Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 65

Who Is Your Mastermind?

Who is your group of peers that can offer support, strategies, mentorship and advice?

Over the years, I’ve had a few.
Some organized… some unstructured.
This past weekend, I spent a few days in Miami with Jenny Blake, Dorie Clark (thanks for hosting us!), Alisa Cohn, Ron Friedman, Stephen Shapiro and Michael Bungay Stanier (unfortunately, Dave Crenshaw could not make the trip).
We discussed everything from business strategy to investment strategies to the value of writing a business book to marketing insights on how to be more effective with our individual thought leadership practices.

Before leaving, Michael asked us one question: What will you do differently going forward, based on what you learned this weekend?

Michael always asks the best questions.

I came up with a few answers:

I’ve had the pleasure of always working with amazing business partners. Getting support and advice outside of that echo chamber was invaluable. I will do more of that.I will be more committed to this mastermind group, and the handful of other individuals in my trusted circle (people like Laura Gassner Otting, Ron Tite, Rahaf Harfoush, and many others). I need to show up more for them.I will downplay the self-marketing (which I never liked doing) and focus on creating valuable content that might help anybody reading my content to get better at the work that they do.I will do a better job of explaining the value of my new venture, ThinkersOne, to customers and Thinkers on the platform.

If you don’t have a mastermind or group of peers that can provide you with this kind of relationship, make it a priority.

You will grow.
You will question yourself.
You will find a more successful path forward (and these people will support you).
You will make your work and your team and your clients better.
Don’t believe me?

You can try out ThinkersOne by getting some of these incredible brains into your daily meetings and gatherings. It’s easy to book and cost-effective to do. Take their brains for a spin, and let me know how it goes…

Jenny Blake.Dorie Clark.Alisa Cohn.Laura Gassner Otting.Stephen Shapiro.Michael Bungay Stanier.Ron Tite.

ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Twitter Moves Towards Payments And Something More (Or Less) – Tech Tuesday

Mitch Joel · TechTuesday – 95.9 Star FM – Mitch Joel and Heather Backman

How are things going at Twitter?

It looks like Twitter is interested in payments?
Is Elon Musk and his new management at Twitter settling in?
How has Twitter been able to maintain its relevance?
Is there a business behind this $44 billion acquisition?
What is the idea behind the “everything app”?

Let’s dig into the current state of Twitter.

This is what Heather Backman and I discussed over on 95.9 Star FM for a couple of minutes today.

What is Tech Tuesday?

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM and Jack 103) on the air at 95.9 Star FM to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture.
We call it Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Once the segment goes live on 95.9 Star FM, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage….

An Invitation Back To The Six Pixels of Separation Podcast…

Things continue to evolve for my podcast, Six Pixels of Separation.

The first episode of Six Pixels of Separation went live on May 22nd, 2006.
As of this week, that makes it 864 episodes.
Which is creeping up on 17 years of shows.
It is still published every Sunday morning.
It is not published in “seasons” and there has never been an older episode re-purposed as a “best of” or compilation.
I believe this to be one of the longest running, consistently, business podcasts in the world.
I could be wrong.

I do not say this to brag.

This podcast continues to be the greatest professional development gift that I have ever given myself.
Each week, I get to have a long-form and in-depth conversation with someone much smarter than me about a topic, book or innovation that is fascinating me, or that I need to learn more about.
It’s a completely selfish act.
Publishing it to the world, is the way that I get to share this conversation with anyone who might be as curious as I am about the ever-changing business landscape.
I would urge you to create something like this (be it in text, images, photos, videos or social media posts)… for your own professional development.
It doesn’t matter how many followers you have… what matters is that you’re learning and creating.

I used to think that the quality of the conversation is all that matters. I was wrong.

I used to record the show with a simple USB headset and record on Skype.
It was not edited.
It was not cleaned up.
That worked well (for many years), because “it’s about the content,” right?

Wrong.

Over the past several years, I’ve spent time and money improving everything from the audio quality to the software used to record it.
More recently, I’ve taken on the personal responsibility to edit each episode.
To edit it ruthlessly.
To improve both the quality of the sound and what the guest is saying.
It’s a very different show than it was… and it will continue to evolve.

It’s changed even more…

The official name of the show was changed about six months ago.
It’s now: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne podcast.
ThinkersOne is my new business.
ThinkersOne is a new and powerful way for companies to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership from the best Thinkers in world.
In short, we’re making thought leadership accessible to everyday meetings, lunch and learns, and gatherings of all shapes and sizes.
You can learn more about ThinkersOne right here.
This has no bearing on the quality of the content.
The show is still the same format.

