Not many individuals appear to reach a state of stable and continuous growth. Mike King is such an individual, and his balanced actions and communications provide a solid foundation for others to latch onto. Mike is the author and creator of the articles at Learn This, self described as “A productivity site for self learning career, leadership and life improvement tips.”
Through his site Learn This, Mike presents the reader with countless(actually well over 200) articles about career information, relationships, success, and other topics. Some key articles to take note of are his book reviews on many well-known books that have been published in these categories of discussion, including The Future Of Management, Better Than Good, and The Greatest Minds And Ideas Of All Time. His regular habit of reading intellectually stimulating books is one of the best habits to pass onto the readers of his site. What follows here is an interview of Mike containing some choice questions and follow-up commentary:
Armen: Would you say productivity is more about methods to optimize and create efficiency in a person’s routine, or that it is more about unleashing untapped motivation?
Mike: I think productivity involves both of them at different points to be effective. Most people start and gain the most from examining productivity by using methods to optimize and gain efficiencies in what they do. This can quickly generate a short term payoff and is why it is likely always utilized first. However, unleashing untapped motivation is required to take this to higher levels and to continue using and advancing the methods and optimized work after initial gains are realized. The 80/20 rule here applies and I think that 80% of the gains can come from methods and efficiency but are difficult to maintain or master unless that motivation is activated to keep the momentum and consistency in using them. That motivation will lead to mastering the remaining 20% as well.
Armen: What is one influential book you would recommend to others? Has this book had an impact on your daily actions?
Mike: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith has been one of my favorite books that has influenced me and it has definitely affected my daily actions. It was one of those books that for me, seemed like Goldsmith was writing sections of it directly to me and so I was able to deeply connect with some of the behaviors listed that were holding me back. Goldsmith does a great job of demonstrating the impact those can cause and puts a lot of attention towards how to break away from those habits and develop new ones that are not limiting.
I have so many other books I could recommend as well, many for specific topics or areas for learning, though I can’t say any have affected as much of my daily actions as What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.
Armen: I recently talked to someone who wants to become a comedian, but hasn’t started the process. What would you say to him and anyone else who has yet to make their attempt toward their potential career of interest?
Mike: I have two trains of thought on this subject, which I will have to explain.
One: Get started now and dive into it full on.
Two: Take some time to think about it before making any major change or commitment.
The first train of thought to get started right away comes from my strong self starter core. There is much value in starting early and doing things in the moment instead of putting it off. So many people live a complacent life and never start the things they desire and end up unhappy or regretful. From this perspective, the best advice I can give is to get involved in this, start learning about it and explorer it further. I think the biggest point here is that you cannot wait for an opportunity to surface before going after something. Choose to go after it, and make the opportunity!
The second train of thought is to take some time to think about this. A career choice is not to be taken lightly and I find many people getting into a career that just doesn’t suit them or make them happy because they enter that career for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes this is for fame, for money or for power or they simply thought it would appeal to them. These things are not sustainable and so you can easily end up dissatisfied in a career where you were chasing those elements. It’s better to find a closer match of your career and your life’s mission or purpose, or at the very least, an area you truly enjoy the work in, regardless of the fame, money or power it can provide in the short term. So, if you stop, think and do some real planning around your career choices and understand your reasoning, I am confident that you can make a better decision.
Whichever path you do follow, putting in more effort to excel in that career will pay off and if you have the motivation to do well, put in the effort needed to achieve, you will get more out of the career, whatever it is. Waiting and hoping for opportunities in a career is a quick path to being dissatisfied, you must go after your dreams and make your career a part of that process!
Armen: What do you think about the idea that the same strategies are successful in multiple scenarios, from setting up a business, to winning a chess match, to speaking to an audience?
Mike: Oh I definitely belief and have personally experienced that the same strategies do contribute to success in different scenarios. One of the most successful strategies I’ve developed is an attitude of excellence and determination. Those are strategies that contribute to every area of my life. They allow me to approach any situation with a strong desire to do my best at it and no matter what it is, I can be confident from my past experiences that that attitude help get me through it and that the results will be worth it. I think a person’s strategies if based on one’s core values can always be relied on to help achieve success, in whatever situation they face.
