you come up with, all these different ways to interpret something. So this question is designed to be up for interpretation. As a marketer, it's similar because I have participated in countless brainstorms, I have led countless brainstorms, and there's a way to set the table to billiard break into a conversation. And it's a strategically open question that does that. And then as a mystic, a lot of the esoteric systems, a Jewish esotericism, for example, Kabbalah is extremely pronounced in how it stretches your brain to hold multiple different ideas at once.

(20:08): And so this idea that is being put in front of you is what is in front of you. And so that could mean many different things. The maker, the creative, knows how to really just expand into a bunch of different ways to play with that. In the same way that you can come up with dozens of different things to do with a pen, the marketer knows how to apply to be directional to that, to make it actually valuable. What are we going to do with this idea of what's in front of, this is my future. Okay, well here's where I think the market is going, right? Or what have you. And then for the mystic, it's the ability to sit in the discomfort of allowing what's in front of you to be something completely unexpected. And so when I lead meditations or the two places I do this the most, utilizing these questions is leading meditations or advising businesses.

(21:08): When I'm leading meditations, I just let it hang and I walk people through a visualization process so that they can be surprised by what's in front of them. For business advising, I just let them journal. And it's interesting how sometimes what comes up is their personal hopes and fears more so than their business. And so then it's like, well, okay, so that's what we're really dealing with here. And then you work through that. And then to your point, you ask, which is my favorite? It's meant to be different every day, every time you ask. And you might feel a little bit more of an attraction to one question over the other, or you might interpret one question differently from one day to the next. What's in front of you on one day could be about your future, what's in front of you the next day? It could be about what is literally in front of you, the book that you hold in your hands, or it's this item that's on your desk and you're like, I'm noticing my glasses now. I never really paid attention. Is that a story that I'm telling myself about clarifying my vision? I'm not wearing my glasses enough. Why don't I wear those more? And it's just, it's making sense of your head chatter through the lens of these questions,

John (22:23): And we ultimately end up at what's in your heart, which could be a good place to start too. But maybe it takes a lot of work to get there, doesn't it?

Will (22:31): It's a great place to start. Most of us, myself included, have a hard time getting there. The modern experience keeps us in our heads. So maybe I just wrote this book for myself.

John (22:45): Well, those are the best books. Those are the best products that people create. Well, will, it was a pleasure having you stop by the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Is there a place you'd invite people to connect with you or obviously to pick up a copy of which way is North?

Will (23:00): Yeah, pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore. Support your indie bookstore, and you can find me at will katy cady.com. I'm on LinkedIn, I'm on Instagram. Will Cady, you know where to find me. Happy to chat.

John (23:15): Awesome. Well, again, thanks for taking a few moments out of your day to stop by, and hopefully we'll run into you one of these days out there on the road.

Will (23:22): Likewise. Thanks for having me.

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Generating Leads in Professional Services: Proven Tactics You Can’t Ignore

Generating Leads in Professional Services: Proven Tactics You Can’t Ignore written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I’m steering the ship solo, diving into the intricate world of marketing for professional services. Whether you’re a consultant, agency, fractional CMO, or part of the legal and accounting landscape, this episode is tailored just for you. Join me as I unravel the unique challenges of marketing in the professional services industry and provide valuable insights to elevate your client-building strategies.

Key Takeaways:

Businesses often find themselves ensnared in seven deadly marketing mistakes, hindering growth and success in the professional services realm. Let’s explore these pitfalls and uncover strategies to sidestep them:

1. Lack of Vision (01:25): Embark on a journey to success by establishing a clear vision for your business. Without a roadmap, you risk wandering aimlessly. I delve into the importance of having a strategic direction to guide your professional services endeavors.

2. Trying to Please Everyone (02:32): Discover why attempting to cater to a broad audience can be detrimental. I share insights on the power of narrowing your focus and tailoring your services to a specific target audience for more effective client connection.

3. Being Just Like the Competition (05:54): Stand out in the crowded professional services landscape by avoiding the pitfall of mirroring your competitors. I shed light on the significance of embracing your uniqueness to carve your niche and attract the right clients.

4. Wasting Marketing Resources (08:49): Every marketing resource is precious. I discuss the pitfalls of mismanagement and offer strategies for optimizing your marketing efforts to achieve maximum impact in the professional services industry.