What I am asking of you…

If you haven’t checked out the show in a while, please do. We’ve had incredible guests like Cory Doctorow, Dolly Chugh, Tom Peters, Ann Handley, Douglas Rushkoff and countless others (and, that’s just in the past few months).If you’re not subscribed to the show (on your favorite podcast app), please subscribe.If you like what you hear, please rate and review the show.If you have some ideas for guests and topics, please let me know.If you think someone else might benefit from the conversations, please share the episodes within your network.

Coming up…

I have conversations with big brains like Dan Pink, Johann Hari, Dr. Tina Opie, Dan Martell, Melanie Deziel, Adrian Hon, Neil Pasricha, and countless other.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think…

Before you go… Want to decode the future? Figure out what’s next? Since 2003, I have been writing about the intersection of brands, consumers and technology. Don’t miss a pixel. Subscribe right here. 

Chuck Wisner On How We Talk, Listen And Grow At Work – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #864 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

Meet Chuck Wisner, a master in the field of organizational strategy, human dynamics, and leadership excellence. With over 25 years of experience as a business and personal consultant, Chuck has been an advisor to leaders in top companies across various industries. His expertise is rooted in cutting-edge research, theoretical development, and practical application of the foundations of conversations. Chuck’s background in architecture from the Boston Architectural College and his tenure as a partner at HKT Architects in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has given him a unique perspective on business and leadership. He then transitioned to become a senior affiliated mediator with the Harvard Law Mediation Program and was certified through the Mastering the Art of Professional Coaching program at the Newfield Institute. He later became an affiliate with MIT’s Center for Organizational Learning, furthering his specialization in organizational learning and leadership. Currently, Chuck is working with leaders and teams at some of the biggest companies in the world, including Google, Apple, Tesla, and many more. Chuck’s recently published book, The Art Of Conscious Conversations, is a guide to understanding the complexities and components of conversations. By delving into the DNA of conversations, readers can gain new insights to transform their interactions and relationships in both their professional and personal lives. The book explores the unconscious patterns of thinking, feeling, listening, and talking that shape our beliefs and emotions. It examines the root causes of frustration, anger, confusion, and fear in conversations and provides tools and practices to increase awareness and improve the quality of interactions in all aspects of life. This book is a comprehensive guide to mastering the art of conscious conversations, something we all need in this virtual and hybrid business world. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #864 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

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 #864 – Chuck Wisner On How We Talk, Listen And Grow At Work

Welcome to episode #864 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #864. Meet Chuck Wisner, a master in the field of organizational strategy, human dynamics, and leadership excellence. With over 25 years of experience as a business and personal consultant, Chuck has been an advisor to leaders in top companies across various industries. His expertise is rooted in cutting-edge research, theoretical development, and practical application of the foundations of conversations. Chuck’s background in architecture from the Boston Architectural College and his tenure as a partner at HKT Architects in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has given him a unique perspective on business and leadership. He then transitioned to become a senior affiliated mediator with the Harvard Law Mediation Program and was certified through the Mastering the Art of Professional Coaching program at the Newfield Institute. He later became an affiliate with MIT’s Center for Organizational Learning, furthering his specialization in organizational learning and leadership. Currently, Chuck is working with leaders and teams at some of the biggest companies in the world, including Google, Apple, Tesla, and many more. Chuck’s recently published book, The Art Of Conscious Conversations, is a guide to understanding the complexities and components of conversations. By delving into the DNA of conversations, readers can gain new insights to transform their interactions and relationships in both their professional and personal lives. The book explores the unconscious patterns of thinking, feeling, listening, and talking that shape our beliefs and emotions. It examines the root causes of frustration, anger, confusion, and fear in conversations and provides tools and practices to increase awareness and improve the quality of interactions in all aspects of life. This book is a comprehensive guide to mastering the art of conscious conversations, something we all need in this virtual and hybrid business world. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 44:05.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.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.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Chuck Wisner.The Art Of Conscious Conversations.Read Chuck’s articles.Follow Chuck on Twitter.Follow Chuck on LinkedIn. This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #864.

