Productive Flourishing

In this special anniversary episode, Charlie Gilkey and Maghan Haggerty reflect on the five-year milestone of Start Finishing, diving deep into its impact on their lives, the lives of their community, and Productive Flourishing’s evolution over the past 17 years. They explore how doing your best work transforms you as an individual and creates ripple effects for leaders and their entire teams.Topics We Explored:* The deeper paradox of productivity: Why do we often end up putting off the things we really want to do in life to some later date? (When that means we may not ever start, let alone finish, those projects.) * The origins of Start Finishing as a book, and the driving force behind it, namely to argue for doing the work that matters and treating one’s "best work" as priority — and what that changes in how we approach meaningful projects.* All the ways in which personal and team success are interconnected, and how Charlie’s third book Team Habits built on the foundations of Start Finishing.* The multitude

Topics We Explored:* Mo Bunnell’s new book Give to Grow and why it makes sense to focus on relationships and a giving mindset as the foundation for long-term business success.* How to define business development and distinguish it from pure sales, as well as the importance of strategic helpfulness in developing a business or career. * The logic behind providing value upfront through small projects or advice to build trust and increase the likelihood of future business and engagement.* Strategies for making effective recommendations and managing client expectations, including the use of social proof and escalating commitments.Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:* Mo Bunnell: Website | Podcast* Give to Grow Supplemental Materials: Downloadable resources, including the Give to Grow Team Launch Guide, top lead generation methods worksheet, meeting prep questions, research citations, and an exclusive secret chapter.* Find Your Business Flow: PF’s new cohort program to help entrepreneurs focus on (among o

Note to the reader: Team Habits, my most recent book, was released one year ago this week. You might also be aware of Productive Flourishing’s sister publication, Better Team Habits, a spin-off of the book. We’ve had incredible moments over on BTH in the past year. For those not subscribed to both publications I’d like to celebrate the book’s anniversary by sharing with you a singular podcast episode I sat down to do with my friend Kate Tyson on “fixing the plane while we fly it.” I think it will prove fruitful for PF readers too — for your current or future teams. — Charlie Many of us would likely agree on the fact that the dominant, central power structures that make up our system need some reform. That goes for institutions large and small, whether we’re talking about a particular startup company or the global economy.But what is change supposed to look like, and how does it come about?If I could offer one of the basic tenets from Team Habits, it’s that we start the change process by first shifting the way

Earlier this month Leadership Beyond Borders re-released an episode I did with them a while back, alongside host Kimberli J. Lewis. The conversation centered on how team habits apply in international, remote, and diverse organizations, and to change management. We discussed the need for clear communication as a team habit, with specific channels and protocols, especially on remote and geographically dispersed teams — as well as how to remove bottlenecks and strike a balance between providing enough information and too much detail. Our discussion touched further on the importance of personal connection, trust, and empathy in teams, and how this sense of belonging (another major team habit) ultimately paves the way for high performance. Leadership Beyond Borders looks at the impact constant change is having on our organizations and how these changes affect the kind of leadership we need to drive long-term success in today’s global economy. The idea of the podcast is to explore the opportunities and challenges o

I had the pleasure of joining forces recently with Andy Kaufman, current host of The People and Projects Podcast, to discuss team habits — specifically, the high cost of ignoring them — and how and why team habits ultimately shape team culture and performance. Our conversation touched on a variety of generative topics, including offering some practical approaches to: * enhancing team dynamics * instilling a sense of belonging * improving decision-making* and addressing everyday ‘broken printers’ in professional and family life My thinking was that the touchpoints in this episode would be of interest to our Better Team Habits audience since they offer a similar level of depth to the analysis we offer in BTH Office Hours coaching (Paid and Pro subscribers) and Quarterly Planning sessions (Pro subscribers).If you want to uplevel your leadership or team dynamics, I encourage you to upgrade your subscription to gain access to monthly coaching and our full planning system.Sound Bites from the Episode* “‘Time in’ er