Armen: Does a leader create their position in a social or business hierarchy, or does the acquisition of a higher position bring about and generate leadership qualities, or are they connected in some way?
Mike: I think a leader definitely creates their position. At least true leadership because leadership is not about filling a void or need, it’s about taking a plunge to go beyond the visible and lead people into an area of uncharted, unknown and unexpected outcomes. A leader that takes on such adventures will then also bring about new qualities in themselves and those around them but I believe the leadership has to happen first. I’ve seen this often as a manager as well. Just because a role or need or opportunity for leadership exists, doesn’t mean it enables or generates that ability in others. Leaders have to be doing just that, leading, its completely independent of position or opportunity in front of them.
Concluding Notes
Mike’s site is one of the first sites I started reading in the category of self-improvement, and I continue to read his articles for various reasons, including the professional tone, compilation of book reviews, and follow-up comments. I appreciate his taking the time to take part in this interview. I recommend looking at some of the series of articles he has packaged as handy and easy-to-print PDF files at his Free Resources page. Also, you can directly subscribe to the RSS feed for his site Learn This here. Here is a list of take-away points from this interview:
- Productivity involves both optimization and discovery of motivation, and tends to start with optimization methods that have to be used to move to the higher level where motivation is the key factor
- What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith is a valuable book about how your current actions need to be developed further if you want to get to a higher stage
- If you want to pursue a career of your interest, you should either fully immerse yourself in it and the activities involved with it, or do some slow planning of the steps involved in the career process, so that you can check if it is fitting for the long-term
- Success in one field translates quite well to success in other fields, as excellence and determination apply to a multitude of skills
- A leader creates their place in a business, or in society, as they take the risks necessary to create such a position
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Great interview.
I have been a loyally Mike King fan for about I year now. I respect and utilize his wisdom as well as the man, himself.
Bunny: Thanks for that. I would agree with you on that message about Mike, as he maintains his respect and demeanor day in and day out.
Thanks both of you, I appreciate the compliments! And thanks Armen for the interview as well, it was great exploring each of those topics.
Armen and Mike, thanks for doing this interview. I follow Mike on his blog and I very much appreciate his intellectual approach to personal development. I also have to say I really appreciate the fact that as I read his comments on various blogs he doesn’t pull punches. He says what he thinks and not just “great post”.
I’ve read a ton of books but I haven’t read the book by Goldsmith. I’ve thought about getting it multiple times but I’m about 50 books behind so I’ve never gotten around to getting it. I’m getting it now. Thanks!
Mike: I was more than glad to do so. I learn just as much as the readers.
Stephen: Thanks for that. I appreciate the same items you have pointed out here. An individual who brings real-deal material to the table is the kind we want to support. I see myself now reading that book within the next month due to the recommendation.
I enjoyed the questions and answers.
On What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There … I love it when a book’s title really sums up insight in a nutshell and makes you think.
Thanks you guys I appreciate the feedback and comments about how we interact. I always want to add more value to comment or article and its my pleasure to be able to contribute to others’ blogs as well as my own.
For Goldsmith’s book, I’ve recommended it to several others at my office and they have really enjoyed it as well so I would definitely encourage people to move that book up their reading list (I definitely know what you mean on that issue with having 50 books to read Stephen!)
Greetings Armen and Mike, I really like the whole tenor of this interview. Mike is an exceptional writer and thinker, but the way you structured your questions Armen really helped us to know Mike better. It was intelligently done while still maintaining a very personal focus.
J.D.: Thanks for that, and that is a valid point about book titles. Some hit home right away and some add a layer of separation between themselves and their focal point.
Jonathan: I am glad about the way you described the questioning. I would say that that is likely my preferred style, so it is good to know that it was received well.
{ 1 trackback }