In this episode I continue my interview with Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals and Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. If you happened to miss the first part of the interview, I definitely invite you to check that out as well.

In this episode Heidi shares insights on the difference between Be Good and Get Better Goals. Also, she addresses some myths regarding willpower, visualization, and positive thinking: topics that are often miserably mishandled in popular self-help books.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the evidence-based insights that Heidi brings to these topics. I highly recommend your next steps include getting a copy of her Harvard Business Review e-book single entitled Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. It's a very quick read and enormously practical. It's under $4 on Amazon in a Kindle format (and if you don't have a Kindle, you can download one on your computer or other device to read it).

For my premium subscribers, make sure to listen to your premium episode which includes free access to a planning worksheet to help you reach your goals this year. If you're not currently a Premium Subscriber, visit http://bit.ly/PremiumSubscribe to learn how to become one.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 24:39

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Starting a New Year

I admit it: I love the start of a new year. It's a time of new beginnings when we can take a fresh look at what we want to do differently this year. For some, it's setting New Year's resolutions. For others, it's just deciding that this will be the year that you'll do some things differently.

Budgets, projects, performance review cycles and many other things in life tend to reset again with a new year.

Of course, the truth is that we don't have to wait until January each year for setting new goals. Each week, even day, provides that opportunity. But the problem usually isn't having the opportunity to set goals. In fact, as you'll learn in this episode, the problem usually isn't having the information we need.

New Year's resolutions are famously forgotten by the time you listen to this podcast episode. In a similar fashion, goal setting is one thing but reaching our goals has a notoriously bad track record. Yet so much has been learned about what it takes to achieve our goals. There are proven, evidence-based insights that can help you reach your personal and professional goals this year. And they can also be applied to help you deliver your projects.

To help us do just that, I'm excited to share my interview with Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson. Heidi is the author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals and Nine Things Successful People Do Differently.

Additional Episode

My interview with Heidi is split between two episodes. Make sure to listen to the second portion where we cover additional practical insights to help us reach our goals this year. For my premium subscribers, you're extra coaching episode will be published along with the second half of the interview.

Join our Facebook Page

Please take a minute to stop by our podcast Facebook page! I invite you to Like it and the join the discussion.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 25:04

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The Gift That Keeps on Giving

This is a season when giving gifts takes center stage for most of us. Many of us have the gift of some time off before a new year begins. And when that new year gets into full swing, what is one of the biggest gifts you can give those you lead?

Creating environments where people love to work is a gift that keeps on giving. And my gift to you this Christmas is an interview with the co-author of one of the most respected business books of 2011. The book is entitled The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, and the author is Steven Kramer. I actually gave a copy of The Progress Principle as a Christmas gift to a close friend, and I recommend you get yourself a copy as well. Learn more about the book at their website http://www.progressprinciple.com.

You may also enjoy reading the article that Steve mentions in the interview regarding managers as heroes. You can find that on HBR's website at http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2011/07/in-a-comment-on-our.html.

Special Gift for You

Here's the special gift I mention in this episode. Between now and January 15, 2012, you can get a 50% discount on an Annual Premium Subscription to The People and Projects Podcast. Instead of the normal $97, you can get all the extra episodes with personalized coaching for only $48.50. If you're already a Premium Subscriber, you can buy one for a colleague or let them know about this offer as well! Learn more about Premium Subscriptions at http://www.peopleandprojectspodcast.com/index.php/premium-content.html. Use a coupon code of NEW-YEAR-2012 to get a full Annual Premium Subscription for half-off.

Join our Facebook Page

Please take a minute to stop by our podcast Facebook page! I invite you to Like it and the join the discussion.

Well, thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Make sure to check out our upcoming New Year's episode with author and goal expert Heidi Grant Halvorson. For all my listeners who are celebrating Christmas and Hannakuh, have a very relaxing and joy-filled holiday!

Total Duration 37:45

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P.S. Here's a video of co-author Teresa Amabile talking about The Progress Principle at TEDx.

OK, I'm starting with a Pop Quiz today so are you ready? Here we go....

LinkedIn is:

• A. For people trying to find a job.
• B. For people trying to fill a job opening.
• C. For accepting invitations from people who are connecting with you because they're trying to find a job!
• D. Probably for people like me but I just don't have the time.

Which option would you pick? The nice thing about this quiz is there's no single correct answer. LinkedIn and other social networking tools can be used in seemingly countless ways. But more often than not, I hear coaching clients and participants in workshops and keynotes tell me they know they should likely be investing more time learning and using LinkedIn. The problem is they just don't seem to have the time.

In this episode I'm going to share a conversation I had recently with Wayne Breitbarth, author of The Power Formula for Linkedin Success: Kick-start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search. Wayne is my favorite expert on LinkedIn and I know you'll enjoy his insights.

You can learn more about Wayne and his book at http://www.powerformula.net/. I strongly recommend you sign-up for Wayne's free newsletter with tips and tricks.

Free LinkedIn Webinar For Podcast Listeners

Here's a special offer for podcast listeners. You are cordially invited to a free webinar about LinkedIn that I'll be facilitating on Tuesday, December 20, 2011. The one-hour session is entitled LinkedIn Essentials. If you want to start the next year with a more strategic approach to using LinkedIn, join me for this free webinar. Here's a link to register: https://i-lead.pgimeet.com/attendee/RegisterLogin.aspx?hubconfID=1192095&qtID=1&act=reg

Join our Facebook Page

Please take a minute to stop by our podcast Facebook page! I invite you to Like it and the join the discussion.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 27:26

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I'm recording this on the road in Austin, Texas this week. It's been an interesting time in the Kaufman household. Last week we received a 6 month old foster child in the family, who is an amazingly cute little guy. But I have to say that now that our children are 17, 14, and 11, it's been interesting to adjust to having an infant in the home again. This little guy showed up with a case of croup so we've had some quality time together in the wee hours of the night! I've been reminded how reduced sleep takes a toll on performance during the day.

Why do I bring this all up? Most everyone I run into these days is feeling pressure. Between the economy and a plate full of commitments, there's an endless number of things we can worry about if we're so inclined.

A consistent refrain I hear from coaching clients and customers who are tasked with delivering projects and leading teams is that they need tools to help them juggle all the demands they have at work and at home. If you have more to do than hands or time to do it, this episode is for you!

Most business leaders can take only so much pressure before their performance slides. Yet others deliver great successes when times get toughest. How do they do it?

In this episode I talk with Justin Menkes, author of Better Under Pressure: How Great Leaders Bring Out the Best in Themselves and Others. Let's learn together from Justin as we talk about leading under pressure. You can learn more about Justin and his book at http://www.BetterUnderPressure.com.

One way to develop your ability to lead under pressure is to join me in next year's Leadership Fast Track Program. This year's program is wrapping up this month and I've greatly enjoyed the process of helping a group of leaders from multiple continents grow in their ability to lead and deliver. By joining the Leadership Fast Track Program, you'll join me in a series of learning sessions, assessments, and one-on-one coaching. Though it doesn't start up until next year, now's a great time to start looking into the program and getting it on your development plan for next year. Learn more at http://www.i-leadonline.com/LeadershipFastTrackProgram.asp.

Please take a minute to stop by our podcast Facebook page! I invite you to Like it and the join the discussion.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 33:08

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P.S. Here's an entertaining and informative video on how stress impacts how the brain works, from Dr. John Medina. Enjoy!