DesuckifyWork®

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We spend about half our waking lives working. Let's make that time a bit better, shall we? And let's chat with desuckifiers who are out there making it happen, every day. tjbennett.substack.com

18 ago

Ep 141 | Placing a big bet on human creativity with Sam Littlefield

Most agencies are in survival mode right now.Hell, the entire world is in survival mode right now.It's a crappy place to be.We're defensive. On edge. Reactionary.Nervous systems fully engaged all day long. Good luck being creative when you're crouched under your desk all day. And yet, creativity is exactly what we need right now.To build a new reality instead of being cowed by the current one.To see something beyond mere survival. It's a leap of faith. Faith in the one thing—creativity—that we've hung our hat on since folks actually wore hats to work. Sam Littlefield took that leap in 2021, when he told his agency, "it's time to gather again." Mid-covid.Barely a year into his role as agency president.His peers thought he was nuts.He didn't care.He saw what was on the other side,locked arms with his team and said LFG. They freakin' went, and they've spent the last 5 years doing what many in our industry can barely remember doing. Growing. Building. Dreaming. They turned LFG into an agency rallying cry: 🐱 Littlefield Team First🐱 Freaking Go to the Edge🐱 Got to Adapt or Die For Sam and the team, being back in the office was the necessary catalyst to make all of this happen. For your team, it may be something else. But whatever that thing is that you know in your gut is needed more than anything right now, do it. The world needs more leaps of faith. Let's freakin' go. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Sam on LinkedIn. And check out littlefieldagency.com to learn more about their work, their culture and their POV on this nutty business. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Sam:Are you getting full fulfillment in what you're doing every day? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
4 ago

Ep 140 | How stalking your clients leads to agency success with Kim Lawton

Want the secret to running a successful agency? Stalk your clients. Not in the creepy, quite possibly illegal way. But in the over-the-top, can't stop being curious about who they are way. This is what the teams at Inspira Marketing and Enthuse Marketing do—two agencies run by today's guest, Kim Lawton. Who has time to dig into that kind of detail on every client? The folks who work in a culture where relationships—with clients and fellow team members—are the most critical KPI. Of course Kim cares about profit and all the other financial stuff that keeps agencies afloat. But she doesn't aim there. She focuses upstream on the stuff that consistently leads to great numbers. And more fulfilling work. When you know your clients in ways you may not even know your own friends, you come up with better, more relevant ideas. You sell those ideas more often. And you enjoy the crap out of those successes together. When you know your teammates deeply, you collaborate better, because making things work with folks you know, like and trust just matters more. So, who should you be stalking more? Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Kim on LinkedIn. And check out her agencies at enthuse-marketing.com and inspiramarketing.com. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Kim:Is there is something you track in your business or agency that has nothing to do with the work? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
28 lug

Ep 139 | He Quit His Job to Travel Forever — 27 Years Later with Derek Baron

We've all dreamed about it. Ditching the 9-to-5, moving to an exotic location and traveling the world. Derek Baron actually did it. And is still doing it, 27 years after he called his parents from Southeast Asia and told them he's never coming home. Now, before you send out an FU email to your boss and start scanning flights to Bali, you're gonna want to listen to Derek's take on his nomadic life. He has no regrets. But he also warns… this life is not for everyone. Living out of a suitcase ain't easy. And maintaining close relationships when you're never in one place for more than a few weeks is a full-time job in itself. But man, what a ride he's had. Derek lives in a way that seems deeply connected to who he wants to be. He's curious, loves human connection and has built two tourism businesses under the name Wandering Earl that not only support his lifestyle, but share his passion for unconventional adventures with the world. Sign up for one of his tours and you won't be seeing the typical sites. You may catch a glimpse of a levitating car or spend an afternoon snooping through Saddam Hussein's old palace though. The takeaway I got from all of this? Do the thing your soul calls you to do. Even if your brain (and the brains of your friends and family) are screaming at you to do something else. You never know where things may lead. And if you're wondering where the name Wandering Earl comes from? You'll just have to listen to find out. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Derek on LinkedIn. And check out his site at wanderingearl.com to learn more about his life and the adventures he has in store for you. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Derek:If you're facing an obstacle or something that's challenging and preventing you from doing what you really want, what would actually happen if you just stopped thinking about that challenge altogether and moved on (and did the thing)? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
21 lug

