Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 114

SPOS #744 – Keith Ferrazzi On Leading Without Authority

Welcome to episode #744 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #744 – Host: Mitch Joel. When I first read, Keith Ferrazzi‘s book, Never Eat Alone, something clicked. In a big way. Since then (putting aside the pandemic, which makes this activity near-impossible), I always book breakfast, lunch (and even coffee) meetings with different kinds of people. It has been one (of many) invaluable life (and work) tools that have simply worked for me. I had the pleasure of meeting Keith, in person, on many occasions over the years, and I consider myself lucky to have that opportunity. Keith Ferrazzi is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and thought leader. As Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and its Research Institute, he works to identify behaviors that block global organizations from reaching their goals, and to transform them by coaching new behaviors. Keith has introduced a new concept that he calls “co-elevation.” Formerly he was the CMO of Deloitte and Starwood Hotels. Along with Never eat Alone, he also wrote Who’s Got Your Back and the recently published, Leading Without Authority. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 48:46.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
…or on Twitter.
Here is my conversation with Keith Ferrazzi.
Leading Without Authority.
Never Eat Alone.
Who’s Got Your Back.
Ferrazzi Greenlight.
Follow Keith on Twitter.
Follow Keith on Instagram.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #744 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #537

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

TikTok Grocery Store Musical. “I love planned, collective creativity. This turns into a bit of a pile-on—but it warms my heart to see people collaborating with strangers at a distance.” (Alistair for Hugh).
Social Cooling . “Simple website that explains the impact social networks have on our conformity and thinking. Algorithms use feedback to adjust how they treat us online; so humans tailor their behaviour to get better algorithmic results. From lying on Tinder profiles, to self-censoring provocative speech, online collectivism shapes our behaviour. People don’t understand how the Internet works, and we need more of this please.” (Alistair for Mitch).
How Taiwan’s ‘civic hackers’ helped find a new way to run the country – The Guardian . “If anyone wanted to fix democracy (which, it seems like a good portion of the world does not), Taiwan is perhaps leading the way.” (Hugh for Alistair).  
A Shocking Find in a Neanderthal Cave in France – The Atlantic . “There’s this cave in France with signs of Neanderthals activity, dating back to 42,000 years, which is 20,000 years earlier than any other remains in the world. They’ve just found evidence of stone building dating back 175,000 years, which is an incredible number.” (Hugh for Mitch).
The Ultimate Home Studio for Live Streaming, Zoom & Presentations – 3 Camera Setup in Small Area – Pat Flynn . “I’ve been in the digital and virtual communications space from day one. Covid has really forced all presentations (for the most part) to be virtual. I had an issue: Years and years of gear and software piling up, and now I really wanted an intelligent way to pull it all together (video, audio, lights, software, etc…). Simple is hard. As a speaker, you wind up realizing that you’re also doing all of the audio visual production as well (which makes the presenting part that much more complicated). So, down the YouTube rabbit hole I went. It’s a never-ending experience of studios, gear, software and (if you like this stuff), entertainment. Lots of amazing people describing the ideal set-ups. I found Pat Flynn’s really smart, classy and (somewhat) easy to replicate (in my own way). Thought you might appreciate this as well…” (Mitch for Alistair).
Interview with Eddie Van Halen: Is Rock ‘n’ Roll All About Reinvention? – Zocalo Public Square . “Legend. Period. Full stop. We use this word often, but it doesn’t always apply. In this case, it does. Eddie Van Halen’s sudden passing this week took the wind (and everything else) out of me. I eulogized him (as best as I could ) online, if you’re interested in my personal take on what Van Halen meant to me (in a word: EVERYTHING). I’ve been really down and bummed out since hearing about it because, as each day passes, we get further and further away from those moments that really impacted who we become. The musicians that rocked our world, are now leaving our world. I still can’t believe that I’m living in a world without Eddie Van Halen. I still can’t believe how lucky I was to live in a world with Eddie Van Halen. Here is an amazing interview with Eddie that (even if you don’t like/appreciate his genre of music) will make you better understand why the word “legend” truly applies here…” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;): 

Always Meet Your Heroes

That picture above was take in 1991 (that’s me sandwiched between Eddie and Mike).

