Play Your Position

At the end of our conversation, I asked Albert Williams who or what is he watching on Sunday. Who is his favorite team?   "Well, my daughter is a Girl Scout, so this Sunday is all about selling cookies!" he laughed.   I asked him which kind are his favorite.   Without hesitation he said, "Samoas."   I smiled. "Ya, it's hard to beat that coconut chocolate caramel goodness. But I have to say -- I'm...

They are a fact of life, but are our smart phones, tablets and laptops taking over our lives to the detriment of actually living a life?   In today's bonus PYP audible, I explore this question along with some observations from a mini experiment I ran during a recent shopping experience.   What are your thoughts on the proliferation of digital devices in our culture today? Let me know over at PYP P...

"There's a revolution going on in the accounting world right now," today's PYP MVP Ron Saharyan says. "We're all about an algorithm away from being totally outsourced."   You will discover pretty fast that Ron is not shy about sharing his enthusiasm and passion for embracing change. From his unique vantage point of working with bookkeepers, accountants and business coaches, the writing is on the w...

The iconic UCLA men's college basketball coach John Wooden was known for a lot of things, including his philosophy on winning. In today's bonus PYP Audible, I highlight one of his most famous coaching approaches when things weren't going well for his team: "It's time to go back to basics."   What are the basics you can go back to when things in your business, life or career go off the rails? Today...

I love when PYP MVPs refer people to be guests on the show.   Today's guest is one such referral, a terrific woman who comes to us via Jo Miller (PYP Episode #87). Selena Rezvani is strong, and tough, and suited up to face the biggest thrills and challenges life throws her way.   And to be clear: times are challenging. For women. For men. And Selena isn't afraid to talk about "big ideas" related t...

Hello Team PYP! In today's audible, I talk about this mad crazy world we now find ourselves living in, how creating and sharing engaging content with our tribes is top of mind for a lot of us and why the pursuit of excellence never gets old. Because I am super engaged right now in helping some of my clients create their thought leadership content, I can't make creating new content a top priority f...

Tom Schwab completes the circle of PYP MVPs from a very special tribe known as Interview Valet. Starting with Aaron Walker, who led to Matt Miller, who led to Scott Beebe, who led to Tom Schwab...I feel like the Interview Valet team has been represented very well here at PYP.   That's one of the many reasons I was so excited when Tom agreed to come on the show. Interview Valet has been a strategic...

Doug Sandler has over 30 years of business experience as an entrepreneur, business owner, and leader. His book, Nice Guys Finish First, is a #1 ranked Amazon Best Seller. He specializes in making connections, building relationships and strengthening bonds both inside and outside organizations. His speaking and consulting business is geared towards improving relationships and winning business throu...

Show me the money!   And in today's audible, it's show me some books about making money, thinking about money, keeping more of our money. To play our positions at peak levels, we have to have money. How much depends on what matters to you -- there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to money.   But there are some universal principles that, when applied, can mean the difference between just scrap...

"What changed the game for the chatbot industry is when Facebook opened up its Messenger platform to automated communication for businesses. So just like with building our email lists where we send people automated messages periodically offering more value to them, we can now do the same thing in Messenger."   Today's PYP MVP Mary Kathryn Johnson is back for an encore appearance and A LOT has chan...

In this week's Audible, I'm celebrating a big milestone here at PYP. Today's episode marks a tremendous milestone in my podcasting journey: 150 shows in the vault! I look back over the last 149 episodes and see a lineup of phenomenal guests sprinkled in with some thought-provoking audibles to mix things up and keep it real. I'm excited about what's coming; I'm excited about the future of PYP.   If...

"A lot of people get to a point in their lives when they are so done with the 9-5," says today's PYP MVP Sue Monhait. "They may be 60, or 65 and ready for something else. But there's only so many times they can work out, or play golf or tennis. A lot of people have crafts they enjoy that they can turn into a business."   Sue loves the wonderful community she serves known as Gifters-Bakers-Crafters...

