My courses will lead students to leave traditional, lecture-based universities — to greater success and reward

I loved university. Studying physics, universities are about the only places to learn it. I value university for many things. They do a lot of valuable things better than any other institution or alternatives---the hard sciences, for example. It's not right for everyone and it does some things terribly. Places other than universities do some non-academic activities so much better than school. Experiential learning---how I teach leadership, entrepreneurship, sales, and hustling---is so much more effective at teaching leadership, entrepreneurship, sales, and hustling, than traditional, lecture-based education, that you could consider the latter counterproductive. Moreover, experiential courses where students create major…

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My Inc. post: Trump: Why Voters Love Him and What You Can Learn From Him (Even If You Hate Him)

My Inc. post today, "Trump: Why Voters Love Him and What You Can Learn From Him (Even If You Hate Him)," begins Trump: Why Voters Love Him and What You Can Learn From Him (Even If You Hate Him) Love him or hate him, he's effective at something and you can learn what works from his technique. An example confusing people trying to understand Donald Trump: the picture above shows him speaking on Pearl Harbor Day, yet he "dodged Vietnam War through medical deferment, not high draft number as he claimed." He's belligerent and hawkish yet has a "history as dove." Still he…

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Want to run leaner? Waste less. Literally: produce less waste.

The videos below aren't glamorous. They're about trash---regular household trash. Our world is swimming in garbage. The business world is obsessed with reducing waste and improving efficiency, but only for what it accounts for, which rarely includes actual physical waste, which taxpayers pay for carting away to landfills, where it slowly seeps out to the ecosphere. Most of us wish businesses were held accountable for other forms of waste, like pollution. How about you and your personal waste? Do you hold yourself accountable for your waste? Most people, when asked to account for their waste---how much they pollute---point out how…

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Know the problem to solve it

Entrepreneurs solve problems. So do leaders. If you don't understand the problem, you won't know how to solve it. If you want help from others, if you don't understand the problem, you'll lead people to give you useless advice. People feel like solutions make them heroes, so they focus on what they consider solutions, but if you don't understand the problem from the perspective of people feeling it---that is, your potential customers---you can only solve it accidentally. Understanding the problem enables you to solve it. Einstein said if you gave him an hour to solve a problem he'd spend fifty-five…

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Why people fear failure. It’s not what you think.

I hear people talk about how much people fear failure, but also that you have to learn to handle failure. They talk about it like it's abstract---just not achieving a goal you want to. Like if you want to start a business and you end up not making money. Or you want to achieve some other goal and don't. We don't like not achieving goals, but we don't fear such abstraction. Humans have no inborn fear of not making money that we wanted to. We fear how not achieving our goals makes us feel. We've been made fun of, laughed…

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Learn Feedforward with me in London, Monday March 14!

Want to learn and practice one of the most effective leadership techniques? Then join me for a workshop, Monday, March 14th at 6:30pm. Click here to register! I look forward to seeing you there. From the announcement: Feedforward by Professor Joshua Spodek Interesting Talks is incredibly excited to welcome Joshua Spodek. Joshua is professor at New York University and is visiting London. We are lucky enough to have him speak at our group. This will set out FAST! We are truly honoured to have a speaker of this stature visit our group. Feedforward by Professor Joshua Spodek  What if you could…

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Video: How to Make Meaningful Connections

Here is the video from Sunday's webinar on How to Make Meaningful Connections, which, as I describe in it and you'll find if you practice the exercise in it, is about how to develop compassion. The exercise in this webinar teaches some of the most valuable skills you can learn about relationships. Every leader I've ever heard talk about compassion describes it as critical, up there with empathy and self-awareness. Scratch that. Every successful person, not just leaders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9h3gNZ3rl4 If you want your questions answered, attend the webinars or contact me. By the way, I'm still getting to the questions…

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Video: The Worst Problem in the World

I've shown this representation of what I call The Worst Problem in the World at many seminars. I wrote about it about five years ago. Now you can see the video. Watch all the way through to see some solutions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUycXlo4OX8 Take my course if you want to get beyond it and resolve it in your life, mainly by doing the exercises in it to develop compassion and empathy.

