Tracking Wonder Podcast

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of leading creatives is relinquishing control.

Creative professionals have success when they are in control, perfecting their craft to make great work. Yet, the best leaders are the ones who are humble enough to realize that their team members need the freedom and autonomy to take risks and grow. The trick is to lead with influence, to elevate everybody else’s game and inspire your team to do the best work of their lives.

But how exactly do you do that? How do you transition from a mindset of control to one of influence?

Today, Jeffrey sits down with Todd Henry, the founder of Accidental Creative and self-described ‘arms dealer for the creative revolution.’ Todd is an acclaimed author, international speaker and respected consultant in the realm of creativity, productivity and passion for work.  Todd shares his experience as a ‘free-range kid’ growing up in a rural area as well as the health crisis that sparked his creative journey in music—and how those events shape his work today. He speaks to the idea of leading with influence rather than control and the reason why so many creatives resist leadership roles. Listen in for Todd’s insight around the leader’s aim to do the right thing—even when it’s difficult—and learn how you are a leader by virtue of putting creative work into the world.

Key Takeaways

[4:01] Todd’s young genius

• ‘Free-range kid’ growing up in rural area
• Exploratory play (i.e.: make movies in the woods)

[9:24] Todd’s transformation through music

• Shy kid as high school sophomore
• Infection led to two-month hospitalization
• Wrote first song, performed in talent show
• Pursued music through and after college
• Learned tactics to capture audience attention

[15:17] Mortality as a source of inspiration

• Difficult moments shake out of comfort zone
• Must embrace change as nature of life

[17:38] How Todd become an intentional leader

• Creative director for nonprofit in mid-20’s
• Humbling challenge to lead people to best work

[20:31] The structure of Todd’s current team

• Built on foundation of freedom as core value
• Sales pipeline, literary agent to represent work
• Partnerships for projects (i.e.: Herding Tigers Workshops)

[23:13] Why creatives resist positions of leadership

• Tension between need to be liked vs. effective
• Can BE both, but can’t CHASE both

[28:27] How to lead with influence rather than control

• Leading with control compromises work
• Equip others to make own decisions
• Challenge team, give permission to fail

[34:31] The motivational archetypes

• Builder, fixer and optimizer
• Do best work when wired for task

[39:49] Todd’s insight around leading remote teams

• Stop talking and start listening
• Find out how team feels via process questions

[43:35] Todd’s view of the global leadership crisis

• Leadership = doing the right thing without credit
• Must be willing to make tremendous sacrifices
• Requires mindset of service, aim to elevate team

[48:00] Todd’s take on accidental leadership

• Cannot separate leadership from contribution
• Creative work influences thoughts, actions

[51:13] What Todd is pursuing now

• ‘Make things I love for people who love them’

Connect with Todd

Todd’s Website

Accidental Creative

The Accidental Creative Podcast

Accidental Creative on Facebook

Accidental Creative on Twitter

Resources

Herding Tigers: Be the Leader That Creative People Need by Todd Henry

The Herding Tigers Creative Leader Course

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry

Wiser Partners

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier

World Economic Forum Leadership Report

We are, indeed, wired to aspire. But what is it that drives you? A need to do better than the person next to you? Or are you in competition with yourself, battling against your own personal best? And how do we balance our ambition with the need to be a part of a community?

Jeffrey is exploring these ideas with marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker and best-selling author Dorie Clark of Clark Strategic Communications and serial entrepreneur, growth strategist and award-winning author Jonathan Fields of the Good Life Project. They discuss their childhood identities as a passionate environmentalist and creative maker of ‘Franken-bikes,’ examining how those early instincts inform who they are today. Jonathan offers his take on internal competition as a motivator, and Dorie shares her mission-oriented approach to achievement. They speak to the role of jealousy in inspiration, suggesting that a healthy dose of benign envy can serve as a positive incentive. Listen in as Jeffrey, Dorie and Jonathan delve into the fundamental human need for community, the significant benefits of belonging in terms of creativity and health, and how to build an authentic community around a set of shared values.

