Read to Lead Podcast Jeff Brown

Managing priorities is more than just making a to-do list. It’s about understanding what truly matters, making strategic decisions, and effectively allocating your time and resources.







So, let’s dive right in!















1: Understanding Priorities







First things first, what exactly are priorities? Priorities are tasks or activities that are more important than others and need your immediate attention. They’re the things that will move the needle in your life or business.







You already knew that, right?







But here’s the kicker: not everything can be a priority. If everything is important, then nothing is important. It’s about distinguishing what’s urgent from what’s truly important.







Example: When Steve Jobs he returned to Apple in 1997, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Jobs realized that Apple had lost its focus. They had dozens of products, and none of them were exceptional. So, what did he do? He cut down the product line from dozens to just four, focusing on the few that mattered the most. This laser focus on priorities brought Apple back to life.







2: The Eisenhower Matrix







One powerful tool to help you manage your priorities is the Eisenhower Matrix, named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He once said, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” This matrix helps you categorize tasks into four quadrants:









* Urgent and Important: Tasks that need immediate attention.







* Important but Not Urgent: Tasks that are important for long-term goals but don’t need immediate attention.







* Urgent but Not Important: Tasks that need immediate attention but are not important for your long-term goals.







* Not Urgent and Not Important: Tasks that are neither urgent nor important.









The goal is to focus most of your time on the second quadrant—important but not urgent. These are the tasks that lead to long-term success and fulfillment.







Practical Tip: Take a few minutes at the start of each week to list out your tasks and categorize them using the Eisenhower Matrix. You’ll be surprised at how much clarity this brings.







3: Setting Clear Goals







To manage your priorities effectively, you need clear goals. Without clear goals, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of tasks and activities. Here’s a simple framework to set effective goals: SMART.









* Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.







* Measurable: Ensure you can track your progress.







* Achievable: Set realistic goals.







* Relevant: Make sure your goals align with your overall objectives.







* Time-bound: Set a deadline for your goals.









Take the example of a project manager at a tech company. Instead of setting a vague goal like “improve team productivity,” a SMART goal would be “increase team productivity by 20% in the next quarter by implementing agile methodologies.”







In Michael Hyatt’s SMARTER framework for goal setting, the E and additional R stand for:









* Exciting: Goals should be personally compelling and inspire you to take action. If you’re not excited about your goals, you’re less likely to stay committed to them.

Keeping our skills in sync with fast-changing markets is the biggest challenge of our time

So says my guest today, Kelly Palmer, and her co-author David Blake.



Kelly and David have written a brand new book called The Expertise Economy: How the Smartest Companies Use Learning to Engage, Compete and Succeed.

They say that, in order for companies and their employees to succeed, they need to focus on building skills for the future. The book shows how the most forward-thinking companies, big and small, are transforming their employees into experts and, ultimately, creating their biggest competitive advantage.

Listen in below as Kelly shares her “expertise” on The Expertise Economy.

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS



In today’s episode, I ask Kelly to share:



* Her thoughts on how much college still matters

* Ways your organization can lead the charge in learning and excel at closing the skills gap

* The end of the 3-phase career and ageism in the workplace

* …and plenty more! 





This Episode is Sponsored By Cloud Accounting Software FreshBooks

FreshBooks cloud accounting software is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial.

To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line.



Kelly’s Book

You can order The Expertise Economy: How the Smartest Companies Use Learning to Engage, Compete and Succeed right now!

Kelly in Action



Books Kelly Recommends

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

The 100 Year Life: Living and Working In an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott

The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different by Todd Rose

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink

Check Out These Resources

Visit Kelly’s website for more about her and her work.

Be sure and grab your copy of Kelly’s book now.

Find out more about hiring Kelly to a href="https://www.expertiseeconomy.

My guest today asserts that we all want great ideas, but few of us actually understand how great ideas are born. Innovation, he says, is not an event, a workshop, a sprint, or a hackathon.













It’s a result of mastering ideaflow, a practice that elevates everything else you do.







His name is Jeremy Utley, and he is the coauthor, along with Perry Klebahn of IDEAFLOW: The Only Business Metric That Matters.







They advocate a simple core principle: ideas matter. Instead of focusing on output, innovators focus on input. Instead of obsessing over quality, innovators generate quantity.







They argue that every problem is an idea problem at its core, and changing the way you think about any problem will unleash success. Innovation is a volume game, and the quantity of ideas drives quality.







Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more Jeremy and his book.







Join in on our chat below















Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS















In today’s episode, I ask Jeremy to share why he believes:









* There’s no such thing as a creative person; rather it’s a skillset you develop or don’t







* Creativity is important to every organization, not just the “creative” ones







* Some of the misconceptions that keep individuals and teams from innovating more routinely







* And lots more!