Stay tuned for the next episode, where I unravel the remaining three deadly marketing mistakes and provide actionable tips on steering clear of these traps.

 

Get Your Free AI Prompts To Build A Marketing Strategy:

• Download now

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

Connect with John Jantsch on LinkedIn

 

This episode of The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by ActiveCampaign

Try ActiveCampaign free for 14 days with our special offer. Sign up for a 15% discount on annual plans until Dec 31, 2023. Exclusive to new customers—upgrade and grow your business with ActiveCampaign today!

 

 

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Weekend Favs December 9

Weekend Favs December 9 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week.

I don’t go into depth about the finds, but I encourage you to check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one I took on the road.

• Fireflies – With Fireflies.ai, teams can easily convert their meeting discussions into actionable text, effortlessly track key points, and revisit important segments of conversations.
• Command Bar – Command Bar is a cutting-edge platform designed to redefine user assistance, catering specifically to product, marketing, and customer service teams. It excels in offering non-intrusive, highly effective tools like self-guided onboarding, interactive product tours, and an AI-powered chat assistant. This platform is the go-to solution for businesses aiming to empower their users with seamless, intuitive navigation and support, ultimately enhancing user experience and engagement. By integrating Command Bar, teams can unlock their users’ full potential, ensuring they make the most out of the product or service offered.
• Feedly -Feedly is an AI-powered tool designed to streamline the way professionals and enthusiasts track insights across the web. By allowing users to specify their interests, Feedly’s AI sifts through vast amounts of content from news sites, blogs, and newsletters, flagging only the most relevant and important insights. This means users can stay informed and updated without the overwhelm of reading everything, ensuring they never miss critical information in their field or areas of interest. It’s an ideal solution for anyone looking to efficiently keep a pulse on the latest developments and trends.

These are my weekend favs; I would love to hear about some of yours – Tweet me @ducttape

If you want to check out more Weekend Favs you can find them here.

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Building A People-Centric Culture: From Employees To Contributors

Building A People-Centric Culture: From Employees To Contributors written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with John Janstch

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interviewed Kai Anderson, a seasoned strategist and the leader of workforce transformation at Mercer. Kai has spent years guiding organizations throughout Europe. His book Digital Human (2017) championed the concept of prioritizing humans in the digital transformation. Amid the pandemic’s upheaval, Kai continued his mission, helping clients reimagine their work and navigate decisions in a time of immense pressure and uncertainty.

Kai brings a wealth of experience, guiding organizations throughout Europe. Today, our discussion centers around his latest book, “Work, different: 10 Truths for Winning in The People Age.”

This podcast episode with Kai Anderson offers a deep dive into the transformative journey from employees to contributors, defining the people age, navigating the new rhythm of work, evolving leadership styles, and understanding the dynamics of the great resignation. Tune in for valuable insights on building a people-centric culture in the ever-evolving landscape of work.

Key Takeaways

Gain valuable insights into navigating the transformative shift from employees to contributors in the dynamic landscape of the people age. Kai illuminates the essence of this era, emphasizing the paradigm shift from command and control to a more balanced relationship between employers and contributors. Addressing the challenges of remote work, he introduces the concept of “The New Rhythm of Work” and advocates for finding synchronization in virtual environments. The discussion extends to the evolving role of leadership, with a focus on empathy as a crucial competency. Additionally, Kai delves into the great resignation phenomenon, shedding light on the quest for purpose and the changing preferences of individuals in the workforce. This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of building a people-centric culture in the context of the ever-evolving dynamics of work.

Questions I ask Kai Anderson:

[00:48] How do you describe “the people age”?

[01:32] What aspects make today the people age?

[02:37] According to your book, what are the most significant truths about the people age?

[04:21] How does the popularity of remote-work relate to the people age?

[05:58] What advice do you have for people trying to develop leaders in this new age?

[08:04] How does desire for individual wellbeing manifest itself in the workplace these days?

[10:58] Explain the value individuals have towards diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

[12:04] How do the 10 truths outlined in your book, help create a more inclusive environment?

[13:49] How do you leverage AI while keeping the human touch?

[15:12] How do you create a culture of learning that feels natural?

[16:58] How do you help people realize the return on investment in their people?

[19:25] Where can people connect with you and find a copy of your latest book?