The startup scene in San Francisco is very much alive and brimming with ideas I recently had the opportunity to attend a pitch night in downtown SF. Think of it like a mini shark tank, minus Mr. Wonderful. :-) The place was packed.  Adult beverages and pizza were served.  I arrived early to check out the scene and network and in doing so,  I met some fascinating people including: a woman who worke...

"The things that I've accomplished have been amazing," says today's PYP MVP Vince Kramer. "I've held director jobs at the corporate level, my military career was way beyond what I expected, and I've been an entrepreneur with several different businesses. I had the big house, the beautiful wife, the big bank account and through all of that, there was still something missing in my life and I didn't...

The future is here and it's called AWS.   I decided to attend the AWS Summit in San Francisco this week on a whim -- I am not a developer and have no intention of becoming one but as a small biz owner and leadership specialist, I believe it's important that everyone has a basic level of understanding around what this mega company known as Amazon is up to.   Long story short:    Mind. Blown. AWS st...

"We only get one shot at this crazy thing called life," today's PYP MVP Christie Garcia says. "My personal goal is to make sure you leave your legacy and maximize your impact while you are here."   When she was 29, Christie was the epitome of success. She had a great apartment in San Francisco, a nice car, friends, travel opportunities, an interesting career and all the other external symbols of m...

History has its eyes on you, Team! What are you doing to make it proud?   For those of you who are Hamilton fans, the title of this week's audible will be familiar. For those of you who don't know about Hamilton, who lives who dies who tells your story are lyrics to one of the songs from the musical. This past Sunday, I sat in the audience next to my daughter and experienced all that is Hamilton f...

I'm not going to lie.   I was really excited when Andrea Owen accepted my invitation to come on PYP and share her stories about being more vulnerable, getting sober and building a life on your own terms. I learned about her through a podcast I listen to, which led me to her podcast Your Kick A$$ Life which led me to her book (which I highly recommend.)   Honest, energetic and inspirational, Andrea...

In this week's audible, I cut right to the chase and recommend three amazing podcasts for you to consider adding to your weekly playlist!   Don't miss any upcoming announcements about the PYP Leadership Academy Pilot Program coming later this spring! Get your name on the insider's list here today! Twitter   Website

The Aggarwal brothers like to laugh. And they are passionate about great design. We talked over Skype -- I was in Portland, Oregon and they were in India. It was morning for me and night for them. We had a great conversation about launching a business, moving through self-doubt to keep a vision alive and why customer service can be a company's greatest competitive advantage.   In October 2014, bro...

In this week's audible, I share the story about my sixth grade bully and the impact getting bullied has had on how I've played my position over the years. I also have an exciting announcement to share with you so stay tuned for that!   As far as the big picture of bullying goes… We tend to think of bullying as a kid problem but it's actually a human problem. Bullying in the workplace is on the ris...

On the surface, today's PYP MVP Yigal Adato had what our culture tells men they've made it. The big business, the house, the car, the vacations, the beautiful wife, the family.   Yet…   Below the surface, Yigal was living a lie. He was overweight, he was addicted to porn and he was on the fast track to getting a divorce from the love of his life.   "I had to start telling the truth to myself," Yig...

Hello Team PYP, welcome to this week's Audible, Episode #138. I'm calling this audible "We're not really sharing what's real" because in my next show, you will hear my guest Yigal Adato go into more detail about why this is happening and what it means for us as men, women and citizens of a global community. You are not going to want to miss that episode because it is one of the most raw and emotio...

We are facing an unprecedented addiction epidemic in America. Deaths by overdose are growing every year; addiction is a problem millions face every single day. Today's PYP MVP believes there's a better way for addicts to get the help they need when they are ready for recovery. A few years ago, Megan Peterson saw how technology could bridge the gap between addicts seeking help and the therapists wh...

Welcome to this week's audible. Last week I dropped the first part of this 2 part series exploring the question, Is self help selfish? And in that episode, I shared my initial thoughts about that question. If you haven't listened to that episode, if you are just tuning into PYP for the first time, welcome -- be sure to go back and listen to episode #134 but for the sake of time here's a spoiler al...