29 years ago.
This was one of the handful of times in my life that I got to tell someone (in this case, Eddie Van Halen) who had a massive influence on me two very important words…

Thank You.

In 1983, my older brother (and a guitar player) introduced me to the world of hard rock via the US Festival.
That one show made a dent in my universe.
I saw music differently.
I felt something inside that connected to me.
With every band… for different reasons…
Quiet Riot.
Motley Crue.
Ozzy Osbourne.
Judas Priest.
Triumph.
Scorpions.
Van Halen.

Who would guess that a few short years later, this dorky teenager would be interviewing these bands (and countless others)?

But Van Halen.

Van Halen was my The Beatles.
Van Halen was my Led Zeppelin.
Van Halen was my The Rolling Stones.
Van Halen was my Pink Floyd.
Van Halen was my Black Sabbath.

All rolled up into one.

Van Halen was my Patient Zero.

When Eddie Van Halen played, you knew exactly who it was.
When Eddie Van Halen played, everything about guitar playing changed from that moment forward.
When Eddie Van Halen played, everything that happened before became something different.

I’ve changed a lot since those days.

But I think about those days as I get older.
I think about those day a lot.
Nostalgia will do that to you.
It was an amazing time to be alive.
It was an amazing time to be a fan of rock music.

And, as each day passes, we get further and further away from those impactful moments.

Those musicians that rocked our world, wind up leaving our world.
I still can’t believe that I’m living in a world without Eddie Van Halen.
I still can’t believe how lucky I was to live in a world with Eddie Van Halen.

They say that you should never meet your heroes.

That’s not true.
If you can, meet your heroes.
They might not remember you, but you will get the chance to say to them those two most important words…

Thank you.

Building A Better Home Office And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am on air at CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – to decode the future. We discuss everything that is happening in the world of technology, digital media and culture. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more about what’s happening in the transformation of our digital world. I’m really excited about these weekly hits, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

Amazon had their big product launch recently and, if you ask me, they are quickly becoming more interesting than Apple‘s (which we discussed two weeks back… the one that did not include a new iPhone). Amazon talked about an autonomous drone that can fly around your home and send you back live video. That sounds like an episode of Black Mirror just waiting to be produced. Amazon also launched a bunch of new Echo and Dot Alexa-enabled speakers, a new video game streaming service called, Luna (to compete with Google‘s Stadia and Microsoft‘s game streaming service), and much more.
Code Red – this means that many people will shift back to working from home (or will continue to for longer than all of us anticipated). What does it take to build a great home office that is Zoom pretty and Skype sexy? I’ve bought and used almost everything… so, let’s look at some of the best webcams, lighting, microphones and even software to turn your home office into a home studio too.
Speaking of home offices, have you heard about the Twitter sensation that is Room Rate, where strangers will let you know (on a scale from 1-10) how great your home set-up is.
App of the Week: Substack – the place where many of the best writers/journalist are going to build a direct relationship with their readers.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM FM – October 5th, 2020

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Gary Hamel On Creating Amazing Organizations – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #743 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

It’s hard to imagine a more recognized business thinker than Gary Hamel. He is, without question, one of the world’s most influential and iconoclastic business thinkers. He has worked with leading companies across the globe, and is a dynamic and sought-after management speaker. Gary has been on the faculty of the London Business School for more than 30 years, and is the director of the Management Lab. He has written 17 articles for the Harvard Business Review, and is the most reprinted author in the Review’s history. His landmark books have been translated into more than 25 languages. His most recent include: The Future of Management and What Matters Now. Gary has been ranked by The Wall Street Journal as the world’s most influential business thinker, and is a fellow of the Strategic Management Society and of the World Economic Forum. If you’ve heard of concepts like “strategic intent,” “core competence,” “industry revolution,” and “management innovation,” this is the the language and practice of management that Gary invented. HIs latest book is, Humanocracy – Creating Organizations As Amazing As The People Inside Them (along with co-author, Michele Zanini). Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #743.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #743 – Gary Hamel On Creating Amazing Organizations