Key Takeaways

[5:16] Dorie’s young genius

• Obsessed with environment
• Demanded that family recycle

[6:48] Jonathan’s young genius

• Inadvertent environmentalist
• Made ‘Franken-bikes’ from parts at town dump

[11:40] Jonathan’s insight around competition and drive

• Competitive gymnastics taught to compete against own personal best
• Provides powerful motivational edge, risk of constant discontent

[15:08] Dorie’s take on the role of competition in achievement

• Winning is nice, but not necessary
• Driven to accomplish by sense of mission

[16:45] The role of jealousy in motivation

• Envy points to something you want
• Healthy dose can be great motivator
• Research differentiates between benign and malicious

[23:57] How to determine your USP

• Let it play out in course of doing things
• Procure feedback from friends, colleagues
• Ask to describe in only three words

[31:16] The fundamental human need for community

• Sense of belonging important to health, creativity
• Huge swath of people missing sense of belonging
• Brands should seek organic connection around shared values
• Difference between building audience vs. community
• Magic happens when people build relationships around idea

[40:53] Dorie and Jonathan’s advice around building community with integrity

• Invest in making ideas findable, articulating vision over time
• Appreciate work involved in building fiercely committed, intentional community

[48:54] How Jonathan honors his introversion in a community setting

• ‘Long walks in the woods alone’
• Gives self, others permission to wander

[50:47] How Dorie has seen community develop in small groups

• Facebook community grew from online course
• Live events arose from audience connection

[52:30] What Dorie and Jonathan are working toward in 2018

• Dorie is declaring 2018 The Year of Optimization
• Jonathan is going ‘back to the junkyard’

Connect with Dorie & Jonathan

Dorie’s Website

Books by Dorie

Jonathan’s Website

Books by Jonathan

Good Life Project

Resources

From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam

Yes, leadership is built on developing relationships with other people. But there are several key character strengths of leadership that we hone in solitude, including creativity, self-regulation and bravery. And leaders throughout history have made difficult decisions and designed creative solutions in solitude.

In the digital age, however, solitude is a lot harder for leaders to come by. How can we discipline ourselves to put away the smartphone and be with our thoughts long enough to think through difficult decisions, stay on purpose, and create innovative solutions?

Today, Jeffrey sits down with Mike Erwin, the CEO of the Character & Leadership Center and President of The Positivity Project to discuss the leadership qualities he demonstrated in kindergarten and his long history of curiosity around leading people in a positive way. Mike shares the inspiration for his book, Lead Yourself First, explaining how it evolved to become a study of how great leaders practiced solitude during meaningful times. He speaks to the virtues of leadership honed by productive solitude and the difference between a brilliant creative idea and a foolish one. Listen in to understand how the appreciation of beauty can lift you out of adversity and learn to embrace productive solitude in your own life!

Key Takeaways

[2:29] Mike’s young genius

• ‘Going to be leader’ on kindergarten report card
• Desire to engage, bring best out of others

[4:55] The mentors who influenced Mike growing up

• Little League baseball coach/veteran
• HS baseball coach (character over skill)

[9:24] Mike’s curiosity around leading people in a positive way

• Formal study of leadership, positive psychology
• Look for good and positive vs. shortcomings and flaws

[12:22] What Mike learned as a leader in the military

• Not about you, but people you lead (selfless service)
• Served as intelligence officer in Iraq, Afghanistan
• Real consequences if predictions incorrect

[16:40] The inspiration for Lead Yourself First

• Talk, article by William Deresiewicz article
• Jim Collins suggested study of great leaders
• Practice of solitude in meaningful times

[22:43] The cultural conversation around a need for solitude

• Reflect on relationship with technology
• Need time to step back and think for self

[28:21] The pros and cons of digital communication

• Working remotely can facilitate deep work
• Temptation to call meetings
• Burnout caused by always being ‘on’

[37:34] The virtues of leadership honed by productive solitude

• Creativity, self-regulation and courage

[42:19] Mike’s favorite example of creativity in leadership

• Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle of Vicksburg

[49:11] The difference between reckless and brilliant ideas

• Creative ideas easier than execution
• Must have character to see idea through

[53:00] Mike’s ability to appreciate beauty amidst adversity

• Sunset in desert during deployment
• Lifts out of hardship, difficulty of moment

[56:43] Mike’s insight on embracing productive solitude

• Deliberately schedule time
• Take advantage of pockets of opportunity

[1:01:01] What Mike is questing for moving forward

• Continue to grow The Positivity Project
• Promote mindset that ‘other people matter’

Connect with Mike

The Positivity Project

Character & Leadership Center

Team RWB

Resources

Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude by Raymond M. Kethledge and Michael S. Erwin

‘Solitude and Leadership’ by William Deresiewicz

Books by Jim Collins

Solitude: A Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Brené Brown

Character Strengths and Virtues by Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman

‘The Virtues of Isolation’ by Brent Crane

Jeffrey’s Premise:

“The people who lead lives of meaning and mastery let a force of character - a young genius - guide them as they pursue their most meaningful work and ideas.”

