One Percent Better

My guest today calls remarkable word of mouth marketing, a talk trigger.  He's Daniel Lemin, and he and his co-author Jay Baer have studied the concept so deeply that they wrote on book on it. You can find it  here. In our conversation we discuss how business owners can be intentional about the art and science of word of mouth marketing.  I hope this conversation can be a valuable resource for bus...

This week's episode celebrates the words of Theodore Roosevelt. In 1910 he delivered a speech that included these now immortal words: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strive...

My guest today is Jon Gordon. Jon is the author of 18 books including multiple best-sellers:  The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, You Win in the Locker Room First, The Power of Positive Leadership  and  The Power of a Positive Team.  His latest book is  The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change .  Today we talk about his newest book, The Coffee Bean.  We open our convers...

This week I am proud to present Episode 100. I look back on all that I have learned with a smile.  I hope you do too.  Here's to the past, the present, and the future of getting 1% better.  Thank you for listening and learning with me! --JF        *Additional music this week courtesy of "Immersed" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://cr...

This week I share a conversation as far outside of my areas of expertise as I have ever gone. I speak to author, speaker, and YouTube superstar, Summer Rayne Oakes, about plants. She owns 1,000 in her Brooklyn Apartment.  I own zero in my Brookfield home. And yet we connect on multiple levels as it becomes obvious that we were talking about much more than plants.  This is a conversation about:  na...

This week I breathe in the restorative power of summer and exhale four things on my mind. Dive into:  My Interview for The American Baseball Coaches Association A book recommendation written by an upcoming guest Why it's not okay to say "stick to sports" or "stay in your lane." Should interviewees get the questions ahead of time? I would love your feedback. As always, thank you for listening! --JF...

This week I share my conversation with authors Lauren McCann and Gabriel Weinberg.   Of every book I have read since I began the podcast,  Superthinking  is the one I most want to infuse into my classroom for my students. It's an incredible resource that can help us all clean up our thinking and decision making.  It's dense in all the best ways and yet you can dip in and dip out whenever the mood...

I'll never be able to feature every teacher in America who is out there doing life-changing work with our children, but I am thrilled every time I get to. Today I share my conversation with author and teacher Aaron Pribble. In the Northeast, this conversation releases in the last week of the school year.  For many, it's summer vacation. I hope it serves as validation, rejuvenation, and inspiration...

The biggest lie we were ever told as kids might have been: "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This week I share a mindset shift that will take back the power of words.  Teflon. As always, thank you for listening! --JF 

Today I share my conversation with Peter Shankman. Peter is a five-time best selling author, entrepreneur and corporate keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neurotatypical economy. Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactiv...

In some ways, this entire podcast is about decision making.  How to make better ones minute by minute, day by day, with the end result being that we get to go to sleep a little better than we were when we woke up. Today I want to share a question with you: why don't we celebrate good decisions like we rue bad ones? But right here, right now, let's start a movement. The movement begins with four si...

This week I share my conversation with  Tom Peters! The exclamation point is there to signify three things: My excitement in what I was able to learn from Tom My excitement from what you are about to learn from Tom It's his logo (Really. Check out his website) In 1982 Tom and a colleague wrote a book entitled In Search of Excellence , and he has never looked back. This one is quotable, shareable,...

This week I share one idea that changed my life and two stories of how it's shown up in my world.  Don't confuse price with value. The $75.00 dollar steak Charlee's first wager  As always thank you for listening! --JF 

This week I share a high-velocity, high-value conversation with NFL expert and author, Michael Lombardi. Throughout his three-decade long career with the NFL, Mike Lombardi worked as an NFL executive with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders alongside NFL legends including Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, and Al Davis.   Today, he shares the...

I learn so much by being asked deep questions.  This week it's Instructional Coach  Kim Darche  that helps me (and I certainly hope you) get 1% better. She flips the script with some of the most inventive questions I have ever been asked. "What two published books would you save from a burning building?"  How did Kim get to flip the script? She asked.  She's a long-time passionate listener to the...

Today I share my conversation with author Austin Kleon.   I caught Austin as he was about to embark on his book tour.  Our conversation was honest, fun, and I hope, useful. We talk about:  The tug of war between art and commerce.  The ups and downs of going on a book tour Staying creative despite demoralizing times  How George Clooney's movie role selection connects to creative life How Austin wou...

This week I share a dream I had.   During a recent conversation with educator and upcoming guest Aaaron Pribble , we spoke about one of the realities of being a teacher.  At night you dream about things that could go wrong in the classroom. This week, a skunk snuck into my classroom. What do YOU think about so much that it shows up in your dreams?  I spent some time this week making my website 1%...

Today's conversation is flat-out fun.  It's also useful and inspiring. I have learned that's what you get with Laura Gassner Otting. She's the candid, vulnerable, sharp, author of the book Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life.  We talk about:  Why Laura has a turkey heart on her Instagram feed The moniker of "bad ass" Working in The White House alongside...

In this solo episode, I want to encourage you to look back. Take out last month's calendar and ask yourself three questions: Where did I spend my time? What can I feel proud of and celebrate? Do I want to spend my time similarly next month? Too often we plan ahead without looking back.  We wonder: how can I crush next month? The best way to prepare for next month is by looking back on this month....

Today I share Part II of my conversation with David Allen. Episode 82 is the place to go if you missed Part I. This week we discuss: Marie Kondo's Netflix Show and system How to clarify and organize the nonstop "stuff" in your life What David means by the very next action step The value of the "someday maybe" list Why David chose the path that he did How to optimize a "To Do" list The way teenager...

Today I share Part I of one of my favorite conversations ever. At age 73, David Allen is one of the the world's foremost experts in productivity and organization. When he opens a conversation with "we can talk as long as you'd like," the only answer is "let's do it!" And so we did. In Part I we discuss: How David got into personal growth What advice he has for people looking to earn more money His...

Today I share my thoughts on how to be 1% better in the world of mental toughness.  I share: my favorite definition of mental toughness how it shows up in my life daily who I think of when I think of mental toughness my 0-3 scale to measure mental toughness I hope it inspires you. As always, thank you for listening! --JF 

Today's guest is Mike Vardy.   His  website  is full of free coaching materials guaranteed to help you get 1% better in the world of productivity. Mike is a sought-after speaker and workshop leader with whom I loved talking. Our conversation is wide-ranging; we cover: timecrafting journaling tools of productivity decision making calendar management  themes for each day of the week and so much more...

This week I share: Mindset : Being intentional about (monitoring) what material you take in can change your life.  Language : Zig Ziglar once said, "You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind."  Behavior : I share how a simple tool can help you organize your creative life.  Bonus: I...

Today's guest has co-written a new book, No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work Please welcome Liz Fosslien. Liz and I talk about:  The importance of psychological safety How people use and abuse email  Why caring about work less could be the key to happiness Giving and receiving effective feedback This is a super-practical, and dare I say, fun conversation.  As always, t...