Bill Jensen's Blog, page 7

3 Steps to Career Reinvention

I help leaders, managers and companies go through change. Yet, I, too, recently had to look in the mirror and do what I ask others to do. 



Maybe the three steps I finally embraced — ("Physician, heal thyself") — will also help you. 



1. After "Oh, shit." Still Love Yourself

For me, the handwriting has been on the wall for years. Yet I refused to see it. With my first book, 14 years ago, speaking engagements and consulting gigs poured in with very little effort on my part. 



Then, after a few years, I had to start working harder to maintain that success. Which felt hypocritical — after all, I'm supposed to be a subject matter expert in working smarter, not harder!



Then, one day it finally hit me: "Oh, shit. Now that everybody on the planet is an author (blogging, etc.), I need to completely change how I compete for attention (and billings)."



I felt like an unbelievable idiot for not seeing that sooner. For a brief time, I grew intensely depressed —maybe my next career would be doing Zoloft or Prozac commercials? "What an idiot!!"



Then, I forgave myself. 



Yes, I should have seen it sooner — especially considering what I do for a living. But I didn't. I'm human. And it wasn't until I turned the corner of Stop Beating Yourself Up that I could start working smarter and competing differently.



If you find yourself needing to rethink your career track: No matter how dumb you feel for not seeing the necessary changes sooner — whenever you have that "Oh, shit" moment — remember that the first step is to forgive and love yourself. Don't go on to Step 2 before forgiveness. Ask for help from friends or mentors or a shrink. Kick yourself if you must. But then, let it go.



(For more about how to deal with this, embrace that you are standing at a personal crossroad. See Crossroads post for more.) 



2. Anchor The Next New You 

in How You Create Value

(With maybe a tweak or two.)

For two decades, I've created value as Mr. Simplicity — making it easier for people to do great work. Clients tell me that that is still super-valuable. But I can no longer out-research and out-promote every blogger in the world on how to work smarter. 



So I settled on two strategies that I, alone, could own:

• Doing more to connect the dots between everybody else's work. Essentially being a super-simplifier. Make all the great ideas out there greater-er by making them even easier to understand and act upon.

• Bring my unique point of view to viral-y trends that others are complicating. Right now that's Simpler Innovation. And I'm currently researching and creating what comes after that: Simpler Future of Work. After that: Simpler Whatever.

Plus, I'm reaching out to others sooner, more deeply:

• I've always crowdsourced the final stage with a slew of book mentors. Now I'm crowdsourcing the first stage, the research. For Simpler Future: Individuals from around the world have signed on, so have academic institutions and consulting firms.



For you: Embrace whatever it is that you do to create value for others. Strip it down to its essence. Keep simplifying it until you've got it down to a one- to two-sentence elevator speech about what you do to create value. Then build it back up again, anew. Reach out to the world, sharing the New You with everyone.



3. Have Lots of Sex, Conversationally

(See Matt Ridley's TEDTalk, When Ideas Have Sex)

Share your ideas for creating value with anyone and everyone. So your ideas and their ideas start having sex. "That's awesome. If we did this... And then this... And then... Oh, oh... Yes!!!!!!!"



I recently did that with a friend at an academic institution and another who just joined a dot.com as their Chief People Officer. By then end of both calls, we were each getting super-excited about what would happen by combining our ideas. Shared ecstasy!



The best way to push aside those "Oh, shit" feelings for good is to have lots of fun, random, passionate conversational sex. 



You'll quickly be in a much happier place, and all that great (conversational) sex will jumpstart your next career move!

A Few Minutes of Silliness

If you live south of the 49th parallel, or don't know who Dr. Demento is, you may not be familiar with two awesome Canadian comedy troupes, The Vestibules and The Frantics. A sampling of their work, for you listening pleasure!


Bulbous Bouffant

Vestibules: A delightful romp through the singsong possibilities of the English language





Ti Kwan Leep (Boot to the Head)

Frantics: Ode to those who disturb our day like the pebble disturbs the pond




The Human Race

Frantics: All of human history as called at the Kentucky Derby



You Were Speeding

Frantics: If cops could pull you over for thinking the wrong way

(Ignore blip in the first few seconds)

Remember What Matters: Let All Else Go By

As Mr. Simplicity, I try to limit the number of apps I upload onto my phone. Both  productive and fun stuff are kept to the basics. And there isn't much there for inspiration — I find much of that from the people and places around me.