‘You are seven years old.’

What if we approached each day with a childlike mindset? Would it cultivate original thinking? Recapture a spirit of play and exploration? Bring us back to our young genius—the unique force of character we were born with?

We have reached the halfway point of Season 1, and Jeffrey is stopping to reflect on the idea of ‘retrieving childhood at will’ and aligning our current work with the young genius of our seven-year-old selves: Is there a correlation between paying attention to this unique force of character and our own capacity to lead a life of meaning, if not mastery?

Today, Jeffrey introduces us to the concept of a ‘genius force,’ explaining why the most influential and fulfilled people allow their young genius to lead them. He looks back at Charlie Gilkey and Pam Slim’s stories of their own young genius and how their childhood memories of channeling MacGyver and burying marbles inform their current work. We consider the idea of ‘primal uniqueness’ as a seed seeking nourishment and explore how our genius force might still thrive—even in a hostile environment. Jeffrey reminds us of Caroline Adams Miller and Ishita Gupta’s challenging childhood experiences as well as Srini Pillay’s curiosity for the forbidden and Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s detour from cultural expectations. Listen in for insight around remembering your own young genius and finding work that allows that genius to flourish.

Key Takeaways

[1:26] The concept of a genius force

• Leads to creative fulfillment
• Most influential use as guide

[4:33] The invitation to remember being a seven-year-old

• Produced more original responses in NDSU study
• Recaptures spirit of play, exploration

[8:57] Charlie Gilkey’s ‘MacGyver’ young genius

• Creative with limited resources as child
• Became profoundly resourceful consultant

[10:17] Pam Slim’s genius as a brilliant connector

• Elaborate fantasies in childhood (planting marbles, reading …Narnia)
• Feeling of magic, adventure and story in current work

[12:08] Robert Greene’s idea of primal uniqueness

• All born with seed that wants to be nourished
• Express uniqueness through work to heighten chance of mastery

[13:05] Caroline Adams Miller’s challenging childhood

• Lack of love from biological family
• Found happy, safe place at school

[15:12] Ishita Gupta’s precocious childhood

• Middle class family, told what to do
• Curiosity, questions got into trouble

[18:07] Srini Pillay’s experience growing up in apartheid

• Curiosity for forbidden
• Genius rose above environment

[20:33] Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s rebellion from expectation

• Expected to attend Ivy League school, become doctor/lawyer
• Found intellectual satisfaction in consulting, think tanks
• Talent for making technical knowledge useful

[25:31] The challenge of remembering your young genius

• Georgia O’Keeffe encouraged to pursue talent at UVA
• Others reflect genius back to us, including children

[31:13] The young genius’ role in questioning the status quo

• ‘Is this a dream or real life? Do I actually exist?’
• Expanded perception of what is possible
• Unpredictable path to mastery, fulfillment (e.g.: Constantin Guys)

[36:00] Charles Baudelaire’s definition of genius

• ‘Retrieve childhood at will’
• Apply order to sensations received with delight, curiosity

Connect with Jeffrey

Tracking Wonder

Tracking Wonder on Facebook

Jeffrey on Twitter

Jeffrey on Instagram

Jeffrey on LinkedIn

Resources

‘Child’s Play: Facilitating the Originality of Creative Output by a Priming Manipulation’ by Darya Zabelina and Michael Robinson

Productive Flourishing

Pamela Slim

Mastery by Robert Greene

Caroline Adams Miller

Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivating Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose by Caroline Adams Miller

Ishita Gupta

Srini Pillay

Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind by Srini Pillay MD

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

The Distraction Addiction by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

The Restful Company

The Republic by Plato

Baudelaire: The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays edited by Jonathan Mayne

Key Takeaways

[3:57] Pam & Leo’s young genius moments

• ‘Alive in the magic,’ creating worlds
• Burying marbles, climbing banyan tree

[9:23] Leo’s time of radical change

• Overweight smoker, deeply in debt
• Felt badly about self as person, father
• Picked one thing to change (smoking)
• Began to change other habits as well
• Started blog in 2007, year of discovery
• Achieved with support of others

