Click

Click
Disrupt!
By Bill Jensen
How To Addendum to Think Epic. Be Epic.
The Journey Continues
Disrupt! Think Epic. Be Epic.

How To Addendum
Lint Bin
Disrupt! and The Courage Within Us are Bill Jensens sixth and seventh books. All his books begin with the research from the ongoing study, Search for a Simpler Way, by the Jensen Group. To date, well over 600,000 individuals have been surveyed and/or interviewed for the study, from across the globe. In this How To addendum to Disrupt!, Bill has included tips and techniques that came from Simpler Way findings as well as tips from many other sources. All findings and tips relate to knowledgeand service-work economies not third-world or emerging economies and may have only limited application in extremely industrialized or agrarian situations. For more information: simplerwork.com bill@simplerwork.com
2013, Bill Jensen, The Jensen Group
SECTION 2 SECTION 3
Dos
SECTION 1
PAGE 4 PAGE 33 PAGE 42
Donts
Guiding Principles
INTRODUCTION
>
The Power of Habit

any kind of habit.
What is a Habit?
What follows are additional how-tos associated with the 25 disruptive habits identified within Disrupt! Lets begin with a few tips about building
It is an action that you perform seemingly without having to think about it. Habits are so internalized that each Next Step and each seems to be performed without having to think about it. reaction are hard-wired into your thinking processes. Every action
45% of Our Day: Both Good and Bad

Click Disrupt! How Tos
Researchers have found that up to 45% of what we do every day are habits.
Good: Without habits, wed go nuts! Every little thing that had to get done would become a major thinking chore. Bad: In a world of constant disruptive change, with almost half things that require you to change.
your day filled with habits, you can be too slow to react to many
Pay attention to the cues that spark activities that deliver

ringing bell (cue) meant food.
How to Build Any Habit
rewards. An example, Pavlovs experiments: Dogs learned that a
Focus on the reward at the end, not on the difficulty of the

the hard work of stopping smoking.
work involved. Examples: Recognition or prestige or a bonus or
time off after working hard on a project; Or being healthier after
The Secret
Freedom of choice. You can choose to let go of old habits that be more helpful to you in a very disruptive world.
are no longer useful. You can choose to build new habits that will Daily Secret: Tools, checklists, buddy systems, support groups, reminders Anything that keeps you true to your commitments until new habits have been formed.
The Catch
Changing old habits and building new ones can be hard work. The degree of difficulty is tied to the strength of your Ahas. Little Ahas (Yeah, I guess I should do this) = Very difficult work ahead. Big Ahas (I really must do this, its worth it!) = No work seems too difficult youll just do it.
FOR MORE
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Tiny Habits Method by BJ Fogg
SECTION
Dos
[ Do Epic Shit ]
intractable problems.
If you dont disrupt and you dont free your own mind in how you apply yourself to challenges, you cant address todays most If you want to make a change, lifes too short Square in everyones mind. We need the same freedom from fear in which we first saw in the Thats where the future lies.
to be anything but disruptive. We need a Tahrir streets of Cairo. The big challenge in our future
is how we break the boundaries in our own mind.

Thats Salil Shetty, Secretary General for Amnesty International. Disrupt!
His advice is the perfect introduction to this How To addendum to Shetty is a lifelong activist on poverty and justice issues, and
leads the movement's worldwide work to end the abuse of human kind of guy. Not so. He knows that the only way to thrive in a disruptive world, is to take disruptive actions of your own. Lifes too short not to be outraged and not to be disruptive,
rights. One might think that hed be a cant we all just get along
he continues. Yes, patience is a virtue. Whats important is how to a combination of passion and analytics. distributed more equitably.
HABIT 1 HABIT 2 HABIT 3 HABIT 4 HABIT 5 HABIT 6 HABIT 7 HABIT 8 HABIT 9 HABIT 10 HABIT 11 HABIT 12 HABIT 13 HABIT 14
you channel that in a way that results in change. It comes down My optimism and hope lies with who wants power to be
QUESTION EVERYTHING AUDACITY MATTERS DO EPIC SHIT KILL WHAT YOU CHERISH MOST BLOW STUFF UP MAKE A MESS GO FASTER
PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 11 PAGE 12 PAGE 14 PAGE 16 PAGE 17 PAGE 19 PAGE 21 PAGE 23 PAGE 25 PAGE 27 PAGE 29 PAGE 31
BE A TRIAGE MASTER DO IT ANYWAY LEAP BEFORE THE NET APPEARS SIMPLIFY CONSTANTLY HAVE LOTS OF AFFAIRS (ON YOUR BOSS) GO BACK TO THE FUTURE
FIX THE WORLDS FLYING TOILETS
14 HABITS FOR DOING GREAT WORK IN A DISRUPTIVE WORLD
HABIT
Question Everything
Find Your Core Set of Questions
consultant, I almost always begin with
How to Ask Questions That Rock the Boat

These are your go-to questions that are helpful in most any
situation. Limit your core questions to 35. For me as a business
How do you define success? Or: If we were super successful

and we asked 100 people for their reactions, what would they clients/audiences shoes. say? This puts the person youre speaking with in the customers/
Why? Journalists are taught to ask variations of this same Time/Quality/Cost: Pick Two. You cant ask this directly.
Everybody will always respond that all three are equally important. But they never are. One of these three is always the deciding factor. (And cost is often a lot more flexible than were led to believe.) You will need to ask this question indirectly multiple times in order to uncover which one it is. Some additional suggestions question up five times until they get to the real truth.
What is our (company, team, store, etc.) core purpose on earth?