Welcome to episode #743 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #743 – Host: Mitch Joel. It’s hard to imagine a more recognized business thinker than Gary Hamel. He is, without question, one of the world’s most influential and iconoclastic business thinkers. He has worked with leading companies across the globe, and is a dynamic and sought-after management speaker. Hamel has been on the faculty of the London Business School for more than 30 years, and is the director of the Management Lab. He has written 17 articles for the Harvard Business Review, and is the most reprinted author in the Review’s history. His landmark books have been translated into more than 25 languages. His most recent include: The Future of Management and What Matters Now. Gary has been ranked by The Wall Street Journal as the world’s most influential business thinker, and is a fellow of the Strategic Management Society and of the World Economic Forum. If you’ve heard of concepts like “strategic intent,” “core competence,” “industry revolution,” and “management innovation,” this is the the language and practice of management that Gary invented. HIs latest book is, Humanocracy – Creating Organizations As Amazing As The People Inside Them (along with co-author, Michele Zanini). Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 59:56.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
…or on Twitter.
Here is my conversation with Gary Hamel.
Humanocracy – Creating Organizations As Amazing As The People Inside Them.
Harvard Business Review.
The Future of Management.
What Matters Now.
Follow Gary on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #743 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #536

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Ten common statistical mistakes to watch out for when writing or reviewing a manuscript – NCBI. “Hoo, boy, I sure can pick fun titles, can’t I? But this is actually a great checklist for thinking about statistics, relevant at a time when people seem to argue by yelling numbers at one another: Is there a control group? Are the correlations spurious? Is the sample size too small? Time to get smart on information.” (Alistair for Hugh).
Goldman Sachs releases new font you’re not allowed to criticize Goldman Sachs with – The Verge . “Digital licensing is absurd. There’s a broader story here—that the platforms, tools, and even fonts we use to communicate now come with opinions about how they’re used. Cryptocurrency can have constraints (for example, you could give your child money they could only spend at the school cafeteria). If you don’t abide by a code of conduct, you can be terminated. But fonts? Come on, Goldman, now you’re just trolling people.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Kids Write Jokes – Twitter . “A Twitter feed of jokes written by kids, that make about as much sense as the world right now.” (Hugh for Alistair).
Goodnight Nobody – Episode #415 – 99% Invisible . “Why Goodnight Moon, written in 1947, wasn’t added to the New York Library collection until 1972, and the story of the librarian behind both that decision, and the creation of the idea of a children’s reading room in libraries (in 1911).” (Hugh for Mitch).
Landmark court decision says robots can’t be inventors. But the fight isn’t over – DigitalTrends . “At first blush, it seems obvious that the answer to this question should be a hard “no.” But fast forward. Think AI. Think quantum computing. Think about thinking. If computers can generate ideas on their own (truly on their own, without human influence), who should benefit? The owner of said computer? Why not the robot? Here’s a breakdown of why making ethic calls like this a little early in the game might (and probably will) create major problems down the road.” (Mitch for Alistair).
How Work Became an Inescapable Hellhole – Wired . “We’re still in the middle of this pandemic. And, as always, I remain fascinated with the idea that many think productivity is up at work these days, while many think that productivity is in the toilet these days. Many companies say that they no longer need an office. Many companies say that they can’t wait to get back to the office. One thing is for sure: when your home becomes your office, you’re constantly thinking about work (more than you think that you might be). That may not be a problem for some, but for many it is. To simply ignore it – or provide a use case of someone you know who loves to work at home – is like assuming that everyone is extroverted. It’s silly. It’s wrong. Regardless of where you sit on this debate, work is harder… much harder than ever before. If you don’t think that it is… read on…” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;): 

Wylie Gelber From Dawes On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Wylie Gelber is this month’s conversation on Groove – The No Treble Podcast.