 

More About Kai Anderson:

• Connect with Kai on LinkedIn
• Get Work Different: 10 Truths for Winning in The People Age

Get Your Free AI Prompts To Build A Marketing Strategy:

• Download now

 

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

Connect with John Jantsch on LinkedIn

 

This episode of The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by ActiveCampaign

Try ActiveCampaign free for 14 days with our special offer. Sign up for a 15% discount on annual plans until Dec 31, 2023. Exclusive to new customers—upgrade and grow your business with ActiveCampaign today!

 

 

 

 

Duct Tape Transcript

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John (00:08): Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. This is John Jantsch. My guest today is Kai Anderson. He's a seasoned strategist who started with his own company and now leading workforce transformation for Mercer has spent years guiding organizations throughout Europe. His book, digital Human, championed the concept of Prioritizing Humans in the Digital Transformation. And today we're going to talk about his new book Work, different 10 Truths for Winning in The People Age. So Kai, welcome to the show.

Kai (00:41): Thanks much, John. Great to be here with you.

John (00:43): So I always like to pick apart titles and subtitles particularly, and so let's start with people age. How do you describe this thing you're calling the People age?

Kai (00:52): I'm glad you're picking that, John, because in fact, the idea was that the initial title was the People Age, but we turned it around. So why is it the people age? We had some major trends evolving in the past like 50 years, which brought us from the industrial age into another age. Some people argue it's the digital age, we say it's the people age, right? And of course we have some short-term events like the Pandemic that also accelerated some of these trends.

John (01:26): So what are some aspects that make this, I mean, what you referenced the industrial age, what are the aspects that make this the people age?

Kai (01:36): John the industrial age was very much the core paradigm of the industrial age was command and control. And that worked pretty well. And we have to see that employers and employees were not on eye level. So this was, as we see still in some organizations like military, that was a different kind of organizing work and it was a different relationship. And that has changed significantly through of course, demographics. Now that labor, we all face labor shortage, things have turned around, values have shifted. So that is something which is very different to what we've seen in the industrial age where we are now coming towards, well, the balance of power, if you would like to say. So where we're coming to a new kind of relationship between employers and employees or contributors as we say.

John (02:36): Yeah. So the book also unveils 10 truths. I'm not going to ask you to name your favorite truth or name all 10 truths, but I wonder if there's one or maybe two that you would say, Hey, these are the most significant things, or these are the things people get wrong the most in this age.

Kai (02:54): It really starts with John, what I just mentioned, the contributors. So the first chapter is Goodbye employee, hello contributor. And I think we need to get rid of the idea of an employee. People want to contribute, they want to bring their very best to work, and they want acknowledgement for that. And that is something that has changed a lot. I guess when we started working, it was all about getting a good paycheck and that was it. And that has changed dramatically. So the contributor, and we see that in our global talent trends, you might know that we do annual of course, surveys on what is trending and what people expect. And more than 40 of people say that they want appreciation for what they bring to work for their contribution. So that is a very important chapter. One of my favorites. It's the first one. Of course, I have others.

John (03:46): And I also like the use of new language too, because I think a lot of times old language employee is kind of loaded with how people think about that. And I think it probably in some cases almost takes an entire, you mentioned paradigm, almost a paradigm shift of what an employee or the term employee even is.

Kai (04:03): Absolutely.

John (04:04): So you also mentioned the pandemic, and it's hard to talk about any kind of thing around team and staffing without bringing it up. Hopefully we'll grow out of that at some point. But remote work certainly has been around for a period of time, but talk about accelerating that. It's certainly changed a lot of organizations dramatically. How does the people age, how do the 10 truths really relate to the idea that so many people now are not physically in a building with their place of employment?

Kai (04:31): I'm glad you're asking. Of course. We have a dedicated chapter on that. It's called The New Rhythm of Work. And that is, by the way, we have a lot of musical references. So if you're not into music, you might not like the book, but if you're into music, we have a lot of references here. And the new rhythm of work is the good thing. There was one good thing about the Pandemic then it was that it showed us what is possible with regard to working virtually. And in the beginning it worked out pretty well. But then we kind of struggled in organizations started to struggle because we were getting out of sync. So some people were starting early, others were starting late, some were commuting, others were working from home. So we are not in sync anymore. And that is why some companies are calling people back into their offices, which is of course not the answer because the ghost is out of the bottle. You cannot turn it back. But we need to find that new rhythm. We need to get back in sync with each other to make that entire thing work.