Gary Bertwistle (of Mojo Sessions fame) and I had this meeting of minds back in February — truly jamming together over substantial territory: from the need to acknowledge change and challenges in the modern workplace, to building trust and autonomy in teams, and techniques for aligning habits, communication, and belonging. I hope you’ll get as much out of it as I did. Topics We Explored: * The need for trust, personal responsibility, and sometimes dissent, to create productive forward-moving team dynamics* Strategies for improving teamwork, such as rotating the role of red cell thinker and eliminating the least valuable meetings and habits. * Considering emotional and social data in decision-making, and asking specific questions to gather this data from your team.* Challenges involved with leadership, such as prioritization, health and wellness in a busy work life, plus practical advice for overcoming some of those obstaclesIf you want to gain access to more exclusive content, community coaching calls, and th

Many of us would likely agree on the fact that the dominant, central power structures that make up our system need some reform. That goes for institutions large and small, whether we’re talking about a particular startup company or the global economy.But what is change supposed to look like, and how does it come about?If I could offer one of the basic tenets from Team Habits, it’s that we start the change process by first shifting the way we relate to each other — in our teams and at work. This episode originally aired on Kate Tyson’s podcast Boss Talks: Whiskey Fridays, in which she and I dive into how cultural change is a long-term play, and why better team habits are a critical component of the process.Productive Flourishing is a reader-supported publication. For exclusive insights, access to the archive, and group coaching calls for leaders and managers upgrade to a paid subscription. Topics We Explored* The challenges of leading and effecting change in businesses, particularly in the context of social an

Key Takeaways:[3:24] Charlie’s background and why he decided to become an entrepreneur.[9:16] It typically takes 18 months to 36 months just to figure out what you're doing as an entrepreneur.[13:13] Mark talks about his career journey from going to film school to going to a corporate company at a franchise company making videos. There, he started to look at which projects he enjoyed the most and which ones had the highest profit margins that he could deliver.[14:01] The lowest point in Mark’s business and how it changed.[16:13] Mark’s story of using his high intelligence, talent, and energy in a way that served himself and others.[23:47] Asking for help is one of the greatest things we could do.[24:15] When you accept the gift of not knowing, it opens up all these possibilities.[24:20] It’s okay that you don’t know, and you don’t have to fight that.[31:42] What path will get your message in front of the people you want to speak to, and then once you are there, how do you build an experience better than your

Key Takeaways:[2:57] Ruby and Eric discuss some of the unique delights and challenges of being part of a writing trio.[7:45] What is the bridge between this book and Morag’s book Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationship?[8:05] What are the intentional choices you can make to build ally relationships?[12:44] Ruby and Eric break down the five components of an ally mindset:abundance and generosityconnection and compassioncourage and vulnerabilitycandor and debateaction and accountability[13:23] In order to get more allies, you have to be one yourself.[25:43] How can we start with small ripples of joy in our own lives and have that branch out to help others?[28:12] Are two-hour staff meetings really necessary? And if so, how do we make them more efficient and profitable for everyone involved?[34:13] If you’ve invested in your relationship, it’s going to withstand weird moments. In the meantime, what should we do when a sideways moment occurs?[59:54] Challenge: lean into having the hard conversations. Keeping

Key Takeaways:[6:20] We are in a media environment that is saturated with messages about how much more we could be doing.[7:27] Charlie, Jenny, and Tara define capacity and what that means to them.[10:51] What are some of the things that can make working in a team overwhelming?[14:17] When our world gets too big, we tend to get disengagement and boredom.[15:38] The difference between rigidity and rigor in goal setting.[17:09] Why is it important to bring in conversation about rigidity versus rigor as it relates to capacity and the ambitions that so many of us have, especially for creative pursuits?[21:55] How do you effectively and professionally communicate when you’re overcommitted?[29:07] Just be honest about what you can and can't do.[32:07] Yes, technically we all have the same 24 hours as Beyonce, but we have different 24 hours.[45:34] At the heart of hustle culture is a solution to a substantially larger problem that we have in the 21st-Century economy. Charlie, Jenny, and Tara discuss how hustle and b

