On today’s EntreLeadership Podcast I interview career coach Dan Miller. And since our podcast producer Chris Mefford is so heavily involved, I thought I would ask him to give some of his thoughts from the interview in a segment I like to call…The Producer’s Point of View:
Dan Miller’s Playbook for Success
One of the benefits of the EntreLeadership Podcasts is that I get a front row seat to some of the best interviews of great leaders one can imagine. And I take full advantage by keeping a journal and taking lots of notes.
Chris asked if I would share some of my thoughts, so here are some of the highlights of the last interview we did.
Dan Miller
Our podcast guest was Dan Miller, author of No More Dreaded Mondays and 48 Days to the Work You Love. Dan is big on focus, goals, personal mission statements and accountability. If you’ll allow me, let me share some of the helpful things he had to say about leadership.
- We asked Dan why it was so important to have a mission statement. He said, “It helps turn a light bulb into a laser.”
- Dan explained that without a plan, you’re going to live someone else’s life. Without goals of your own, you accomplish the goals of others. Talk about putting things in perspective! I had never thought about it this way. I know I don’t want to be working towards others’ goals just because I was lazy and didn’t define any of my own. Are you the same way?
- Dan provided some further explanation on goals, mission statements and life. He said, “No high achiever ever woke up in the morning and said ‘let’s see what happens.’” His point? If you want to be great and do something amazing, you have to be deliberate.
- Mission statements do these two things: They allow you to maximize your life and maximize your goals, Dan said.
- Dan closed the discussion with three really important points to encourage us all and provide direction:
- Indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity.
- Mission statements produce freedom—not restrictions.
- Most people end up exactly where they expect to end up.
If those three statements don’t motivate you to take action, I don’t think anything will.
Question: What are you going to do this week to take your life in a direction?
