Leadership

Leadership, Paris, the Environment, and You
Leadership, Paris, the Environment, and You
Inc.com / Leadership / Nature

Leadership, Paris, the Environment, and You

My Inc. post today, "Leadership, Paris, the Environment, and You," begins Leadership, Paris, the Environment, and You This is our opportunity to lead, as citizens. Will we take up the charge? Are you, like Elon Musk, outraged at President Trump pulling out of the Paris climate accord? Do you, like the CEOs of General Electric and Goldman Sachs, believe the decision will hurt America's economy? Putting aside your feelings and beliefs, look at your behavior: Do you produce less greenhouse emissions than the Paris agreement calls for? For comparison, one round-trip flight across the country flying coach uses up three-quarters of one person's annual allotment in a few hours (source): I suspect most Americans reading this column are over their limit and the year isn't…

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June 2, 2017
Leadership and the Environment podcast episode #2.5: My latest keynote slide show [audio only]
Audio / Leadership / Nature / Podcast

Leadership and the Environment podcast episode #2.5: My latest keynote slide show [audio only]

Still a work in progress, below is my latest keynote on Leadership and the Environment. This version is the audio of me practicing the slide show, not in front of an audience, so I'm not as dynamic as I would be before an audience. Since it's still a work in progress, please don't judge it as a finished product. Instead, please send suggestions for improvements, which I welcome. My main next steps are to shorten it and cut redundancy. I welcome suggestions, invitations, and so on. [EDIT: click here for the audio]

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June 1, 2017
Leadership and the Environment podcast episode #2: My latest keynote slide show
Audio / Leadership / Nature / Podcast

Leadership and the Environment podcast episode #2: My latest keynote slide show

Still a work in progress, below is my latest keynote on Leadership and the Environment. This version is me practicing the slide show, not in front of an audience, so I'm not as dynamic as I would be before an audience. Since it's still a work in progress, please don't judge it as a finished product. Instead, please send suggestions for improvements, which I welcome. My main next steps are to shorten it and cut redundancy. I welcome suggestions, invitations, and so on. [EDIT: click here for the video]

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June 1, 2017
Audio / Entrepreneurship / Leadership / Nature

The Leadership and the Environment Podcast: The First Recording

When I get the podcast up and running, I'll interview guests. I already have audio content, so I'll post it now. In particular, I'm speaking on leadership and the environment Tuesday at NYU-Stern, 6pm-8pm. Register here to attend! I recorded myself practicing, so I will post that practice recording as my first podcast post. This page doesn't look glamorous, but it's a start. I'm also publicly showing it so you can see it's development. I expect the podcast to become important and I think transparency will help motivate people to see that they can do things that become important. Click the media player above to listen to my practice keynote talk, "Leadership and the Environment." Then register here to attend Tuesday's talk!

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May 28, 2017
The Leadership and the Environment Podcast: It Starts Here and Now
Leadership And The Environment DuckDuckGo search results
Audio / Choosing/Decision-Making / Entrepreneurship / Leadership / Nature

The Leadership and the Environment Podcast: It Starts Here and Now

Everyone wants a cleaner environment and recognizes human behavior is trashing it. We can't stop ourselves because of the systems we created that make it convenient, comfortable, fun, and in nearly every way emotionally rewarding to pollute except that it's against our values of leaving the world better than we found it. Only you know your values and what better means to you, but I've never met anyone who didn't consider cleaner air and water better. We don't want to pollute, yet our systems make us. So few people act to reduce their pollution, forcing us to rationalize why it's okay for each of us to do things we know hurt others. Things we want laws for organizations like governments and large corporations---such as to…

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May 28, 2017
Events / Leadership / Nature

Leadership and the Environment: See me speak THIS TUESDAY, May 30, at 6pm

The Titanic has a hole in its hull and it's taking on water. We're past needing to keep measure the flow rate and size of the hole. It's time to act. I support continued science, education, and legislation, but what is missing from pollution and climate change is effective leadership. Billions of people want to reduce their contributions to global warming but feel their efforts would be wasted if few others acted too. People want to know their actions will make a difference, to feel part of a community, to expect their actions will improve their lives, not become pointless sacrifice and deprivation. Leaders give people's action meaning and purpose. Nobody is leading so few people feel their actions are meaningful. I intend to change…

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May 27, 2017
Nelson Mandela: leadership doesn’t come from authority [video]
Education / Leadership

Nelson Mandela: leadership doesn’t come from authority [video]

You can learn to uplead. When you do you'll be able to lead in all directions more effectively. You'll realize that relying on authority tends to undermine your ability to lead. Check out the second video with American Management Association Books, my publisher, which distinguishes between leadership and authority and illustrates the difference with Nelson Mandela. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4YB4Rf2SX4 Read my book and take my courses to learn to lead without authority, which means being able to lead your boss, people hiring you, clients, your spouse, and others. If you think leading means ordering people around, you have a lot to learn about leadership.

