Cooltimelife

UPDATED January 2023: The Box of Time - Sounds like a science fiction movie, doesn't it? But it's not. At least not here. A box of time is a highly powerful way of influencing people and managing time, simply by managing expectations and giving people an alternative to fearing the unknown. It will allow you to to be left alone to focus, and also get people to show up when you want them to. It will give you some ideas on how to best structure your day and even lighten your load by no longer being the path of least resistance.. As a bonus, you'll even learn a bit about Bonsai trees.More information on our CoolTimeLife series is available at https://cooltimelife.comIf you're interested in supporting the CoolTimeLife podcast series, visit https://www.patreon.com/steveprentice

The problem with in-person get-togethers: Whenever events and get-togethers occur, they come up against a big problem – people’s time. We’re just not as available as we used to be, and frankly we don’t always want to go. So, what’s to be done? Are get togethers worth it anymore?A full listing and descriptions of our episodes is available at https://CoolTimeLife.com If you're interested in supporting the CoolTimeLife podcast series, visit https://www.patreon.com/steveprentice

Many high-profile companies these days are reflections of their superstar CEOs – people like Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon. Author Thomas Keil suggests that although they may be good for branding, just like regular rock stars, they can’t truly do it alone.His new book, co-authored with Marianna Zangrillo, is entitled The Next Leadership Team: How to Select, Build, and Optimize Your Top Team, and is available at Amazon and elsewhere.Thomas Keil, D.Sc. (Tech.)Thomas professional aim is to bridge the divide between academia and practice.He is a Full Professor at the University of Zurich, Switzerland where he teaches strategy and international management. Thomas holds a D.Sc. (Tech.) and Lic. Tech. from Helsinki University of Technology and a Dipl. Wirtsch. Ing from TH Darmstadt. Previously he taught at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Canada and at Aalto University in Finland.Thomas’ research focuses on the senior leader’s agenda in multinational corporations, specifically board design, CEO succ

In June 2023, FORTUNE magazine published a piece entitled "Bosses are fed up with remote work for 4 main reasons. Some of them are undeniable." Well, I'm going to deny them.  If you're interested in supporting the CoolTimeLife podcast series, visit https://www.patreon.com/steveprentice

A career never should be a clear, straight highway laid out by someone else for you to follow. This is increasingly true in this age, where career mobility and self-determination are more valuable and more appreciated than ever. There has never been a better time to explore your options, and Chris Fontanella is here to share his story and his wisdom.Find Chris at https://chrisfontanella.com/If you're interested in supporting the CoolTimeLife podcast series, visit https://www.patreon.com/steveprentice

Have you ever thought of the word office as a verb? It changes everything, shining a light on the work we do rather than the place we do it. This is just one of many great ideas presented by futurist Bob Johansen in his new book, Office Shock. In this conversation, Bob shares his views on the future of work, the impact of AI on careers, the way we handle change, and much more, all through the lens of his special brand of future-back thinking. Bob’s book, Office Shock, Creating Better Futures for Living and Working, co-authored with Joseph Press and Christine Bullen, and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers is available here. You can get a 30% discount off the purchase price by entering the code “OFFSHOCK” after adding the book to your cart. More information about The Institute for the Future can be found here.If you have a comment about this podcast, you can drop me a line through the contact form at steveprentice.com, where you can also find my social media links. A full listing of past episodes is availa

One of the ways the workplace has changed is an increase in disrespectful leadership. Where did such disrespect come from, and what can leaders to to reverse the trend? Can we blame politics? Social Media? How about the fall of the Berlin Wall? Or maybe all those things. Here’s my interview with author and leadership expert Gregg Ward.Find Gregg's tour schedule at https://restoringrespectbook.comThe first CoolTimeLife listener who connects with Gregg on LinkedIn and mentions the CoolTimeLife podcast in the connection message will receive a a free all conference pass for March 6-8, 2023Gregg's main website is https://centerforrespectfulleadership.org/ and his Amazon author page is https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gregg-Ward/author/B001K7X112If you're interested in supporting the CoolTimeLife podcast series, visit https://www.patreon.com/steveprentice

The 40 hour workweek is a myth in term of productivity expectations. The reality is people in knowledge work positions get far less than 40 hours of work done per week, in fact you’re lucky if you get 40 days’ worth or work done in a year. This episode looks at the numbers and a suggests it’s time for a better way for employers to assess what work actually is.