Variations of this question always quickly get to Why are we really doing this? Whats the ultimate purpose of this?
What should we stop doing?
If our (company, team, store, etc.) didnt exist, how would we How could we do this differently?
A few more suggestions approach this?
Adapted from Warren Berger, host of the blog A More Beautiful Question
What if there were no rules for this? What would we do? What would we do if we wanted to have no regrets? Is this the hill we want to die on? (Is this really that important?) Whats the difference between what they want and what they need?
Practice, Practice, Practice Sense the Tipping Point

exchange.
What really matters in this situation?
To accomplish Step 3, you will need to practice your core set
of questions constantly. In most every meeting, in most every
At some point in the exchange, the vibe will change. If you pay very close attention, you will begin to sense the exact moment time to Lets move on to getting stuff done. where the vibe switches from OK, will give you some discovery For example, many of my new business opportunities occur during teleconferences. Assuming a one-hour call, the tipping point is quickly switch into Heres what Id recommend we do mode. Your goal is to push right up to the edge of that tipping point which just one more question will annoy others). usually between 20 minutes and 40 minutes into the call. I then
(maximizing discovery time) But never go over it (the point at
Get to the Point Fast!

getting stuff done.
After youve questioned as much as you can, jump quickly into
Make sure your actions/recommendations are built upon how Get to the point fast! Spell out recommendations and action items
people just answered your questions. clearly and succinctly. (See Habit 11: Simplify Constantly)
Repeat: Going Further Each Time

time you have the opportunity.
Push as far as you can with one round of questions Execute
based on what you learned Then push a little further the next
HABIT
Audacity Matters
No Yeah Buts or Monetary Concerns Validate Your Gut

get past their Yeah Buts and initial concerns.
Career Audacity: Making Big Changes

Hold off on those at least initially. The main reason people stay
in bad jobs and in less-than-great situations is because they cant
Six Reasons to Make a Career Change
Dream Big, Ask Big Questions
Learn more about common mistakes people make

Treat your life as a blank piece of paper with no pre-determined rules or boundaries. Ask big questions like
What do I want? What marketplace needs (products/services) excite me?
What can I offer on those needs or any? Do I have what it takes? What skills do I have that are transferable?
FOR MORE
My own firm? Somebodys employee? Combination of both?
Big Career Questions
Go to Your Audacity Yoda
Lots of people will help you plot the safest or wisest course.
Somewhere in your life there is (or needs to be) a mentor or
friend or family member who will guide you and, if necessary,
Brainstorm new possibilities with this person Brainstorm what youd do during the next few months if you were Brainstorm how to facilitate conversations with family or anyone
who will have monetary or Yeah But concerns. already been addressed! Once you do this, you will find many of the concerns will have to select one of the options
tough-love you toward adventure, exploring, and risk-taking.
Chart Your New Course
Plan it with family and anyone who will be impacted by your worry and a lot more adventure!
decisions. Having done Step 4, you will experience a little less
Pre-Work: Read the Modern Classics Ask Decision-Makers to Share Their Dreams
Project Audacity: Making Big Pitches
Getting to Yes Getting Past No Difficult Conversations
Most of us know a standard corporate practice pre-shopping new ideas with decision-makers before the ideas are actually
proposed. That way, when you finally present the idea, it gets their fingerprints already all over it. ideas into way-too-safe ideas.
approved because the decision-makers have had a chance to put Problem: This approach almost always waters down audacious
Meet with key decision-makers before you brainstorm your ideas Ask them their dreams for your project. If your project could Use their big dreams to jumpstart your audacious ideas Audaciousness is built-in because the decision-makers biggest
exceed their wildest expectations, what would that look like?
So use the process differently:
Close the Sale

dreams are already included
Your passion and a great idea are not enough. Go into to that meeting prepared to discuss: Immediate next steps Who is responsible for what What success looks like What tools and resources are needed
Make it easy for everyone to say Yes. Organize all of the above
into and easy to review and understand checklist. Ideally, on one page
Finally: Two important things to remember:
Be yourself! Because in the end, you are selling you.
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HABIT
Kill What You Cherish Most

Follow a two-track approach
Your Projects: Plan Obsolescence From the Start
Create An Ongoing Iteration Loop
As soon as you launch your project, you will need to start seeking feedback that will help you keep designing new iterations.
Hackathons are a great model to follow. They keep the feedback Great feedback is useless unless somebody does something
here are some 411s on hackathons.
loop intense and keep the iterations coming. Here, here, here and
with it. Contract with your bosses, up front, for fast response
times for feedback. The best models are similar to Zappos and
Ritz-Carlton where everybody knows that they are empowered to
If you are stuck with a more traditional managerial structure

changes without going up the chain of command.
make changes without going through the chain of command.
(my condolences), then contract with your bosses on the one or two key metrics where they will empower your team to make
Day 1 of Your New Project: Start Killing It

for that. Start killing it yourself. Start what you just accomplished
The moment you launch your latest project, someone out there
is already working on making all your efforts obsolete. Dont wait
Researching what technologies or approaches might surpass

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Brainstorming with teammates Version 2.0 of what you just

accomplished
FOR MORE
Dont wait for approval. Dont wait for permission.
How Apple does it Consequences of not killing your project
HABIT
Do Epic Shit
Pre-Work:
Steve Jobs Jacqueline Novogratz JK Rowling Meryl Streep Jeff Bezos Neil Gaiman
Redefine Your Niche So Being the Best Is Attainable

Watch Six Commencement Speeches
You will be reminded of timeless truths which will carry you through your quest to be the best
Be You: The Amazing You

amplify them.
Movie director Alfred Hitchcock once said Drama is life with
the dull bits cut out. The same applies to you being the best in the world. Accentuate your most wondrous qualities and then
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Like how
The Mythbusters guys entertain us with experiments Richard Saul Wurman launched TED Salman Khan began reinventing education from his closet ways to see ourselves
Lenny Bruce, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert showed us new Redefining your market niche is you, with the dull bits cut out. Define a set of market needs, established or new (no one asked for the first iPod, but one visionary saw a huge market for it) so that you (as envisioned in Step 2) are the perfect match in fulfilling those needs.
Define Market Needs That You Alone Own
Market size must be connected to your dreams. (World domination Your goals should be tied your skillsets and strengths. (If youre
a musician.) or best in your neighborhood?) tone deaf, it may not be realistic that youll be doing epic shit as
Define True Success
Some who do epic shit achieve wealth or fame. Yet most are
simply striving to be the best version of themselves. Define true and natural it is to be that way, or what youve learned and best you can be will never be measured by market size or success is an awesome journey!
success in terms of how much fun you have, or how comfortable experienced, or who youve met and spent time with. Being the revenues. If those happen to come your way great. But true
Deliver
Steve Jobs once said that real artists ship. Meaning: At the end of the day, your product or service is only epic if you actually deliver the goods. Great execution matters.
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HABIT
Blow Stuff Up
Be Bucky
How to Blow Stuff Up and Get Away With It