I've found one amazing exception, however: Secret.ly






The idea is simple: You and and anyone who choses to join from your network share one truth, one secret — anonymously. That no-names thing allows you to share your most private thoughts, without fear they'll come back to you. 



Here are a few of my friend's secret thoughts...



• My baby boy passed away recently. I saw his picture today and cried because I love him and miss him. I'm a guy so no one thinks to talk to me. Seattle



• It's my goal in life for all of my exes to think of me as "that one that got away." California



• I'm a woman with a successful career but I fantasize about being a housewife and that makes me feel guilty, like I'm setting back centuries of the women's lib movement. California



• No matter how successful you get, you can always count on a visit to the dentist to remind you you're also a child who refuses to follow instructions. Illinois





• I wish education wasn't so slow to change. It's making me fall out of love with my job. All I want to do is be a great teacher. Pennsylvania



• It's actually much more enjoyable to be a single parent than I would have thought. Las Vegas



• I have a magic weapon. My daughter. One look at her and all the dark thoughts are gone. Israel



• Whenever I try to breakdown why I hate someone, I realize it's because they have the same characteristics as me. California



• Once I discovered a long-term boyfriend was cheating on me by finding his overnight sex bag he hid in his car trunk. I stole the condoms and put pepper oil in the lube bottle. California



• Do not come to my house, open a browser and type the letter x. California



• One time I brought a can of cat food to a dinner party instead of pate and no one noticed. Except maybe Bill. I think Bill may have noticed. South Dakota



• Love is: Warming up your partner's MS meds before you inject him. California



Secret.ly is one of my daily reminders to...

Remember what really matters.

Let all the other stuff go by.

Working Smarter: 3 Keys to Your Success

For some, it's all about productivity or efficiency through technology: the latest app on one's phone or Nike's FuelBand on one's wrist. For others, it's all about one's network — that none of us is as smart as all of us. Still others believe it's about having the right information at the right time, in the right way.







It is all of that...and more. But above all, I have found that working smarter is about the choices we make once we have gathered all that information, or crowdsourced an idea, or crunched the data, or read the tea leaves. It almost always comes down to the 80/20 Rule: Even though what we remember most vividly is the Aha moment — that's just the spark.... The "work" part of working smarter is 80% about making a choice, then being true to it on many different levels. (e.g., see Doubling Productivity: It Ain't the Tools)



Unpacking that: There are three crucial dimensions that determine one's success or failure rate with those choices...



1. How Fast / How Well You Learn

Many of our choices will lead to mistakes or failures. Working smarter is all about how well (or poorly) we leverage that learning opportunity. Full disclosure: Sometimes I feel like my ability to learn is no better than a flip of a coin! Screwed up one relationship...Worked another one fantastically. Some clients thinks I walk on water...But not all of them! Arrgh: Wish there was a magic wand for this learning thing!



Those who succeed most often, most quickly, process failure and adjust faster or better than most of us. The good news is the process is the same for masters and novices alike — baby steps. Usually the adjustments we need to make are not life-altering, but minor course-corrections.



For a great and profound tour of personal life-lessons, you've got to watch John Leguizamo's Ghetto Klown on HBO. An amazing tour of life's ups and downs, joys and heartache...A must-see!



Want to learn from someone who "wasted a truly incredible amount of time in that lazy space that exists between kinda working and kinda screwing around."? Nate Green's "How To Do Work: 8 strategies to follow when you need to get your shit together and actually accomplish something” is short and powerful!





2. Get Right Back on the Bike!

We've all skinned our knees when we first learned how to ride a bike. Many of us jumped right back on, no matter how many tries it took. Your personal drive to jump back into the fray — even when your choices don't go as you'd hoped — is another crucial dimension to working smarter.



Dan Pink unpacked the motivation behind this in one of his TEDTalks. Your passion, your drive behind working smarter is likely derived from one of these needs...


• Autonomy: The urge to direct our own lives

• Mastery: The desire to get better and better at something that matters to you
• Purpose: The yearning to be in service of something larger than ourselves



In another TEDTalk, Angela Lee Duckworth says the key to success is grit — once you've called upon one of the three needs above to work smarter, sticking to it again and again and again.



