The One Thing

Time is your most valuable resource. The problem is, most people spend their time instead of investing it. The resulting waste is amplified if you apply it across an entire organization. If you can’t focus on what matters most, you end up working longer hours and sacrificing your personal life.We help people implement a simple system to turn their big vision into action steps. Instead of just being busy, you’ll be productive and achieve extraordinary results both professionally and at home. While the principles of The ONE Thing are surprisingly simple, they can be challenging to live.What stops most people from living The ONE Thing is the lack of a system – which we’ve called “The ProduKtive System.” In the third of our six-part series, we discuss how to build a strategy and get clarity across your organization by creating a one-page business plan. We discuss the top challenges that most business planning processes face and help you understand the problems that they can lead to.If you would like help implemen

This is the second in a six-part series of episodes exploring the steps of the ProduKtive system. ProduKtive will change how you think for the better, allowing you to cast a stronger vision with bigger, more precise goals. In this episode, we cover what it truly means to cast a vision for the future. There are so many traps we can fall into that justify why we can’t stop and plan our futures out properly. Maybe we’re too busy. Maybe it’s impossible to see the future with any worthwhile clarity. Maybe we work for an organization and it’s not our vision that’s being implemented. Or maybe it’s just far too easy to stay attached to the way things used to be instead of having to imagine a whole new potential. If any of this sounds like you, then you should know that it’s so much easier than you think. A few simple adjustments will allow you to become actually productive instead of just busy. Casting a proper vision is the only way to make sure we work towards your ONE Thing instead of accidentally m

This is the first in a six-part series of episodes exploring the steps of the ProduKtive system. ProduKtive will change how you think for the better, allowing you to cast a stronger vision with bigger, more precise goals. In the subsequent weeks, we’ll be looking at building a plan, learning to effectively prioritize activities, using time blocking to reflect those priorities, and building habits that make it all possible. But to start with, let’s take a look at the lies of productivity.Do you consider yourself to be a good multitasker? Is your instinct to tackle everything at once? If so, you’re falling for the same myths so many people are tricked by when it comes to productivity. Studies show that we waste 28% of our time spent while multitasking. Just think how much time that is over the course of a year (it’s weeks, not days). Stop believing that everything on your plate matters equally, and start prioritizing. Find your One Thing and do it!Unless you prioritize ruthlessly, you’ll be losing tim

Have you ever set goals that you thought would deliver you pure happiness once you achieved them – just to work hard, achieve them, and move on to the next without giving yourself a chance to feel fulfilled or celebrated? We all have and it’s something we should work out of our productivity-laden routines.How might we create more sustainable happiness on our road to achievement? Dan Sullivan has been working with business owners for decades under the program, The Strategic Coach, and was one of the pioneers of the coaching industry. We have a conversation around what it means to shift your perspective so you get out of the gap of dissatisfaction and live in the gain – where happiness lives.We’re always looking forward to the next goal, but we don’t give ourselves the chance to celebrate the successes we’ve had. This is common among ambitious people. The problem with this is that it undermines our happiness in the long run. Backed by his world-class expertise and experience in the field, Dan helps us lay the g

We all know the importance of setting goals. We have to know where we're headed and what we want to achieve in order to get there, right? The problem is that most people don’t know the best strategy for setting their goals. It seems obvious that our goals should be realistic, right? Wrong. It may seem counterintuitive, but, in reality, your goals should be wildly unrealistic. Reach for the stars. Another problem is the company we keep. Most of us surround ourselves with relationships and circumstance. But we should be striving to discover and bring specific people with specific qualities into our lives based on where we are at that point in time.If none of this makes sense as a way to find your ONE Thing, then listen to today’s episode and learn. And if you’re still looking for help with setting your goals, be sure to check out our upcoming Goal Setting Retreat, where you can join us to learn the specific tools to know exactly how to set the right goals and how to do it the right way. Find out

Over a trillion dollars were lost to voluntary turnover in the USA last year alone. Replacing an employee costs an average of between 1.5 and 2 times their annual salary – and that’s a conservative estimate. The salt in the wound? 52% of people who leave for a new job say that their management could have done something to keep them. So, how can you help your organization avoid becoming part of these unfortunate statistics? Can you give yourself permission to make your world so big that, when someone steps into it, they can have everything they want and never need to leave? Do you know the right questions to ask during the hiring process, questions that make instant connections and enable you to make a true commitment to each other that benefits both parties?As you listen to this episode, pay attention to how simple it can be to turn turnover around – and if you’re the employee in this equation, know what you need to ask from your employer to make your job one that you never want to leave. Finding yo

Do you know the questions you should ask to ensure a happy, fulfilling, and lasting relationship? More importantly, do you know who you ask them to? (Hint: sometimes, the correct answer is yourself). Conversations are the backbone of a relationship, but that doesn’t mean we know how to have them. Whenever one stops working, it’s a safe bet that it’s because of a breakdown of communication, be it not ensuring each other knows what’s expected of them, or simply allowing a disconnect to take hold. Friend of the show and New York Times bestselling author, Susan Scott, founded Fierce in 2001, after 13 years of leading CEO think tanks and over 10,000 hours conversing with senior executives led her to realize that, while no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, business, or life, any conversation can. This led to her sharing her valuable knowledge in the form of the Fierce book series, starting with the award-winning Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in L

