“If you optimize only for a single objective such as improved profit, there will be fallout and dire ramifications. But if you establish standards that incorporate humanist objectives as well, science can help you achieve them.”

Eric Siegel is a former Columbia University professor and leading consultant, who is always finding new ways to make machine learning and data analytics more engaging and understandable for the masses.

His passion for machine learning and data analytics is manifested in his accomplishments:

• Founder of the long-running Predictive Analytics World and the Deep Learning World conference series, which he started back in 2009
• Author of the bestselling “Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die”, which has been used in courses at hundreds of universities

Eric has appeared on prominent media outlets such as: Bloomberg TV and Radio, Business News Network (Canada), National Geographic Breakthrough, NPR Marketplace, Radio National (Australia), and TheStreet.

Furthermore, his books has been reviewed and featured in: Businessweek, CBS MoneyWatch, The European Business Review, The Financial Times, Forbes, Forrester, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, Quartz, The San Francisco Chronicle, Scientific American, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and WSJ MarketWatch.

In an era where technology advancements dominate economic growth, impact our personal lives and influence both international and domestic policies, we gather insights from Eric on the path forward for machine learning and artificial intelligence for the near future.

EARLY LIFE

Tell us more about your family background and share with us on what it was like growing up.

I grew up in Burlington, Vermont, a small, progressive city in the cold northeast of the U.S., where Bernie Sanders was my mayor and Ben & Jerry (now famous internationally for their ice cream) were two guys running a single, small shop.

My mother was a teacher and father a doctor. They were extremely caring respectively, so I was very privileged and well-supported. I was encouraged to express myself openly and freely, which led to my participation in many musical and theatrical performances through high school and college. This actually helped my tech career, since I have become a professional speaker – delivering an engaging keynote is very much like delivering a very specific kind of theatrical monologue.

As for my tech interests, I was intrigued by computers from the age of 9. My buddy and I would ride our bikes at age 10 to the university bookstore, where we could access a Texas Instruments personal computer, and teach ourselves the BASIC programming language.

By age 11, in 1980, my family got an Apple ][+, which had no hard-drive (of course) and used the household television as its screen. Having a computer at home to hack on for hours a day gave me the lucky opportunity to learn and experiment in those years.

How did your upbringing shape the person you are today?

With the independence and trust I was given and very few rules – my heart and mind were free to develop real passion for certain kinds of technology and the confidence to share that passion. I came to love machine learning most of all. But I also developed the impulse to express my opinion when I feel technology isn’t being applied properly.

How would you sum up your childhood?

A peaceful, forgiving, and supportive environment and a lot of fun!

JOURNEY

How and when did your interest in machine learning come about? And why did you decide to become a university professor at Columbia?

My original interest in machine learning, which fully blossomed in 1991, was really an infatuation with the technology itself. After all, the ability to learn from experience (data) makes it the most fascinating type of engineering to me.

Being a professor gave me the opportunity to explore the area more deeply and also develop methods to most effectively teach the subject matter to newcomers.

But ultimately, technology has got to be useful, not only interesting. In my career as a consultant, beginning in 2003, my focus had turned to how to most effectively deploy machine learning.

Why did you write the book ‘Predictive Analytics’ and created the ‘Predictive Analytics World and Deep Learning World conference series’?

I wrote Predictive Analytics to demonstrate why the field – aka machine learning — is intuitive, powerful, and awe-inspiring. It’s a book about the most influential and valuable achievements of computerized prediction and the two things that make it possible: the people behind it and the fascinating science that powers it.

While there are a number of books that approach the how-to side of ML, this book serves a different purpose (which turned out to be a rewarding challenge for me): sharing with a wider audience a complete picture of the field, from the way in which it empowers organizations, down to the inner workings of predictive modeling.

The Predictive Analytics World and Deep Learning World conference series continue my efforts to focus on the commercial application of machine learning. The conferences cover best practices and lessons learned in its real-world deployment.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Which achievements/milestones are you most proud of and why?

The Predictive Analytics World conference series has thrived since we launched it in 2009. As the leading vendor-neutral, cross-vendor commercial (non-academic) event, it plays an important, central role in the industry. It’s always so exciting to bring together the leading innovators for these meetings.