3. Know the Difference Being You and Being Smart

Over and over, we're told that if we're going to succeed (and work smarter, not harder), we need to be true to ourselves, we need to be who we were born to be. Susan Cain wants all introverts to feel free to be that way. Sheryl Sandberg wants all women to lean in. Drew Dudley wants all of us to call upon what makes us human and make a difference, every day, in someone's life. 



Yes. BE YOU!! Boldly. Without apology. Without hesitation. Go for it!!!





But being smart (working smarter) is ALSO knowing when/how to adjust that slightly for different situations. Is your personal style "in your face"? Toning that down (sometimes a lot) is sometimes the best way to work smarter. And visa versa: If your personal style is to never "rock the boat," sometimes that is exactly what is called for if you wish to cut through the status quo and work smarter.



NEVER compromise who you are! Never. But know that we all depend on each other. That means you'll need to know when it's OK to ramp up or tone down your you-ness.



And the best way to pay attention to the difference between being you and being smart: Ask for feedback. Constantly. Honor it, heed it. Then adjust accordingly.

TED 2014: 10 Ideas You Need Now

This year was TED's 30th anniversary. I've been fortunate to have attended almost half of them. While I attended this one online, it was still amazing! Here are ten ideas from TED 2014 that are crucial to working smarter right now.





1. Big Ideas Really Matter


TED is about ideas worth spreading. TED's Chris Anderson: "The number one impact of TEDTalks: People
who watch them regularly shift from being laid-back victims of the future to
daring to want to write the future." Takeaway: Seeking out new ideas changes your beliefs. Change your beliefs... Leads to changing what you do.




2. Even Shorter is Even Better

To make room for some of the amazing past speakers, TED ran sidebar All-Star sessions. These returning stars of past TEDs were given only four to eight minutes, and most worked hard to still be great in that timeframe. (Those that ran longer, shoulda been cut down!) Takeaway: Get to the frickin' point! Shorter is usually better!




3. Unknowns Matter

The main stage was filled with amazing people. But so was the pre-event TED Fellows, a network of up-and-coming trailblazers. Shubhendu Sharma: Reforestation expert from India talked about how cars can teach forests to grow. Aziz Abu Sarah: Middle-Eastern-American peace activist put "enemies" together at the same dinner table, only to realize they're not that different after all. Takeaway: "Unknowns" are making a real difference. Is that you?




4. Your Power is in Your Network

TED Fellow Eric Berlow, an ecological networks scientist, nailed it when he said the Fellows network consisted of “unexpected mismatches made in heaven.” He also quoted fellow Fellow Camilo Rodriguez-Beltran, who is a self avowed: "cross-disciplinary collaboration slut" Takeaway: See headline, above!!






5. Your Failures/Struggles Matter

Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) may get lots of views for her talk: "You have to find your way home again. Home is whatever in this world you love more than you love yourself." But I believe musician Jason Webley was even more profound... He spoke of stopping music for several years because he didn’t know why he was doing it: "I haven’t figured out the answer. I don’t know what I’m doing. But I guess I have learned: This world is made of magic. It’s a miracle that we exist. I know that whatever it is I do with my time on this planet, I want to feel like I’m conspiring with that magic." Takeaway: If you can find your way home, your failures/struggles will lead you to the magic.




6. Everyone Can Do Deep Thinking

John Hunter, Inventor of World Peace Game, spoke about 9 year-olds holding their own with top Pentagon brass. Impressing four-star generals and others with their problem-solving. Takeaway: Everyone can think big if you organize the discussion and the tools from their perspective. And gaming helps you do that!




7. Which Virtues Matter Most to You?

New York Times columnist David Brooks gave a poignant talk on how we focus most of our efforts on the wrong virtues: "Resume virtues are built by building on your strengths." But "Eulogy virtues are built by fighting your weaknesses. You find your signature sin, and you wrestle with that sin. Out of that wrestling, a depth of character is constructed."  Takeaway: What do you want written on your tombstone?




8. The World Needs Hackers

That was the direct message from hacker Keren Elazari, and love-him-or-hate-him Edward Snowden certainly echoed that. But beyond the digital forms of hacking, most every TED speaker is a White Hat Hacker: creating workarounds for things that just don't work, or could be a lot better. Takeaway: Go create a workaround...Now!