[18:08] Pam’s journey of radical change

• Working 90 hours/week in 1996
• Mentors moved on after merger, lost mojo
• Also stuck in unhealthy relationship
• Quit job without plan (huge tolerance for risk)
• Reached out to old boss for freelance work
• Realized suited to entrepreneurship

[27:18] Pam’s take on successful collaborative efforts

• As much as you prepare, much is random (human side of business)
• Open to collaborate with client, mentors or peer network

[33:11] The characteristics of optimal collaboration

• Strong opinions, weakly held
• Deep listening
• Mirrored communication
• Shared purpose, but individual motivation
• Joint mission, desire to be part of something bigger
• Acceptance, mutual love and respect
• Community spirit, shared workload
• Different perspectives, life experiences
• Willingness to be changed (beginner’s mind)
• Leader offering invitation to collaborate, keep it going
• Create brave spaces

[47:46] The significance of solitude

• Solitude is ‘lost art’
• Necessary first step in collaboration
• Schedule time for solitude
• Step away from technology to process
• Can be around people, yet alone with thoughts

[56:37] How we use our phones to avoid uncertainty, discomfort

• Solitude, isolation allows for awareness of patterns
• Set intention and create boundaries
• Play with discomfort (critical part of development)
• Proactively schedule time without distractions

[1:03:10] Pam’s advice for executives around allowing for solitude

• Signals, signs
• ‘No meeting’ days
• Design space for needs of team
• Enforce your own boundaries

Connect with Pam & Leo

Pam’s Website

Escape from Cubicle Nation

Leo’s Website

Zen Habits

Resources

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp

“Just Think: The Challenges of the Disengaged Mind” by Timothy D. Wilson, et al.

Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude by Raymond M. Kethledge and Michael S. Erwin

Solitude: A Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris

The Quiet Revolution

Jeffrey's premise: 

Key Takeaways

[4:14] Srini’s young genius

• Grew up in apartheid South Africa
• Sense of curiosity in forbidden

[7:49] Alex’s young genius

• Movement between two worlds
• ‘World of ideas’ as escape

[11:12] Alex’s drive to achieve great things

• Korean father, expectation to be at top of class
• Found intellectual satisfaction outside university setting

[16:02] Srini’s motivation to excel

• ‘Neurotically driven on my own’
• Desire to make family proud
• Interest in many subjects

[21:17] The path to creative mastery

• Deliberate practice not only factor
• History of people with combined interests (e.g.: music, science)
• Must practice AND rest deliberately
• Work and rest function as partners

[29:52] How hobbies impact productivity

• Scientists with more hobbies had more citations
• May be protective against dementia

[33:06] The magic of the unfocused mind

• ‘Professions’ trust conscious attention over contemplation
• Brains capable of productivity when not paying attention
• Organize working lives to create space for playfulness

[38:43] Srini’s methods for activating the creative brain

• Constructive daydreaming
• Napping
• ‘Psychological halloweenism’
• Doodling

[46:33] Alex’s insight on scheduling work and rest

• Intensive work followed by deliberate rest
• Subconscious continues working on problem
• Schedule rest to protect that time

[52:40] The uncertainty of the current cultural moment

• Alternate perspective necessary in midst of volatility
• ‘Never been more important for humans to be human’
• Must protect rest in distracted culture of technology

[59:09] What Srini and Alex are pursuing in 2018

• Alex cuing up next book (work, rest and future)
• Srini working on musical, book plus clinical work/coaching

Connect with Srini & Alex

Srini’s Website

NeuroBusiness Group

Alex’s Website

The Restful Company

Resources

Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind by Srini Pillay MD

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

The Distraction Addiction by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Princeton Study on Deliberate Practice

Anders Ericsson’s Paper on Deliberate Practice

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper

The Art of Thought by Graham Wallas

No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends by Richard Dobbs, James Manyika and Jonathan Woetzel

Brand Artistry Labs

Key Takeaways

[2:18] Charlie’s young genius

• MacGyver, creative with limited resources
• Fortune of misfortune: resourcefulness, adaptability

[6:42] Ishita’s young genius

• Super-curious, questioned being told what to do
• Desire to do extraordinary things
• Bounce back from embarrassment

[11:15] Ishita’s impetus for developing systems

• All-nighters in college (hated compromising herself)
• Missed opportunities from sitting in indecision
• Needs systems, accountability to stay afloat

[15:46] How Charlie came to develop systems for productivity

• Pursuing master’s in philosophy, Army officer at same time
• Read about others’ productivity systems
• Changed what didn’t work, became documentarian of process