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Webinar: How to Make Meaningful Connections, Sunday 1pm EST

After teaching, coaching, studying, and practicing leadership for twenty years, I announced my online leadership course, “Introducing the most effective leadership course available anywhere.” I’m hosting a series of free webinars on the most actionable, useful, effective, and exciting parts of the course. My webinars will always deliver exclusive, valuable lessons you can use that day and how to build for the long term. Attend my fourth webinar, free, this Sunday, March 6, 1pm Eastern Standard Time! All you need is an internet connection. How to Make Meaningful Connections If you want to lead or influence others in business and…

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Question to readers: what is your number one question about leadership?

  • Post category:Leadership

Readers, I write on leadership, generally along my interests. I would love to write along your interests---if only I know them. Would you please share your main question about leadership? Please click here if the poll below doesn't show. It's only one question. (If you don't see the "Done" button, scroll down in the poll) Create your own user feedback survey Thank you, Josh

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My bold next stages

Emails to great, long-time friends you don't see that often give you the chance to reflect on longer stages than normal and to put together thoughts more complex than you think daily. I wrote the following to one such friend, capturing the change my change in focus and direction following my increased confidence in my courses as I've seen hundreds of people succeed in them. Some of it feels over the top, but I believe having bold goals helps you achieve them. The email: At long last, I'm switching from developing my material to promoting and selling it. I held…

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Webinar: Self-Imposed Daily Challenging Activities, Saturday 1pm EST

After teaching, coaching, studying, and practicing leadership for twenty years, I announced my online leadership course, “Introducing the most effective leadership course available anywhere.” I’m hosting a series of free webinars on the most actionable, useful, effective, and exciting parts of the course. My webinars will always deliver exclusive, valuable lessons you can use that day and how to build for the long term. Attend my third webinar, free, this Saturday, February 27, 1pm Eastern Standard Time! All you need is an internet connection. SIDCHAs: Self-Imposed Daily Challenging Healthy Activities If you read my blog you know about SIDCHAs. Learn…

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Video: Integrity means considering the results of your actions on other people

The forecast for the day after tomorrow in New York City, for mid-February, is 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14.5 C)---beyond unseasonably warm, especially after a 72 degree Christmas Eve (!!), followed by the hottest month for the planet recorded relative to normal. You know the signs we're beyond the possibility of climate change. We're in it. My version of leadership means taking responsibility for your actions and their effects on others---all the effects, not just the ones you want. However much you think pollutions happens mostly from others, not you, you contribute to it. Which means you can change your behavior…

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How to Decide Without Regret in business and life

After teaching, coaching, studying, and practicing leadership for twenty years, I announced my online leadership course, “Introducing the most effective leadership course available anywhere.” I’m hosting a series of free webinars on the most actionable, useful, effective, and exciting parts of the course. My webinars will always deliver exclusive, valuable lessons you can use that day and how to build for the long term. Attend my second webinar, free, this Sunday, February 14, 1pm Eastern Standard Time! All you need is an internet connection. How to Decide Without Regret ... in business and life Click to register! From the registration…

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Another problem with traditional education: Employers are disappointed by traditionally educated students

I've written "Why I avoid lecturing when I lead and teach", asked "Does lecturing turn schools into prisons?", and discussed "How lecturing is the opposite of how we learn". As if those reasons weren't enough, the most-credentialed students that traditional education produces disappoint employers in areas where jobs. This video of the director and producer of a documentary on project-based learning shows what they learned from people who hire at top Silicon Valley companies don't value credentials of traditional education. https://joshuaspodek.com/mlts_interview Compare these outcomes with the student voices from my last course, “This is one of the greatest classes I…

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Video: Three Leadership Secrets You’ll Never Learn Reading A Book

I just finished my first webinar, "Three Leadership Secrets You'll Never Learn Reading A Book". Here is the recording of it for those interested but who couldn't make it. If you like what I write about and want more, contact me about what you want and I can tailor webinars to what people are looking for. I prefer to stick with topics I cover here but I'm flexible too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21a9_ih2Z4c From my first announcement the other day: Three Leadership Secrets You’ll Never Learn Reading A Book

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Inc.com Today: 2 Questions To Ask in Every Interview So They’ll Want You Back (Video)

