Where did you draw inspiration to start this blog and upcoming podcast?
In the past couple of years, I have been getting more and more interested in listening to or watching exactly what I want and when I want to. Like you, I have become very busy in the modern world, so my time is the number one commodity I have to offer anyone, and I treat anyone's time they give me of the highest value, because I know it is not unlimited, and I truly appreciate it. As a heads up, my mind works in many quirky ways, so please be prepared for what seems like a tangent: I would say my two biggest triggers for gearing up to do something like this are author Bill Bryson and TV-chef Robert Irvine.
A journey with Bill and Katz
Hearing the audiobook of Bryson's, A Walk in the Woods, and then At Home read by the actual person telling the story of his adventures and creative research really motivated me. I have to be honest, I have listened to A Walk in the Woods at least 10 times through. Hearing the authenticity of the culmination of each step and the struggles of a middle-aged man trying to walk the Appalachian Trail with his incompetent (but on a journey to becoming a better person) partner, Katz, straight from Bryson really appealed to me. There is a genuine quality I haven't often found before when I read a book - hearing the story from the "horses mouth" appeals to me so much more - especially with the humor of Bryson and the non-fiction quality.
An impossible dream
I love having a DVR and getting the chance to watch "Restaurant: Impossible" whenever I get time in my schedule. The show really gets to the affective core of things I value. Robert and his team work with many self-imposed constraints to get the team moving efficiently and effectively. Without these constraints, projects could last weeks instead of the 48 hour time block they work with each episode. The designers are also limited to $10,000 and sometimes he takes some of that money away for special cleaning, pest removal, or equipment upgrades for the kitchen or signage. Chef Irvine addresses two consistent issues every time: the menu selection (almost always too vast or complicated to begin with) and quite standard leadership issues. I feel like watching him helps me learn how to assess problematic behaviors with any leaders that prefer not to engage their workers because they prefer to be nice, instead of being in charge. Chef Irvine also is brutally honest with his customers, and acts as a coach and facilitator with useful activities designed to find the exact problems within the small organizations and resolve them within hours. Finally, there is the before and after restaurant makeover reveal at the end of the episode, which serves as some immediate measurable improvement, and then you can follow up on their website to see how that improvement has sustained - you have to love metrics! He also solicits decor feedback and food tasting opinions from the guests (real people) eating the food to give the watchers an honest sense of the quality and tone of the restaurant. The show feels genuine and it creates win-win situations.
Three turns and thirty-five minutes
Influencers like Mr. Bryson and Mr. Irvine give me motivation to develop a product that others may find useful, as well. Who motivates you? For the past few years I have been embedding myself into literature that somehow missed me over the years, all through using audiobooks. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath, In Cold Blood (every good Kansan knows this story), The Great Gatsby, various crime thrillers a buddy from church gave me, and of course, Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. I was thinking these books were like candy for my brain, since they weren't required reading of any kind, and I'm typically not one to read (or listen) simply for pleasure. I felt excited that I was finally catching up on some of the great stories I had been missing out on, and this attitude helped me truly enjoy my fairly calm ride (3 turns and 35 minutes) into and home from work each day - with my life the way it is, it is difficult for me to consume all of the non-work related literature I want to use to fuel any new ideas.
Books on CD
My first forte into audio in the car was Zig Ziglar's See You at The Top, followed by many live motivational speeches of his I was able to obtain through the years. I have also spent a lot of listening time to the wisdom of Dr. Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle. I refreshed my Crucial Conversations training, and found myself seeking out audiobooks that were always going to teach me something - at this point it was mainly about generic professional development and public speaking tips, but always good lessons to learn and reinforce. I am by no means where I'd like to be in regards to all the books I want to read, but I have gained a lot of ground in the recent few years.
Finally, why Podcasting?
When I found podcasts by messing around with the application on my iPhone 4, I felt as if a prayer had been answered. A vast library of FREE content I was looking for, all immediately delivered to my phone which runs through bluetooth in my car. I dove in head first soaking up all kinds of knowledge and I promise to credit some of my podcast favorites in another post. There has been one source of content that I really would like to subscribe to and listen to all the time - anything with Human Error related content. The problem is, I cannot find anything in this niche. This was my "Aha moment!" Joining the thought of mobile learning to my daily routine has sparked an interest in me to actually provide content to others by seeking out wise people in the Human Error Prevention related fields and hearing what they have to say on these topics. If you are reading this now, you may be a great person to offer blog content here, or to participate on the show. Please click the comment button on the top right of the post to let us know if you're interested and what topic you would like to cover. Or if you simply have some questions you have been wanting to get some opinions or advice on from others in the field, let us know.