mentors

An Alternative to Pooled Ignorance

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what is wisdom?

There’s an old(er) guy at the coffee shop with whom I often indulge in solve-the-world’s-problems bull sessions.

He knows a lot about a lot of things, but as with any far-ranging morning chat with the boys, topics always come up that some or all of us know nothing about.

Most of us just bluff and offer our comments based on something we think we mighta heard somewhere.

The old guy often says “I really don’t know” and sits silently while we keep spouting off and pooling our ignorance.

But when he speaks, we all listen.

I consider him one of the wisest people I know.

Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash

Life, by the Decade

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The primary focus of each decade of life.Just got a crisp little email from my lifelong mentor Bobb Biehl.

He summarizes the focus of each decade of life as follows:

  • Childhood = Security
  • Teens = Self
  • 20’s = Survival
  • 30’s = Success
  • 40’s = Significance/Struggle
  • 50’s = Stride
  • 60’s = Strategic
  • 70’s = Succession
  • 80’s = Slippery
  • 90’s = Sleep

These one word summaries are the “normal” focus for each decade based on observations of thousands of people over forty years.

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Neil Patel vs Seth Godin

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Seth Godin vs Neil PatelTwo of the many people I follow in the marketing world are Seth Godin and Neil Patel.

Both are immensely successful and at the same time perfectly unique.

Neil’s blog is a vast catalogue of massive articles which delve deep into various aspects of marketing. They are full of infographics, statistics, examples, and sprinkled with ads, even fairly aggressive pop-ups, designed to get you into his orbit via an email subscription.

If you are interested in an marketing topic and Neil has a related article, you will get the 101, 201, 301 and sometimes 401 level all in one shot.

Here’s an example of one of his posts: http://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-write-data-driven-content/

I don’t know how often he posts, but it seems to be weekly, give or take. He also has a stack of videos and a podcast. His approach is to generate massive volumes of focused, in depth content.

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Best Self-Assessment Tool

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Best Self Assessment ToolOver the years I’ve taken two or three dozen different self-assessments, some of them multiple times. Leadership style, learning style, personality, strengths, DISC, Kolbe, Marketing DNA…

Many have helped me understand myself better and be more effective in different areas of life.

But one assessment stands out as the most helpful one I have ever done.

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You Need Mentors

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When we think of goal setting, life planning, personal vision- all those sorts of things- we often think about them in very personal, often private terms. And, in many ways these are very personal issues.

However, you may recall (assuming you have read it) that the last step of the last phase of the Release system was to Pick your Partners:

“Life is meant to be lived in community. You need to take responsibility for your own values and decisions and direction, but once your course is set, you need help to keep the habits to reach your goals and realize your dreams.” (page 131-32, Release)

The next few posts will dive into this important issue. To get your wheels turning, here are some questions to reflect on:

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