THE WEEKLY 7 – 002
A weekly look at 7 nuggets of awesomeness from the week just gone. 7 things that have inspired me, interested me, challenged me or made we want to part with my hard earned cash. If you’ve found something cool that you think should be on here, let me know at the7lists@gmail.com. If you enjoyed this and would like these sent to your inbox on a weekly basis, then please sign up to the newsletter at the bottom of this article.
PODCAST
My secret weapon in business, ignore the unbelievably cheesy 80’s style intro music and the unassuming podcast art, this podcast is pure gold. Simply entitled Manager Tools, it is an invaluable resource for leaders and aspiring leaders alike. A podcast that has been quietly going about its business for over 13 years, each week Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman (both highly experienced and qualified execs, take a business topic each week and break it down and disect it for you. I learn something groundbreaking in every episode, and the recent 4 part first Manager Tools live case study was an absolute peak of knowledge gain for me. Start with the case study episodes, and then work back. The rabbithole goes deep!
For those who neither have the time or the budget to join an MBA course but wish to gain the knowledge, this podcast is an essential part of your learning arsenal.
MUSIC
When I need to get into a flow state when working, I like many others turn to music. Everyone is different in terms of what gets the grey matter firing (I have a colleague who finds he focuses best to a bit of Sepultura, Pantera or Slayer… Seriously!), and if you have listened to any of the playlists on the Brainjuice page (my complete collection of cognitively complementary tunage), you’ll now that my taste to get my brain in gear is a bit more on the instrumental and chilled side. Recently if have found my self returning to ChilledCow’s YouTube channel, and in particular their permanently running stream, “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to“. If you are struggling to focus and need something to lock you in, then make sure you give this a try…
PRODUCTIVITY
Re-reading the brilliant The Personal MBA: A World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume
“work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”
…meaning that if you give yourself a week to complete a task, then inevitably the task will increase in complexity so as to fill that week. This obviously can be a huge waste of valuable time. Take time to check in with yourself when it comes to your task and ask yourself realistically what is the likely amount of time that this task should really take. By giving the task the right amount of time to deliver, we gain back more time and the task will reduce in complexity to its natural state.
BOOK
Last week I finally got round to devouring the quite magnificent The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. The book can easily be read in a couple of sittings, and it is an essential kick up the ass for anyone procrastinating over a personal challenge, whether it is starting a company, writing a book, or even going on a diet. Pressfield deconstructs these blocks succinctly and by the time you have finished the book, you’ll be bursting with creative ideas and an unstoppable urge to put your dreams into immediate action.
LEADERSHIP
Leading a team of talented employees and starting to see some churn away from the business in some of the the top talents? It may not be due to the culture, the colleagues or the pay; it could simply down to some dumb and poorly thought-out business rules. In this Medium article entitled Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit from TEDx speaker Lolly Daskal, Lolly raises some of the rules that can drive talent to the edge and the kid of rules that you really have to question are necessary in your business.
TECH / HEALTH
My 1st Generation Apple Watch is most definitely on its last legs and with Apple announcing last week that the 1st gen watches will no longer be able to install the newest WatchOS, my head is being turned by some of the other wearables on the market. I use my Apple Watch almost exclusively as a fitness tracker, so looking at some of the other fitness trackers on the market and I have been suitably impressed by the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro…
…it’s the best looking fitness tracker out there, but behind the looks lies an extremely powerful source of biometric data. Waterproof so it can be used to track swimming, it comes with GPS built-in so no need to run with your phone. Not to mention a best in class heart rate sensor that should give you one of the most accurate readings possible from a wrist based tracker. Samsung are making great strides in the wearables space, so they will continue to improve the user experience both on the watch and in the tracking software.
BUSINESS
Getting laid off at 41, Rob McCammon learnt some tough and thought-provoking lessons when he returned to work and faced up to the reality that many of his new colleagues were significantly. Even if you think that you are rock solid in your job, there are some important lessons towards mindset and attitude in the workplace. A timely kick up the butt if you are ever finding yourself coasting along. 7 Lessons Millenials Taught Me About Work by Rob McCammon on Medium.
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