My book’s wide adoption was also very rewarding to me, after investing a great deal of effort to describe the technology so it could be understood by all. Hundreds of universities have adopted it and it lead to 120 keynote invitations across industry sectors, including ad tech, marketing, market research, e-commerce, environmentalism, manufacturing, financial services, insurance, news media, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, government, human resources, restaurants, travel, real estate, construction, and law.

What do you think are the key ingredients to your success?

First principles. When I started out as an independent predictive analytics (aka machine learning) consultant in 2003, today’s high demand wasn’t there yet. It hadn’t become a trend. But I knew that optimizing operations by way of per-individual or per-unit predictions, which is what you get from machine learning, was clearly valuable and would have an important place in the world.

I also have always enjoyed working to make technology understandable to newcomers and non-technical folks. And that’s a valuable and yet often underdeveloped skill! After all, business leaders and decision makers need to understand the fundamentals if a technology is going to be deeply integrated into the daily operations of a business.

PERSONAL (LIFE)

What is your life motto (Or core values) if any?

Geek out! Get really into it. As much as you can for as many minutes of every day, focus on your love for the details of what you’re doing rather than the outcome or recognition that you may also be hoping for.

To you, what are the most important things in life? Why so?

I’m all for the cliches: Family, friends, health, and happiness. But after those I would put experiencing a personal connection to work, if you can find it. There’s a lot of gratification there, when work is meaningful to you.

What’s worth mentioning on your life’s bucket list that you have not done?

I’d like to shift my work life to invest more time into ethical technology. Also, zero-gravity in a parabolic airplane trip. As for space travel, thank you but no thank you!

What are some things that many people don’t know about you?

I took 10 years of acting classes. I love actors, their work, and their process. I can’t stop watching interviews with them. The craft of acting has solved aging: The older an actor gets, the deeper their work. Most other performing arts don’t work that way.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind?

I hope that my work shows people the joy that can be found in doing good work.

What are some life lessons you will take to your grave?

People are generous and thoughtful – except for when they aren’t. When they aren’t, they are subconsciously acting out the same strength-testing that kids put one another through on the playground. When people aren’t seeing your valid point, or aren’t responding to it, keep this in mind so that you can persevere.

VIEWPOINTS

You sometimes publish op-eds on analytics and social justice. How do you see that analytics and machine learning can advance the moral objectives of society?

If you optimize only for a single objective such as improved profit, there will be fallout and dire ramifications. But if you establish standards that incorporate humanist objectives as well, science can help you achieve them.

AI/ML is playing a more significant role in the advancement of new technologies around the world, with endless new applications across many industries within reach. Where do you see the development of new technologies based on AI/ML in the next 3 to 5 years?

The main development will be existing technologies’ growing deployment, rather than the development of new technologies. These things are growing rapidly: computer power, data aggregation, and familiarity with machine learning’s potential.

As a result, machine learning’s penetration across company functions will continue to increase. And so will its consumer-facing deployment, including for certain self-driving capabilities and our digital experience. Machine learning fortifies healthcare, prevents fraud, cuts costs, and streamlines manufacturing. This vast applicability makes ML “the new electricity,” as Andrew Ng has put it.

As a professor who used to teach in a University, you got to interact with countless students on a regular basis. In your opinion, how important is it to get more of the younger generation to learn AI/ML?

This is critical. It should be taught in high school. Machine learning is increasingly central to how society is run, and yet curriculums are very slow to adapt to it.

The post Future Of Artificial Intelligence – Eric Siegel appeared first on My Story Lounge.

“Social media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”

If the book “Socialnomics” rings a bell, most probably you may have seen it on Amazon’s #1 Best Selling List that is present in countries like the US, Japan, UK, Canada, Portugal, Italy, China, Korea and Germany. The American author behind this intriguing topic is none other than Erik Qualman, who is sometimes also called a ‘Digital Dale Carnegie’ and the ‘Tony Robbins of Tech’.