Buckminster Fuller famously said You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
Do not blow stuff up by attacking the current system.

they are. They will wear you down. of doing things
There are too many people invested in keeping things the way
Instead, invest your energies in building a new model, a new way
Start Small, With a Narrow Focus
The size for mobile phone apps is projected to be over $100 billion by 2015. All that from products that cost, on average, about $3; and where 90% of all apps are free. Regardless of what your technology is involved
product or service is, or how its delivered, or how much (or little)
Focus on a sub-subset of a larger system. (Most apps do one
narrowly-focused thing very well.) The more narrow your focus like how one form gets filled out, or how one training program works the better your chance of getting away with disruptive
Start small: Keep initial costs as low as possible (a lot can be

done with $0 and sweat equity); launch pilots; then iterate, iterate, iterate.
changes
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Make Life Easier
Time poverty and the fact that everything takes so much effort solution makes it easier to (fill in the blank), your chances of
are two of todays biggest challenges for most everyone. If your
If you are selling something internally to your bosses: This

and you are golden.
blowing stuff up are greatly increased.
includes making their lives easier too. Save them time or effort,
For customers: You will go viral if they not only get ease of use,
themselves customizing your product to their personality or their specific needs; participating in follow-up activities, etc.
but if your product or service also gives them a chance to express
Build a Loyal Following
Before selling your idea to the world, build a loyal following who love your disruptive change. When it comes time to sell it, they will do it for you. If selling your idea internally to your bosses, as good as you think it is, they will become your champions.
enlist one or two them to test or experience your change. If its
Passion Seals the Deal
Your passion for how your disruption will change things for the better. Your loyal followings passion for what it did for them. If you are successful in Steps 3 and 4, youll achieve Step 5, and you will have blown stuff up and gotten away with it.
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HABIT
Be a Triage Master
Commit to Yin Yang Thinking
before you make decisions.
Top Tips: Become a Master, You Must
Educators call this Lower-Level Thinking and Higher-Level Thinking two dimensions of critical thinking. Triaging requires you to develop the ability to bounce back and forth between the two
Example of Lower-Level Thinking: Who needs this, by when? Examples of Higher-Level Thinking: Is this important? Why is this
important? Are any of my To Dos more important than this? Master triagers learn (through practice, practice, practice) to quickly weigh both of these before they act. You need to get good at thinking about both how to quickly get stuff done, and what really matters doing both super-fast, at the same time.
Build Yin Yang Daily Routines
Start small: With any decision that takes almost no time
like how to answer just one email. Before responding: Weigh both Lower-Level needs (getting the task off your plate) and HigherLevel needs (should the sender be thinking differently about the
Build a routine: Start applying what you practiced in one email
problem?).
to all your emails; to meetings; to presentations. Focus on daily, recurring routines so you can easily practice, practice, practice.
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Be a Ruthless Prioritizer
are ruthless prioritizers. here and here
After Steps 1 and 2, youre ready for the big leap: Incorporating
two-level thinking into how you make more important Go/No Go,
Yes/No, Do/Dont Do decisions. All great triagers, all great leaders
Read more about how and why great leaders do this here, here,
Plan Your 2020 Up-Skilling
Check out the Institute for the Futures Work Skills 2020 findings. are your strengths and which ones require need up-skilling.
Ask mentors, colleagues, bosses for 360 feedback on which skills
Mentor Others
Pay it forward. Share your lessons learned and mastering of triaging with others.
HABIT
Make a Mess
Get Over Yourself
Start Small Failures, Grow Them Into Big Messes

neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt
At the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know
Yes, bad bosses and poor work cultures and bureaucratic rules fear of failure is within your control. Stop worrying about how
fuel and prey upon everyones fear of failure. But 99.99% of your
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youll be perceived or what will happen if you fail. To help with
Daring Greatly by Bren Brown Sallie Krawcheck on Getting Fired

Best Advice: Down But Not Out
that, check out
Screwing Up Could Be Your Best Career Move
If You Dont Make Mistakes, You Dont Make Anything How to Think About Risk When Investing in Your Career
Assign Yourself Failure Projects

than normal), if screw-ups occur
You need practice projects: Safe places where its OK, (more OK If your bosses arent assigning you Failure Projects (those with
higher-than-normal acceptance of disruptive risks) then assign risk-averseone project per year) in which you intentionally them to yourself. Take on one project per quarter (for the more
If it goes well, realize that your fears of failure were unwarranted, If it doesnt go well, your response should be So, I got dinged.
and push further on the next Failure Project Im still a great employee. Life did not end. Ill try again later. After Steps 1 and 2
push yourself or the project beyond a safe and predictable zone
Grow Small Failures Into Bigger Messes
Build a team (three or more people) around your next Failure

beyond the normal safe and predictable zone and that if it
Project. Everybody on the team agrees to push this one project doesnt go well (theres safety in numbers) everybody agrees to share the hit together. United you stand: equal glory or equal
With each successful Failure Project, grow the team, increase Soon, as hippie Arlo Guthrie once sang, you will have started
a movement! the risk-taking.
blame.
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Always: After Action Reviews
Thats what the U.S. Army calls their debriefing sessions. They are extremely disciplined, as you need to be, about capturing, understanding, and leveraging the lessons learned from each of
their assignments. The whole point of making messes, is so that from each experience.
you can iterate, iterate, iterate. You can only do that if you learn
Iterate, Iterate, Iterate

version even better.
Use what youve learned from each failure, to make the next
HABIT
Do It Anyway
Top Tips: How to Get Away With Doing It Anyway

