285: How to take initiative

". . . but what I do doesn't matter . . ." Regular listeners know I can't stand this phrase. If you're like most people, you want to act on the environment. You want to make sure you make a difference and fear wasting your time or doing pointless work. I felt that way before I started the path that led to this podcast. Taking initiative overcame it. I wrote my book, Initiative, on taking initiative based on the course I've taught at corporations and NYU to stellar student reviews and videos. If you want to make a difference on…

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A simple, genius way media can lead on the environment

  • Post category:Leadership

You know how Hollywood and other media can lead people on the environment? They can write characters that act environmentally as a matter of course--that is, without calling attention to it. Not to make an environmental superhero or character that makes a big deal about it. Make characters eat sustainably, put sweaters on in the winter, bring bags shopping, take public transit, choose to vacation close to home, and things like that. Making it showy, I suspect would make the effect preachy. Making it normal, I expect would lead people to feel times have changed. It may sound small, but…

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My keynote at Sustainology 2019 (video)

I gave the lead off keynote talk at the 9th annual Sustainology, hosted by the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce at Citi's headquarters in Tribeca, Manhattan on November 12, 2019. 12 Nov. 2019 New York NY USA Sustainology Summit 201912 Nov. 2019 New York NY USA Sustainology Summit 201912 Nov. 2019 New York NY USA Sustainology Summit 201912 Nov. 2019 New York NY USA Sustainology Summit 2019 Sustainology's mission “An Impact Unicorn is a disruptive company impacting over 1 billion people”Let’s measure the success of unicorn companies through impact instead of dollars! In a single day, ‘Sustainology Summit – One…

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Hear me on The Professional podcast with Gary Roth

Gary Roth invited me to a conversation with him for his podcast, The Professional Podcast. Even if you've heard me on other people's podcasts, you'll hear how my messages on leadership and environmental leadership are evolving. First, here's the conversation (or click for his site) https://anchor.fm/theprofessionalpodcast/episodes/Episode-17-Interview-with-Joshua-Spodek-e9vkoi About The Professional Podcast The Professional Podcast is dedicated to becoming the best at what you do. It's about being the best at work, at home, at a party or on the field. We're going tackle the things that few people talk about. Topics like self-education, etiquette and relationship building will be explored in…

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See me on Magamedia.org for one of my favorite interviews, “A Different Look at Climate Change”

Yes, that's Maga as in Donald Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again," and yes, I consider it one of my favorite interviews. To clarify, we spoke about the environment more generally than just climate. Watch and listen to our conversation Magamedia.org's other articles on climate criticize Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Al Gore, Greta Thunberg, the Green New Deal, and others. One article calls climate change: a hoax, folks. It is a get rich scam for politicians that liberals have fallen for. Of course scientists say it is a problem. Trillions of dollars moving to their industry is at stake. Of course they…

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Stumbling to leadership

  • Post category:Leadership

Returning from speaking on environmental leadership where, while some pushed back and expressed skepticism, the organizers invited me back to speak again and most who approached me after said they found it inspirational, thought-provoking, and the like, I'm reminded of my first talks on leadership. About six months before launching the podcast, I gave a series of talks at NYU. Several told me they didn't like my message, they tuned out, they felt I was lecturing, and nobody invited me back. I wanted to give up many times at the beginning. Motivating people seemed pointless. I wondered: Why waste my…

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Hear me on the Leadership Happy Hour with USN Lt. Commander Chip Lutz

First, a few words about the man who hosted me on this wonderful podcast. From his about page: Lieutenant Commander Chip Lutz, USN(Ret), MSEd, CSP, is the President and founder of Unconventional Leader, LLC and has 30 years of solid leadership experience. A retired Navy Officer, he has had two command tours and also served as the Director of Security for Naval District Washington, DC during September 11th 2001.  In that capacity,  he was responsible for the safety and security of 25,000 people on 6 different Naval Installations in the National Capital Region during one of our Nations most trying…

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Oprah, how obesity spreads, and the environment

How obesity spreads You probably heard about a 2007 New England Journal of Medicine study, The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network Over 32 Years, implying that Obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus, according to researchers. When one person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight too as the New York Times stated in, Obesity spreads to friends, study concludes. It continued: people were most likely to become obese when a friend became obese. That increased one's chances of becoming obese by 57 percent.There was no effect when a neighbor gained or…