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 #657

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: 

If Materialism Is True, the United States Is Probably Conscious – Eric Schwitzgebel – University of California at Riverside. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about collective, emergent behaviours. If you believe in the kinds of scientific thinking I do, then you probably think of a human body as the emergent behaviour of a lot of organs, themselves the product of tissues, themselves the product of tiny protein machines made of molecules. But if you buy into this, why stop at humans? This philosophy paper (bonus for xenoplanet anthropology!) argues that a country (such as the US) exhibits the behaviours of conscious beings. It’s a long read, but leaves me with questions. Is the Internet just a big upgrade to the nervous system? Are AI art and Fanfic its art form? Who’s the brain? Can it feel pain? Is it just having a bad decade?” (Alistair for Hugh). ChatGPT and Winograd’s Dilemma – Freddie deBoer . “I’d never heard of Winograd’s Dilemma, but it’s a really interesting test of the theory of the world, and whether someone understands it. Changing a single word in an ambiguous sentence alters who the word ‘they’ refers to, because the reader understands the behaviours of the two parties. I’m getting tired of AI articles, but I’m loving what they’re doing to advance a conversation about the nature of knowledge and thinking itself. Also, I’m totally using this sentence when I give talks on the subject.” (Alistair for Mitch). Louis C.K. – This Past Weekend With Theo Von #425 – YouTube . “Louis CK in a long and personal interview with comedian Theo Von. Louis’ me-too transgressions are not touched on directly, but there are all sorts of things you wouldn’t expect: talking about mothers and fathers, first loves and first sex, the challenges of A-list fame, falls from grace, middle school and much more.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Montreal Mafia Murders: Blood, Gore, Cannolis, and Hockey Bags – Vanity Fair . “I love me a good Montreal crime romp.” (Hugh for Mitch). How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Uncertainty – Nautilus . “I do love articles like this. Someone – deeply steeped in complex science and mathematics – using their trade to better understand human nature and psychology. Can quantum mechanics help you out with your everyday anxieties? Well, this article purports the idea that embracing uncertainty can lead to greater creativity and problem-solving abilities. It also suggests that by accepting uncertainty, we may feel less pressure and be more open to new ideas and possibilities. In short, accepting uncertainty can lead to a greater sense of control over one’s life. So, is accepting uncertainty the new mindfulness? This scientist thinks so!” (Mitch for Alistair). New podcast creation has fallen off a cliff – The Verge . “Here’s the datapoint: ‘fewer podcasts were created in 2022 than in the two years prior. Even so, the margin is shocking: the number of new shows created dropped by nearly 80 percent between 2020 and 2022.’ My honest thought was: Why is that a metric worth anything? Podcasting is hard. Just like Blogging is hard. Just like making YouTube or TikTok videos is hard. It’s all hard hard work. Easy to create and distribute (so everybody jumps in early and makes a run at it)… but nearly impossible to well — especially with quality and consistency over a long period of time (so everybody who jumped in early to make a run at it realizes that it’s hard and can’t be done well over the long haul). At this point, I don’t know how many millions of podcasts are in production each week, and I don’t really care. Here’s what truly matters: Are more and more people listening to podcasts? And, are more and more advertisers/brands interesting in supporting this audio format?” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

ChatGPT Is The Tip Of The Artificial Intelligence Revolution – Tech Tuesday

Mitch Joel · TechTuesday – 95.9 Star FM – Mitch Joel and Heather Backman

What is ChatGPT?

How is ChatGPT changing work?
How is it changing the world?
Should you care?
You better care.
This is just the beginning of what artificial intelligence can (and will) do to change how we work, write and create.

Should you believe the hype?

This is what Heather Backman and I discussed over on 95.9 Star FM for a couple of minutes today.

What is Tech Tuesday?

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM and Jack 103) on the air at 95.9 Star FM to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture.
We call it Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Once the segment goes live on 95.9 Star FM, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage….

Cory Doctorow On The Future of Business, Technology and Society – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #863 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

It’s hard to describe the work that Cory Doctorow does. One part author, one part journalist, one part activist, one part media theorist, one part thought leader… how many parts is that? How about we just settle on the term, “Polymath.” Cory is as known for his thought-provoking science fiction novels and he is for doing his best to level the playing field for all consumers and businesses. He works and explores the intersection of technology, society, and politics. He was the co-editor of the popular blog Boing Boing, and has written numerous books, including the bestselling Little Brother and Homeland. He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. He is also a frequent speaker at technology conferences and events, and is known for his engaging and thought-provoking presentations. His latest book, Chokepoint Capitalism (which he co-authored with Rebecca Giblin), argues that we’re in a new era of “chokepoint capitalism,” with exploitative businesses creating insurmountable barriers to competition that enable them to capture value that should rightfully go to others. Ultimately, his work will leave you questioning the role of technology in our lives and the future of our economy. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #863 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