Part 1: Change How Your Respond to No
Use every No from your boss as an opportunity to change your
Discover the Unsaid

like
relationship with him/her. Do not challenge Ask better questions. Theres almost always information behind every No that bosses didnt think to share. Discover what that is by asking questions
Help me understand what youre trying to achieve. Help me understand why my idea isnt a good one. Help me understand my next steps.
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Explore Alternatives
your needs
Whats driving this deadline? Did I misunderstand our departments top priorities?
Based on what you learn in Step 1, explore alternative solutions to what was first rejected. Like: Now that I better understand
Id like to come back to you with a couple new possibilities? If I meet those requirements, I assume you will review a I will revise my budget and get back to you next week.
Use information gained from the boss in Step 1 to help close the sale. revised proposal?
Present Alternatives
Part 2: Find Your Voice, Take a Stand

Better to Ask Forgiveness If Steps 13 Work Great! No need for the next step. You are successfully changing innovative.
your relationship with your boss to take more risks and be more
If Steps 13 Keep Getting You Nowhere

You have two choices you think is best. And then when you get dinged, ask for forgiveness.
Clearly, your boss is holding you back and this not going to stop.
Either: Stop asking for permission altogether. Just do whatever Or: Quit
WORDS OF WISDOM
Richard Branson on Living a Life With No Regrets
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HABIT
Go Faster
Ego
How To Let Go To Go Faster
Embrace This: The Problem is You

slowing things down is you:
For at least two out of every three of us: the main cause of
Fear
I cant let people see this before its right. Ill get dinged if its not perfect. I dont have time to think. I have to just keep it moving. They dont give me the time to think. I cant look bad. What will my boss think of me? What you need to focus on is whats really slowing you down your own attitudes and beliefs.
Self-Imposed Criteria Excuses CYA etc.
Inventory Your Daily Routines

Ten minute exercise. Two columns:
LEFT
List all business routines you do on a daily basis, including the average amount of time you spend on each activity. For example:
Current Routines
RIGHT
Ideal Routines
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Current Routine
Emails: 2 hours
Ideally, Should Be Emails: 1 hour Meetings: 3 hours
The discrepancy between what you do now and what you should
Meetings: 4 hours
Jensen Group research found that the average person is losing

control to change!
be doing is where you need to focus.
2-4 hours per day on time-drains that are within that individuals
Close the Gaps

Some examples:
Gaining back 2-4 hours per day is completely within your control.
Better use of filters on your emails, so only true high priority

emails and critical people get your most urgent and focused attention
Applying the 80/20 Rule to replying to whomever communicates

with you. (80% of your most-valuable communication is with no more than 20% of your contacts. Focus there and be OK with not getting back to everyone else.)
The majority of the meetings you attend are a waste of your time.
to start opting out of meetings and being more selective. All people who are productive do this!
Why do you keep doing that to yourself?! Give yourself permission
Travel Beyond Your Routines

like
FOR MORE
Communication Tools: Speed-Freak Clarity How to Delete 75% of Your Emails Seven Qualities of Uber-Productive People Lifehacker
11 Productivity Hacks of Super Productive People
The people who are producing far more than you, far faster than you have all taken this final step. Examine your other long-held beliefs that may be holding you back and wasting your time,
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Is this the right career (or job, or company) for me? Should I be changing my lifestyle (car, house, etc.)? Why not change (fill in the blank)? Why is (fill in the blank) so damned important to me? Most likely, you have at least one long-held belief thats holding you back from working smarter and faster. Something thats totally within your control and is totally changeable. Tackle that and you will be free to work as smart and as fast as humanly possible. (See Habits 19-25 for more.)
HABIT
Go Faster
10
Top Tips: How to Build Your Net En Route

Assumption: You Are Ready to Leap
area, some suggestions for pre-reading Drive by Daniel Pink That doesnt mean being fearless. Everyone is afraid. Its how you push past those fears that counts. If you need more help in that

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely How We Decide by Jonah Lehrner
Practical Wisdom by Barry Schwartz
On Managing Yourself by Harvard Business Review
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Be Specific
Everyone who succeeds by design athletes, artists, dieters,
explorers, workers, managers, leaders, does so by being clear
and specific with their goals. Think of the SMART model: Specific, this week and increase my exercise time by 15 minutes is far
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timebound. e.g., Lose 5 pounds better than Lose weight. Exercise more.
Plan No More Than 36 Months

any further out would be a waste of time.
Before you leap, plan your goals for the next 36 months using the SMART model. Only for 36 months! During that time, you will learn so much and things will change so much that planning
Apply the Immutable Law of Leaping
Everything is figureoutable is the one immutable law that
governs all successful leaps. All those things that are freaking you out? Dont worry. Be happy. As your leap progresses you will find whatever it is you need everything is figureoutable.
Enlist Your Tribe
As Manick Bhan described in Disrupt!, your social network is your biggest safety net. That can range from sleeping on a friends couch while in transition, to daily direction from your closest
supporters, to the AttaBoy and AttaGirl support you needed just when things looked darkest. It takes a village to make a leap. Enlist yours before you go for it.
Be a Realistic Optimist
I can do this, I can do this, I can do this! is crucial. But so is plans accordingly. Pragmatic problem-solving and passionate optimism need to be need to work together as teammates.
the ability to realistically assess progress (or lack of it) and adjust
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Stick To It
As Cenk Karasapan said in Disrupt!, If there are 50 doors, and youre on the 48th door and get tired, do you give up? No. You keep trying. You will get tired and be in the dumps several times. Do not despair. Push through that. Your reward is just behind the next door!
HABIT
Simplify Constantly
Practice Disciplined Empathy
and Common Sense
11
Five Ways to Make Most Anything Simpler
Simplicity is based on very basic human needs: Could this app be to open and easier to read and understand? Can making a bank deposit be made easier? The first step to making most anything simpler is to walk a mile in the users/audiences/customers shoes. And, as part of that, focus on the basics. Making most each small step in the process easier.
made easier to use? Could this medicine container be made easier
things simpler isnt about solving world hunger. Its about making
Ask Just One Question
Steve Jobs was correct in his belief that customers cant tell you what they want when it relates to innovations such as the first iPod or iPhone or iPad. But most complexities people encounter can be addressed by simplifying something that already exists.
25
Ask your user/audience/customer just one question How can we make this easier for you? and you will quickly learn what simplicity looks like.
Always Start with Time Poverty