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May 26, 2017
What will you fix the toilet for?
"What will you fix the toilet for?" -- Joshua Spodek's Inc. post today
Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership

What will you fix the toilet for?

My Inc. post today, "What will you fix the toilet for?," begins What Will You Fix the Toilet For? How much do you love your work? This simple question can tell you. White-collar workers Consider the banker, consultant, or other multinational corporate worker. He or she demands high compensation, business class travel arrangements, and so on. No one would think of asking them to do manual labor, let alone janitorial tasks. They're above all that. That's because their jobs are so valuable and meaningful, right? Think again. Entrepreneurs and founders Consider the entrepreneur or founder--someone who feels ownership of the project. He or she will do what it takes to get the job done. How do you know? Imagine an important person--a client, a potential…

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May 25, 2017
Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth
Awareness / Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership / Nature

Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth

My Inc. post today, "Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth," begins serious but connects it to entrepreneurship and leadership. It starts: Science: This Remote Paradise Is Most Trashed Spot on Earth Two scientists report that this once-pristine paradise on Earth, now covered with plastic junk. Leaders and entrepreneurs can act. If you haven't heard, you must have been hiding under a rock. Or maybe a piece of useless plastic junk: A pristine paradise is covered with the greatest density of garbage measured, mostly plastic trinkets whose existence improved the life of no one, according to a paper, "Exceptional and rapid accumulation of anthropogenic debris on one of the world's most remote and pristine islands," in the Proceedings of the National Academy…

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May 24, 2017
Tathra Street of the Tall Poppy Podcast interviewed me, and it’s a great conversation
Tathra Street's Tall Poppy Podcast's interview of Joshua Spodek
Audio / Leadership / Relationships / SIDCHAs

Tathra Street of the Tall Poppy Podcast interviewed me, and it’s a great conversation

Tathra Street hosts the Tall Poppy podcast. Today she posted our wonderful conversation, which covered leadership, burpees, competition, and important things we all wish we talked about more. The top of her page says: Change — Leadership — Wisdom The top of mine used to say: Meaning — Value — Purpose You can tell we'd complement in interests. Anyway, she listened and sounded like she took what I shared to heart, when made me feel comfortable sharing more. I hope you also appreciate what she shared in her review after the conversation after listening to the conversation. At least from my perspective I was glad to learn she developed new views about burpees, competition, and other things we talked about. Listen to the conversation! Listen…

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May 24, 2017
Listen to me on The Entrepreneur Way podcast with Neil Ball
Audio / Education / Entrepreneurship / Leadership

Listen to me on The Entrepreneur Way podcast with Neil Ball

Take the Initiative and Start Acting on Something with Joshua Spodek Founder and Owner of Spodek Academy Neil Ball is a fascinating, probing host of the podcast The Entrepreneur Way. We spoke recently and today he posted our conversation. The conversation covers more of my entrepreneurial background, lessons, and views than any podcast I remember doing lately, which was a refreshing change from focusing on leadership, though we talked about leadership too. This conversation also marked one of my first times publicly considering taking a leadership role in the environment. Listen to the interview! Anyway, I recommend listening to the podcast! Listen to the interview! About Neil from his About Page: I am Neil Ball and I love helping people who share my passion for…

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May 22, 2017
Reinvention Radio with Steve Olsher interviewed me
Reinvention Radio with Steve Olsher interviews Joshua Spodek
Audio / Education / Exercises / Leadership / Relationships

Reinvention Radio with Steve Olsher interviewed me

I'm honored and privileged for Reinvention Radio with Steve Olsher to have interviewed me. There's nothing like live radio to make a conversation exciting and spontaneous. We did exercises from the book on the air. Now the conversation is online for you to listen to at your leisure. About Reinvention Radio: Reinvention Radio … Obliterates the limits of possibility Boldly reinvents average Unequivocally expands your knowledge Massively impacts the trajectory of your business (and your life) Where 'normal' comes to die; 'mediocrity' meets its final demise; and, 'the status quo' is unabashedly dismantled. Each guest boldly reinvents average, obliterates the limits of possibility, challenges the accepted, and forges daring, cutting-edge paths. Steve and Mary's no-holds-barred, unapologetic exploration of what's new, what's now and what's next…