9. Be Yourself, Be Likable, Be Funny

The most fawned-over speaker may have been Sir Ken Robinson. The audience of elite's elites reacted to him like the girl batting "love you" eyelids at Indiana Jones. And it was well deserved! His message was Gandhi-like: "Change YOUR world, and if enough people change their worlds, we change THE world."... Equally important, his droll humor could melt or disarm anyone. He's a mix of Batman's Michael Caine and Louis C.K. Takeaway: Be likable: You'll get more flies with honey than with vinegar.




10. Move Beyond Your Past, Honoring What Was Good


Avi Reichental is a 3-D Printer. His grandfather was a cobbler who died in the Holocaust. Wearing his 3-D printed shoes: “I am honoring my past, while manufacturing the future.” Zak Ebrahim's father assassinated Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of the Jewish Defense League, and was also involved in the 1993 truck-bombing of the World Trade Center. While young Zak was taught bigotry and hatred, he is now a peace activist. "I hope that someone, someday, who is compelled to use violence may hear my story and realize there is better way. I do it for the for the victims of terrorism, and their loved ones. The son does not have to follow the ways of the father. I am not my father.”  Takeaway: Your past will always be a part of you, but it does not define you. Go. Be. You. Now. 





About a dozen of this year's talks are already online. See TED.com for those and more.

Your Smarter Future: 4 Wicked Truths

For almost three decades I have been studying how work gets done, and how it will get done. 






I have never been more optimistic and more concerned than I am right now. Two epic forces swirl in and out of each other, dancing with and teasing each other. Each one aids the other, taunts the other... 





Massive daily disruptions in most everything at work and in life are creating amazing opportunities for anyone with a dream and willing to work hard. Those same continuous daily disruptions ALSO mean that it's getting harder and harder to get things done, figure out what to do and maintain effective habits. That means...



The future of working smarter will be based on your ability to continuously take advantage of those disruptions — to create new products and services, new ways of working, new ways of being.



That sets up 4 wicked truths in every attempt to work smarter, not harder...



1. Step 1 is Always: Disrupt Yourself

Do unto you before others do it for you. A lot of the future of work will take you out of your comfort zone. Daily. Hourly. In her TEDTalk, Roselinde Torres says great leaders ask themselves, "Am I courageous enough to abandon the past?" In a disruptive world, that applies to all of us. From now on, personal mastery begins with disrupting yourself. Tom Asacker, author of The Business of Belief, addresses this in a YouTube interview: “Most people are driven by their perceptions, not their imaginations.” He advises us to change the stories we tell ourselves.



2. Become Friends with Failure

The overwhelming majority of us have a bad relationship with failure. We avoid it, spin it, package it...Do everything we can to avoid it. The future of working smarter will include lots and lots of failure. For you. For all of us. If you're not failing or really struggling, you're not experimenting. If you're not experimenting, you're not only missing amazing opportunities — you're stuck in the past.



Need a kick in the ass on Friending failure and struggles? Here's a 3-minute read by Madelyn Murray — Becoming Great Through Struggles — about embracing her Tourette’s syndrome. Or... Maysoon Zayid's powerful and funny TEDTalk, I Got 99 Problems...And Palsy Is Just One. Struggles and failures truly reveal the character within each of us.



3. Know How to Sell Bold, Epic, Different Ideas

TED's mission may be about ideas worth sharing...but all that viral sharing doesn't just happen on it's own. (Go here, here, here, here and here for How to Give a Great TED Talk.) In a disruptive world, where change happens hourly, a lot of whether you will be working harder or smarter will depend on your ability to sell ideas — to communicate them with such passion, conviction and poise, that others will follow you...including those who are supposed to lead you.


4. Your Tools, Your Growth

Even with all the amazing, empowering, fantastic leaps technology has made for us, I remain horrified by the gaps between what companies build for the company to succeed and what you need to work smarter, not harder. (Corporate-centered vs. user-centered: See Work 2.0 Report: Is Business At War With Its Workforce?) While lots of terrific progress has been made... 



For the foreseeable future, you will have to ensure your worktools always help you be your best, do great work, and save you time and effort. If what the company provides isn't as good as what you could get on your own — hack a workaround!

