226: Focus on the Big Things with Erik Qualman

10/18/22 • 32 min

Focus: It’s an important skill for the success of any organization or individual. While it's natural for anyone to get distracted by new ideas, potential projects, overwhelming to-do lists, and ongoing problems, learning how to focus can save us time and energy in the long-run.

Today’s guest is Erik Qualman. Erik is five-time #1 Bestselling Author and Keynote Speaker who has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people. He was voted the 2nd Most Likeable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling. He is the host of the popular Super U Podcast and his work has been used by the National Guard to NBC Universal to NASA.

Erik and I talk about what it means to really be focused. He shares his lessons learned and best tips and tricks for how you and your team can accomplish great things simply by staying focused.

Members of the Modern Manager community get a Buy One Get One Free deal on two of his products. The first is his Kittycorn card game, designed for any group to learn easily and have a great time. The second is his book, The Focus Project, designed to provide solutions to the challenge of focusing in an unfocused world. Get them both when you join the Modern Manager community.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Read the related blog article: How To Focus So The Big Things Get Done

KEEP UP WITH ERIK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equalman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/equalman

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@equalman.official

Super U Podcast contact: [email protected]

Key Takeaways:

Fear of failure disrupts focus. Remember that evaluated failure makes us better. Learn from mistakes.
When you fix clients’ problems, they are 3 times more likely to be repeat customers.
People don’t love us because we’re perfect, but because we’re perfectly flawed. Aim to be “flawsome.”
Trying to do too many things is almost always the wrong approach. Focus on crushing one thing, even if it requires you to cannibalize your own product line.
When you add more tasks, subtract others so that you don’t overstuff your To Do list.
The Army Ant tries to do too much at once. Put one project on hold or label one “major” and focus on it first.
The Squirrel loves shiny objects and has trouble completing tasks. Make a commitment not to move on to other work until you’ve completed your priority at hand.
The Chameleon is a people pleaser who has difficulty saying no. Find little wins for saying no, ask yourself if this is what you want to be doing, and don’t guess what others want.
The Hedgehog is cautious about taking risks. Let go of perfectionism before moving forward. Do the Superhero pose to reduce cortisol and empower yourself.
Be firm in your destination but flexible in your path. Let go of sunken costs, even if it’s hard to move on. Ask why you do things a certain way and if you can change. Go where the market and future opportunities are.

[email protected]

instagram.com/mamieks

Erik and I talk about what it means to really be focused. He shares his lessons learned and best tips and tricks for how you and your team can accomplish great things simply by staying focused.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Read the related blog article: How To Focus So The Big Things Get Done

KEEP UP WITH ERIK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equalman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/equalman

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@equalman.official

Super U Podcast contact: [email protected]

Key Takeaways:

Fear of failure disrupts focus. Remember that evaluated failure makes us better. Learn from mistakes.
When you fix clients’ problems, they are 3 times more likely to be repeat customers.
People don’t love us because we’re perfect, but because we’re perfectly flawed. Aim to be “flawsome.”
Trying to do too many things is almost always the wrong approach. Focus on crushing one thing, even if it requires you to cannibalize your own product line.
When you add more tasks, subtract others so that you don’t overstuff your To Do list.
The Army Ant tries to do too much at once. Put one project on hold or label one “major” and focus on it first.
The Squirrel loves shiny objects and has trouble completing tasks. Make a commitment not to move on to other work until you’ve completed your priority at hand.
The Chameleon is a people pleaser who has difficulty saying no. Find little wins for saying no, ask yourself if this is what you want to be doing, and don’t guess what others want.
The Hedgehog is cautious about taking risks. Let go of perfectionism before moving forward. Do the Superhero pose to reduce cortisol and empower yourself.
Be firm in your destination but flexible in your path. Let go of sunken costs, even if it’s hard to move on. Ask why you do things a certain way and if you can change. Go where the market and future opportunities are.

[email protected]

instagram.com/mamieks

Previous Episode

225: Establish a Bold Vision with Lisa McCarthy

Whether you want to develop new products, update internal processes, or make sure that every client is satisfied with your service, one thing is true: you need to be clear about your goals. Without direction, you will lose your way. Direction comes from having a bold vision of what you want your life, team, and organization to look like. Then, you must create actionable steps to move forward.