My post today on Inc.com, “2 Questions To Ask in Every Interview So They'll Want You Back,” begins: Instead of trying to show off, making you look like a commodity, use these techniques to make interviews two-way conversations where they'll want you back. Isn't that what you want from an interview? If you want one thing most from an interview, you want the interviewer to want you back. If you want a second thing, you want to know if you want to work there--do you like the people, the culture, and everything else about working there. What not to do in…

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Three Leadership Secrets You’ll Never Learn Reading A Book

I've taught, coached, studied, and practiced leadership for twenty years. After announcing my online leadership course on my blog, "Introducing the most effective leadership course available anywhere," I'm hosting a series of webinars on the most actionable, useful, effective, and exciting parts of the course. My webinars will always deliver exclusive, valuable lessons you can use that day and how to build for the long term. Attend my first webinar, free, this Saturday, February 6, 1pm Eastern Standard Time! All you need is an internet connection. Three Leadership Secrets You'll Never Learn Reading A Book Click to register! From the…

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Introducing the most effective leadership course available anywhere

If you read this blog, you know I care about leadership and how to improve yours---in business, personal, family, and every other part of your life. I presume you do too. As much as you've learned from the blog, you can learn more from doing. If you want to improve because you're moving up the corporate ladder, just finished school, starting your own projects, or any other reason that you have to lead people and teams, developing leadership skills from practice will improve you most effectively. Anyone can improve their ability to lead, and the most effective improvement comes from…

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Inc.com Today: How to Build the Best Relationships With Both Leaders and Superiors

My post today on Inc.com, “How to Build the Best Relationships With Both Leaders and Superiors,” begins: Misunderstanding how we like helping others holds many back from building relationships with leaders and superiors. Getting their help can advance you. You get that meeting with that decision-maker/founder/CEO/titan/guru/expert who can make your project happen. You've dreamed of this chance for years. How do you interact with this person? If you're like most people, you treat them deferentially, meaning you show respect. You don't ask too much of them. After all, they're doing you a favor, right? I suggest avoiding this strategy, however natural…

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Inc.com Today: Why You Should Never Let Anyone Call You ‘Smart’ in Business

My post today on Inc.com, "Why You Should Never Let Anyone Call You 'Smart' in Business" begins: Intelligence is good so entrepreneurs should like being called smart, right? Wrong. People call you smart when you have nothing they care about more. Look at who doesn't care if you're smart in business: Customers value products and services that solve their problems. Employees want to pay their rent and enjoy their jobs. Suppliers want to get paid. But the big concern is investors. Read the rest at the site: Why You Should Never Let Anyone Call You 'Smart' in Business

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Two types of students?

I teach, but not how nearly all my teachers taught me. I teach experientially. I try to avoid lecturing. I try to include in the classroom the challenges life will challenge students with, not abstractions. Nearly all my students come from years of lecturing and abstract learning. I find two broad types of students. I don't think they're different types of people. I think they come from different types of backgrounds. The first type wants to learn about leadership or entrepreneurship. The second type wants to learn to do them. I spent most of my life and education in the…

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Speaking authentically, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, and Vietnam

Few prominent Americans spoke as authentically as Martin Luther King. Still, even after winning a Nobel Peace Prize, he struggled to speak out publicly against the Vietnam War after he privately came to oppose it. Today I'm sharing how Muhammad Ali led Martin Luther King, despite not being a statesman or politician. On the contrary, he simply spoke authentically---that is, without the filter many people use to keep from saying things they might regret. Ali had no relevant credentials. He only spoke with conviction. Even then he spoke simply, with nowhere near the depth or breadth that King later did.…

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“One of the greatest classes I have ever taken. It was engaging, thought provoking, challenging, and fun.”

I compiled feedback from students in the entrepreneurship class I taught at NYU last semester. Though the students were undergraduates, I taught basically the same exercises as I do with executives and seasoned executives, who get similar results. As much as my vanity would like to take credit for some of these reviews, more credit goes to the style of teaching I use---inquiry-driven project-based learning---and the people who developed it over the past century or so. I'm using what works. As you can tell, though the course was nominally about entrepreneurship, this active, experiential style also made it about responsibility,…

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