John (05:42): If the workplace is changing, if organizations are realizing this is the people age, what leadership, how does leadership have to change? Does training need to change? Do who we think of as a leader need to change? Certainly the hierarchical structure of leadership has to change. What do you tell people now when they're trying to think, how do we develop leaders in our organization in this kind of new age?

Kai (06:04): First of all, leaders should read our book, John, obviously, of course,

John (06:09): Yes. Well, that of course,

Kai (06:14): Because, no, I think the book is not targeted at HR people, not primarily it's targeted at leaders, at executives. It's targeted at people that want to understand how this new world of working is working and what it takes. And I think we have some really great advice also for leaders in here. Let me take one or two things. The basics of good leadership have not changed, not really being on eye level, these kinds of things. But of course there things that are new. And let me take empathy for example. Empathy is something that has really emerged strongly with the pandemic because we had to get into the other's shoes, really understand what is bothering you, how do you feel? And that kind of notion, think back 30 years ago, that would've been impossible, but now it's a leadership competency we're talking about. And empathy is the beginning of inclusion. And what we all want is a diverse and inclusive workforce. So the basis for that is empathy. So we are drawing the line here to make sure that people understand what is good leadership about what has changed and what do you need to know as a leader in the people age.

John (07:40): So there were a couple of terms that were certainly used throughout the us. I'm not sure if they were used as much in Europe, quite quitting, and the great resignation where people were up and leaving, choosing other jobs. And I think a lot of people initially kind of pegged that as, oh, people just don't want to work anymore. But I think what really came out of that was people just don't want to work for you anymore or at this place. So how does this real sort of desire for engagement, for wellbeing in the place that they work manifests itself?

Kai (08:12): It's also something that has very much been accelerated by the pandemic. We were sitting in our homes, we were considering and thinking about what's life about and what do I expect from life and what do I expect from work? What do I expect from my employer? And so it wasn't really surprising that people in the pandemic and after the pandemic thought, is that it or is there more to it? And what am I going to do? And of course, we have to be fair, John, this was fueled to some extent by the labor market situation. Of course, when I can change like this, that's not that much of an issue. I think it's now a bit harder and the great resignation has stopped as a movement. But also here, I think we see a genuine shift of preferences with people. And we see people asking for purpose, for purpose of their companies, for purpose in their lives. And I think that's a good movement.

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(10:25): Now, this offer is limited to new active campaign customers only. So what are you waiting for? Fuel your growth. Boost revenue and save precious time by upgrading to active campaign today. So you already mentioned diversity and inclusion. I think that workplaces have become more diverse generationally, I think, which is probably driving some of this. You think of some of what we've talked about has really been attributed to millennials. The I want to work at a place that matters necessarily that's higher than what I'm paid. Maybe talk a little bit about, I know you have a whole chapter on diversity and inclusion and not as a regulatory process and more of a people want to work in companies that value that.

Kai (11:11): That is also some of the shift in preferences that we are seeing that is very much tied to, I want to bring myself to work. I want to be looked at as an individual. That entire idea of the workforce, the human resource is a very abstract thing. And that is not John. We are living in a world of hyper individualization. People want to be seen as an individual. I have been working with the former CHO from Betina Fox, and she's a great woman. I did my last book with her and she said, everybody wants to be seen. That was her mantra. Everybody wants to be seen with an airline. Imagine. That is so true, isn't it? And that is the genuine idea of inclusion and diversity.

John (12:04): So how do the truths that you share in this book or the insights you share in this book help people create a more inclusive environment, help people be more seen?

Kai (12:15): I think it's the combination, and I think it starts with a general idea of this people age that has come and we have a dedicated chapter on AI and technology, but the idea is it starts with the people. And if you consider that when you ask executives what's your most valuable resource? What will they answer to the people? It's the people. But that has been a lip service, John, for years and years now. It's becoming true. Now people start realizing it is the most valuable resource and that is the first thing I think that needs to not necessarily change, but that needs to be top of people's mind to say, yeah, it's the people that will make us successful or not. And it's the diversity of people that will make us more successful. And we have studies on that. We know that diverse teams are better performing than non-diverse teams. So we know that. And I think you don't have to argue about that anymore. The question is in fact, how do you do it?