Today’s guest is Lisa McCarthy. Lisa is the CEO and co-founder of the Fast Forward Group, a training and executive coaching company based on the philosophy that when people are living their best lives, they do their best work. Clients include innovative companies of all sizes, including Amazon, Facebook, Google and JPMorgan Chase. Prior to launching Fast Forward, Lisa spent 25 years leading sales organizations at prominent media companies, including ViacomCBS and Univision.

Lisa and I talk about goals and establishing a bold vision. She shares why goals like these are important and she walks us through her process that has helped over 100,000 people achieve their big dreams.

Members of the Modern Manager community get two FREE months of Lisa’s Fast Forward membership program, which has helped thousands of professionals play big, manage stress, and achieve extraordinary success. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Read the related blog article: Set Big Goals With Your Team

KEEP UP WITH LISA

Membership Website: https://fastforwardgroup.net/

Personal Website: https://lisamccarthy.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamccarthyffg/

Key Takeaways:

We resist goal setting because we’re risk averse; we’d rather underpromise and overdeliver.
To encourage thinking big, managers must assure their team that there won’t be any negative consequences if expectations aren’t reached.
Challenge self-limiting beliefs (I’m not X enough, I don’t have the right background, etc) that stop you from dreaming of your future.
Create a vision of where you want to be in a year. What does “extraordinary success” look like?
Reflect on your qualities. What are you known for in your professional and personal life? What are your most important relationships like? Are these what you want them to be?
Make goals bold, specific, and measurable. Avoid vague terms like “better” and “more”.
Be as detailed as possible. What would be accomplished? How would you feel? Write out 2 pages for your vision.
Have each team member individually create a vision and goals. Then share at a team meeting to build accountability and support.
Consider a team vision. What would success look like? What kind of language would you use?

Additional Resources:

Fast Forward’s monthly free intro workshops: https://fastforwardgroup.net/free-leadership-workshops/
Fast Foward’s Bold Vision Exercise download: https://fastforwardgroup.net/bold-vision-exercise-download/
Fast Foward’s Design my Program tool: https://fastforwardgroup.net/design-my-program/

[email protected]

instagram.com/mamieks

Next Episode

227: Discover Your FABS Leadership Style with Robert Jordan

Look in any organization and you'll see a variety of leadership styles. One crucial aspect of leadership is staying true to yourself and what feels most natural to you as a leader, which means not trying to be all things to all people. Research has found that most leadership styles fit into one of four categories. Understanding these categories can help leaders stay true to themselves while enhancing their skills, building their careers, and achieving their organization’s goals.

Today’s guest is Robert Jordan. Robert is the CEO of InterimExecs, which matches top executives with companies around the world. Based on research with thousands of leaders and companies, he and Olivia Wagner wrote "Right Leader Right Time: Discover Your Leadership Style for a Winning Career and Company," and have launched the FABS Leadership Assessment, a free assessment at RightLeader.com designed to help leaders and organizations perform better. Jordan also authored "How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America," and helped publish "Start With No," Jim Camp’s bestseller on negotiation.

Robert and I talk about the four leadership styles, their strengths and optimal conditions in which each leadership style thrives, and how to think about your career to optimize your leadership potential.

Members of the Modern Manager community can participate in a free, town-hall style webinar. In this webinar, Robert will give direct, real-time feedback on peoples’ leadership styles to help them grow personally and professionally. Get access when you join the Modern Manager community.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Read the related blog article: Use the Four Leadership Styles to Advance Your Work

KEEP UP WITH ROBERT

Right Leader website: https://www.rightleader.com/

Interim Executives website: https://interimexecs.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/interim_execs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjjordan/

Key Takeaways:

There are four types of leadership approaches; Fixers, Artists, Builders, and Strategists. Each archetype has skills, contexts, and motivators that enable it to thrive.
The Fixer is drawn to broken organizations and crises.
The Artist sees a project as a blank canvas. They will say or do what others won’t.
The Builder thrives in growing small teams/projects into something much larger. They get bored when scale is achieved.
The Strategist loves working with large, complex teams. They have strong company loyalty and love mentorship opportunities.
Most leadership styles (except The Artist) are realized through experience as you go about your career. Pay attention to what excites you.
Managers fail when they try to do everything. Secure leaders concentrate on strengths and let others take charge.
Be careful not to overdo your strengths. A Fixer might create problems that don’t exist.
Have your team take a FABS leadership assessment and share their findings for better collaboration.

[email protected]

instagram.com/mamieks