S.2 Ep. 004 – The Habits of Successful People, Gender Equality, and More with Sarah Green Carmichael

The habits of successful people are something almost everyone is interested in – it doesn t matter if you re a creative, a stay at home mom, or a CEO.

If there were a switch we could throw that would make us more creative most of us would do it. What is it that makes those who are ultra successful stand apart from the rest of the crowd.? Dane s guest today, Sarah Green Carmichael is a person who s taken a deep dive into the subject over the years. What she s observed is not commonplace knowledge – which is exactly what we want to uncover on this podcast, so we truly appreciate Sarah being so generous with her insights. If you take the time to listen to this conversation you ll hear the heart of a woman who cares not just about success, but about achieving it in ways that are healthier for you as an individual.

Sometimes working smarter is not what you think.

As Dane asked Sarah Green Carmichael about what she s learned in the realm of the habits of successful people she was quick to point out that the idea of working smarter rather than harder is not always the issue. We tend to think that the advent of technology is what enables us to make that distinction but in reality, technology often becomes just as much or more of a distraction to quality work as anything we ve struggled with before. Sarah points out that before we ask if we re working smarter we need to understand the way the human brain is wired to work and the limitations that wiring brings. Her suggestion is that we optimize our capacity for what it is rather than push it to be more than is possible and that as a result, smarter work will happen. It s a hard concept to explain in a paragraph so make sure you listen to what Sarah has to share on this episode.

Why the path to gender equality is not so clear cut.

Based on writing Sarah Green Carmichael has done for the Harvard Business Review, Dan asked her about her current thoughts when it comes to gender equality in the workplace and in the business world in general. Her perception is that it s not so much an issue of a glass ceiling anymore, but rather like a glass obstacle course. Women press forward with dedication and professionalism but run into obstacles that pop up along the way – and it s not always easy to know if those barriers are because of sexism or have more to do with people in the process who are simply jerks who are hard to work with. But she s got some great advice for women about how to navigate that obstacle course, so be sure you take some time to listen. Sarah s a generous woman who wants to help you succeed – no matter if you re a man or a woman.

Personal development needs to take more into account besides your speciality.

Did you ever consider that in order to stoke your creative fire you need things that are outside your discipline or area of expertise? Sarah Green Carmichael suggests that we need to fill our personal development plan with those other thing that seem unrelated but that serve to broaden our perspective about life and the world we live in. It gives us a wide angle view of everything when we do – including our particular area of specialization. You can hear more great insights like this on this episode of Converge.

All business and personal development resources are NOT created equal.

As you know, there are lots of tools out there to help you on your road to success. But discerning which are truly worth your time is tricky at best. It s always good when you get a glowing recommendation on a resource from a trusted friend or mentor. We hope that this episode of the podcast serves as that for you. Dane s conversation is with Sarah Green Carmichael, an editor at the Harvard Business Review – an online and offline publication that Dane believes is the cream of the crop when it comes to business resources. You ll hear Dane highlight how the HBR has been beneficial in his own career and why he thinks every creative or entrepreneur should consider a subscription to the publication. His guest Sarah also shares how you can make the most of the HBR free options as well, so there s something for everyone on this episode of Converge.

Outline of this great episode

[0:42] Dane s introduction of his guest Sarah Green Carmichael.
[2:31] Why Sarah cares about the more mundane things that have to do with business.
[5:32] The difference Sarah sees between average people and high performers.
[8:06] Examples of people who have done this.
[9:38] Better and worse ways of telling your story.
[11:44] The importance of telling a brand story in a meaningful way.
[13:13] Sarah s advice for women wanting to make a difference.
[17:14] Are there ways women actually have an advantage in the marketplace?
[20:26] What Sarah has learned about overworking and the advice she gives about it.
[22:22] Is there such a thing as working smarter, not harder?
[25:45] How you can create your own professional development plan

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

The Harvard Business Review
www.750Words.com

GUESTS RESOURCES

Website: www.HBR.org
Twitter:https://twitter.com/skgreen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-green-carmichael-3601501  

Connect with the Converge team:

Website: www.Fastermind.co

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followdane/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danesanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danesanders

Audio Production and Show notes provided by PODCAST FAST TRACK

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