• This is a FAR larger issue than most in the workforce realize

• The Internet of Things will connect most everything by 2020

• Enticing most companies to be a lot MORE corporate-centered!




Your tools, your growth, your learning are your responsibility. If your company does this better than you could...Great! If not, take charge! 




These four are not the only wicked truths in working smarter, but tackle them and you'll be well on your way.

Make A Beautiful Impact: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Every once in a while, we hear, see or read something so simple, so wonderful, so profound, our heart and our head overflow with joy and wonder... And we also think: "Damn, why didn't I think of that!"







That happened to me last week with Joanna Lord's blog post:

A Beautiful Impact 


Lord writes about her six-month journey with professional coach Stacey Sargent, and how everything for her crystalized down to just two words...





"I want to have a 'beautiful impact' on this world. 'Beautiful' to me means you have the power to stop someone in their tracks with a moment so real that it encourages a deep breath, a thankful breath…for that singular experience. That experience could be between people in a community, between a consumer and a product, or a brand and a customer, or two colleagues building something together.






"It's a funny thing…knowing what motiviates you. It's invigorating. I'm finding it easier to say no to certain things. I find it easier to push through hard meetings, and challenges. I'm a big believer of getting to the core of it all. Because you are special. Each of us is, and we have our own two words, or three, or four. We have our own fire burning for something."

See Lord's full blog post here.






A huge part of working smarter is knowing how you want to impact others...

If you want to have a beautiful impact on this world...


Here are five questions you'll need to answer... 


1. What are your core values?


Sure, you think you know them. But is most every single decision and action by you driven by them? If not, why not? Lord’s values are Passion, Achievement, Family, Helping Others, Creativity and Humor. For Lord, having those values front and center every day "steers me. It anchors me. It helps me identify when I feel off course.” Can you say the same? Day in, day out?




2. Do you know what derails you?


We all derail ourselves, because we're human. Do you know what throws you off so well that you can quickly recognize when it's happening and can quickly get yourself back on track? Says Lord, "I now know what I need to work on and where I need to level up. I can correct for it faster." 




3. Can you proclaim: I am great at what I do?


Pride. Not the Seven Deadly Sins kind. The kind of pride can gives birth to confidence, courage, more drive, more opportunities, more growth, more ways to have a beautiful impact. Says Lord about aiming for being great, "We hide it. We blush. We deflect when someone compliments us, and rarely do we own it. I am owning these words. I am these things. I work hard for them."


4. Do you have a mantra?


We all hit bumps in the road. We all struggle. What's the one thing you hear in your head that gets you out of those situations? That's your mantra. Lord's mantra is "Stop worrying and JUST GO!" My two are "Rules, we don't need no stinkin' rules!" and "What really matters?" If you are going to work smarter, if you are going to have a beautiful impact, you'll need to rely on your mantra to get you out of tough spots and back on track.




5. How do you define success?


Not all of us truly know this... Not money. Not goals. But true success: the kind of thing you want written on your tombstone. What's interesting about that kind of success is that it will be judged by others, not you. (e.g., For me, it's "Make a difference." I can guide my life toward making a difference, but others will evaluate whether I really did or not.) Which means: True success will always be about the journey...What you learned every day, and what you did every day that brought you closer to that ideal.



Know the answers to these questions (true, deep "knowing," as in living them) and you will be well on your way to having a beautiful impact on the world!

10 Ways to Smarter Happiness

Working Smarter drives greater joy and happiness!

PREWORK Watch this great Google Hangout ^^ Some of the tips below are also covered by Arianna/Rich/Guy...

Then onto the 10 Ways...


1. Find a Place You Love. 

Never Stop Searching Until You Do



Something happened that changed my life forever. I told [a friend] I was feeling overwhelmed as I had no clue where to begin looking for a job in this new field. She said, "You should check out where I work. I love my job!" I was intrigued by Menlo Innovations. I attended a two-hour session that gave a high-level explanation of what Menlo was about. I couldn't believe how much the things [CEO] Rich [Sheridan] talked about struck home with me. Several times I found myself thinking, "This is common sense, and yet, this is brilliant..."I knew that no matter what, I HAD to be a part of it. Fast-forward to seven years later, I can honestly say I still NEED to be a part of it.

~ Michelle Pomorski, HuffPo post, Joy at Work?! 