One of the world’s leading social media experts in his own right, Qualman is a five-time number one bestselling author and keynote speaker who has performed in over 55 countries and reached 50 million people (As of 2021) with his books and content. He was even voted the second ‘Most Likeable Author’ behind Harry Potter’s JK Rowling. A gifted video storyteller, his entertaining, educating, and empowering style has led to collaborations with big brand names like Coach, Chase, Sony PlayStation, IBM, Facebook, Starbucks, Montblanc, Polo, Nokia, Google among many others.

Furthermore, his works have been highlighted by major media outlets such as 60 Minutes, The New York Times, WSJ, USA Today, ABC News, Forbes, CBS News and The Huffington Post. He also helped achieve the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuous podcast. A former sitting professor at Harvard & MIT’s edX labs, Fast Company listed Qualman as a Top 100 Digital Influencer. He made it onto Forbes’ Top 50 Power Influencer list as well.

With the amount of popularity and accolades he has amassed over the years, it’s hard not to pay attention to this titan of social media. We caught up with Qualman to find out about his journey, influences and thoughts on the future of social media, among other insightful aspects of his life.  

EARLY LIFE

Tell us more about your family background and share with us on what it was like growing up. 

I was very fortunate to grow up in Detroit with very supportive parents and brothers.

How did your upbringing shape the person you are today? 

Where I grew up hard work, grit, and grind are the values that everyone lived by. This taught me that nothing is given, everything is earned. Any success I have today is because of this middle-of-America mindset that was instilled in me at a very young age. There’s a name for it – ‘Midwest Values’.

How would you sum up your childhood?

Pure joy. I’m grateful every day that I was so lucky in my childhood and life. While there were obvious hurdles and challenges I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

JOURNEY

Why did you choose to venture into social media as a career? 

I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by incredible and intelligent people. I make sure to spend as much time as I can listening to them. I’ve also adopted the motto of fail fast, fail forward, and fail better. The best way to increase our rate of learning is often by increasing our rate of failure.

At the same time, I am extremely passionate about social media, mobile, new trends, and beyond, because it’s less about the technology and more about the relationships it can enable if used properly. Socalnomics is truly simply about a core need that we as humans have desired since the dawn of time; the feeling of being connected to others! Socialnomics has a lot to do with technology but more importantly, everything to do with relationships.

Technology is always exciting, but what is great about social media is the way that it connects everyone. Social media is less about technology and all about people. The inspiration for my first book, Socialnomics, is that I really wanted everyone to understand that a monumental shift in the way we live was coming.

What were some hard decisions you made, lessons learned, and challenges faced along your journey?

It’s been fun, but it has also been very challenging. I’m a pupil of the Tom Izzo school of thought that it’s not about me, it’s about “we”. The hardest challenge is that you do have to do self-promotion around your personal brand. The way I’m able to push through it is by knowing that it helps our greater mission.

Our greater mission is to entertain, educate, and empower people to their best leadership and life in this digital age. Walt Disney started his company with his personal brand, but long-term he was able to build something that lasted well beyond his personal brand, impacting everyday people. 

There are days where I may not have the energy to be “on” – whether that’s performing, shaking hands or signing autographs. But at the end of the day these are great challenges to face and what always keeps me going is the mission. I want to make sure we help everyone that needs help. Also, my readers, audience, fans and people that we help are what fuels me — their smiles, tears, laughter, and kind words keep me going.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Which achievements are you most proud of?

Without question, it’s being a Dad. There is nothing in this lifetime that will be more important than me raising my kids.

What do you think makes you such a likeable presenter and author? 

With regards to being the second most likeable author in the world… First of all, it was a very distant second!

Secondly, I think my mom even voted for JK Rowling! I’m a huge fan of JK Rowling so it’s always a shock, even to this day, when I hear it or read it. I’m overjoyed that my readers feel this way. I’m blessed to be surrounded by amazing people.

I’ve also been lucky since birth to have a natural fascination with the stories of other people. I love being around people and letting them shine, letting them tell their stories.

Share with us some success stories of companies and people you helped through the work that you do.