Ep 138 | Mastering the art of great questions at work with Sandy Sullivan

The posters on the wall. The words on the website. The sizzle real that you share with every prospect. Are they b******t? You know who knows? Your team. Take a look next time you reference your mission or your values. How far back into their heads do their eyes roll? Slick messaging may help land a client or two, but I can guarantee you it's turning more folks off if it doesn't ring true. And if your team ain't feeling it? Good luck delivering work that actually lives up to those lofty promises. If you're ready to lead like a grown up and live up to your words, it's time to heed the words of Sandy Sullivan and ask better questions. Sandy is an executive coach and co-founder of The Alchemy Group with a low tolerance for BS and a high bar for leaders. The quality of your questions will directly impact the way your teams perform. And the harsh truth? Most of our questions just kind of suck right now. The best questions are what Sandy calls "Level 8 Questions." And there are 4 simple ways to know if yours are hitting the mark: * Use "what" or "how" questions. Never "why." Why not? Because "why" is loaded with judgment. "Why aren't we winning more business?" Because you suck, presumably. * Add calibration & timeframe: Include qualifiers like most, least, highest and a specific timeframe (e.g., last quarter, next 30 days). * Ask with Pure Curiosity: Listen without judgment or a pre-determined answer. * Generate New Thinking: The answer should create white space for reflection, not just recycle old thoughts. Great questions show you care. And showing you care invites everyone else to do the same. That's all most of us want, really—a reason to give a damn. Less sizzle. More stake. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Sandy on LinkedIn. And check out her site at thealchemyleaders.com to learn more about great questions and leadership transformation. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus questions from Sandy:What is the most persistent and pervasive complaint you have about others? (And are you ready for what this will tell you about yourself?) Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
14 lug

Ep 137 | Let's put the bullies in their place and start playing—with Jeff Harry.

You can tell a lot about a culture by who it celebrates. But you may learn even more by who it vilifies. Who are the bad guys right now when it comes to making work suck? How much time do we have? 😾 Meta laying off 15,000 people via mass email after telling everyone to work from home that day. 😾 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman casually speaking about AI gutting white-collar employment. 😾 Elon Musk tweeting (X-ing?) about everyone living on a universal basic income as if this would be a joyful existence. Have any of these leaders met people before? This undercurrent of disdain for humanity from these bullies needs to stop. Listen, it's not easy to run a business. And hard decisions need to be made every day. But how we make them is everything. And it's time to start calling out the ones who don't get this. Jeff Harry is bringing this message to the forefront every day with his work. He is as pro human as it gets, helping companies tap into our collective humanity through play. He's also done with giving anti-human leaders a pass. We need to be louder in our condemnation of the worst offenders. And we need to be relentless in our praise of those who lead the desuckifying charge—like Patagonia, Costco and others. (FYI: I'm working on a "Desuckified Places to Work" award thing for the agency world… stay tuned). How does play bring all of this together? Because it is a massive humanity amplifier. It connects us, energizes us, reminds us of how we can be someone our 8-year-old self would be proud of. And it makes us way more productive, btw. So all you bean counters can rest easy. More fun. More humanity. More profit. That doesn't sound bad to me. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Jeff on LinkedIn. And check out his site at rediscoveryourplay.com. Find him just about anywhere @jeffharryplays. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus questions from Jeff:Who is that toxic person in your workplace, and what are you going to do about themWhen was the last time you played? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
7 lug

Ep 136 | What Jesus can teach us about being more emotional at work with Jonas Bergvall

