1: Sometimes, entrepreneur and author Dan Martell plays a little game with his coaching clients.

“It’s a mini-test disguised as a simple question,” he writes in his book Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire.

He sends a text: “Do you have time for a quick call in the next hour?”

How they answer gives Dan insight into how that coaching client is … continue reading

1: Imagine our goal is to raise $10 million.

Which is a better approach?  Would we rather solve 100 problems at $100,000 each?

Or, attempt to solve a single $30 million problem?

Dr. Alan Barnard, one of the world’s leading experts on constraint theory and decision-making, believes the second approach is a far better strategy.

Why?  “For multiple reasons,” Alan believes, as quoted by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy… continue reading

1: Imagine walking through a forest.  

“The diversity of trees you’ll see can be quite dazzling,” write McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.  

“Douglas fir, white pine, Aspen, red maple, and oak soar toward the sky, each individually competing with the others for sunlight and space.”

Is this true? Actually … continue reading

1: The 80/20 Rule or Pareto Principle tells us that 80 percent of our results come from 20 percent of our effort.

“Bluntly, 20 percent of our focus is producing 80 percent of our best and most desired results,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x.

And, “80 percent of our focus is producing a mere 20 percent or less of our best results, … continue reading

1: Carson Holmquist was a micro-manager.  

In 2012, when he was 26 years old, he co-founded Stream Logistics, a construction transportation company that provides transportation and logistics (i.e., trucks and trailers) for construction companies.

As CEO, under Carson’s leadership, from 2012 to 2017, the firm grew rapidly, going from 3 to 30 team members, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs … continue reading

“The only way to make our present better is by making our future bigger.” -Dan Sullivan

1: Marketing expert Joe Polish asked his mastermind group of entrepreneurs this question: “If you wanted to improve your profits by ten percent, how would you do it?” 

Each group member spent 10 minutes writing down their best answers, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs … continue reading

1: “Most people reach for just a little bit more—a promotion, a little more money, a new personal record,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less.

“Going for incremental progress is a 2x mindset,” the authors observe, “which at a fundamental level means we’re continuing or maintaining what we’re already doing.”

2x is a linear mindset.  … continue reading

1: Splat.  

A multiyear Research & Development project for the Dutch firm DSM‘s picture frame glass business had failed.

Here’s where things got interesting. 

DSM’s CEO Feike Sijbesma “had set up a ‘Hall of Failures’ where the company organized funerals for failed projects,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“The … continue reading

1: In 2014, Veronica Block called Comcast.   She wanted to cancel her internet service. 

“She was immediately transferred to a ‘customer retention’ representative who argued with her for ten minutes about why she wanted to cut off the service,” Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.

“Every time Veronica asked the representative to simply terminate the service, the rep argued with her,” Fred notes.  … continue reading

1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.

Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

One area where I am trying to get better is implementing what philosopher Brian Johnson calls the “PM Routine.”

Step one, Brian tells us, is to create a “bright line” … continue reading