I’ve been so fortunate to partner and work closely with so many businesses and organizations as they continue to transform including: Facebook, Hershey’s, Oreo, Dairy Queen, NASA, New York Life, Disney, Google, SAP, Chase, Cartier, and many others.

What lies ahead in terms of your goals and ambitions? 

With my performances, publications, and productions we are trying to have fun and help people. Specifically, we want to educate, entertain, and empower 7 billion people to their best life by 2030. We just crossed 55 million so we still have a long way to go, but we can do it!

MBA Commencement 2011

PERSONAL (LIFE)

To you, what are the most important things in life?

Your mission in life is to discover your gifts and the purpose of life is to give them away.

What’s worth mentioning on your life’s bucket list that you have not done? 

Here are the top three items on my bucket list:

1. Travel the world with my kids for a year

2. Publish a Young Adult Fiction Book

3. Open a giant kids amusement park

Why do you do what you do? (What drives you every day)

Helping others succeed gives one more satisfaction than your own personal success. Ironically, you will become more successful when you help others succeed. My motto is ‘Have Fun. Help People’.

Who are the role models and influences in your life?

My parents, Tom Izzo. Seth Godin, Mel Robbins, Adam Grant, Malcolm Gladwell, and Magic Johnson.

What are some things that many people don’t know about you? 

1. • Getting my teeth knocked out led to a college scholarship

   • I have a baby Cheetah named Equalwoman

   • I almost made President Obama pee in his pants from laughter

VIEWPOINTS

You mention something on video about stepping deeper into your story and shared how you took 15 years to realise that being called “Equalman” isn’t happening against you but for you. Could you elaborate on it? 

I’m a big believer that things happen for you, not to you in life. My first initial (E) combined with my last name (Qualman) form the moniker Equalman – which sounds like a superhero. For years I avoided the name “Equalman” as it was a constant source for teasing and bullying. Then a magazine, for their cover story, because of “Equalman,” wanted me to wear Clark Kent-Esque Superman glasses. They also wanted them to be bright green since Patrick’s day was coming up. Both the moniker and green glasses stuck with people. This moment happened for me as it allowed me to step into my story. Today, one of my main messages is encouraging everyone to step into their story. While uncomfortable at first, it is the most comfortable place we can be long-term.

As for me, the green glasses teach me to walk in discomfort every day. They also remind me to focus. And, they have been good for business. While we do lose some business because of them, we gain more business in total. To be outstanding, you first need to stand out. It’s hard to miss the 6’6” guy with green glasses and the name Equalman. Companies are now buying green glasses for their virtual or live audiences by the thousands. They are fun and remind people to focus.

The post The Social Media Whisperer – Erik Qualman appeared first on My Story Lounge.

“Remember that every successful person you’ve heard about, read about, or know has been told before that they are not good enough or their work is subpar in some way.”

If you are someone who wants to lead and motivate a team of people within an organisation effectively, Jamie Mason Cohen is the go-to guy to look for. As a leadership development and resilience expert, Cohen uses a tool kit of unconventional virtual approaches to cultivate resilience through unique performance assessment, the science of positive psychology, and proven leadership strategies through an engaging and entertaining cinematic format.

Some of his interesting methodology for training corporate employees include ‘Saturday Night Leaders’ Framework, ‘Living Your Values’ 7-Step Process and Action Plan, the ultimate team alignment and appreciation session in ‘What Your Signature Says About You’, as well as his ‘Virtual Storytelling’ online training.

He is also a frequent media commentator on CNN, Forbes and The Morning Show. His TEDx talk on leadership has been viewed 2.2 million times. Furthermore, he is a ‘Dale Carnegie Business Training Award’ recipient and a certified leadership coach with ‘The Leadership Circle’.

As unrelatable, mundane and dry as his accomplishments may sound to someone not interested in such organisational matters, we surprisingly found an insightful life journey filled with anecdotes, life lessons and personal experiences.

EARLY LIFE 

Tell us more about your family background and share with us on what it was like growing up. 

