There are very few books I find myself endlessly recommending to others. One of them is Michael Watkin’s The First 90 Days. It does a fabulous job at addressing that real and pressing challenge: How do you flourish in your first days in a new job or role, knowing that those first 90 days will make and break your longer-term success?
Michael’s been both an academic and a practitioner, so he brings both heart and hands into this conversation. We talk about:
- The aHa! moment when it became clear that the challenge of transitions would be Michael’s own ‘Great Work’
- The power of focus, and what number is “too many” for your A-list of priorities
- A simple but powerful tactic to stay ‘on task’ once you’ve defined your priorities
- The danger of the comfort zone – and the role of delegation in making a difference
- What “improv” has to do with success.
You can learn more about Michael’s work on his website.
Posted on February 4, 2010
Krishna De’s tagline is “Bring your brand to life” and she takes this message to individuals and organizations around the world and both on and off line. She comes with dirt under her fingernails from working in organizations. Krishna was the youngest person on the Guinness Board and the first woman, and she has worked in three continents and 30 countries. She really brings a wealth of international expertise, gusto and experience to this conversation about branding and also about great work.
In this interview we talk about:
- Why stability is as important as risk as the foundation for Great Work
- What dealing with the threats from the mafia taught her about Great Work
- How to become CEO of your own career – and what support structures you might up in place to allow that to happen
- How to rail against the threat of a mediocre life
You can follow Krishna on Twitter at @KrishnaDe and on her blog.
Posted on February 4, 2010
If ever you wondered what “Gen Y” might be up to, it would be worth taking some time to study Dan and see what he’s doing. He’s written a book, Me 2.0, he’s a regular contributor to Business Week, he runs numerous blogs and is super active on Twitter, all while holding down a full time job at EMC Corporation as their Social Media Specialist. And he’s just turned 26.
In this interview we hear:
- How Dan got going – and what provided the boost for his rapid rise to influence and notice
- Strategies for managing your online reputation – something you can’t afford not to do
- What it means to play to your strengths – and how you can convert that into claiming a ‘niche’
- Me trying not to sound to old and middle-aged.
You can follow Dan on Twitter at @DanSchawbel and on his blog.
Posted on February 2, 2010
I’ve seen Mitch speak at a number of conferences recently – “The Art of Management” and the HRPA – and there’s a reason he’s so popular. Because when you look at the explosion of social media around us such as blogs and podcasts and Twitter and Digg and Tumblr and the like, you should be confused. (If you’re not, you may not understand the question.) You’re not alone. People at Google, Wal-Mart and CostCo are wondering what the implications of this are too, and they turn to Mitch Joel for guidance.
I was lucky to interview Mitch before he got swept up in the buzz of his new book Six Pixels of Separation.
In our talk we discuss:
- Why Great Work doesn’t necessarily have to be a “Mt Everest Moment”
- Why personal branding is more important than ever before in this world of social media
- What it means to strive for excellence
- And “Creativity Does Not Keep Office Hours.”
You can follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchJoel and also on his blog.
Posted on February 1, 2010
