Videos and a short history of my invention and Submedia, the company I co-founded in 1999

Ten or fifteen years ago most people knew me through Submedia, the company I co-founded to market I technology I conceived of in 1996. My invention The technology was a display we'd install on subway tunnel walls that looked to riders between stations like a movie screen outside the subway car windows. From a business perspective, we were a billboard company: we installed the displays at our cost, sold media to advertisers who wanted large audiences, and shared revenue with our landlords---transit agencies. From a technological perspective we created a new medium that reached people where no one had before,…

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An ideal year’s outcome

A recent workshop I attended had me write my dream of a "Year of Opportunity"---that is, what I'd like to make happen if I achieved everything I could. Normally we don't share our greatest hopes and expectations since they enable others to judge us---for dreaming too much, for being unrealistic, for thinking too much of ourselves, for not achieving our dreams, and so on. So what? I'm going to share anyway. It's mostly about the podcast I'm working on, Leadership and the Environment, as the start of a movement to change mainstream beliefs and behaviors so people want to lower…

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On the Schmooze with Robbie Samuels

Robbie Samuels hosts the On the Schmooze podcast and today he released his conversation with me, "Leadership Through Living." I love that, unlike many podcasters, he enjoys the conversation and has fun, not just asks questions. Listen to the conversation Listen to the conversation Robbie's show notes: Today’s guest is an “astrophysicist turned new media whiz” who has earned five Ivy League degrees and holds six patents. He helped build an X-ray observational satellite for NASA, and has co-founded and led several ventures. A serious athlete, he has completed six marathons and competed at the World and National level of…

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The massive power of habitually doing what you don’t have to do: The Ziglar Show interview

An early memory is of my mother, when she moved into sales and more entrepreneurship, having Zig Ziglar books. This was the late 70s. I was in grade school and knew nothing of business or this guy, except his memorable name. I'm pleased to announce that the Ziglar show, featuring Zig Ziglar's son Tom and Kevin Miller posted an interview of me, "The massive power of habitually doing what you don’t have to do." Tom and Kevin make a positive and inquisitive team that led to a wonderful conversation. Kevin, in particular, recognized the value of sidchas, so we talked…

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How to Create Real Change: Smashing the Plateau with David Shriner-Cahn

David Shriner-Cahn hosts the Smashing the Plateau podcast and today he released our conversation, "How to Create Real Change." As fellow New Yorkers, David and I have met in person many times since my first time on his show, including at events he's organized through his firm, TEND Strategic Partners, which helps small firms and entrepreneurs advance. Being friends makes the conversation more open and friendly. I talk more about developing my upcoming podcast, Leadership and the Environment. Listen to the conversation Here are the show notes: Today we welcome back Joshua Spodek, founder of Spodek Academy and bestselling author…

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Lead Yourself Before Blaming Scientists for Not Solving Global Warming

My Inc. article today, "Lead Yourself Before Blaming Scientists for Not Solving Global Warming," began Lead Yourself Before Blaming Scientists for Not Solving Global Warming Everyone is quick to point fingers. We're less quick to take responsibility, but that's what leaders do. Leaders take responsibility. We know the futility of blaming others, however much we indulge in doing so. We can't change the past. We can, however, act in the present. A leadership and business perspective can help a lot in climate change, and I don't mean by promoting technical innovation. Twice in the past two days, and many times…

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The environment: Little things matter but NOT because they add up

The internet is filled with "10 tips to lower your carbon footprint" and "21 easy ways to help the environment." Here's a screen shot: There are too many pages of them to count. They aren't working. Sure, some people might change a light bulb or two, but greenhouse gas levels aren't decreasing, nor is pollution, nor resource depletion. The number one problem with "little tips" People say enough little things add up to big differences. When the people leading others to consume fossil fuels wantonly are the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump, the measure of change is against their results…

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Leadership & The Environment. How to Align Your Life With Your Values & Live Purposefully

In June, Leigh Martinuzzi, host of the Hidden Why podcast, gave me a break/kick-in-the-butt to record my first audio in “My first guest “host” on a podcast: The Hidden Why, by Leigh Martinuzzi.” We met online. Talking about podcasts, I thought he might have me as a guest. Instead he suggested I record a solo message. I was anxious to fly solo, but did, despite taking weeks to record. It got me over the hump of taking initiative, leading, in part, to my starting my Leadership and the Environment podcast. Thank you, Leigh! Listen to the new recording. We’ve since…

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Using Emotions As a Leadership Essential

Joan Sotkin hosts The Prosperity Show podcast and today posted "Using Emotions As a Leadership Essential," her conversation with me. The show's subtitle is A holistic approach to business and financial success, which is what we covered: business from a holistic perspective---about emotions, motivations, learning, and more. It's what she covers in general, without getting ethereal or too theoretical. As a bonus you get to hear birds chirping in the background since I was at in the yard. Listen to the conversation. Here are the show notes: Joshua Spodek, bestselling author of Leadership Step by Step, is an Adjunct Professor…

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Your Employees Are Telling You How to Lead Them. Here’s How to Listen.