[19:47] Ishita’s take on why innovation must be personal

• Forced to confront own fear (Seth Godin’s altMBA)
• Interviews around overcoming fear, turned into magazine
• Solve your own problem first

[25:46] Charlie’s take on innovation

• Focus on being useful
• Start by assimilating others’ work, find your 5% difference

[32:43] Charlie’s approach to getting the right stuff done

• Tendency to be afraid of important to-dos
• Focus on fewer things that really matter

[35:22] Ishita’s advice around getting the right stuff done

• Accountable to someone else
• Repeat long-term goals daily
• Eliminate distractions

[38:35] Ishita’s take on dreaming

• Direct correlation between desire and opportunity

[42:40] Charlie’s insight around the significance of contemplation

• Contemplation added to morning routine
• Society has lost ability to sit with selves

[46:22] How Ishita gets into a contemplative space

• Dance party
• Get into world (i.e.: outdoors)
• Engage with others

[51:08] Charlie’s advice for getting into a contemplative space

• Disconnect from internet
• Implement ‘inbox perspective’
• Tea ritual

Connect with Ishita & Charlie

Ishita’s Website

Charlie’s Website

Resources

Seth Godin’s altMBA

The Republic of Imagination: A Life in Books by Azar Nafisi

Today on the Quest Series Roundtable, Jeffrey is joined by podcaster, blogger and author Katie Dalebout and executive coach, speaker and author Caroline Adams Miller to discuss some of the reasons why we tend to lose our purpose as young adults. Katie and Caroline both share their struggles with body image and eating disorders, explaining how they found their way back to health and discovered joy and meaning in giving back. They speak to the value of journaling when it comes to self-awareness, making meaning of our lives, and healing, and offer their best advice around taking care of yourself in the pursuit of a purposeful life.

Key Takeaways

[3:05] Katie’s take on her young genius

• Only child, raised on ‘adult farm’
• Propensity for performing
• Knew wanted life to be big

[8:24] Caroline’s childhood

• Girl who wanted to be loved
• School as happy place (solace in thinking, reading and writing)
• Sorrow gave empathy, desire to give back

[11:50] Why we lose our purpose as young adults

• Girls lose their voices
• Must get angry enough to ‘throw off chains’
• Lose purpose, passion

[15:25] How Katie deals with the ‘mean girls’ in her mind

• Use as tool for self-awareness

[19:18] The common issues Katie sees among young women

• Body image/diet culture
• Risk aversion (i.e.: entrepreneurship)
• Impact of social media (distraction, comparison)

[31:02] Katie’s struggle with eating disorders

• Anorexia at end of college
• Received treatment, developed orthorexia
• Obsessed with control, miss out on life

[38:02] Caroline’s fight against bulimia

• Thought next achievement would eliminate sadness
• Bulimia as ‘part-time job’ while studying at Harvard
• Started recovery in 1984 (just after marriage)
• Found joy in giving back, sharing hope

[45:20] The value of journaling

• Allows for honesty, self-awareness (first step to change)
• Opportunity to make meaning of lives
• Positive intervention, part of healing process
• Ask good questions to get good response
• Eventually have to ‘feel the feelings’

[57:17] Caroline and Katie’s advice around self-care

• Purposeful life isn’t always easy
• Seek out your unique gifts
• Surround yourself with supportive people
• Be gentle with yourself
• Do things that make you feel good
• Out your shame, fear

Connect with Katie & Caroline

Katie’s Website

Katie’s Podcast

Caroline’s Website

Caroline’s Blog

Resources

Let it Out: A Journey Through Journaling by Katie Dalebout

Generation Startup Film

Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivating Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose by Caroline Adams Miller

My Name is Caroline by Caroline Adams Miller

Caroline on The Good Life Project

Activate Leadership: Aspen Truths to Empower Millennial Leaders by Jon Mertz

Larissa Rainey Study: ‘The Search for Purpose in Life’

Connect with Jeffrey

Tracking Wonder

Tracking Wonder on Facebook

Jeffrey on Twitter

Jeffrey on Instagram

Jeffrey on LinkedIn

Resources

Haruki Murakami

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work by Joseph Campbell

Melvin Konnor

Joi Ito

What do Haruki Murakami, the Heath Brothers, & Susan Piver have in common? They're about to change the way you think about the pursuit of big ideas & meaningful work. Episodes every Tuesday.