Sean Riley: So, with all the fancy introductions out of the way, welcome to the podcast, Erik.
Erik Qualman: Thanks for having me. It's such an honor to be here.
Sean Riley: I was fortunate to see your presentation and sit in on your presentation at PMMI's ELC, the Executive Leadership Conference. And you spoke about five common habits, or as you called them, superpowers that you discussed. I was hoping maybe you could give a 10,000-foot view.
Erik Qualman: That's a great question, Sean. And what I dug into was when I was writing books Socialnomics, What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube and working with these companies, we quickly realized that, "Oh wow, a lot of these folks in this world as we step into the digital world and now in the quantum world, don't have the habits you need to practice each and every day."
And so we wanted to kind of review and research the best and the brightest out there, and we didn't know if it was going to be what are the common habits that the people that future-proof themselves practice each and every day? And was it 20 habits, three habits? There are five common habits that those leaders practice, and they're really strong in one of them. And so the five, just at a super high level, are simple, true, act, map, and P for people.
So, it forms the acronym STAMP. And so the first one is a simplification. It's counterintuitive. A lot of times, we get more complex worlds, we think we have to get complex. It's the opposite, especially when it comes to innovation. It's about simplification that allows us to go further faster. Then you look at T for true. It's not about changing with the wind all the time. It's about understanding you've got your true north, you understand who you are, and you're going after it each and every day.
And the third one is A for action, that nothing happens without action. And so that's intuitive. But when we looked at it, we were like, "What prevents a team from taking action?" There are a lot of reasons, but by far, it's not even close. The number one reason is fear, but those who understand digital leadership, our digital leaders, understand that failure is part of the process. And so don't fear failure. Embrace it. It's part of the process. So just—
Sean Riley: Right.
Erik Qualman: ...fail fast, fail forward, fail better. And then, we look at M for the map. The big difference there is that the world's changing so fast. It's not setting that goal and having a linear progression towards it, but rather having that goal and vision and being firm in your destination but flexible in your path when things change to get to that firm destination.
And then, last but not least, it's P for people. That it's you cannot replace face-to-face. It's about understanding, using these tools when time, distance, safety, and scale are an issue, how do I leverage the latest tools to deepen relationships when time, distance, safety, and scale are an issue? So that's it at a super high level, but that's it. Simple, true, act, map. And then people for people.
Sean Riley: What sort of mix should a company have? Is there a usual mix where there's more of one kind than the other?
Erik Qualman: I would say, in the audience, and we've spoken now in close to 60 countries, and so in companies, audiences, I would say that it's a pretty even dissemination. The one that would be lower normally would be M for map, depending on the audience. Different audiences index higher. If it's a sales audience, P for people is going to be a lot higher. But M for map is the only one that'd be a little lower. That's more strategic vision, visionaries.
And so those are a little harder to come by. But to your point, most importantly, individual listeners, go deep. You're good at these five, right. You're probably listening to this podcast. You're going above and beyond. You're good at what you do. You're probably excelling. And so it's really about understanding you're good at these five habits, but it's really about reminding yourself to go deep on that particular strength.
A common question I get. What if I'm super weak on, say, A for action? It's not about making that a strength. It's just about shoring it up, so it's not a liability. So it's always playing to your strength. And then, definitely, as your teams, you want to have that diversity, that functionality, so that people can see things from different angles. And you have those different superpowers on your team.
Sean Riley: That's a good 10,000-foot view. People should read your books and follow you a little more closely if they want to go a little bit deeper into what STAMP's all about. So you're the digital leadership expert. You have your pulse on the future.
I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about AI. AI is what everybody's talking about these days. I want to touch on what we should be doing with AI. I wanted to highlight something you said where you said "Artificial intelligence should actually be called co-intelligence." Could you break down what you mean by that?
Erik Qualman: A lot of people get scared, they think AI, and they go, "Oh, it's going to replace my job." They're approaching it from the wrong angle rather than it, "No, this is like a co-worker, additional co-workers, additional colleagues, additional friends." If you think about it that way, you always want to bounce ideas off as many people as possible. So think about it just more about co-intelligence that helps you stay artificially relevant, meaning that it helps you scale up and focus on the human part of things.