You can listen the new episode right here: Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #70 – Wylie Gelber.

Who is Wylie Gelber ?

If you Google Wylie Gelber, this is all you get: “Wylie Gelber (born May 13, 1988) is a professional bassist and bass maker from Los Angeles, California.” You can dig a little deeper, but the well doesn’t go much further down. We know that he’s the bass player from Dawes. We know that he dropped out of high school to tour with Simon Dawes in a “post-punk” band (that band eventually became Dawes). We know that he also operates Gelber & Sons, a Los Angeles company that makes basses and guitars. There are other smatterings, but the story – and you will have to listen to this episode to believe it – is about a million times more fascinating and surprising. (and one that Wylie has never told). Confession: I believe that the Dawes song, All Your Favorite Bands, from the 2015 album of the same name may well be one of my favorite songs of all time. Wylie’s life is a story that could only come out of Los Angeles. His high school Principal recommended that he drop out (listen to find out why). He played famed rock clubs like The Roxy when he was still in his teens (listen to find out how). His father in law is one of the most famous rock bass players in the wold (listen to find out who). He started making a bass just for fun (listen to find out why he’s regarded as one of the better luthiers out there). Dawes is about to release their seventh studio album, it’s aptly titled Good Luck With Whatever. Get ready for a rock ‘n roll wild ride. Enjoy the conversation…

What is Groove – The No Treble Podcast?

This is an ambitious effort. This will be a fascinating conversation. Our goal at Groove is to build the largest oral history of bass players. Why Groove? Most of the content about the bass revolves around gear, playing techniques, and more technical chatter. For us, bassists are creative artists with stories to tell. They are a force to be reckon with. These are the stories and conversation that we will capture. To create this oral history of why these artists chose the bass, what their creative lives are like, and where inspiration can be found.

Listen in:  Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #70 – Wylie Gelber.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;). 

It Was 17 Years Ago Today…

On this day in 2003, I started my blog, Six Pixels of Separation.

17 years.
17 years of writing.
14 years of podcasting.

This has led to…

Over 6000 posts.
Over 75,000 comments.
Over 740 episodes of the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast.
Over 70 episodes of Groove – The No Treble Podcast.
Over 7 years of appearing every Monday morning on CHOM FM with Terry DiMonte.
Two books (Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete).

And…

Countless conversations.
Countless speaking opportunities.
Countless media appearances.
Countless new friends (maybe the best part of it all?)
The building (and selling) of my business (now over 6 years ago).

And much more.

If you’re wondering what a blog might be able to do for you…
Here’s my answer…
17 years later…
And still going strong…
It can do everything for you.

Promise.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends

Victoria Montgomery Brown On Big Think – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #742 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

I’ve been following the Big Think videos since they first started. Always fascinating perspectives, insights and stories from real leaders in business, life, entertainment and beyond. The truth is, that I knew nothing about the Big Think story. Until now. Victoria Montgomery Brown has built and run Big Think for the last 12 years (along with her co-founder, Peter Hopkins). It’s become one of the leading digital media knowledge company, making people and companies smarter and faster. The company wasn’t a venture-funded tech darling, born and raised in a Silicon Valley incubator. It’s a scrappy, creative, labor of love that was born in a New York City bar, and raised in a rented closet in someone else’s office. It’s had to fight for its existence most of the time. And now, Victoria is not only telling the story, but taking her life lessons to help other female entrepreneurs get started. Her just published book is, Digital Goddess – The Unfiltered Lessons of a Female Entrepreneur. “This book is about dealing with the way things are, even when you don’t like it, and being yourself, even when it seems like a drawback. It’s about sucking it up, making the hard choices, and dealing with the consequences. It’s about being honest no matter what is going down,” according to Victoria, who has been called, “the anti-Elizabeth Holmes.” Victoria prides herself on being nothing like the ill-fated Theranos CEO. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #742.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.