John (13:29): Right? So you mentioned ai. That was my very next question. Certainly a lot of hand wringing in some circles just about the idea that AI is going to replace people, that robots are going to replace people. So how do you leverage technology? Because we also know that this technology sometimes affords us some great things. So how do you leverage technology with also then keeping some sort of human touch?

Kai (13:55): John, I'm a big tech fan, frankly, and I'm a big believer of technology being an amplifier for our capabilities, which is why the chapter on AI we call intelligence is amplified. So we see it as an amplifier for our intelligence. And then you mentioned the gains. We're talking 10 to 30% productivity increase. So this is incredible, especially if we consider that the past years have been stagnating with regard to productivity increase. So here's the kind of boost that we all want, and I see it as a means, or we see it in the book as something that is highly beneficial for the organization, of course, but also for the contributor for people within the organization. If we manage to of what we call have a fair distribution of the digital dividend.

John (14:56): I know in my organization, most of the members of our team are fit into the millennial generation, age wise. And one of the things that I find is very valuable to them, they always want to continue to learn what we talk about it every week. You learn this week, what's a new thing you can share this week? How do you cultivate that kind of culture without also cramming stuff down people's throats? It's like you have to keep learning, you have to keep training, you have to keep reading. How do you create that in a way that feels very natural?

Kai (15:28): That's a cultural thing first. And look at Microsoft. They did an entire campaign on learn it all versus know it all and look at where they are. So to me, that is first of all, really cultural development. And you need to get to a culture that first of all is about curiosity, being curious, trying new things, exploring things. I think we have cultural differences when we look at the US versus Europe versus Asia. Europeans are much more hesitating when it comes to new technology that's different in different parts of the world. But start with the chances first, have that kind of curiosity. And then it's about of course, embedding learning into everyday work, giving people the tools, giving people also some time, and most importantly, having the freedom to fail. So what we call psychological safety, create that psychological safety. You say you try it goes wrong, doesn't matter. You're not supposed to do it wrong twice, but once is.

John (16:41): Yeah. Right, right, right. So I'm sure you get this question, especially in a consulting role. If you're talking to a CEO, you're talking about change in some instances. This is not how every business is run, right? Today. So you're talking about some significant change sometimes equates to significant investment. So how do you help people realize the return on an investment in their people? Like we're talking about, is there a way to measure this has been successful?

Kai (17:07): Good question, John. When we are embarking on these exo, the first thing that we make sure is we are not really convincing people like the return of investment, but rather is it the right thing to do? So you want to get more profitable? Where does it start? What are you going to do without the kind of performance mindset? You want to be more innovative, you want to be more customer centered. Is that a structural thing or is that a mindset kind of thing? So this is first of all, you believe it or not, and there are people that don't believe it, that rather want to get into structures, into processes and say, this is not about people. More and more people buy into the idea of at least people have something to do with it. So I'm not saying that we are not, of course we are setting objectives like net promoter scores where there's a whole bunch of objectives and we are doing extensive employee listening to see what arrives with employees, with contributors. So this is something, and in the end, of course you want to see the business results of all of that, but it's caused an effect. I know, and we know we have great examples also in the book from organization that managed to kind of become a digital champion, for example, by at least investing heavily into their people, into their cultures and their people practices. There's the hardwired stuff as well. There's objective setting, incentive systems, performance management, you name it. Of course, that plays a role.

John (18:54): I suspect if you want to default or what I would default maybe as a simple metric is retention too. I mean that's so many people left companies they didn't like working for and it was very expensive to replace them.

Kai (19:09): Retention. Meanwhile, retention is a business objective. Exactly. Just diversity is just as diverse, just as engagement. Of course. You're absolutely right.

John (19:22): Well, Kai, I appreciate you taking a moment to stop by the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. You want to invite people where they might connect with you. Obviously find a copy of your latest book work different.

Kai (19:33): John, thank you so much. Yeah, please reach out LinkedIn, great channel. Make sure that we follow you, John. Great talking to you. Good fun.

John (19:41): Yep. Awesome. Again, thanks for stopping. Bye. Hopefully we'll run into you one of these days out there in Europe.

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