Project Distinct Podcast

You want to be certain your team or organization delivers on its promises — and that’s a good thing. But, what if — in your effort to succeed — you end up being too controlling of your team and micromanaging. Scott McKain knows the problem — he admits he has been guilty of it! On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott looks at what the dangers are of micromanagement — and how to break yourself of this habit for the benefit of you and your colleagues.

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Imagine kickoff at one of this weekend’s NFL games with no yardage markers on the field or goal lines over which to score. How excited would you be to cheer your team if you didn’t know how they could win the game? So, why do we fail to onboard customers into our loyalty programs — then wonder why they aren’t more engaged when we haven’t taught them how to win at our game? Based on new and insightful research from Brierley + Partners, today’s PROJECT DISTINCT reveals why you need to consider developing a video game-like tutorial for your loyalty program.

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We are all pretty decent at saying “thank you” when someone buys our products or services. Yet, to stand out from the competition, we must take a unique approach. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain provides two specific times we can say thanks to customers that most organizations and professionals overlook.

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Too often it seems with think of winning as some kind of Super Bowl-esque moment where we get to spike the ball, bask in the adoration of cheering customers and colleagues, and raise a trophy towards the heavens. However, we know in business that real life isn’t like that at all. That’s why significant leaders need to consider the importance of small wins to build the team’s momentum and grow the confidence of your team members. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain discusses the importance of the small win — and provides an example of how we can model and deliver that for ourselves and our organizations.

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We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s not personal, it’s business.” But, is that REALLY anyway to do business? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain argues that ALL business is personal…and he gives us a great story of how one business — the Taj Palace in New Delhi — made his visit memorable by making it personal!

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A famous book tells us, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” Yet, for most businesses and professionals, sweating the details is an essential element in distinction. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will tell us why we should pay attention to the small details, and offers a three-step plan to help us know how to “sweat the small stuff.”

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We are coming from a good place: we want to get better, personally and professionally. Thus, we often fall for promises that cannot be delivered upon — and often feel that we have failed, not that the promise was ridiculous. In a recent post by Brad Stulberg, titled “The Problem with ‘Hack’ Culture,” it’s exposed that many of the career or life “hacks” we see around us are the 21st Century equivalent to snake oil sales. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain talks about overcoming this sad aspect to our culture — and what you REALLY need to do to improve in your personal life and professional efforts.

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Yesterday’s episode generated several questions about where soft skills are in relationship and importance to hard skills. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain takes a look at the question…asks if perhaps we need different names for those qualities…and expands on why both are critical to success, but one is more important in today’s hyper-competitive world.

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There’s an old business cliche that says, “You can only manage what you can measure.” On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain reveals why that saying is a blatant lie in today’s marketplace. Citing research from Harvard Business Review, this episode is how a focus on metrics can actually create significant problems for you and your organization!

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Everything you want is currently controlled by someone else. The money for the future of your business is currently in the hands of customers and prospects. The promotion you desire is under the control of someone else in your organization. The college where your kids want to attend gets to choose whether they will be admitted or not. So, how do you get chosen for what you want in business and life? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain outlines four steps that will help move us toward the type of performance and achievement we need to attain to get chosen for what we want in business and in life.

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