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So, I have this buddy named Spike Jones. Pretty smart dude. And in April when we were having lunch a few hours before my workshop, we got talking about the topic of identity. “Well, what about you, Scott?” he asked. “What’s under YOUR fingernails?” A chill ran down my spine. Wow. What a question. What a thought. I’ll never forget the feeling of allowing those four words to profoundly…

Growing bigger ears is about listening to others, listening to the world, and of course, listening to YOURSELF. Today we’re going to focus on the latter. Here are four practices to help you listen to yourself more effectively. 1. TAKE WALKS … with yourself. Also known as “moving meditation,” taking a walk is a perfect way to enlist your truest, most important thoughts. Walking clears your mind, stabilizes your…

You don’t need a Masters. You don’t need a PhD. In fact, you don’t need ANY acronyms, letters or designations after your last name. You need experience(s). That’s what people trust. That’s what people relate to. That’s what people use to judge you. That’s what people validate your expertise by. That’s what people measure your credibility by. I think IBM pioneer Tom Watson said it best, “Good judgment comes…

YES, YOU SHOULD INTERRUPT SOMEONE… o If she’s gotten off track o If you need elaboration o If you need clarification o If a boundary has been violated o If she’s made a gross assumption o If she’s said something out of line o If you are unable to effectively listen anymore o If you have a personal emergency o If the other person is going too fast o…

It’s incredibly convenient to observe someone’s inappropriate behavior and immediately pass judgment on that person. Man, that guy is really being rude to the waitress… I can’t believe that woman just said that to her daughter! How could she be so inconsiderate of the people around her? See, our egos LOVE this stuff because these silent dialogues immediately make us feel superior to the people around us. Ironically, pointing…

THREE WORDS OF ADVICE: Return calls faster. Calls meaning calls. Calls meaning emails. Calls meaning text messages. Calls meaning any other form of instant communication. We HAVE the technology. And it’s not like it takes a lot of time. So, make it your new goal to return calls faster. Within reason, that is. Obviously, you can’t immediately address EVERY single attention magnet that crosses your path. But when you…

Creative solutions. Famous inventions. Groundbreaking innovations. All of these bright ideas hinge on your ability to complete the following sentence: I wish there was a/an (X) so I wouldn’t have to (Y)! I call this The Ultimate Dream Statement™, or UDS for short. And it (might) be the most important idea an entrepreneur could entertain. Let’s explore the two elements within: 1. I WISH THERE WAS A/AN (X)… So,…

In the first post of this series, we explored a list of things, forces, people and situations to “actively listen to” so you could grow your creative practice. In the second post, we explored a list of things NOT to listen to for maximum creative output. In this third and final post on creativity as active listening, I wanted to share a few observations from my own creative practice,…

My parents’ favorite childhood tale to tell – mainly to embarrass me, I assume – is called “The Hand Raiser.” (Apparently) when I was four years old, my folks used to watch my pre-school class through a one-way mirror. The school I attended provided an Observation Room so parents could observe their kids completely without distracting students or teachers. Ultimately, the goal was to present them with a clear…