Jordan Harbinger and I met when he lived in New York City about ten years ago. I haven’t seen him as much since he moved to California except for two things.

First, he invited my to North Korea twice, making two of my life’s most memorable trips. As I wrote in 2011, here’s how it began:

The trip of a lifetime began with this message on my birthday from my friend Jordan

Hey happy birthday man! All the best!

What do you have planned for this year?

p.s. Iâ€™m going to North Korea in August -get jealous! 🙂

North Korea?!? That came out of the blue. I had never considered going before. Could I travel there legally? Safely? I didnâ€™t even know what questions to ask.

But I knew Jordan. Heâ€™s a great guy with great friends. I knew enough that if he was organizing, I would love the trip.

Second, his company, Art of Charm, has exploded as one of the schools for learning social and emotional skills and one of the top podcasts by number of listeners, quality of guests, and quality of interview.

The Art of Charm school is one of the few institutions that teaches leadership, entrepreneurial, and sales skills experientially, unlike traditional education.

Following Jordan’s and Art of Charm’s rise has been tremendous, especially for his remaining the cool, unpretentious guy he’s always been.

The Art of Charm podcast interview of me

Today, Jordan and his team publish the Art of Charm podcast interview of me, one of my biggest media coverages.

Listen to the interview!

The Art Of Charm Joshua Spodek interview

Listen to the interview!

The show notes:

â€œYou canâ€™t be tentative. It has to be so practiced that itâ€™s effortless.â€ -Joshua Spodek

The Cheat Sheet:

What can a guy with five Ivy League degrees tell us about whatâ€™s wrong with the way schools teach leadership and entrepreneurship?
How do Joshuaâ€™s method learning exercises help potential leaders practice and rehearse influence, persuasion, staying calm under pressure, and attracting followers?
How does opening up in intimate relationships prime us to be more intuitive leaders?
What can understanding our own inner monologue teach us about being authentic with others?
Joshua shares the real story about what happened when he worked under a Nobel Prize winner.
And so much moreâ€¦

The skills of leading others and yourself are critical to all relationships â€” personal, family, business, and everywhere in life. Nearly every class, book, video, MOOC, and other resource teaches you about leadership, not how to improve your relationships. They use lecture, case study, psychology studies, biography, and other resources that may be intellectually challenging, but socially and emotionally passive.

People want to learn the skills of empathy, compassion, self-awareness, how to create meaning and passion, and the other social and emotional skills of leading oneself and others, but you canâ€™t lecture someone into integrity or read your way to self-awareness. Leadership Step by Step: Become the Person Others Follow author Joshua Spodek joins us to fill the gap between education and experience for potential leaders. Listen, learn, and enjoy!