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 #863 – Cory Doctorow On The Future of Business, Technology and Society

Welcome to episode #863 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #863. It’s hard to describe the work that Cory Doctorow does. One part author, one part journalist, one part activist, one part media theorist, one part thought leader… how many parts is that? How about we just settle on the term, “Polymath.” Cory is as known for his thought-provoking science fiction novels and he is for doing his best to level the playing field for all consumers and businesses. He works and explores the intersection of technology, society, and politics. He was the co-editor of the popular blog Boing Boing, and has written numerous books, including the bestselling Little Brother and Homeland. He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. He is also a frequent speaker at technology conferences and events, and is known for his engaging and thought-provoking presentations. His latest book, Chokepoint Capitalism (which he co-authored with Rebecca Giblin), argues that we’re in a new era of “chokepoint capitalism,” with exploitative businesses creating insurmountable barriers to competition that enable them to capture value that should rightfully go to others. Ultimately, his work will leave you questioning the role of technology in our lives and the future of our economy. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:01:54.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.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.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Cory Doctorow.Chokepoint Capitalism.Rebecca Giblin.Pluralistic.net.Follow Cory on Twitter.Follow Cory on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #863.

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 #656

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: 

Egypt’s New Capital is an Ozymandian Nightmare – Adam Something – YouTube. “Imagine you have crumbling infrastructure, and money to spend. You’d fix it, right? Not if you were a thinly-veiled military junta. You might instead build an entirely new capital, designed to house not just the puppet government and civil servants, but also the military, and let the old city crumble, creating a two-tiered world of leaders and servants. Adam Something is my new favorite educational YouTuber. With a background in civic design and some amazing snark, he’s the perfect person to take on Egypt’s construction aspirations. This is a brilliant skewering of an emerging human rights crisis.” (Alistair for Hugh). The economics lessons in kids’ books – NPR . “The NPR show, Planet Money, had an idea: Call up economists and find what kids’ books do a good job of teaching economic concepts, then see what happens when they’re discussed in class. One of those books, Dr. Seuss‘ The Sneetches And Other Stories, deals with economic inequality. And when the children in this Ohio classroom pointed out the parallels between the fictional characters and systemic racism, the school district’s communications person stops the interview, saying she doesn’t ‘feel comfortable with [the] book being one of the ones featured’ because it is ‘about differences with race and everything like that’ rather than economics. I’ve linked to the story, but you can click to read the transcript, if you prefer. Shades of things to come as some states try to distort history.” (Alistair for Mitch).  The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards – Gallery of Winners and Finalists 2022 . “The annual (since 2015) awards for photography of wildlife being derps.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest – 2022 Grand Prize . “The annual (since 1982) awards for bad opening sentences to bad books we hope never get written.” (Hugh for Mitch). Morgan Housel — The Psychology of Money, Picking the Right Game, and the $6 Million Janitor – Tim Ferriss . “I’ve been texting people whose opinions I trust when it comes to what books I should read next. My question is always: Can you name two books that you read last year that really impressed you? Clay Hebert said that I should read, The Psychology of Money – Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed And Happiness, by Morgan Housel. I had not heard of this book/author (even though it was a massive hit). I thoroughly enjoyed it (and devoured it). Earlier this week, I found myself having a coffee with Bob Glazer who brought up this podcast between the author and Tim Ferriss. It’s three hours long… and worth (almost) every minute. Grab a notebook and pen and dive in.” (Mitch for Alistair). Rick Rubin and “The Creative Act” – Broken Record Podcast with Malcolm Gladwell . “This week, famed music producer and record label giant, Rick Rubin (a personal fave) published his long-awaited book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. I can’t put this book down. In fact, I was just telling a friend that I might just highlight the parts that I don’t love, which might make reflecting on it easier. Here, Rubin is in conversation with Malcolm Gladwell. Fact is, you can float around and find many in-depth and awesome conversations with Rick Rubin (I could watch/listen to him talk all day). His perspectives on creativity, creating (anything), life, meditating, getting unblocked, and more are… well… sage and wise and life changing. I can’t recommend this new book enough. You won’t be able to put it down… and when you do, you will find yourself in a state of outpouring creative inspiration. Promise.” (Mitch for Hugh).

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