and Attention Deficit Disorder
Yes, there are bigger, more systemic, more entrenched problems that need simplification. But if you focus on saving people time go wrong. These are among the top two challenges that will and on capturing and using their attention wisely, you will never always benefit from simplification efforts.
Always Give the User More Control Joy and Great Experiences
Trump Pain Reduction
you have diligently practiced Steps 1 and 2!)
The more control that the user/audience/customer has over using
your product or service, the simpler it will be for them. (Assuming
Listen carefully to the responses you get in Step 2. Most people will describe simplicity in terms of pain reduction. e.g., This medicine bottle cap is too hard to open. or I hate how long it takes to download this. Your job is to push past that because, in the end, while people describe simplicity in terms of things they want to reduce or get rid of Growth in sales and reputation is almost always based on the thrill of simplicity! Something that truly excites!

FOR MORE
Communication Tools: Speed-Freak Clarity How to Delete 75% of Your Emails Ten Simple Truths The Ultimate Ten-Page Presentation Simpler Company: Starter Kit
LinkedIn Discussion: Tools for the Time Crunched Manager The resources above are all free.
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The following resources require a small fee: Managing Your Manager How to Say No and Get Ahead
How to Work Smarter by Asking the Right Questions Strategic Plan on One Page
Easy Ways to Build the Courage You Need to Work Smarter
HABIT
Have Lots of Affairs (On Your Boss)

Practice Common Sense
Getting Away with Lots of Affairs
If your boss and your company culture are such that you would never tell your boss you were looking for a new job until after you landed it, follow the same approach here. However, be aware that in todays world, the ability to keep anything a secret is usually measured in minutes.
12
If Possible: Make Your Boss Your Silent Partner

you can confide, do so right away. He/she will not make excuses for you, but can provide air cover for your occasional missed meeting or other minor transgressions.
Not everyone will have this luxury, but if you have a boss in whom
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Results Always Matter
If you are going to have freelance or a business on the side, any excuses for letting the quality or speed of your full-time
and still continue to be a full-time employee, there will never be work lapse.
Embrace Terrified Joy

away. Ever.
The rush of doing your own thing will always be accompanied business is your own. Steel yourself for that. It will never go
by the terror and anxiety that there is no place to hide when the
Success Must Always Include Personal Growth

Many businesses fail. Yours may too. But if you view every new venture as a path to personal growth, you will never fail.
Action-Plan Only Three Months Out Evaluate Success One Year Out Bring the New You to Work
waste of time.
Everything will change constantly. Planning much further out is a
Everything you hope to achieve will take longer than you think it should. Be patient. Keep calm and carry on.
If you are maintaining your day job and building your business personal growth thats coming from this outside work. (e.g., make conversations about your affair go a lot easier.
on the side, ensure that your boss and teammates observe the An increase in confidence.) When its time to go public, that will
Get Your Tribe to Evangelize You

you.
The best way to blend both full-time employment and your own thing is not talking about it directly: Let your blog following or your customers or requests for interviews do your speaking for
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FOR MORE
Five Top Tips for Starting a Successful Business 30 Wildly Successful Bloggers Reveal It All
Six Things Silicon Valley Can Teach Social Entrepreneurs Profiles: Seven Self-Made Immigrant Millionaires
The Four Essential Personality Traits of Every Entrepreneur How to Think About Risk When Investing in Your Career
HABIT
Go Back to the Future

Be Super Humble
Five Dos and Donts with a Half-Age Mentor
Most of us (cmon, admit it) approach those half our age as if were the ones who should be teaching them, not the other way around. Be super humble and much you will learn from them. be wasted. Wear the mask of wisdom-comes-with-age, and much time will
13
Get Life Advice, Not Tech Advice
As long as they have full access to the latest tools, odds are that someone half your age is more of a digital native than you are. freedom from fear, creativity, embracing risks, new business about how to unchain yourself from what you have learned habits. Resist the urge to focus on all things digital. Seek to learn about models, being true to ones vision. You want advice from them because they havent yet learned those inhibiting beliefs and
29
Have Specific Goals
You want your half-age mentor to take you out of your comfort zone. But that must be lead to Ahas and experiences that will take you where you want to go. e.g., Unsure of how to build a
disruptive product and build a team of young Turks? Define your exact goals for this experience before enlisting the help of your half-age mentor.
Contract to Be Pushed
Like with any mentor/mentee relationship, establishing the rules make sure that you are contracting to be pushed out of your
of engagement is crucial. But especially with your half-age mentor, comfort zone, and keep demanding that.
Reverse Mentor Carefully!
You will surely want to share your twice-age wisdom with your
young mentor. Do so. There is a lot you have to teach him/her. mentor too quickly and role clarity will go out the window and your sessions will become a confusing mess of each of you trying to mentor the other at the same time.
But do so only as you get close to reaching your goals. Reverse
10 Steps to Finding Your Mentor 13 Tips on Finding a Mentor 7 Ways to Be An Effective Mentor
FOR MORE
30
HABIT
Fix the Worlds Flying Toilets