Key Takeaways:[3:13] Jennifer discusses finding her voice in the workplace equality movement as a professional, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and someone who recognizes their privilege.[5:25] Jennifer talks about carrying the LGBTQ identity as a source of challenge, and using it as a vehicle to transform her own leadership.[12:22] When getting leaders and insiders to enact lasting change, we need to focus on DEI efforts on the moral case, just as much, if not more than, the business case.[15:43] If you are an insider, you can push on other insiders to lead differently.[17:40] Up to 75% of change management efforts fail, especially the top-down-led ones.[21:01] We can find core issues that we can focus on, which will then create ripples of change. One example of this can be toxic masculinity.[33:01] We should recognize that the differences between us are ones we should face and name, rather than sweep them under the rug.[38:11] The journey of understanding others is challenging and may reveal things about

Can magic strike twice? As we learn in this episode, it most certainly can. Charlie welcomes Jadah Sellner, best-selling author, business coach, and the host of the Lead with Love podcast. Jadah shares wisdom from her own experience of going from the “green smoothie girl” to an anti-hustle and pro-sustainable leadership business coach. Jadah talks more about her #shebuilds movement, which helps founders build sustainable businesses without burnout, some tips on moving forward when you feel like you’ve outgrown your current situation, and how we can apply anti-hustle productivity in our personal and professional lives. Jadah and Charlie talk about their creative process of book writing, moving from fear to love, and how we can define our “enough” to move through the world more intentionally.Key Takeaways:[3:41] Jadah talks about co-founding Simple Green Smoothies with her then-business partner Jen, and the interesting journey to have the conscious uncoupling not only with a business partner but with an identit

Key Takeaways:[4:36] Tara talks about what led her to create the What Works book, a blend of her own personal quest to re-establish her relationship with work and goals, mixed with conversations with people who had all sorts of different relationships to productivity and goals.[6:08] In the process of Tara’s research for the book, it brought up a deeper conversation of how much culture, family, and upbringing have on our identity, which makes an impact on how we structure our work and the goals we set.[6:49] We are bombarded by marketing and societal messages that make us feel like we aren’t good enough, or aren’t doing enough.[7:22] Tara and Charlie discuss why we don’t do the things we really want to do, and why working on teams can be so hard, even though we are primed to work with others.[12:25] We unpack the validation spiral, and why it’s so common.[16:21] Externally, one of the ways that we play into the validation spiral is by saying yes to things, taking on projects, and spreading ourselves too thin

Key Takeaways:[4:17] Mark talks about the experience of almost dying from a rare form of lymphoma when he was in his 30s, and how it was the introduction to facing the unavoidable work of the friction that comes with life.[5:32] We must face what is done to us, but we are more than what has been done to us.[5:41] Mark talks about how the pandemic showed our generation it’s time to learn to choose love over fear, and compassion over self-interest.[11:20] One of the first “faults” goes back to the Industrial Revolution, where this is the first time in history that where we live and work is separated.[17:16] Reality TV is our present-day virtual Colosseum.[27:23] Often spiritually, the safest place is in the center.[28:09] Every one of us has a daily and perennial choice between love and fear. But there’s a difference between letting fear move through you and obeying it.[34:38] Through solitude, we restore our direct connection to the universe, and through relationships, we restore the wonder of being human and

Key Takeaways:[4:54] Lisa would consider herself mentally ambidextrous. She likes structure and hard problems but also enjoys free thinking. Both these qualities help her as a storyteller and entrepreneur.[5:04] Lisa talks about deciding that she wanted more out of early retirement than sitting and eating pancakes all day![8:36] As a polymath, you can both be multidisciplinary and singularly focused.[12:44] Sometimes people put themselves in a prison of their own making. Lisa talks about how we can lean into creativity and fun rather than being stuck feeling like we have to do one thing.[13:21] When we start thinking about making decisions that affect our evolution, we tie in three factors that make them super hard and high-stakes: we make a decision, it is non-reversible, and it seems like it’s non-recoverable.[15:02] Sometimes we think that we are failing, when we're really in the middle of succeeding, but the only way you know that is to know that you are trying a new thing and experimenting.[27:00] Lisa d