2. Give Your Co-Workers A Smile



There's one small thing you can do to be happier at work. The best part? It's incredibly easy. "Say a really nice, cheerful good morning to your co-workers. Tell your co-workers they've done a great job. ... It creates great relationships in workplace.”

~ Alexander Kjerulf, HuffPo interview, author, Happy Hour Is 9 To 5




3. Be Present. Fully. Really.


I urge you, in 2014, to live in the moment just a little more. Put your phone down when you are in the presence of others. Take a moment to breathe in your surroundings and listen intently to those you are with. Simply be present. Your experience of life and happiness will be transformed.

~ Naomi Simson, The One Trait That Happy People Share





4. Let It Go!


With all the changes and all the need to collaborate, there will be endless moments where something can bug you. "Consciously drop the past. It’s hard, but with practice you will get the hang of it." That includes jealousy: "When you're jealous you're saying that the universe is limited and there's not enough success in it for me. Instead, be happy, because whatever happened to him will happen to you in your current job or at another company."

~ Srikumar Rao, author, Happiness at Work





5. Find Passion in You, Not Your Job

Sure, you can fantasize about a dream job that pays you well and allows you to do some kind of social good, work with brilliant and likable colleagues and still be home in time for dinner. Instead, change how you think about your current situation. For example, instead of thinking of yourself as a human resources manager at a bank, identify yourself as someone who helps other bank employees provide for their families, take advantage of their benefits and save for the future.

~ Srikumar Rao, author, Happiness at Work (write-up from Forbes)




6. Maintain Perspective

Constantly envision 10 years ago, 10 years from now: "Most problems that kept you awake ten years ago have disappeared. Much of what troubles you today will also vanish. Realizing this truth will help you gain perspective." 

~ Srikumar Rao, author, Happiness at Work



7. Enjoy the Journey

"Outcomes are totally beyond your control." You’ll set yourself up for disappointment if you focus too much on what you hope to achieve rather than how you plan to get there.

~ Srikumar Rao, author, Happiness at Work



8. It's Always, Always, Always About People

Friends: Having a lot of close friends boosts life satisfaction by nearly 20%.

Be a Mentor: Mentoring a young person is 4 times more predictive of happiness than your health or how much money you make.

~ Eric Barker, How to Be More Satisfied With Your Life




9. Think Epic, Have Big Goals: But Start Small

Have Goals: People with life goals are nearly 20% more satisfied with their lives.

Start Small: Life satisfaction is 22 percent more likely for those with a steady stream of minor accomplishments than those who express interest only in major accomplishments. 

~ Eric Barker, How to Be More Satisfied With Your Life




10. Remember 1440

There are only 1440 minutes in every day. Every day, you are given an amazing gift: 1440 more minutes to spend as you choose. Most of us choose poorly...a lot. Most of us waste too many of those precious minutes on stuff that doesn't really matter. Spend more time on what really matters to you. Spend less time on stupid stuff. Day in, day out. Every day. 

~ Bill Jensen

10 Ways to Have No Regrets

I love Quora! It's a fun forum where the great questions of life get debated. Like...

• What is it like to be a priest hearing confessions? 

• What is the most productive thing I can do when I'm bored? 

• What are the most overrated things in life? 

I also love Quibb, a great community for business and tech news/advice.






The following is compiled from multiple posts on both sites, all relating to: If you could time-travel, what would you tell your younger self? That's very much a part of working smarter...Learning life's lessons before it's too late! 



1. Make a List to Live By


You only have about XX years left, so don't waste them on:

• Earning more money than you need

• Learning more things than you need or are interested in

• Buying more items than you need

• Getting more friends than you need

• Eating more food than you need

• Trying to impress people out of vanity

• Spending money on conspicuous consumption

• Wasting other people's time

• Pursuing goals that have no purpose

• Getting involved in projects that you have doubts about

• Getting involved with people you are not serious about

• Trying to be smart for the sake of it

• Other people's opinions if you have no intention of accepting them

• Imposing your beliefs and opinions on others

• Trying to find meaning and purpose in life other than your instincts

~ Stan Hayward


2. Have Fun...Now!

Enjoy the hell out of this because it all disappears.

