16 Ways to Score Your Next Speaking Gig
I’ve been asking a few speakers how they get their gigs. Here’s a general list from their responses of what really works: Past clients – This depends on the opportunity for repeat business, if it’s a conference keynote slot then it may be difficult to gain repeat business every year Clients that book you for […]
Fat Problems
Previously we talked about Skinny Problems. They’re easy to identify and solve. In contrast, Fat Problems are not so easily solved. And, they require a wider focus and possibly design thinking to do so. WE prefer skinny problems Our thinking uses up so much energy, our brains have evolved to use shortcuts. As a result […]
How to Write Your Website Bio
Blind Dates There’s a popular saying these days that ‘There’s no such thing as a blind date anymore.’ This is Google and the web at work. It’s now so easy to check someone out before we meet them or do business with them. As a result, it’s little surprise that the ‘About’ page on your […]
Authentic Leadership
Most leadership research focuses on the internal qualities and traits of the person in charge. In contrast, when we focus on the relationship between the leader and their followers, what’s needed changes according to the current context and people involved. And, the prized qualities of what makes an effective leader also changes: To have a […]
Design a Great Book Cover in Two Steps
I’ve recently published my fifth book: What The #$%?! Is Going On? Naturally, I had to design a book cover. That’s the image on the top of this blog post. Unfortunately, a week after publishing this book I discovered a great book at the local library on… yep, you guessed it, How to Design Book […]
Five Symptoms of Skinny Problems
As the world becomes more integrated and more complex, the importance of using Design Thinking increases. However, it’s not always needed. Some problems are simple. They’re skinny problems because they can be solved with a narrow focus. These problems don’t really need design thinking. [Tweet “Five Symptoms you’re dealing with a Skinny Problem #designthinking “] […]
Professional Learning Survey Results
Recently I ran a survey on Survey Monkey (love their new survey result images – see below). My goal was to find out more about how people learn. In particular, I was looking for insights into how best to shape, position and design Book Rapper for the future. The big idea I wanted to explore […]
Ori Brafman – The Chaos Imperative
The Book Ori Brafman and Judah Pollack, The Chaos Imperative: How Chance and Disruption increase Innovation, Effectiveness and Success, Crown Business, New York, 2013. Ori Brafman Once I’ve read a good book by one author I’m more than likely to sample their next offering. I love Ori Brafman’s earlier book The Starfish and the Spider. […]
My Daily Routine
In response to my previous blog post, I’ve had a few people ask about my routine. For most of my life my routine has been overly based on what I feel like doing. Sometimes, when I’m inspired and have a clear objective this works really, really well. In this frame I can get a lot […]
Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
How Great Minds Work At the moment I’m exploring and experimenting with habits. So when I found Mason Currey’s book called ‘Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to Work’ I just had to grab it and devour it. It includes short, sharp snapshots of the working routines of over 160 […]