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May 21, 2017
Audio / Education / Exercises / Fitness / Leadership / Relationships

The Inspirational Chronicles with Emilio Ron, parts 1 and 2: Building Discipline and Become an Exceptional Communicator

I met Emilio Ron at an event for public speakers. We started talking and he invited me to be a guest on his new podcast, Inspirational Chronicles. The following fits into the conversation we recorded: He invited me to record in the studio he set up. Somehow, despite living in Manhattan, I agreed to take the train---not even the subway, but the Long Island Railroad---all the way out to Long Island, where he had to drive me from the station to the studio. Manhattanites expect the world to come to us! Once I saw the studio I could tell he cared about his project and knew I'd enjoy the conversation. I enjoyed it from before we started recording. In the end, I'm honored to have…

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May 20, 2017
Leadership and the Environment: It starts here
Audio / Awareness / Education / Leadership / Nature

Leadership and the Environment: It starts here

I'm talking more about the lack of leadership I see regarding the environment and global warming. I've never met anyone who didn't want to make the world a better place or who opposed clean air and water, but we were born into a world that makes it difficult to avoid polluting it. As everyone knows, if billions of us don't change our behavior, we could face big natural problems. Since no one else is stepping up, or don't have the skills, awareness, and credentials to, I am. My friend Lee Kuczewski and I have talked about the topic. He's wanted to organize talks on topics he loves, so he organized my first public talk on leadership and global warming. We held it last Thursday at…

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May 19, 2017
Nearly everyone is misguided on global warming
A NYTimes graphic on Antarctica
Leadership / Nature

Nearly everyone is misguided on global warming

The New York Times has a series on Antarctica. As usual, like everyone, they focus on what people are doing now: For scientists working in Antarctica, the situation has become a race against time. I support scientists and I understand newspapers want to engage readers to attract more of them and sell more ads, but the story that scientists are collecting data is old news. More old news and pointless reporting: these scientists understand that political leaders — and cities already feeling the effects of a rising sea — need clearer forecasts about the consequences of emissions. They get to what matters later, still missing the importance and what's missing: Remote as Antarctica may seem, every person in the world who gets into a car,…

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May 18, 2017
Read my Forbes interview today by Jimmy Rohampton!
Jimmy Rohampton's interview of Joshua Spodek in Forbes
Entrepreneurship / Leadership / Relationships / Tips

Read my Forbes interview today by Jimmy Rohampton!

Jimmy Rohampton of Forbes caught up with and interviewed me. He posted the article today, "An Executive Coach's Best Tips On Facebook Groups, Habits And Doing Work You Love." Longtime readers who know how much I owe my success to writing daily in my blog will appreciate Jimmy's page: HowToCreateABlog.org. I found the connection helped us connect and make the interview more relevant. I was delighted to find that Forbes filed it under "The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets." Read An Executive Coach's Best Tips On Facebook Groups, Habits And Doing Work You Love!

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May 18, 2017
How science improves leadership and coaching: My conversation with Ron Potter
Audio / Awareness / Choosing/Decision-Making / Leadership / Models / Nature

How science improves leadership and coaching: My conversation with Ron Potter

Does a background in science help someone lead? ... does it help someone coach? If so, how? I spoke with longtime leadership and executive coach Ron Potter, who came from an engineering and technical background to coach executives at top levels of major global companies, about how our backgrounds help. We covered: How a science and technical background helps us understand and work with emotions better than others ... and the limits of rationality ... and how to work with them effectively, calmly, and productively How science helps change beliefs, freeing yourself and teams from mental jails How a science background helps coaching Stories illustrating why More... You'll hear that I've held back on the value of my science background despite others working with me…

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May 13, 2017
Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken
Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken, by Joshua Spodek
Education / Entrepreneurship / Inc.com / Leadership

Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken

My Inc. article today, "Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken," begins Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Google, and a Harvard Expert: Colleges and Universities Are Broken They aren't just complaining. They're offering alternatives. Malcolm Gladwell couldn't be more clear in his podcast about a school ranked by some as the number one liberal arts college: There's only one solution. If you're looking at liberal arts colleges, don't go to Bowdoin. Don't let your kids go to Bowdoin. Don't let your friends go to Bowdoin. Gladwell's podcast gave the context, about the school's values. You can rest assured he chose his words deliberately, and other episodes criticized other problems with education today. Witness Seth Godin's altMBA's criticism: Unlike traditional…

