Episodes

From time to time, I’ll explain Influence Ecology and our approach by telling a story about the ABC television series American Idol. The award-winning series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents. The winner receives a record deal with a major label. In one audition listed in the category of “worst of the worst” from Season 4, Mary Roach, sings “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King. When finished, a gobsmacked Simon Cowell asks, “what made you audition for this comp...

Trisha Tyler began studying with Influence Ecology in 2012. She was single, struggling to transform a team’s performance, and had a fair amount of consumer debt. During her early participation, Tricia became a disciple of accurate thinking as it made her a better leader and decision-maker, good mentor, and coach. As a graduate of our curriculum, she is now married, has had several promotions and raises and now lives a life of surplus - a surplus of income, freedom, and adventure. Her experience ...

I’m often confounded by those who claim to know something but can’t teach it to me. The famous Nobel winning physicist Richard Feynman understood the difference between knowing something and knowing the name of something, and it’s one of the most important reasons for his success. Richard Feynman lived from 1918 to 1988. He made his mark first with his work on the Manhattan Project then won a Nobel Prize for his work in developing an understanding of quantum mechanics, and finally was a much-lov...

Marcus “Bellringer” Bell is an American music producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, singer, social media influencer, activist and entrepreneur. Having first participated with Influence Ecology in March of 2012, we interviewed him in Aug 2016 - and focused on deliberate practice - that "most people don't and won't practice". His piano practice began at age 2 with his first record company by 12 years old. In his lifetime he has marketed and promoted, produced, remixed and written for, mento...

Knowing Requires Doing and Fitness Requires Practice with Suzanne Pool

Influential Environments with Christopher Mercier

Asking for Help with Moira Clay

The Bankruptcy of Magical Thinking with Kristen Moeller

We all think we know more than we actually do. Do you know how paper is made? How does a toilet work? How about a pen? Our species has produced sophisticated technologies, cities, and accomplishments, but most of us don’t honestly know how these things work. How can we aspire to so much despite understanding so little? Perhaps genius is instead found in the ways we co-opt the intelligence of the social ecology: Our collaborative minds enable us to aspire to great things. In the 2017 book The Kno...

Swimming in possibilities and excitement might be more detrimental than we think. As a biological ‘exchange animal,’ our moods and transactions are inextricably linked. We read or mimic the moods of others faster than we recognize their words. We’ve all learned the hard way that a text or email can’t include the wordless cues like mood, body language, appearance, inflection, and more. Might we sometimes produce moods that are inappropriate for transacting? John Severson, of Severson Compass & As...

Jenn Oliver, Senior Director of Service for the Academic Division at the University of Virginia, has learned a valuable lesson about what we refer to as "putting the mask on first." Before her study with Influence Ecology, primarily, other people's needs informed her plans. Her work was oriented only around doing for others, leaving her overwhelmed and aimless. Like many people, she was waiting for others to notice her value and reward her accordingly. She now takes care of herself and her aims ...

Simon Chesney's journey is a case study in the benefits of evolving from a talented generalist to a unique specialist. He's learned that specialization and differentiation can help him build a valued identity and that it’s possible to incorporate and combine his past experiences and expertise with his newly acquired specialized knowledge. Simon Chesney is an Enterprise Agile Coach for Western Digital, an American Fortune 200 data storage company headquartered in San Jose, California. Agile Devel...

Ever found inspiration in the William H. Murray quote: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it”? How about this one by Daniel Burnham: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized"? While these statements do seem to inspire action, perhaps boldness for its own sake is overrated . . . or a bit too, well, magical. Maybe there are other ways to stir men's blood. Perhaps there is a bal...

Influence Ecology launched its first podcast episode in August of 2016 and saw our listener base grow to 70 countries and counting. This episode is our 50th, and my special guest is Influence Ecology's very own Kirkland Tibbels. You often hear him on the Guru Talk that underscores the primary point of each episode. Today, we get to learn about his own journey and why transactional competence matters—especially now. Kirkland Tibbels is co-founder and chairman of Influence Ecology—an international...