Jeremy’s New Book (written with Perry Klebahn)







Order you copy of IDEAFLOW: The Only Business Metric Matters right now!







Consider Ordering My Book!







Purchase a copy of my new book (written with Jesse Wisnewski) Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. There, you can also download the introduction and first chapter for free!







Join Note-Making Mastery Cohort 3 Now!







Get all the details here (space is limited)!







Jeremy in Action



















Books Jeremy Recommends







Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman







The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner







Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

I love books on the topic of productivity. It’s a topic about which plenty of books have written. Some might argue we don’t need any more books on productivity.













That is not the case for the latest productivity book I read. It’s now at the top of the list of best all-time productivity books in my view.







It’s written by author Jordan Raynor and it’s called Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present & Wildly Productive.







Jordan is a serial entrepreneur. He also serves as executive chairman of Threshold 360, a venture-backed tech start-up that has built the world’s largest library of 360-degree virtual experiences of hotels, restaurants, and attractions.







He’s a highly sought-after speaker on the topic of faith and work; he has spoken at Harvard University, SXSW, and many other events around the world.







I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Jordan and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.







Join in on our chat below















Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS















In today’s episode, Jordan and I chat about:









* What he means when he says peace of mind is not the result of what we do, but the source. 







* The importance of using one commitment tracking system and why your email inbox is a terrible tool for this. 







* Practical tips for dealing with all the noise in our daily lives







* And lots more!









Order Jordan’s Book







You can order your copy of Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present & Wildly Productive right now!







Consider Ordering My New Book Too!







Purchase a copy of my new book (written with Jesse Wisnewski) Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. There, you can also download the introduction and first chapter for free!







Jordan in Action



















Books That Jordan Recommends







Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller







Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight







Check Out These Additional Resources







Grab a copy of Jordan‘s a href="https://amzn.to/3wbotaK" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noo...

My friend and former mastermind group member, Steve Sponseller, was kind of enough to introduce me to today’s guest a few months ago and I am thrilled he did.













His name is also Steve. Steve Shwartz to be specific: AI expert, investor, and serial entrepreneur.







Steve began his AI career working with Roger Schank as a postdoctoral researcher in the Yale University Artificial Intelligence Lab. Steve was a founder or cofounder of several AI companies, one of which created the award-winning Esperant business intelligence product. 







As the AI Winter of the 1990s set in, Steve transitioned into a career as a successful serial software entrepreneur and investor and created several companies that were either acquired or had public offerings. 







His new book has probably my favorite title of the last couple of years. It’s called Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths: The Truth About AI and the Future of Humanity.







I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Steve and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.







Join in on our chat below















Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS















In today’s episode, Steve and I chat about:









* His frustrations with how AI has been covered in the media, and in popular culture







* The fears worth having with regard to AI







* AI deception and anthropomorphism….







* And lots more…









Order Steve’s New Book







You can order your copy of Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths: The Truth About AI and the Future of Humanity right now!







Consider Pre-Ordering My New Book Too and get 40% off for a limited time!







Purchase a copy of my upcoming book Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career before August 31, 2021, and you’ll receive $500 in pre-order bonuses!







Steve in Action



















Books Steve Recommends







Scripts, Plans, Goals, and Understanding by Roger C. Schank

If there is a topic that has captured my attention more in the last three to four years, I don’t know what it is. I’m talking about the art of note-taking or, as I like to call it, note-making.













It’s a phrase that makes a subtle distinction between notes we capture for learning (note-taking), and notes we write to help us think (note-making).







Better thinking makes you a better person.







And few things extend your mind as quickly and powerfully as the humble note. Notes let you fulfill commitments, manage complicated projects, and make your ideas real.







Digital notes take you even further.







By using the right tools and a bit of discipline, you can cultivate a “personal knowledge garden” where your thinking will blossom.







With this in mind, I’m excited to introduce to you the new book from Jorge Arango called Duly Noted: Extend Your Mind Through Connected Notes.







Jorge and I think a lot alike when it comes to this topic. We even use many of the same tools to capture notes, to store notes, and to do our thinking.







If you’re looking to get out from under the plethora of information coming out you every single day (and isn’t going away any time soon), then you’re in the right place.







I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Jorge and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.







Join in on our chat below















Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS















In today’s episode, I ask Jorge about:









* What’s crucial for us to know in order to take better notes







* How to connect notes to create a network of ideas 







* Why it’s important for us to share our thinking along the way







* And lots more!









Order Jorge’s Book







You can order your copy of Duly Noted: Extend Your Mind Through Connected Notes right now!







Consider Ordering My Book Too!







Purchase a copy of my new book (written with Jesse Wisnewski) Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. There, you can also download the introduction and first chapter for free!







Note-Making Mastery Cohort AND the Read to Lead Community







Note-Making Mastery Cohort is now available as a self-paced course! Check it out.







Also, consider giving ReadtoLead+ a t...