Work from Your Heart
Top Tips: Making a Difference
14
When it comes to making a difference anywhere in your family or community or the world the most crucial thing is to work rewards are linked to how deep your passion runs. from your heart. Believe passionately in the cause. All joys and
Push Your Thinking

Food for thought
Go big. Unleash yourself. Go beyond just volunteering or donating. 10 TED Talks That Give You the Power to Change the World 10 TED Talks to Change the Way You See the World CNN Heroes: Everyday People Changing the World
Follow These Checklists Bust Your Hump

throughout your life.
Four African Teenage Girls Create a Pee-Powered Generator
Checklist for Changing the World by Nilofer Merchant 17 Habits of People Who Change the World
Guaranteed: This work will be at the top of your most memorable life experiences. These stories will be those you share most often
31
Pay It Forward
Mentor someone else to do the same thing you did. Create your own How To checklist. Most importantly: Promote the frontline heroes and beneficiaries of your work. Make sure the world knows how special they are.
32
SECTION
Donts
wasted a second.
[ Things to Avoid ]
Ive lived my life with no regrets. If Im ever theyll be It was a damn good life. I havent
hit by a bus and I get a chance for last words,
Dont feel pressured into following somebody
elses dream. Do whatever your heart is telling If you have a burning desire to do something, go do it because it will work. And dont live anyone elses live, just dont. Because youll
you now because it wont let you down if you do.
regret it.
33
Dont believe what other people tell about life. Ive found that people are generally good.
Go live yours. Go find it. Broaden your horizons. And if youre good, youll attract those people to you. Question authority. Educate yourself.
Thats disruptive hero Jerry Comyn, who is currently a volunteer Project Manager at non-profit Challenges Worldwide. Prior to that, his Take this job and shove it resignation letter from an advertising firm went viral. He was simply speaking the truth about what matters and what doesnt. Comyns act of leaving his company was a last resort. What always keeping in mind what matters and what doesnt.
HABIT 15 HABIT 16 HABIT 17 HABIT 18 DONT FIGHT STUPID NEVER HESITATE NEVER ACCEPT DINGLESS TOOLS
follows are four things to avoid before you get to that point
PAGE 35 PAGE 37 PAGE 38 PAGE 40
DONT KNOCK DOWN, BUILD ANEW
34
4 HABITS FOR ENJOYING THE RIDE
HABIT
Dont Fight Stupid

Live for Daily Happiness
Five Ways to Spot Stupid
Reverse the mainstream formula for happiness and success. Currently, most of us see it as: If I work harder, Im more Which also means: Ill always have to put up with a lot of successful. And if Im more successful, then Ill be happier. stupid crap in order to be happy. Instead: Always ensure that
15
happiness is a daily goal, not something thats just reserved for
later Live a life where you always seek out, create and demand
Red Alert: Meetings, Emails and More
See Shawn Achors TEDx talk, The Happiness Advantage

Jensen Group research has found that the average person loses 24 hours per day on cluttered, unfocused and unnecessary communication. The top two offenders are daily meetings and
happiness instead of enduring stupid crap!
the onslaught of messages through emails, IMs and more. And, that come with it are also top drivers of stupid wastes of time
(if you are not super disciplined), social media and the distractions and energy.
Lack of Air Cover

Your manager thinks her job is to help you do the companys
bidding. Wrong. Her job is to protect you from corporate stupidity.
35
If youre not seeing lots of air cover from her, you should be thinking about moving on. Simplify Constantly. For more: For Steps 2 and 3, see all links related to Habit 11,
Sucky Tools
One of the biggest ways your company forces you to work stupid is through the design of their corporate infrastructure and work tools. Simple evaluation: If anything you use at work isnt as work stupid. easy to use as your smartphone or tablet, theyre making you For more: See Habit 17
Training That Doesnt Challenge
The purpose of most corporate training and development is to
get you to do what the company wants you to do, how they want you to do it. Thats fineto a point. But if your boss is not giving you assignments or sending you to training that also pushes you beyond your current way of thinking, youre going backwards You are becoming stupider without even realizing it.
FOR MORE
Five Paths for Doing Great Work at a Terrible Company LinkedIn Discussion: Workplace Evolutionaries
36
HABIT
Never Hesitate
16
Fear: Acknowledge It, But Keep Disrupting Anyway

Fear is real. Yet all of us can push past it if we choose to. The following is an even-shorter adaptation of a near-perfect, from Fast Company. already short and very helpful article on getting past ones fears
Identify the Belief Thats Holding You Back Identify the Anchors Pick a New Belief
I can do this! last job?) most hard to face.
You create the reality you serve with your beliefs how you feel the world operates. List your beliefs until you find the one thats
What event anchors your belief? (e.g., Punished as a child for
speaking up? Chastised for expressing a contrarian view in your
I think I can, I think I canI know I can, I know I can
Release the Anchors

rewarded, not fired.)
Embrace evidence and other peoples success stories that show you, too, can get past the anchor thats holding you back. (John spoke up in the same way Id like to, and he was
37
Chart Your New Course

FOR MORE
Plan what specifically you will do (SMART goals) in the next few months to back your new beliefs with actions.
Quit Bitching Motivation 12 Things My Grandmother Told Me Before She Died
HABIT
Never Accept Dingless Tools

Measuring How Good or Bad Your Company Tools Are
17
Do a Gut Check
Men have become tools of their tools. Henry David Thoreau You have a smartphone and/or tablet that you have customized to meet your needs. Compare any and all rules, tools, forms and processes that the company wants you to use to your your company is helping you put a ding in the universe smartphone) or if they are dinging you.
smartphone. You will have an instant gut check as to whether (if everything theyve designed for you is as easy to use as your
Download SimplerWork Index

your companys tools support you.
Six questions which will help you evaluate how well, or poorly,
38
Download Work 2.0 Report Build Your Own App

and user-centered tools.
Subtitled: Is Business At Work With Its Workforce? This report details what to watch in the war between corporate-centered
Take any task that your company makes you do filling out a form, for example and make it easier, more user-centered. You may not be able to convince your company to go with your app, but you certainly will have a far greater understanding of be. For more about building your own app, go here or here or here or here. how much better your companys tools and infrastructure should
Hack a Workaround
If You Are Unhappy With What You Find, And Your Company Isnt Listening
Join the underground army (between one-third two two-thirds of everyone who works at your company) of benevolent a time. Stop tolerating stupid rules, tools and procedures. hackers who are saving business from itself, one bad act at
Hack a workaround. Lifehacker FriedBeef 43Folders
Josh Klein on How Hacking Work is Good for Business
Digital Inspiration
39
HABIT
Dont Knock Down, Build Anew