Is it better to be more selfless or more selfish? If you’re like most people, you probably treat one of these behaviors as the more preferred way to act. But have you ever considered that in either case, someone gets reciprocally dismissed? Those too selfless can leave others enabled while devaluing themselves; those too selfish can leave others neglected while isolating themselves. Is there a healthy balance . . . perhaps a middle ground? Like many people, Sarah Shepherd discovered that her des...

Who keeps us from falling off the proverbial cliff? While some are naturally inclined to dream new ideas and others can’t help but build new relationships, there is a segment of society whose entire focus and role are to protect us from our poorly constructed shortcuts. This typically skeptical personality recognizes that nothing around us is a coincidence; things are either poorly designed or built to exacting standards. Often shamed for not seeing the world as ‘glass-half-full,’ this transacti...

We all can observe naïveté in others, but can we identify it in ourselves? As a poster child for ambition, Drew Knowles is a case study in embracing his naïveté. This episode describes and demonstrates what we mean by the term State of Mind: the state or condition of one’s thinking or knowing. We address four primary states of mind—despair, naïveté, adult, and ambitious adult—and the importance of learning to acknowledge the condition of your own ambition. Drew Knowles is Vice President and Part...

With an aim to make the most money he could, Johnny Washington, from McKinney, Texas, acknowledges that he used to take way too many risks. Amped on the rush-to-action tendencies typical of the idea-oriented personality, he thought he could do just about anything he imagined. He produced many significant breakdowns, and burdened by some of his choices says, "I still don’t see a clear way out."

Our 2018 Annual Member Conference in Los Cabos included a podcast episode dinner with a few members of our faculty. You'll hear from Vice President Drew Knowles, Dr. Gary Ward, James Walls, Marne Power, and Suzanne Pool—five faculty from five different countries—as we dialogue about why Influence Ecology has become their tribe and speculate on the possibilities the future may have in store for our education and its role in people's lives and society.

Always willing to help, but never able to ask for it, Tara Collison's journey as a student of Influence Ecology is a useful case study in the conceit of independence. She discovered that her ‘independence’ was merely ego and that this view and the subsequent actions alienated others, left her exhausted, and had long-term consequences to her finances, health, and family. Now eager to discover more of her flaws, warts, and vulnerabilities, she's currently collaborating to expand her newly branded ...

Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture designs buildings and places that bring people together. As award-winning architects, their projects are sharply differentiated from competitors, but the final selection still often won to price. Wanting more control of their future, CEO Craig Bouck pursued an education in the elements of value; the firm had mastered practical utility, but they hadn't yet positioned themselves as a scarce resource. They then did the hard work to deeply understand their clients' ...

As Canada’s authority on cultural reconstruction in complex emergencies, Dr. Sarah Jane Meharg is the principal and founder of Peace and Conflict Planners, often called upon by the Canadian Forces to help stabilize war-torn or post-disaster affected communities. She's authored two books: one on navigating the military and humanitarian divide and the other on measuring effectiveness, success, and understanding in peace operations and crisis management—a work endorsed by the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize...

How do you produce a robust identity amongst thousands of peers in a large corporate environment? Ron Sprengeler is someone who's done just that. Rather than join the naïve ranks of those whose viewpoint is that the job alone entitles them to a respected identity, Ron's case study demonstrates how to produce a powerful corporate identity in two ways: one, you'll hear how he's become well known and admired for his specialized knowledge and two, he shares just how he's cultivated a respected ident...

Melissa Baer earned a university education in marketing and business and was raised on an organic farm. She's an uncommon hybrid of 'stilettos and rubber boots' weaned on her father's mantra that without money in the bank, you can't make a difference. She's battled both business and health challenges only to discover peace, satisfaction, and vitality through the study of transactional competence. You'll hear her speak about the profound impact of coming to understand the Influence Ecology mantra...