~ Bianca Diesel



3. Fear Brings Nothing


Believe....trust in yourself! Most of all do not fear. Never fear. NEVER. Fear is, as Frank Herbert said in Dune: "....a mind killer." It brings no strength. It brings no resolve. It is the challenge of every human to see through its shadow and its lie.  

~ Aurora Clawson

If it scares you, you should probably do it.

~ Priyanshu Gupta



4. Trust Your Gut


If it says "stay the fuck away from this", it's right 9 out 10 times. So stay the fuck away. It is really that simple.

~ Martin Sjoorda


5. Don't Fight Stupid. Make More Awesome


Don't listen to stupid people, time is priceless and stupidity is contagious. What is life about anyway?...Being with the people you love.

~ Guillermo Schwarz


6. Share the Love. Help Others Be Happy


Give compliments freely, when deserved. We're so quick to critique and attack, but much more reluctant to give compliments. A few years ago, I resolved to change that in my own life, and to make a effort to actually tell people when they do something good, when I care about them, when they make me smile. It's been a huge success.

~ Eivind Kjørstad 




7. Dream Bigger, Be a Better You


The nine habits I wish I had cultivated earlier are:

1. Setting my goals higher and following through (dreaming bigger)

2. Gratitude

3. Demonstrating & expressing that gratitude to others

4. Healthy eating (particularly fruits during college)

5. Exercise

6. Meditation

7. Regular mentorship

8. Keeping in touch better

9. Asking better questions, greater self reflection & journaling

~ Nathan Ketsdever 


8. Keep Updating/Revising Your List


I have carried a slip of paper in my left pocket for 25 years with no more than 10 items on it. An item gets crossed off when it is completed and another item (sometimes) takes its place. On many occasions I find myself re-copying my "10 List" onto a new sheet because the items have not gone away or have become corroded with fish scales. The list is the first thing I look at when I arise and the last thing I glance at when I go to sleep. Sometimes an item will solve itself in the interim.

~ Ken Larson


9. Be Present. Fully. Always


Learning to enjoy the little things in life. Being in the here and now — not thinking about the past or being totally focused on the future.

~ Pamela Jacob


10. Honor Your Hard-Won Career Lessons


• Do not stay in a job you dislike.


• Choose a career for the intrinsic rewards, not the financial ones. 

• Don’t give up on looking for a job that makes you happy.

• Emotional intelligence trumps every other kind. Develop your interpersonal skills if you want to succeed.

• Everyone needs autonomy. Career satisfaction is often dependent on how much autonomy you have on the job. Look for the freedom to make decisions and move in directions that interest you, without too much control from the top

~ Karl Pillemer, Cornell University, 30 Lessons for Living

Future of Work Starts at TED 2014

"The number one impact of TEDTalks: People who watch them regularly shift from being laid-back victims of the future to daring to want to write the future."

— Chris Anderson, Inside TED Q&A, March 17, 2014






I have seen the future of work, and it looks like TED.



During the Inside TED orientation, Ronda Carnegie laid out TED's strategy for TED@, the company-focused arm of TED: "How do we unearth and unlock the great ideas within companies? How do we humanize business?"



TED@ is part of the TED Institute, whose goal is to unearth storytellers within companies, to showcase idea-based thinking, and to ignite curiosity within corporate culture. 







2013 was its pilot year, with three companies: Intel, State Street, and BCG. From those pilots, results are that it's "Culturally transformative: for the individuals who participated as well as for the corporations."




Said June Cohen, TED seeks "employees to share their hard-won wisdom and very far-reaching theories."




How does TED@ not descend into becoming another corporate shill or selling out? They focus on helping companies build a storytelling culture to better express their ideas. Their process is free from C-suite meddling:

• Canvas the entire organization, at all levels

• Search for interesting ideas

• Process is editorial, driven by TED curators

• Speakers are selected to participate by curators

• Speakers commit to hours and hours of preparation, submitting many drafts of their talks

• They participate in in-person and video coaching with TED's coaching team

• They do this all on their own time

• They must exhibit true commitment to doing a TED-level talk and to their idea

• Some of the talks are compelling enough to appear on TED.com (e.g., Yves Morieux: 6 Rules to Simplify)




2014: Five companies have signed on, and TED@ is already looking into 2015 candidate companies.



Ronda Carnegie: 

"We see TED@ as a lab where we can explore the future of work and business."