Some People Will Be Pissed Off:
Be OK With That
Invite everyone to join you in your disruptive change! However, of doing things will not be happy with you. Be OK with that. know: some of those who have a vested interest in the old way And still keep inviting them to join you as your disruption grows The more inclusive you are the better. Open-source everything. No holding back anything until its just right or until everything has gone through the proper channels. Take your current factor ten. For more, go here. participation and transparency levels and increase them by a
18
Care and Also Move On
Share Everything
Give Everybody Else the Credit Play A Lot More

during play time.
Of course, you do that now. Ramp it up even more. Take how
much you are promoting others, and increase it by a factor of ten. People who innovate in a disruptive world are a lot like
kindergarteners. Everything great that happens gets done
40
Launch: Then Iterate, Iterate, Iterate

like and join you too.
FOR MORE
The faster you get new versions of your work into other peoples the faster the pissed off curmudgeons will see something they
hands, the faster you grow your following. The faster that grows,
Six Habits of Remarkably Likeable People The Business Impact of Lots of Recognition How Saul Khan is Disrupting Education
an entire industry)
(Perfect example of a very likeable guy completely reinventing
41
SECTION
Guiding Principles
[ Live These ]
Im perfectly happy to be anonymous. My and speak at my convenience. family is more important to me than anything. I make my work fit my lifestyle so I write
Disruptive Hero Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder of Alltop.com, an online magazine rack of popular topics on the web; hes the author of ten books including Enchantment and Rules for Revolutionaries; and hes the former chief evangelist of Apple.
42
In our pockets we have a device to access all human knowledge and to communicate with anyone on the planet. Thats astonishing! The growth of the Internet in the developing realize and is going to have a much bigger cultural impact that most realize.
world is coming much faster than most people
Disruptive Hero Jimmy Wales, Co-Founder of Wikipedia

HABIT 19 HABIT 20 HABIT 21 HABIT 22 HABIT 23 HABIT 24 HABIT 25 KNOW THYSELF, DEEPLY RESILIENCE MATTERS DISRUPT YOURSELF PAGE 44 PAGE 45 PAGE 46 PAGE 47 PAGE 48 PAGE 49 PAGE 51
OF COURSE, FOLLOW PASSION
YOUR POWER IS IN YOUR NETWORK YOU ARE THE POWERS THAT BE ITS NOT ABOUT YOU
43
HABIT
Know Thyself, Deeply

Experiment With Maps

Enneagram DiSC MBTI
19
Five Ways to Confirm or Change Your Inward Journey
Begin with a map a self-assessment tool that not only helps you discover more about yourself, but how being true to yourself impacts others. A few to consider
Emergenetics
StrengthFinder 2.0
Own Five Inconvenient Truths Own Five Life Lessons

Of these 60, which five most match you? Of these 45, which five most match you?
100 Things About You: An Owners Manual
Own Three Cult of Done Values Own Three Life Manifesto Values
Of these 16, which three most match you?
Of these 13, which three most match you?
44
HABIT
Of Course, Follow Your Passion

and in work by passing it on to someone you love. Here are the headlines
20
Writing a Legacy Letter: Detailed Instruction
Clarify for yourself what truly does and does not matter in life Download this graphic from Pinterest for detailed instructions.
Write a Legacy Letter to a Loved One

work and life.
Share the most important lessons youve learned about
Share Your Letter Talk About It In Your Conversation:
Be Truthful, Specific and Vulnerable

You will get back more than you give.
Something magical and extraordinary will happen:
45
HABIT
Resilience Matters
Help At Least One Person Each Day Go Beyond Standard Respect
always are. if you do these small-yet-big things
21
Building Resiliency Through Micro-Actions
You can adapt more easily and quickly to disruptive change
It doesnt have to be big, yet the results to you and them
Sure, youre respectful. But you can go further. Everybody is for them that saves them time and energy.
suffering from time poverty. Respect others by doing something
Learn Something New Every Day Lighten Your Load Go for a Walk
That will train your brain that every day is about a new adventure. At work, were all supposed to do more with less. Practice for that. Pack one less thing for a trip. Keep one less thing in the closet. Buy one less thing you needed and improvise.
Or a run. Or read a book. Or take a nap. Or meditate. Or just sit still. Do anything like these for 530 minutes a day and you will return to the tasks at hand refreshed and more resilient, ready for the next change coming at you.
46
HABIT
Disrupt Yourself
22
Top Tips: If It Feels Scary, Youre on the Right Track
If You Feel No Discomfort in Your Career, You Have One Foot in the Grave
world around you.
If a disruptive world, you should feel discomfort and a little scared on a regular basis. If you dont youre not paying attention to the
If Youre Not Taking Risks, You Will Be Blindsided by Worse Risks

prepared for.
The idea of disrupting yourself is to pick the risks you think you can manage, instead of waiting for the ones youre not
Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions;

Tough Love is the Best Meal of All
disruptive world. Seek out more tough love. Few of us put ourselves in situations where we get tough love on a regular basis, and yet thats exactly whats called for in a
When Two Paths Present Themselves:

Take the One Less Traveled
will make all the difference.
Start selecting new adventures, ones that are new to you and others. As Robert Frost concluded in his poem: That is what
47
The Future of All Work is Learning

you learn. Its that simple.
FOR MORE
The more you disrupt yourself, the more you learn and the faster
The Future of Work is Learning Disrupt Yourself 10 Ways to Disrupt Your Career
HABIT
Your Power Is In Your Network