Every organization has it’s impact players – those indispensable team members that you can count on when the stakes are high. And while others do their job, impact players find the job to be done. Whether they’re center stage or behind the scenes, leaders know who these top players are… and they want more of them on their team.While their impact is obvious, it’s not always as clear what makes these impact players different from their peers. How do you stack your team with people who can make the most impact when you don’t have a proven way of identifying them?Liz Wiseman invested her career in studying leadership, and, as she did, she became curious about the teams that we lead. She studied top contributors to begin identifying what they are doing differently, and how their mindset could potentially be available to everyone else who wants to contribute at that high level.As you listen to this episode, listen out for how to identify impact players at work, and then join us at our Goal Setting Retreat to figure

Do you ever look at your calendar and find yourself trying to fit the important things – let alone trips to the restroom – between meeting after meeting?Everyone feels like they have too much on their plate and not enough time. That’s a problem because it leads to us spending our time instead of investing it. When that happens, you may find yourself looking up at the end of the day and questioning what you really got done.The ONE Thing is about the surprisingly simple system that allows you to go from being busy to being productive. Dorie Clark, bestselling author, has just published a new book called The Long Game, and it is completely aligned with The ONE Thing. We’re going to walk you through what it means to play the long game, how you start creating more white space in your life, and the tools to help you start saying “no” to the things that don’t matter.If you would like to have a conversation around how to understand what your priorities are within an organization and make sure that your actions line u

Do you understand the history of time? Why do we view time the way we do?We have a problem with time: the majority of people spend it rather than investing it. They don’t view it as their most valuable resource, and they don’t hold it accountable to delivering a return – personally or professionally.Joe Sanok is going to help us understand why we view time the way that we do. Early in his career he began asking questions: Why work five days a week? Why not four? What would have to happen to make that possible? What could some of the hidden benefits be? Whether you choose to change the number of days you work is not the point of this conversation, but, rather, the point is to get you to challenge the way you currently view your time, how you spend it, and how you invest it.After hearing this conversation, see if you can identify ONE Thing, such that by doing it, would make investing your time easier or unnecessary. To learn more about the book that inspired this conversation, check out Thursday is the New Frid

Many of us grew up hearing the old adage: if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. But as you get into the workforce – especially as a leader of people – part of your job is taking a stand for their greatness when they may be fighting for their limitations.Think about a time when you received some harsh feedback that you ended up being really grateful for. It probably helped you grow as a person. What did they do that made it successful for you? And what would have happened if you had not received that feedback?At the heart of a successful conversation is what Kim Scott calls “radical candor.” It’s about being candid with people and saying what needs to be said for their benefit. And it’s called “radical” because of how rare it actually is.One of the commitments you have to make to live a life of extraordinary results is to live the accountability cycle. We provide a simple framework called the 4-1-1, a tool that gives you clarity on your priorities for each of the four weeks of the

Every single one of us knows what it feels like to have too much to do – and not enough time to get it done. Because, so often, we are spending time instead of investing it, there’s an incredible amount of waste.But there’s a different approach. There’s a way to see time as the valuable resource it is, invest it into the things that matter most, actually see a return on that investment, and, as a result, get more done in fewer hours with less stress.Geoff explains this very thing on Phillip Stutts’ The Undefeated Marketing Podcast. He gives examples of how organizations and teams just like yours have used the principles and models of The ONE Thing to shift from being busy to being productive.Look inward, and, based on your team, identify The ONE Thing you can do from this episode that would make moving from busy to productive easier or unnecessary. And if you’re wondering how to take it a step further, visit the1thing.com and click on “Grow Your Business” to request a consultation.To learn more, and for the c

The world of work as we know it has been turned upside down. The rules have changed in everything, from the day to day operations of leading virtual teams, to building a culture that attracts and keeps amazing talent.As leaders, you must face the hard truth that your biggest challenge isn’t technology, it isn’t innovation, and it isn’t even leading. It’s finding, engaging, and developing the right talent to thrive right now and in the future.Johnny C. Taylor has a challenge for you. He’s the author of Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval. If you’re an individual contributor, this challenge will give you hope for a better workplace and a better world. If you’re a leader in an organization, this challenge is even more critical. Right now is the moment to prioritize company culture and getting it right--because if you don’t, you will lose the war on talent.Every company has a culture, but not all are built with intention. The cultures we build within organizations have the power to change the wo

starting to settle, companies are forced to ask themselves what the future of work looks like. The time to make the decision is now.Are we going to go back to the office full time? Are we going to take a hybrid approach? Or are we going fully virtual? We need to be clear about that strategy going forward – or risk losing the trust of our teams.Robert Glazer literally wrote the book on How to Thrive in the Virtual Workplace. He’s going to walk you through what the future looks like, what you should consider as a leader, and how individuals and organizations can thrive virtually. These can be difficult to work out on your own, but they’re all covered in the models and systems of The ONE Thing. If you’re trying to work this out within your organization, visit the1thing.com/teams.To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.In this episode, you will learn...[02:56] Why Robert took his company virtual over a decade ago[10:12] Why the remote work conversation is relevant right now[