You know who's a good example for us at work? Jesus. Yes, that Jesus. It doesn't matter if you're Christian or a believer of any kind. Jesus wore his heart on his sleeve—and that's something we need to do more of at work. But wait, aren't we supposed to check out emotions at the office door? Isn't being emotional a liability as a leader? Well, the guy who inspired the world's largest religion may beg to differ. He lived in his emotions. He felt angry. Sad. Joyful. Disappointed. Compassionate. Betrayed. And he shared those feelings with his disciples, his Father, even his enemies. Jesus lived fully. And if we want to make a difference in the world with the work we do, we should do the same. This "all in" approach to living is something Jonas Bergvall has been studying for a while. Jonas is a creative soul, with experience in branding, gaming and as an entrepreneur. He wrote a book called "How the World Feels" that explores the idea that life is emotionally constructed. Every room, situation, experience has its own emotional world. And we connect to that world through our own emotions. Even when we think we're being 100% logical. So what emotional worlds are we creating in our workplaces? Ones that invite people in to live and contribute fully or ones that shut folks down? If you're not sure, just ask a simple question—what would Jesus do? Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Jonas on LinkedIn. And check out his site at bergvalls.com to learn more about his work and his book. You need to read his Substack too—it's awesome. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Jonas:What's the best way for you to be seen and valued? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
30 giu

Ep 135 | Finding the balls to fail at work with Tom Hicks

"More balls than most." Those are the big, bold, embossed words on the black box Tom Hicks received from his grandmother. This was several years ago, when he was having some challenges in his life. Inside the box was a 3 ball juggling kit, which included a pamphlet titled, "A Short Course in Life Enhancement." Okay. You had me at balls. Now I'm really curious. How in the world does juggling enhance one's life? Quite substantially, it turns out. Because this kit helped Tom completely reframe failure in his life. Instead of feeling like the end of something, jugging helped him see how failure is usually just the beginning. You can drop those balls a million times and it's okay. Low stakes failures like this are exactly how we train our brain to get used to it, welcome it even. Next thing you know, you're (well, Tom is) delivering workshops around the country helping folks create a better relationship with messing up. You're saying "how fascinating" with arms raised high when you blow a big deal. Inviting curiosity about where you might do things differently next time. Most of our work cultures don't work like this. Most talk a big game about "failing is how learn" but their actions scream "you suck and better get your act together fast." Those folks need more balls. Perhaps Tom has a few he can spare. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Tom on LinkedIn. And check out his site at tom-hicks.com to learn more about his work. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Tom:How will you integrate or allow yourself to have some low stakes failure and play in your work today? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe
23 giu

Ep 134 | Rethinking how we work with Rishad Tobaccowala

"Jobs are just a silly phase work is going through."This is a quote from Rishad Tobaccowala, this week's guest on the DesuckifyWork® podcast. I love the quote—because it reframes what we're all experiencing right now in a provocative way. Work and jobs are uncoupling—the stable nine to five is becoming a hodgepodge of freelance, gig work and side hustles. It's how we work now and the trend is accelerating. Historically, jobs are a blip on the work timeline. An Industrial Revolution creation to make sure widgets got made reliably and at scale. Before then, we had farmers and craftspeople. So what's next? Rishad believes we're shifting back towards decentralized tasks. And he sees a fractional model as the best way for workers and companies to manage this. Pay folks for 50, 60 or 70% of their time, throw in some benefits and get consistent access to the skills you need. On the flip side, individuals get a stable foundation and room to explore whatever lights them up. I'm a huge fan of this idea. And I'm genuinely shocked it's not more prevalent, especially in the ad agency world. Look around on LinkedIn and you'll see some of the most talented folks the business has ever seen with "open to work" banners on their profile pics. Imagine how much better our work could be if we tapped into that talent. Rishad is a very smart man. He's an author, podcast host and advisor to some top agencies. We touched on a bunch of topics related to the future of work. My biggest takeaway? We need strong leadership more than ever. And we need to remember that the best leadership is creative, curious and optimistic. We can do great things. And we've never been in a better position to do so than right now. — Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. — You can follow Rishad on LinkedIn and check out rishadtobaccowala.com to learn more about his work. Add /100 to that URL to see a curated view of his substack writing. And take a look at rishad.substack.com to see more. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! — Bonus question from Rishad:Why should you not think that the future is going to be far better versus far worse? Build the case for optimism. Would you be more better off living today than 20 years ago? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

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T.J. Bennett

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We spend about half our waking lives working. Let's make that time a bit better, shall we? And let's chat with desuckifiers who are out there making it happen, every day. tjbennett.substack.com