The "slacker barista". The "McJob". The Liberal Arts "Basket weaving" degree. These terms are routinely used to make fun of people who work hard in the food service industry, or who pursue education that does not seem to have a direct path to a set career. In all cases, these people are thought of as unmotivated and unsuccessful. But despite the fact they are working hard to make a living, there is great career potential that can come from the experiences gained in the food service, and through broad education.

Why Asynchronous meetings make more sense for the future of work.Email and meetings have been uncomfortable necessities for decades, and they both hearken back to a time when communication was formal and hierarchical. The fluid nature of collaboration technologies like Slack is a game changer.

How Human Reflex Stands in the Way of Digital TransformationHidden behind the term digital transformation is the word “change,” and that does not sit well with most people because change represents a threat that strikes at the hearts of our greatest fear: losing our job. 

A discussion with author Alberto Silveira about his new book on managing distributed teams.There is a big difference between remote work teams and distributed work teams, and this is as much to do with workplace innovation as with how the team members are managed, and with how they interact from their separate locations. Author Alberto Silveira chats with Steve about his book and his career to date, building successful companies by employing people who work somewhere other than the office.

One of the chief pushbacks to virtual presence technology and the work-from-home lifestyle has been that people will miss out on networking and career enhancement opportunities. Steve assesses whether this is true or not.

For centuries, people in crowds have acted irrationally, passionately and violently, even if they didn't start out that way as individuals. This episode looks at the contagion of crowd madness and where it comes from.

Socializing through video in the era of the COVID-19 lockdown has given people a new perspective on how to relate to fellow humans, in terms of what we can do online and what we can no longer do in person. My interview with tech design guru Howard Suissa talks about being human online, the future of personal technology, the future legal status of your VR avatar, and even why Blade Runner is better than Star Trek. All of this in 18 minutes.

Updated January 2024 - “I know what you did” is a type of leading phrase that cuts right through to your hidden guilt and fear. It gives the accuser enormous power over you, even if they know nothing about you. It has been used as a source of power throughout history and continues to be so, especially in politics and religion. In this podcast Steve looks at its enormous influential power.

Information no longer comes at us in alphabetical order. It swirls around us on social media, and there's a lot out there that could really help your business or career. Being able to find it is what I call part of "Digital Literacy." Join me as I explain just how to find it.

Thinking up passwords is a chore. Two factor authentication is complicated. And hacking and data breaches? They'll never happen to us. That's for the biggest of the big companies. Wrong on all counts. Cyberhygiene, the practice of securing passwords, accounts and devices, is straightforward and easy. It's also vital. Not just at work, but at home, too. We are all connected - like a global game of six degrees of separation, and the bad guys count on you being the weak point that will help them go wherever they want. This 10-minute episode looks at why we feel it is such a chore, and what we should all be doing right now to patch up the security holes that affect us all.

People try their best to plan their days, but then there are those unexpected activities - calls or requests from your boss or customers that throw it all out the window. But it doesn't have to be that way. Humans are hard-wired to react, but when we learn to pro-act, a calendar becomes a tool of influence, and crises need no longer happen. Here's my simple three step plan.

At the end of every problem, task or opportunity, there is a person waiting for something. This means that the best way to manage stress, time and actual productivity is to ensure you focus on the needs and expectations of that person, and not just the work itself. In this podcast, you will learn four essential techniques for learning how to influence people to help ensure a more productive and healthier workday.