Emergent Leader Podcast Episode 14: Interview with Tim Metz

October 29, 2015 Mike StPierre

Tim Metz is my special guest for Episode 14 of the Emergent Leader Podcast. Tim is the founder and CEO of Saent Productivity. Saent (pronounced "saint") is a company dedicated to helping you focus while you are at work. Their new product, "The Saent" is pretty cool- a unique marriage of software and hardware.

Tim and I talk about his journey from fatigue to focus. Assisted by his discovery of Getting Things Done, Tim found that by doing one thing at a time, his productivity increased exponentially.

Time to Stop Listening to Experts

October 21, 2015 Mike StPierre

I once had a friend who loved a particular saint. She read her books, prayed her prayers and in general, modeled her life after the saint.

Until it stopped working.

She realized that she was better off finding her own way. Years later when I asked her if she was still into the saint, she said quite remarkably, “I actually think that the saint sort of messed me up.”

All those years, she spent trying to be exactly like the saint only to find that she was uniquely gifted in ways the saint couldn't touch. For example, while the saint was mousy and mild-mannered, my friend realized that she had a playful side that made others feel welcome.

My friend is like most of us I suppose- we like experts. They have authority. They are popular. Their voice seems to be “louder than words”.

The catch, of course, is that your voice (mine too) is as loud as you want for it to be. Volume is not what we are looking for. Rather, it's depth we are after.

These days, I'm reading Todd Henry's "Louder Than Words". One of his key points is this: find your own voice over time and then polish its edges. Says Henry, “You need to create space for your creative process to thrive rather than expect it to operate in the cracks of your frenetic schedule.” The fact is that:

No expert can provide a perfect path.
No expert knows you exactly like God (and your friends do) does.
No expert cares enough to talk with you regularly.
Some experts aren't really experts at all.
Some experts' experience is so wildly different from yours that following them might be a waste of time.

I'm not opposed to learning from others but I've seen too many "experts" whose advice just isn't helpful to regular folk. My preference would be to listen and learn from mentors. Mentors have a vested interest in you and they care. They typically have accumulated wisdom that can be unpacked through their relationship with you. That's powerful.

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Through mentors, we can be reminded why we do what we do. This is one reason why the GTD weekly review is so important. A weekly review tells us what's on our plate and how we can organize our priorities. Most experts can't do that. They just make us feel bad that we're not more like them.

For me, I am a school leader. My colleagues, each astounding, teach me how to be a better person. Occasionally, I provide something of value to them. Our students? Simply extraordinary in every way. They too help me to find my leadership voice.

Who is helping you find your professional voice at this stage of your career?

Emergent Leader Podcast Episode 12: Terry Hershey

October 11, 2015 Mike StPierre

When was the last time you took time for yourself, to pray, think and just "be"? Best-selling author Terry Hershey was my guest for Episode 12 of Emergent Leader Podcast. To say that this was a thrill is an understatement! I've looked up to Terry for years as a sort of "virtual mentor".

Terry's Sabbath Moment newsletter, which arrives each Monday, is excellent. Better yet, his new book, Sanctuary: Creating a Space for Grace in Your Life is now available. I've started reading it and it's absolutely great!

Terry and I discuss ambition, prayerfulness, why it's important to pause in the midst of a busy day. His deliberate manner is both humble and inspiring and I think you'll absolutely love this cast.

How to Recharge Your Batteries Daily, Quarterly and Annually

October 8, 2015 Mike StPierre

The best leaders find ways to recharge.

This CEO organizes and rests on the weekend- that's it. Meanwhile this executive took a sabbatical in order to recharge his batteries. The fact is that executives need to be especially mindful of their need to recharge their batteries.

If we don't recharge, the following can happen:

loneliness
depression
a lower quality of work
less attention to mission
less present to those we are called to serve

The leaders I know understand their need to refuel. They know that if they don't refuel, the consequences above might overtake their otherwise successful career.

Leaders do this daily, quarterly and annually. In this post, I'd like to explore some ideas for each:

Daily refueling: take breaks, find spots of sanctuary where you can be nourished and energized. Pay attention to this if you are an introvert as you'll need more time alone than extroverts.
Quarterly refueling: I recommend the leaders take a day away from the office once per quarter. Michael Hyatt does this and I do too. Focus on strategic planning, long term goals and professional reading.
Annual refueling: this can take the shape of a retreat or a professional conference.