If you’ve ever wanted to do interesting projects with friends and family but traditional business ownership models didn’t feel quite right, this episode is for you. Kate Strathman is an artist, writer, and rebellious spirit. As a multidisciplinary business owner, Kate taps into each of these traits to help others build equitable team structures and dream up alternative business models that may have never previously existed. In this episode, Kate talks about the definition of a collective and how it differs from a cooperative, how to know what purpose, structure, and operating model to use, and what to do when you know it’s time to shift. Kate also discusses how we can better create value for people through our business. Key Takeaways:[3:56] Kate talks about how someone with an art degree and a love of wandering around India ended up in bookkeeping and a finance consultancy.[12:35] Kate defines a cooperative as a business that is owned by the people that benefit from it. There are different types of cooperativ

This week, New York Times bestselling author and essayist Esmé Wang joins the show. Esmé first talks about growing up with immigrant parents, and how that shaped her ideas of accomplishments and what it meant to succeed as a creative. She details how she went on to go to Yale, became a scientist, and then veered onto the path of writing and how her illness taught her to just “be” instead of always trying to be productive. She shines a light on the lessons she learned from having her book rejected 41 times before being selected as a once-in-a-decade award winner. Esmé is also the founder of The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy.Key Takeaways:[2:51] When you’re a creator and dealing with disabilities and chronic illness, one of the things you have to accept is that your plans don’t always work out the way you want them to, because life happens.[3:19] Esmé talks about growing up as a professional writer with immigrant parents from Taiwan who put a very high emphasis on attending an Ivy League school and productiv

Tara Newman is the Founder and CEO of the Bold Profit Academy and host of the Bold Money Revolution. She joins the show today for a conversation about the importance of remembering why most of us start businesses and seek out entrepreneurship, how common growth strategies can lead to a lack of resiliency, and how service providers can avoid the mindset of selling themselves. This is a great episode for those wanting to make their business work for them and their life, rather than having their life be working for their business. Key Takeaways:[3:58] Many of us come to entrepreneurship out of necessity. Tara talks about her diagnosis of Lyme Disease, and how getting COVID-19 also flared up her EB Virus. To heal, she needed proper time and space to focus on her health journey, which having your own business can allow. [8:00] The pandemic cycle introduced new layers that we hadn’t had to consider before. This resulted in many of us having to re-engineer our businesses. [15:26] Why it’s detrimental to condition yo

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and founder and executive director of the Flow Research Collective. He joins the show to talk about how we can access flow and empathy during times of crisis, and how we can learn from the innovation over the pandemic and keep it as we move forward. Steven also talks about the inspiration behind his best-selling thriller, The Devil’s Dictionary.Key Takeaways:[3:47] Steven talks about starting his career in journalism and expanding his interest in disruptive technology and how people get and stay in their flow.[6:50] Steven talks about his thoughts on being a rational optimist, and what we mean when we say radical humanism.[11:12] How did COVID-19 disrupt the way we work and live when it comes to both AI and material revolution and how can we embrace these changes moving forward?[26:30] The four best tools to manicure our nervous systems are gratitude, mindfulness, exercise, and regular access to flow. It is imperative that we t

In this episode, Angela is back as we discuss why it’s important for founders, business owners, and entrepreneurs of all kinds to consider a sabbatical or a “slowbatical.” Just as it sounds, a slowbatical is a time to slow down, recover, and recharge from career stresses. As a society, we have reached a critical point where we are no longer just working hard but working towards imminent burnout; burnout that will cost you, your clients, your employees, and your bottom line. If you’re reading this and thinking, “I can’t do that,” then this episode is especially for you.Key Takeaways:[2:56] When reflecting on this episode, Angela realized she and Charlie continued to have the “burnout” discussion without ever taking a break to recharge.[7:41] What is a slowbatical? And why it’s more attainable than a true sabbatical.[9:59] So many of us have reached a tipping point where today’s pace is driving us to burnout on a detrimental scale.[10:42] One positive of the pandemic is we have begun talking more about burnout