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May 11, 2017
Personal responsibility, leadership, and global warming
UN climate change milestones. Note lack of personal change, motivation, or responsibility.
Choosing/Decision-Making / Leadership / Nature

Personal responsibility, leadership, and global warming

Global initiatives miss the one big change you, the person reading these words, have control over and nobody else does, which is your behavior. If you don't change what you have control over, why would you expect or suspect anybody else would? Will you change what you can? Though I can't prove it, I know that if you do and you stick with it, however much it looks like sacrifice now, you will be glad you did. In fact, you will rank it among the best changes you've made in your life. The above words were my response to a link a friend sent on some United Nations climate change goals. I put the graphic from the article below. My interests in leadership and the…

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May 10, 2017
Learning social and emotional skills is hard but worth it
Choosing/Decision-Making / Exercises / Leadership / Relationships

Learning social and emotional skills is hard but worth it

Ultimately all the advice in the world leads to one simple starting point: You have to act, practice, and rehearse new skills to get their benefit and those first acts, as with any new skill, will be clumsy, embarrassing, and full of other challenges that will lead the novice to feel bad. If you try, you will fail and feel bad, worse than if you never tried, but if you stick with it, you can overcome the failures. You'll never lose access to the skills you now have it you don't want to feel or act social, but you can when you want. The reward for overcoming those failures, in my experience at least, is so much greater than the struggle to reach that reward,…

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May 9, 2017
Op/ed Friday: How climate change scientists are undermining efforts to slow global warming
Education / Leadership / Nature

Op/ed Friday: How climate change scientists are undermining efforts to slow global warming

I wrote how much my visit to Columbia's Department of Earth and Environmental Studies left me. The scientists, who know more about global warming than anyone, 1) didn't seem to change their polluting behavior and 2) to the extent they tried to influence others, did so ineffectively, or even counterproductively. They shared information, expecting that people would change their behavior for learning the information. Not only did the information not influence their own behavior, facts rarely change behavior, especially away from comfort and convenience, as evidenced by the global obesity rates in the face of our knowing more about nutrition and diseases of excess than ever. Or, as Marshall Goldsmith puts it In life our problem isn't understanding, it's doing. I think most people understand…

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May 5, 2017
$1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons
Inc.com / Leadership

$1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons

My Inc.com story today, "$1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons," stems from my interviewing basketball legend Byron Scott and business mogul Charles Norris, on their new book, Slam-Dunk Success: Leading From Every Position on the Court. Meeting them and getting solo time together to talk about leadership, growth, and learning was tremendous. The story begins $1.1 Billion and 3 NBA Championships: Leadership Lessons A Chairman of the Board and an NBA champion player and coach take on improving you as a leader in their new book As the crowd dissipated from the basketball court from their New York City launch event for their book Slam-Dunk Success: Leading From Every Position on Life's Court, Byron Scott and Charles Norris answered the questions everyone asked…

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May 1, 2017
Leadership

Lies we tell ourselves about food and integrity

A healthy diet results not from how much healthy food you eat but how little unhealthy food. You can eat all the spinach and kale you want. If you also eat tons of sugar, your diet isn't healthy. Same with leadership. If you lead effectively 90% of the time but not the other 10%, you probably don't lead well. Leadership is like how Vince Lombardi described winning: it's not a sometimes thing. It's an all the time thing. You don't succeed by trying some of the time, whether in leadership, winning, or food. If you don't eat healthy all the time, you don't eat healthy. If you don't lead effectively all the time, you don't lead effectively. Those are my views, anyway.

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April 25, 2017
John Mattone’s Expert Interview Series: Joshua Spodek of Spodek Academy About Embracing a “Just Do It” Attitude Toward Leadership Coaching
Click for John Mattone's interview of me!
Education / Leadership

John Mattone’s Expert Interview Series: Joshua Spodek of Spodek Academy About Embracing a “Just Do It” Attitude Toward Leadership Coaching

I am honored that John Mattone interviewed me as part of his Expert Interview Series and posted the interview, "Joshua Spodek of Spodek Academy About Embracing a "Just Do It" Attitude Toward Leadership Coaching." I'll tease you with the first few interview questions. For the answers, read the whole interview! As someone who is well-educated in a variety of disciplines, could you tell us what drew you to the study of leadership? Since you're one of the relatively few Americans who has visited North Korea, could you tell us whether the portrayal of that country in the media is accurate? What surprised you most about what you saw there? Which aspects of leadership do your clients struggle with the most? In order to be an…

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April 24, 2017

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