So that's why I say just think about it more co-intelligence. And actually, the CEO I was talking to, he's got a couple of computers. On one of the screens, he has a mustache on, and you can put whatever you want on it. But just to remind him, that's a co-worker that I've got to always bounce ideas off of AI. And he actually asks his employees, "Did you use co-intelligence before you came in here? What did co-intelligence think? What did it tell you?"
And so that's a fascinating way to look at it. And then sometimes your co-worker, like I said, just as a joke, some co-worker, you take the information, you'd always take it. It's just you're getting that information, you go, "That's useful, that's interesting. I don't agree with it, so I'm not going to use that." Or sometimes your co-worker has a few too many drinks. You're like, "We're not going to listen to Jane or Jerry right now. Good, they're having a good time."
Sean Riley: For my position, I'm in communication, so I do a ton of writing. And from a writing standpoint, AI is terrifying because it does feel like something that's going to replace writers. I understand using it for outlining and summarizing and stuff like that, but it's a hard thing to grasp using it as a companion.
Erik Qualman: I write books, and I use it for writing. I love it so far. But to your point, there's also concern. Is this going to replace me as a writer? I think we're still a long way away from that. Could be wrong, obviously, but right now, I'm really enjoying it. The one thing that I don't like about it is that if you were to write your own poem, say for even just your mom's 80th birthday or whatever, is that like, "Hey, did you write this with AI?"
Sean Riley: Yeah, you're right.
Erik Qualman:.That kind of loss. But that brings back. I just wrote a handwritten note. I just had coffee this morning with a person and they own a company that produces these real high-end Japanese knives, and he gave me a cutting knife, and so I hand-wrote a note and took an image of it and sent it to him in email, and I'll mail it as well. But then I put in there, "A non-AI generated note." So that kind of go deep on just that tactile thing. It's a way for you to stand out as well.
Sean Riley: Yeah, very good point. Okay. Just to round out the AI bit, how do companies know where to start with it? You listed a bunch of different models that are out there. How do you know which one to use? Do you just jump in and try them all? What's the best method?
Erik Qualman: I think, like anything, trial and error at the beginning and then figure out what's working. What has the least amount of friction? Very similar. Honestly, it's crazy because history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. But if you look at, say, social media 15 years ago, I wrote the book Socialnomics. I'm talking to the CEOs, "What social media tool should I use?" First of all, where is your base? Where are they?
And if you find that you find it enjoyable to use LinkedIn, that's the one you should use. If you don't find it enjoyable to use, say, Facebook, don't go there. It's not going to work for anybody. It's similar to if you're at a cocktail party. If you're not good at cocktail parties as a CEO, their team shouldn't be putting you in that position.
And so, first and foremost, what's the most relevant for your industry that you're in? Where is your base going? Where's your customer, client, partner? Where are they using the tools? But most importantly, where's the least amount of friction for you? Where do you find yourself enjoying it? And then, usually, that leads to the best result. So when you start to record what's giving the best return on investment, return on time, then that's the tool that you should be using. And you can't use all these tools. You just won't have the bandwidth.
Just like social media, you won't have all the bandwidth. So in short, which one do you enjoy and which one's giving you the best return?
Sean Riley: How do you connect people in different locations that are working remotely? Are there effective tactics that leaders can do to check in?
Erik Qualman: Communication. Is everyone on the same page? Is everyone rowing towards the same island? Because you might have someone rowing to the wrong island, and that's going to really slow you down. And so it's really about understanding clear, concise communication, repetitive—and that's nothing new. Alan Mulally, when he came over from Boeing to take over Ford Motor Company as CEO, he's like, "Whoa, we got all these different brands. Everyone's doing different things. No one knows what they're doing. Let's row in the same direction. So I'm going to call it One Ford, and this is it."
He printed them out on plastic... pieces of plastic and required everyone to carry it with them. And then he would see something in the hall. Someone junior would be talking like, "Oh, do you have your One Ford?" And they're like super nervous. "No, I don't have it. It's at my desk." He goes, "That's all right. I've got one here for you." And hand it to them to make sure that they're all on the same page.
And so the same holds true here. Prior to the pandemic, often you check in with your team—it’s like once a year. It's around the salary review, like a deep check-in.
Sean Riley: Exactly. 100%.
Erik Qualman: Terrible time to check in as well because it's loaded with stuff. So, just micro-check-ins. We should have already been doing this, but it's literally as simple as, even if it's just a text or call. I feel like, "How are you doing?" I always say like, "How are you doing on a scale of one to 10, and how can I help you get closer to a 10? As a leader, what obstacles can I remove for you?" Huddles seem to work really well.
