Food For Thought
I have a hunger for knowledge, for knowing how things work, and a hope to gain a bit of wisdom in the process. To this end I seem to be always in the middle of reading three books and listening to an endless stream of podcasts. That's just "my thing", and recognize that it doesn't have to be yours. However, most of the current research indicates that just like our physical self, our mental self is either growing–becoming stronger, more resilient, more competitive–or becoming less so. All determined by the exercise we put it through and the raw materials we feed it. As you are visiting this site, you are probably interested in being more instead of less!
This page is here to share what I am currently OCDing over. You are invited to email me with your brain food du jour. Hopefully, it will find its way onto this page.
TED Talks
Various Presenters
web and iTunes
One of the great things about the work I’ve done over the past 20+ years is having the opportunity to meet and get into the trenches with some of the most gifted people on the planet. I simply cannot get enough of that. Listening to the TED Talks continues that experience.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. TED holds two annual conferences with world-class speakers covering almost every topic imaginable–and some you have never imagined. As each speaker has an 18-minute limit on podium time, the information is highly condensed into manageable loads. The impact is often inspiring, and may occasionally verge on life-changing.
Help! My Business Sucks!
Andrew Lock
web and iTunes
Andrew Lock and his "Help! My Business Sucks!" podcast may well be the most unconventional marketing program anywhere. It may also be the most effective marketing program available for the small and mid-sized business. Those of use with limited (wait, it's 2010, so those of us with NO) financial resources to devote to marketing should be glued to this weekly podcast. Not that every week will be relevant for your specific environment, but there are enough gems here to keep your creative juices working overtime.
Get-It-Done-Guy
(not to be confused with the "Get-r-done" guy)!
web and iTunes
In fact, pretty much everything on the Quick and Dirty Tips site is on my favorites list. Following on the idea of Tom Peters The Little Big Things, this podcast covers the entire spectrum of life, from how to organize your desk, to how to help make your relationships work better–all with quick and simple things to do. This is what I listen to when I have only a few minutes of spare time, as each podcast is brief.
Harvard Business Review IdeaCast
Various Presenters
web and iTunes
Ok, I'm in the middle of my MBA program, which sometimes feels as though it is 200% about digesting and then dissecting the most banal of reading material–The Harvard Business Review. In a moment of psychological weakness, I subjected myself to listening to the HBR IdeaCast (perhaps it was to numb the pain of being bucked from Rio). But, WHOA, was I ever wrong. The IdeaCasts couldn't be more different from the written HBR. They offer fresh insights, sometimes bordering on motivating (a term I have sworn never to use in "real life" for fear that those that due to early childhood trauma see fit to look up to me might believe it actually exists).
Though the IdeaCast is geared more toward managers and leaders of midsize to large companies, the concepts and findings are easily adaptable to the small and SOHO business. I strongly encourage you to skip the "get bucked from an angry stallion" step and go straight to downloading these podcasts. Listening to one each morning on the way to work is a great strategy to boost your success.
Tags: podcast, podcast reviews, Harvard Business Review, Help My Business Sucks, TED Talks, Quick and Dirty Tips, Get it Done Guy