What is the purpose of a goal? Many would say it's the first step towards achieving something – but that isn’t the case. The purpose of a goal is not to achieve a result; it’s to be appropriate in the moment.This means that our goals should be a compass for who we can become. It’s not about the result. It’s about informing who you have to be every moment of your life in order to become the kind of person who gets those results.Unfortunately, school is only focused on results. Even in organizations, employees are often judged based on results. We rarely have someone in our lives who teaches us how to think. That’s when you have to step up and become a leader for yourself. Suzy Batiz has been on this journey her entire life. She’s the founder and CEO of Poo-Pourri, a massive global company. And this all came from divorcing herself from the result so that she could instead focus on who she could become. She shares her story of going bankrupt twice before finding the idea for Poo-Pourri and scaling it to what it

At last year’s Goal Setting Retreat, Gary Keller said this: “If you have big goals and you haven’t achieved them yet, there are only two reasons that you’re where you are instead of where you want to be: it’s either the actions you took or the relationships you have.” And he’s right.Think about the habits, the choices, and the relationships that got you to where you are today. Now think about what you may be missing in order to achieve growth and pursue bigger goals.Listen in to the entire talk Gary gave at that retreat, and if you want to be a part of this year’s Goal Setting Retreat, visit the1thing.com/setmygoals.To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.In this episode, you will learn...[03:01] The role of habits in your life[06:57] Forming the habit of forming habits[10:04] Having a relationship with your goals[15:33] Building habits that allow you to think bigger[21:10] How to identify a missing habit[26:56] Choosing your mentors[34:56] Investing your time effectively[42:

Last year, we shared the story of Mark and Jennie Donohue and their experience setting shared goals at our annual Goal Setting Retreat.Let’s refresh: Mark worked long hours but wasn’t seeing any more money come in. Jennie was a stay-at-home mom with an online coaching business, and she was feeling unsupported and misunderstood. Their marriage was struggling. They were trying to move their family forward, but they were both moving in opposite directions. Something had to change.What happened at that Goal Setting Retreat changed their lives. They improved their marriage and got their lives on the same page. As you hear their story, you’ll learn how understanding each other’s core values unlocked appreciation for what they each bring to their family.If you would like to discover your core values, you can join us at our annual Goal Setting Retreat by visiting the1thing/setmygoals or buy the Core Values Deck at the1thing.com/corevalues.To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.In th

Have you started thinking about your long-term goals yet?One of the things that causes the most stress – whether it’s for individuals or couples – is money. Maybe you feel like you should be making more or like there’s not enough at the end of the month, but what if you could change your view around finance? It turns out it’s less about the amount of money you have… and more about the relationship you have with it.Ramit Sethi is the New York Times bestselling author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, but in this case, being rich doesn’t come down to a number. It’s about the quality of life you can achieve when you are purposeful with what you have.Where do you have an abundant relationship with money and where do you feel scarcity? There’s no right or wrong answer. Just explore how you feel and whether those feelings are serving you or imposing a ceiling over your achievement. If you want to take your money goals to the next level, join our Goal Setting Retreat by visiting the1thing.com/setmygoals.To learn more,

Even the best-laid plans, habits, and intentions can be derailed by familiar pitfalls.Change isn’t easy, but there are simple strategies you can use to make change possible. When you understand what’s standing between you and success, you can tailor-fit your solution so that no problem is too big and no barrier unmovable.Katy Milkman is the award-winning researcher whose science-based approach to behavioral change has helped both individuals and organizations conquer their goals and get from where they are to where they want to be. You’ll learn how to break down the common problems we all face when we set out to create change in our lives.Change isn’t easy, but with the right tools, you can give yourself a big head start. If you’re looking to make changes in your life or organization, read How to Change and learn the best ways to approach it.To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.In this episode, you will learn...[03:54] How the book How to Change came to life[11:09] The pow

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. This is true of every area of your life – especially your finances.You may think of your financial wellbeing as something you do alone or with your significant other. You may think it comes down to your level of discipline or ambition. But there’s one overlooked thing that also determines how much money you make, save, or invest: the people you surround yourself with.If you’re purposeful, you won’t just have relationships, you’ll have wealth determiners: people that have a positive influence on your life and your finances. Who do you surround yourself with? Are they helping you or hindering you from building your wealth? Jay and Wendy Papasan are going to show you how to identify the difference.Every year, we hold a Goal Setting Retreat for couples and teach this concept (along with an exercise to determine if you are missing wealth determiners and how to find them, or if any of your current relationships are undermining your wealth building