It All Starts on the Inside
the universe.
23
How You Add Value Will Grow Your Tribe
The following are highlights (focused on how to add value) from the free download that accompanied Seth Godins book, Tribes. Whatever you value, others will see as valuable too. You may
need to search to find those people, but they are there. Itemize and think about what you value. Then start putting that out in
Everyone Values Saved Time and Saved Effort Replace Problem-Solving with Adventures
Take on work that saves others time and effort. Your short-term investment will help you build your network.
Yes, most everyone wants some help with most challenges they
48
face. But the real value for those in your network is not just
helping them to solve a challenge, but replacing that experience were expecting was a problem to go away.
with an unexpected adventure. Excite their senses when all they
Create a Safe Zone

Thats super valuable.
Everyone needs someone to watch out for them. Find more ways for your network to watch out for the welfare of its members.
Foster a Value of Challenging the Status Quo

The more people who have that value within your network, for change. the safer and easier it will be for everyone to continue to push
HABIT
You Are the Powers That Be
24
You Cant Break Free If You Dont Know Youre in a Cage
Every Employer Should Be Teaching You How to Be an Entrepreneur
At Least Once a Week, Reserve Some Slow Time

We are all forced into morebetterfaster, and because of this, most
If theyre not, theyre locking you into a very precarious future.
49
of us are losing the ability to do deep thinking. You cant break you break the habit of fasterfasterfaster.
free of escalating race that constantly saps you of energy unless
Do the Opposite of Create Serendipity
What Everyone Else is Doing
Lemmings do the same as the guy in front of them. And you know what happens to lemmings!
Innovation and change is often the result of unexpected and
random conversations and experiences. Create more of them.
Talk to more people you dont know. Take a different route home. Go to events you wouldnt normally attend. Explore. Serendipity will find you.
Open the Next Door Before Youre Ready

fully ready.
FOR MORE
Most of the best experiences in life (and some of the worst)
happen to you long before youre ready. You grow into them
and through them. Seek out new opportunities before youre
9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People Business Wisdom from AirBnB to Zappos Change.org: The Worlds Petition Platform
50
HABIT
Its Not About You

On Being a Sustainable Human Being
Fight for Everyday. Check out the full blog post. The following is an abbreviated version of 8 Things You Should
25
Personal Greatness Honesty and Truth

need elsewhere.
Every day, fight for
Do not whats easy. Do what youre capable of, and more. Truth of all kinds will always set you free. More than just deadly sins, these sap you of energy you
A Mind Free of Envy and Jealousy Positive Change
A Willingness to Learn from Your Mistakes Persistence and Patience
Fight the good fight and your efforts will outlive you.
The speed at which you learn and unlearn is key to everything. Rest when you are tired, but dont quit. Everything you want
and need will come in timeIf you are patient and persistent.
51
True Love Goodwill

FOR MORE
Not just romantic love. There are only two root human emotions: Love and Fear. Always choose one over the other. Do the right thing. Always
TED talk: Shut Up and Listen Why Humility Is So Important
52
Disrupt! Think Epic. Be Epic.

How To Addendum
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How To Addendum to Think Epic. Be Epic.

The Journey Continues

Disrupt! Think Epic. Be Epic.

PAGE 4 PAGE 33 PAGE 42

The Power of Habit

45% of Our Day: Both Good and Bad

Pay attention to the cues that spark activities that deliver

How to Build Any Habit

rewards. An example, Pavlovs experiments: Dogs learned that a

Focus on the reward at the end, not on the difficulty of the

work involved. Examples: Recognition or prestige or a bonus or

time off after working hard on a project; Or being healthier after

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Tiny Habits Method by BJ Fogg

Click Disrupt! How Tos

is how we break the boundaries in our own mind.

Thats Salil Shetty, Secretary General for Amnesty International. Disrupt!

FIX THE WORLDS FLYING TOILETS

14 HABITS FOR DOING GREAT WORK IN A DISRUPTIVE WORLD

How to Ask Questions That Rock the Boat

situation. Limit your core questions to 35. For me as a business

How do you define success? Or: If we were super successful

What is our (company, team, store, etc.) core purpose on earth?

Click Disrupt! How Tos

What should we stop doing?

Practice, Practice, Practice Sense the Tipping Point

What really matters in this situation?

To accomplish Step 3, you will need to practice your core set

of questions constantly. In most every meeting, in most every

(maximizing discovery time) But never go over it (the point at

Get to the Point Fast!

After youve questioned as much as you can, jump quickly into

Repeat: Going Further Each Time

Push as far as you can with one round of questions Execute

No Yeah Buts or Monetary Concerns Validate Your Gut

Career Audacity: Making Big Changes

in bad jobs and in less-than-great situations is because they cant

Six Reasons to Make a Career Change

Dream Big, Ask Big Questions

Learn more about common mistakes people make

Click Disrupt! How Tos

What do I want? What marketplace needs (products/services) excite me?

My own firm? Somebodys employee? Combination of both?

Big Career Questions

Go to Your Audacity Yoda

Somewhere in your life there is (or needs to be) a mentor or

friend or family member who will guide you and, if necessary,

tough-love you toward adventure, exploring, and risk-taking.

Chart Your New Course

decisions. Having done Step 4, you will experience a little less

Project Audacity: Making Big Pitches

Getting to Yes Getting Past No Difficult Conversations

So use the process differently:

Close the Sale

dreams are already included

Finally: Two important things to remember:

Be yourself! Because in the end, you are selling you.

Click Disrupt! How Tos

Kill What You Cherish Most

Your Projects: Plan Obsolescence From the Start

Create An Ongoing Iteration Loop

Ritz-Carlton where everybody knows that they are empowered to

If you are stuck with a more traditional managerial structure

make changes without going through the chain of command.