My post on Inc. Thursday "Your Employees Are Telling You How to Lead Them. Here's How to Listen.," began Your Employees Are Telling You How to Lead Them. Here's How to Listen. People want you to lead them effectively. Here's how to practice listening. Would you like your teammates and employees to tell you how to lead them? They're already doing it. You were probably too busy focusing on yourself, believing leadership was about you, to see. I teach and coach leadership. This point is so subtle that most clients and students take a few times to "get" it. Then they realize how obvious it is despite…

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Reviews and reflections from guest speaking recently

I recently guest hosted an online seminar for Park Howell's course in the Executive Masters of Sustainability Leadership program at ASU. The student reviews and reflections touched and inspired me. I can't help sharing them. I described and performed one exercise from my Leadership Step by Step book and course. You can imagine that if these results come from one session, how much doing all the exercises in the book or course would give. Enough from me. Here are the students. I thoroughly enjoyed Joshua Spodek’s perspective and angle he took to engage through experience to train leaders. I purchased…

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The Difference Between Leadership and Management

My Inc. post today "The Difference Between Leadership and Management," begins The Difference Between Leadership and Management A common question with a simple answer that will help you with each As a professor of leadership and management and author of a bestselling leadership book, I get asked a lot What's the difference between leadership and management? Everyone gets that each is important. Most people get that they overlap a lot. Not many people can clarify the difference or why it matters. Hence people find themselves leading when managing would get the results they want and vice versa. It's like the…

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Last chance to improve your coaching with free admission to the premier online coaching summit for two readers!

Yesterday I announced that I'm offering two free passes to my readers for the premier online coaching summit---World Business and Executive Coach Summit (WBECS) online summit---which starts TOMORROW. If you're interested in one of those passes, email me how it will help you help others. Please make the subject "Spodek WBECS". I'll pick two people at random today who are subscribed to my newsletter (my page has subscription forms). A random drawing seems the most fair way to me. Click here to learn why WBECS is so awesome (hint: it's mostly the speakers, both quality and quantity). About WBECS: With…

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Want to improve your coaching? I’m offering free admission to the premier online coaching summit for two readers!

In June and July, I posted videos from my participating in the premier online coaching summit: World Business and Executive Coach Summit (WBECS) online summit. They were part of the pre-conference. I'm in touch with the organizers and scored two passes for the full summit, which starts THURSDAY, and I'm offering these free passes to my readers. If you're interested in one of those passes, email me how it will help you help others. Please make the subject "Spodek WBECS". I'll pick two people at random tomorrow at 5pm who are subscribed to my newsletter (my page has subscription forms).…

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Google Revealed Donald Trump’s Favorite Words

My post the other day on LinkedIn, "Google Revealed Donald Trump's Favorite Words," began In leadership, words matter. Leaders care about the people they lead and results, which often means caring about others' interests ahead of their own, even when they disagree. Leaders know others will always have some different values. The challenge is to lead without getting mired in conflict. The most effective leaders influence the people they disagree with most. Consider Nelson Mandela negotiating with the presidents of Apartheid South Africa, Vaclav Havel influencing the authoritarian leaders of Czechoslovakia to resign, or Gandhi negotiating with the King of England. Consider Americans' response to the…

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If I led in the environment and no one knew my name, what change I created would be my legacy?

Following up Dov Baron's questions from yesterday and the day before, the next and last question he recommend me answering was Question: If I led in the environment and no one knew my name, what change I created would be my legacy? Listen to the conversation (on iTunes) My answer: My legacy would be that people will view changing their behavior to reduce their pollution, greenhouse emissions, resource depletion, and the like as joyful fun opportunities for personal growth that they wish they did earlier. This perspective would change for most people from seeing such changes as deprivation, sacrifice, and pointless.…

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What could make me give up leading in the environment?