One more thought: one of the best ways I know to refuel is through the use of a mastermind group. Amy Porterfield has a great interview on this topic. Mine meets twice a year and it's quite helpful.

Refueling is one of the tenets of Terry Hershey's new book, "Sanctuary: Creating a Space for Grace in Your Life". He teaches that sanctuary, of the idea of refueling is like water to a fish. Except for one thing: we often don't give ourselves permission to refuel.

Hershey says that "Sanctuary is where you go to cherish your life. It's where you practice being present. And it may not be many steps from where you are, right now."

I know that for me, daily refueling takes the shape of a morning devotional time. I write in my journal, I pray and I plan for the day ahead. A break at noon gives me a chance to check personal email and some time reading at night (before bed) keeps my mind sharp.

What can you do today to refuel and stay on the top of your game?

All You Have to Do Is Ask

October 4, 2015 Mike StPierre

Truth be told, I'm not a fan of celebrities. Too often our culture puts them on a pedestal, only to find that they are more actually more insecure than the rest of us. Their flaws are there for all to see.

Still, there are some famous people who are absolutely great persons. These are the ones you want to meet. The catch is that it's increasingly hard to find decent famous people.

The key is this: how do you go about meeting someone who is both honorable and famous?

About a year ago, I drove my teenage daughter to see a famous YouTuber who was making a public appearance at a nearby mall. It was a circus and the lines extended for hundreds of yards. In the end, we could not get in and had to return home. It was not a happy car to say the least.

I tried to tell my daughter that I was famous but she just laughed. It was worth a shot! No appreciation whatsoever...

The good news is that there are better ways to meet someone famous.

In the past year, I've been able to interview the following people for my Emergent Leader Podcast:

David Allen: Founder of Getting Things Done

Terry Hershey: Author & Speaker

Lisa Hendey: Founder of CatholicMom.com

Laura Stack: The Productivity Pro

Tony Morgan: Founder of the Unstuck Group

Mike Vardy: Author & Productivityist

Fraser Speirs: The First iPad School Leader in the World

Erik Fisher: Podcaster, Beyond the ToDo List

Jackie Bledsoe: Author & Winner of Michael Hyatt's Platform Makeover

Now that's a list! No I don't have a single Kardashian on the list but the people I have interviewed are more important to me. These folks are famous and just as influential as a reality tv star. The key isn't so much who's on my list but rather, who is on YOUR list?

How did I do it?

The answer is really simple- I asked them.

I created an old fashioned list and began to reach out via email. Sure, a few never got back to me and some are apparently too cool for school but I'm pretty happy with those that I have "met" online. The whole process took a few months. Once I got some lined up, I then used the interviews interchangeably with my own solo shows.

If you'd like to hear my David Allen chat, click here. (Trust me: It's worth the click.)

Now, you might be thinking , "Easy for Mike to say because he has a podcast and knows fancy pants lingo about technology..." True and true but I still had to form a list and then execute my plan to schedule guests, etc.

You could do that too!

You could:

1. Start a blog.

2. Start a podcast.

3. Attend a conference.

The platform makes the meeting easier for sure but I'm a small fish in a big pond- and I still manage to get great guests for my podcast. Whenever I finish an interview, I marvel at two things:
a) how easy it is to connect with people via technology
b) how much we can learn from one another

Your Homework

Who is on your list of famous people to meet?
Are you willing to meet them?
What can you do this week to make it happen?

Emergent Leader Podcast Episode 11: Interview with Laura Stack

September 29, 2015 Mike StPierre

When was the last time that you felt truly productive? For Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro, every day is an opportunity to get better...

Better at time management
Better at meeting management
Better at achieving goals that truly matter

The fact is that many rising leaders are so focused on "the next thing" that they fail to master the basics of time management and genuine productivity.

In this episode, I talk with productivity expert and best-selling author Laura Stack, a.k.a. The Productivity Pro. We chat about her new book, how productivity has changed in the past 12 years and what emerging leaders can do about it. Laura's model of "3T Leadership" is both catchy and really helpful. I think that you'll love our conversation- Laura is the best!

Enjoy the cast!