Sean Riley: Okay.
Erik Qualman: And if you're in-person at a huddle, you’ve got to hold true to it. This is going to be a three-minute huddle. Just go over... Everyone's going to go around here real quick. "What's the one thing that you worked on yesterday? Did you get it done? Did you not? What's the big thing? What are you working on today?"
And then you hold them accountable because they have to cover that huddle every day and say, "Yep. I said yesterday I was going to do this. Ah, I didn't get it done. I'm going to focus on it today." Those huddles help a lot. They can be digital huddles. Like my team, sometimes it's just on the Google Spreadsheet. Just put in what's the top thing you're working on, and then you put in next to it green, yellow, red. Did you get it done? And so then everyone's on the same page.
Sean Riley: Could it come across in a digital way as micromanaging or overkill more than it would in a physical way? If it was a physical office, it might not feel that way, but in a digital way, it would.
Erik Qualman: Easily. It's happening at Amazon. They're required to come into the office. I know people that are working in Nashville, they're like, "That's an hour and a half commute with this traffic." So, they had a carpool for the badges. They throw the badges in the car, and it's Jim's turn, or it's Jill's turn to take the badges in and badge you in.
Sean Riley: Right.
Erik Qualman: So that's what you want to avoid, is that micromanagement. The hardest thing for leaders—what I tell them today, the big thing that they have to wrestle with, whether they're hybrid, remote—is that talent's going to dictate what it looks like, and meaning you’ve got to treat everyone fair but not the same.
Sean Riley: Right.
Erik Qualman: And so it's like, "Why does Jim get to work remote and I can't? Well, Jim, here's his numbers."
Sean Riley: Yeah.
Erik Qualman: "If you can do this, then you can work remote." And that's a tricky game to play. That makes leadership even more important—is that emotional intelligence on just being consistent in your messaging. They'll go, "Hey, some people are going to work remote and they've earned it. Here's how you can earn it."
And so, you’ve got to figure out how do you put those systems in place to do that. Again, something we should have always done, but now it's forced upon us in this world. But it makes you better as a team and as a leader that you have to do these things you probably always should have been doing.
Sean Riley: Okay. What system or approach do you personally use to help stay focused on big versus busy?
Erik Qualman: Yeah, it's a good question. I wrote The Focus Project to help myself, and it was a project because I just had this dream like, "Man, what if I just focused on cleaning my house for the month?" Or, "What if I just focused on writing the books this month instead of going out there and writing a blog or being out there keynote speaking?" And so that's where the genesis was. And I had five failed starts because of how hard focus is.
Sean Riley: Yeah.
Erik Qualman: And it took me two years instead of one because of those five failed starts. But then, finally, once I got it done at the end of the book, I reflected back and said, "Which of all the things that I tested, what am I most likely to use on a daily basis?" And the thing I use on a daily basis—but there are days when I don't do this even though it only takes 60 seconds—
Sean Riley: Okay.
Erik Qualman: So it's about giving yourself grace. It's about progress, not perfection. I like to write down the night before, why is the day going to be a plus three? I always write down the day in Google Spreadsheets: Was the day a minus one, minus two, minus three, plus one, plus two, plus three—never neutral? I try to write down the day before, "It's going to be a plus three tomorrow because I'm going to write for an hour. I'm going to focus on the big versus the busy."
And then, at the end of the day, I actually give the grade on what the day actually was. And so I'm tracking that over time to make sure I'm getting as close to plus three as possible. But then most importantly, qualitatively, I write down what made it a minus one. What made it a plus two? And start to see those patterns so that recognition occurs during the day where I go, "Man, I'm heading towards a minus one day because of XYZ. How do I flip it to at least a plus one?"
So, in the moment, how can I take more control? So that's the thing I use the most in order to focus on big versus busy. Understanding that slow progress often leads long-term to a lot of progress. Just making sure, "Okay, this is the one thing I need to make sure I put 30 minutes towards for the day." Knowing there could be days that doesn't happen, but trying to avoid too many of those days in a row.
Sean Riley: I love that. And that's a great takeaway for our audience that we could have there at the end. I want to thank you again, Erik, for speaking at the ELC and also for coming on our podcast here.
Erik Qualman: Honor to be here, Sean. It's great to join you and your listeners—really appreciate it.