Following up yesterday's advice from Dov Baron to answer the 5 whys, the next question he recommend me answering was what could make me give up leading in the environment. Listen to the conversation (on iTunes) My first answer is if people changed their behaviors enough that the work was unnecessary. Since the overwhelmingly most common behavior people show when I prompt them to think about changing their behavior is to justify why they shouldn't change, I don't see this change happening without significant leadership. Frankly, I'm disheartened by how much people put their interests ahead of everyone else's... how much…

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Read to Lead’s Jeff Brown’s interview on Leadership Step by Step

Award winning former radio host for 26 years, Jeff Brown hosts the #3 ranked Read to Lead podcast. His experience and passion show in his interview, as well as his research into my book and the field. He posted the interview today. Here's a highlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4XFSA9ihsg Listen to the interview Listen to the interview Here are the show notes: There is no shortage of books that talk about leadership. Few, though, actually help you learn how to lead. Fortunately for you and me, our guest today has not only taken on the challenge of solving this problem, he’s done so…

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Did Donald Trump Destroy Godwin’s Law?

  • Post category:Leadership

My post on Medium yesterday, "Did Donald Trump Destroy Godwin’s Law?," began Did Donald Trump Destroy Godwin’s Law? As a nerd who values old school internet memes, I value Godwin’s Law — an internet staple since 1990, that as online discussions grow, people become more likely to compare the other side to Hitler. Its meaning and poignancy rests on the accusation having no basis. What if the accusation had basis? Godwin’s Law is poignant and meaningful because it reveals how people lose perspective amid the anonymity the internet gives them and their counter party. No matter how much you dislike someone who disagrees…

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What If the CDC Normalized Activity Instead of Inactivity?

My post on LinkedIn today, "What If the CDC Normalized Activity Instead of Inactivity?," begins What If the CDC Normalized Activity Instead of Inactivity? This post is about my great passion, leadership—in particular, how beliefs, mental models, and words motivate and influence. I also care a lot about: fitness. America's normalization of sedentary lifestyles Inactivity and diseases of excess are so prevalent in the U.S. that even the Centers for Disease Control's Benefits of Physical Activity page treats inactivity as normal and activity as something to go out of your way for. I find that perspective discouraging so I edited the text to normalize activity instead. Click the CDC page for the original. Read…

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The Creative Warriors podcast interview

Jeffrey Shaw hosts the Creative Warriors podcast and he just posted our interview. I enjoyed the interview a lot. He listened and asked meaningful questions that gave me a chance to share on leadership, learning, vulnerability, and more. Listen to the interview Listen to the interview Here are the show notes: When you think of a good leader, what do you think of? A good leader is someone who really knows the people that are following them. The people who follow them also know all about the leader. There needs to be a strong level of empathy. People need that…

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I predict Donald Trump will have a Richard III moment

A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! I predict that Donald Trump will, as president, find himself without allies, under attack, and bewildered, lashing out, realizing he's run out of anything to offer anyone. This will come after he's surrounded by sycophants, maybe family, abandoned by anyone who could get anything from him. Without having supported anyone who would help him for reasons other than what he offers and with no way to advance or to offer in a transaction, no one will help him out of empathy or compassion. I hope the others will act in the…

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Another word English is missing

  • Post category:Leadership

The word leadership is a fine word that describes a practice of influence, persuasion, strategy, vision, and all of what you think it means. It doesn't describe what I teach. It's the closest I've come across, but it's off. The biggest problem is that leadership, in today's world, implies business more than what I teach. Business is just one application. I teach the social and emotional skills underlying the ability to lead oneself and others---skills like empathy, compassion, listening, creating meaning, value, importance, purpose, and passion for themselves and others, responsibility, influence, persuasion, and such. Business isn't essential, nor non-profits,…

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What to Learn from Google’s Missing Leadership on the Diversity Memo

  • Post category:Leadership

My post on LinkedIn yesterday, "What to Learn from Google's Missing Leadership on the Diversity Memo," has 683 upvotes so far. It begins What to Learn from Google's Missing Leadership on the Diversity Memo When I was in graduate school, my university, Columbia, was considering changing its policy on allowing ROTC on campus. The university president, Lee Bollinger, scheduled a town hall to hear views from the community. Young, self-righteous, and angry, I went, intending to let Bollinger have a piece of my mind: how could he consider changing a policy students fought so hard to establish, that has stood so long?!? At…

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