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My second TEDx talk, “What everyone gets wrong about the environment” and how to get it right

I am deeply grateful to the TEDxWaltham team for inviting me and hosting the event, October 5, 2019. https://youtu.be/sTYiHr1lu10 Here's the blurb: Josh shares his remarkable, radical, personal journey to more sustainable living -- away from a standard American diet (and life) to his vegan, nearly package-free diet and away from a jet-setting lifestyle to not flying for 4.5 years and counting -- and his profound discovery of a common misconception about acting on environmental values that can help each help each of us live more sustainably and enjoy it.Joshua Spodek PhD MBA is the bestselling author of Leadership Step…

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Dr. Pelè hosted me on the I GOT HAPPY podcast!

Dr. Pelè is a bestselling author, musician, and host of the I GOT HAPPY Podcast, where he features the stories of highly successful executives, experts, and entrepreneurs. He is the Bestselling Author of Big-Ticket Clients: You Can’t Catch A Whale With A Worm. Click to listen to our conversation at his page or click to watch the video below First, check out his page, listen to his music, read his story, and see how and why he's spreading so much happiness. Next, see my episode, which features a few stories of mine, plus a happy mood. https://youtu.be/pDV5QY3rq8g The show notes…

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Differences between management and leadership

I may have written these views before, but I find they boil management, leadership, and their differences to their essence, so if I'm repeating myself, I think they're worth it. Effective management results in compliance. Effective leadership results in inspiration. Leaders without management skills are often dreamers who don't get things done. Management without leadership is the DMV. If you want an engineer to sell, you can promise all the bonus pay you want, you can rarely manage an engineer into becoming a salesperson. Show that engineer how what you're selling delivers on something he or she feels passionate about…

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My third Hidden Why, with Leigh Martinuzzi

The best conversations and podcast episodes come from friends and experienced conversationalists. Leigh and I have recorded enough together to become friends, though he's in Australia. Today he released our third conversation on his podcast, the Hidden Why (our past episodes). We covered environmental leadership and initiative. I recommend listening. Leigh is an expert, experienced interviewer. He plogs too. His show notes: Welcome back, Josh. This is my third time having Josh on the podcast. I find him absolutely fascinating and inspired by how well he aligns his life with his values. In this interview, I speak with Josh again…

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TEDx talk #2! . . . three chances to see it live

EDIT (11/7/19): The posted the talk: https://youtu.be/sTYiHr1lu10 Now back to my original post: Hello all, I'm pleased to announce my second TEDx talk: TEDxWaltham! This TEDx theme is Going Places. I proposed speaking on not flying and they went for it. It's really about joy, but I'm sworn to secrecy beyond that. I'm enthusiastic to go in a contrarian direction. Who knows, maybe karma I created helped lead to Greta sailing here from Europe. I'd love to involve you so here are 3 chances to see it live. The TEDx event in Waltham, MA, outside Boston, October 5 (details and…

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Why Greta Thunberg is the Leader of the Future

Read my post in Thrive Global following my speaking to her briefly when her boat docked a week and a half ago, then seeing her speak with Naomi Klein last night at an event hosted by The Intercept. Here she is at the event: Yes, my camera phone is the world's crappiest. EDIT: Here's the event. Naomi Klein begins introducing her at 36:38 and Greta begins speaking at 42:45. https://youtu.be/Vw58ckJdDmI?t=2197

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Does Personal Action Matter?

If you don't think personal action makes a difference on big things like elections or the environment, try looking at it this way. I'll put it in terms of the environment, but it applies to diet, voting, self-expression, and more. Many people do many things against their environmental values. Not just in general, but many times daily. They buy packaged food, they eat packaged food several times daily. They drive places they could walk, ride, or take public transit. They buy more stuff than they need. They let food spoil and throw it away. They contort their values and self-image…

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My take on “Google, YouTube To Pay $170 Million Penalty Over Collecting Kids’ Personal Info”

Maybe you saw the headlines that Google and YouTube had to pay a fine, paltry for them, for collecting kids' personal information. From the headline, I didn't think it seemed like such a big deal, as much as I value privacy, as much as I avoid Google, and as much as I value protecting helpless people from predatory entities. But reading the article, I saw how much they used the information to promote and enrich themselves. I couldn't help sharing here what I posted on a message board on the topic: Their meetings must be like Phillip Morris or whatever…

