Welcome to the Saturday Summary.
My personal branding pilot program is in full swing with 4 of the 10 open slots already filled.
If your current job is feeling insecure, you want to start expressing your thought leadership, re-connect with past colleagues to build your network, or get clarity on your unique difference, this program could be a perfect fit for you.
Set up a free 30-minute conversation to learn more and get some top-of-mind advice along the way. Many of you know me, there won’t be a pressure-filled session to join the program. I would love to catch up and support your journey!
What I’ve Posted – Blog Summary
This week has an eclectic mix of topics with no theme. Hopefully, one or two spark your interest.
The Experience Mindset. Inspired by a book by the same name, this post considers how systems and processes might be what is holding customer experiences back.
Thoughts on Insights. This post covers why an insight is not enough. We should consider an insight to be the start of what’s to come, not a conclusion of what’s been done.
Design, Art, and Craft. Sometimes these three words are used interchangeably and other times they are defined differently by everyone in the room. This post dives into the uniqueness of each.
The Bottleneck. Life is full of bottlenecks – at work and at home. This post nudges us to think about the bottlenecks in our life and how we might resolve them.
Clearing Complexity. Sometimes problems are just too big. This post helps us remove complexity by breaking projects down into smaller and smaller parts until they seem manageable.
What I’ve Listened To – PodList
From employee retention and burnout to turning setbacks into success and growing wealth. I think there is at least one episode on this list for everyone.
How to Retain Your Most Promising Employees. 11 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This is a great episode for any leader. There is a lot in your personal control to increase employee retention.
Burned Out? 5 Things to Stop Doing Now. 8 minutes. Modern Mentor. We all get stressed and overwhelmed at times. These are 5 great tips to avoid burnout.
How to Turn Setbacks into Success. 17 minutes. TED Talks Daily. This is a great episode for anyone who has experienced a personal or professional setback. Amy Shoenthal lays out the four phases of the “setback cycle” and explains how to transform difficult moments into opportunities.
7 Rules on How to Grow Wealth: Growing Wealth Slow but Sustainable. 12 minutes. Optimal Finance Daily. This episode provides a clear framework for building lasting financial security.
Four Steps Toward Developing a Culture of Prioritization AND Team Productivity and Digital Detox. 10 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This episode features two different blog posts that could be helpful for any employee and/or team as we kick off the new year.
What I’ve Been Up To
This week, I’ve had a lot of client work – both on the business and personal branding side. In parallel, I’m starting to explore more ways we can leverage AI to help us brainstorm and understand our personal brands. Being objective about our own strengths and finding ways to express them to others is one of the most challenging professional things we need to do. My goal is to find ways to make this process easier for all of us.
Outside of work, I finished the “disassembling” of the holiday décor. Every year, I push this as far back as I think is reasonable. There is such magic, particularly in the lights, that bring a glow and warmth inside the house during this dark season. I’m always reluctant to let that warmth go. I’m also watching the Lions along with the rest of Detroit! We are looking forward to the game tonight.
What Do You Think?
Which podcasts and blog posts resonate with you this week?
What one idea do you take away for the week ahead?
As we move toward the end of January, how are you doing with the new habits you started?