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My first time holding a Nobel Prize

  • Post category:Leadership

I ran into my podcast guest who lives near me and has a Nobel Prize and he happened to have it with him. He didn't have it when he came over to record and for my famous no-packaging vegetable stew, so I hadn't seen it. So there we were on Sixth Avenue, people walking by not realizing we were holding a genuine Nobel Prize. On the podcast I asked him if he ever wore it. He pointed out, as you can see, it's different than an Olympic medal. You don't wear it. It's also not gold. At least it felt…

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The Company I Co-Founded Locked Me Out of the Office

Hear me share on Paul Smith's Lead With a Story podcast how the company I co-founded, Submedia, locked me out of the office as the final nail of ousting me. More precisely, after ousting me from the CEO position, owing to Submedia's running out of money -- I won't argue it being a fair reason to switch CEOs -- the new team moved offices and didn't give me a key to the new one. There's more to the story and it took me over a decade to share it openly, to the extent I can share it. Paul Smith brought…

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Hear me on Guiding You Through the Maze with Lisa Lentino

Lisa Lentino hosts the Guiding You Through the Maze podcast and runs The Coaching Connector, which connects people looking for coaching with coaches and gives resources for both. For example, she recently posted an interview with friend, mentor, and podcast guest Marshall Goldsmith. From Marshall, Lisa moved to me and hosted a conversation on learning to lead. If your career or life isn't at its potential and you know you're capable of more, you'll value the conversation. Click to hear our conversation. From the show notes: Leading with passion is not as easy as it seems, which is why aspiring…

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Hear me on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast

Want to lead people so they want you to lead them again? To take initiative effectively? Many people ask counterproductive questions, like "How should I do X?", "How do I convince someone to do Y?", or "What do I need to know to become a leader?" The most effective question is "How do I learn to lead?", or in entrepreneurship and taking initiative, "How do I learn to take initiative?" Leadership doesn't come from knowing more information or facts, nor from a one-time action, nor from convincing people. It comes from practice. By focusing on how to learn to lead,…

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Your Daily Environment 007: Greta Thunberg to sail the Atlantic, July 31, 2019

A friend emailed that Greta Thunberg will sail across the Atlantic. This is Leadership. Anyone could have done it first. I've been trying to sail. She got invited. Everyone who says flying is necessary or that they can't avoid it. . . well, she put the lie to that excuse. If she's achieving her goals more by not flying, what's out there for the rest of us to do next? Can you lead your family similarly? Can you find the joy in sailing? In eating locally? In avoiding packaging? https://youtu.be/e1ntySDJBLY

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Living by your values promotes innovation (if it helps)

  • Post category:Leadership

I keep seeing the opinion that regulation stifles creativity and innovation. Searching on "regulation stifles innovation" returns plenty of hits. I'm not a historian or economist, so please show me if I'm missing anything, but I find the opposite. My big example is cars. Today we value safety, efficiency, and durability. Actually, I think most buyers always valued those things. In the 60s, the U.S. car industry largely ignored those values in favor of chrome, tail fins, cushy rides, and acceleration, even when it made cars less safe, efficient, and durable. Why did car companies change? Unsafe At Any Speed…

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What Putin wants

  • Post category:Leadership

It's obvious but I haven't seen it clearly stated enough to make its consequence obvious. As far as I know, everyone who knows the details says the Russians are deliberately influencing U.S. elections and that Putin is leading the effort in some way. What does Putin want? People answer various ways. The clearest answer seems: Putin wants a weaker United States. Corollary: Putin wanting a weaker U.S. suggests that he will back candidates who will weaken the nation. In other words, evidence suggests that Putin considers Donald Trump weaker than Hillary Clinton, or worse for the nation. Donald Trump seems…

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The environmental revolution begins here, with the Noetic podcast with Jared Angaza

I met Jared Angaza appearing on each other's podcast a couple years ago. We became great friends at first only online. I met him in person for the first time in San Diego in November after I attended the Summit in Los Angeles. We "broke bread" together by cooking a couple loads of my famous no-packaging vegetable stew for his family and a few of his family groups---about twenty people. Yesterday he posted our conversation on environmental leadership. We summarized my strategy and vision that my podcast and TEDx talk are the start of. Here's the conversation: two guys who…

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