I grew up in Toronto, Canada. My father was a lawyer, and my mother was an educator and regional manager of a large school board. I have a young sister, who became an educator, entrepreneur, and dance choreographer. The place I lived in was a safe, middle-class community where we attended public schools during the year and actively played competitive sports like baseball, hockey, and basketball.

I had parents who instilled in us the values of being kind to others, family first and an openness to creative goals. My grandparents were also an important part of my life growing up.  My grandmother, Gertrude, would come to our house regularly armed with her delicious soups and matzah balls.  The smell of her banana muffins would fill the house the moment she entered.

My grandparents were from Poland and Canada.  My grandmother, Gertrude, played an extraordinary influence on my life. She was always supportive and warm.  I used to confide in her about my fears and doubts, and she’d always have the right thing to say or just be there for me like a best friend.  

We had dogs as pets – a Shih-Tzu named Suki and then a bulldog named Wendel.  We also had a pet budgie bird named Fred.  Growing up with pets added an energy and playfulness to our days.  

In the summers, I often spent my time at the baseball park.  Toronto had a vibrant summer sports culture and I used to love going to the ballpark.  The smell of the fresh cut grass, the cloudless days, hearing the sounds of the bat hitting the ball and seeing multiple games going on in the different fields energized me to be a part of this community.

During December holiday seasons, we usually would take a family trip to Ft. Lauderdale Florida to visit our grandparents or resorts in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.  My dad was a master at finding good deals for us to travel.

How did your upbringing shape the person you are today? 

When I look back now as a father of two, I realize that one unique aspect that shaped my childhood was experiences.  My parents worked hard to create family experiences and to provide both my sister, Carly, and I with different types of opportunities to be in the world.  

We had an NHL hockey player named Luke Richardson, live in our home (billeting in our basement) for his first year in the league. Naturally, we became the envy of the other kids in the neighborhood and at school.

In my family, meeting people of different backgrounds was always encouraged. Canada is multicultural and my mother was ‘Head of English’ as a second language, overseeing about thirty adult learning schools. Not surprisingly, we were exposed to different cultures and met many people from all over the world who travelled to Canada as a result.

It includes trying different types of art and learning to play a variety of sports. Even though at the time I might not have appreciated taking art classes or the challenges of being on a sports team, I realize now that it instilled in me a love of the arts.  It also ingrained in me resilience in overcoming rejection, discipline and led me to live an interesting life.

I’ve also reinvented myself professionally many times as an adult and I believe that this exposure and gentle push to experiment with different skill sets and experiences led me to the different creative streams that make up my days today.   

How would you sum up your childhood?

Fortunate. Supportive. Creative. Full of unique and memorable experiences and moments.

JOURNEY 

Why did you choose to become a leadership development and resilience expert? 

The career advice I give myself as well as others is to find out what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about and what’s relevant to others to learn.  In my case, I was good at creating curriculum and teaching, I had a passion for learning about how to develop my own leadership and resilience attributes and researched that there was a growing niche to provide practical training that combined the two areas.   

I tested this hypothesis out in 2014, where I gave a TEDx Talk: ‘How to Spot a Leader in Their Handwriting’.  It was an unconventional way to look at leadership, but it’s garnered over 2 million views though probably 2.1 million of those views were by my mom 

The point is that if you are looking to reinvent your career, or develop a new professional path, you might want to start with those three questions, as I have done and have continued to do: 

1. What are my strengths?
2. What are my passions?
3. What is relevant to a specific audience who has problems in this area that I can help solve?

Then look for a topic or a combination of topics that answer all three of those questions.

Along the way, what were some hard decisions you faced and challenges you had to overcome?

I had to ask myself – what areas should I focus my attention on in developing my career?

There are hundreds of different paths or approaches a speaker or trainer can take in developing a talk or a training session.  At some point, I looked within more than I looked outward. I fully trusted my own cumulative decision-making processes and professional taste to boldly create what I thought was the best I could offer specific audiences in the corporate world.

It was also a challenge to start an uncertain, financially up-and-down career path with no contacts in a field that was much more abstract. Totally different from my prio career I had been in for 12 years – as a teacher. Being a teacher is relatively stable financially.

When you start a new path, with a young family at home, it’s a real challenge to not put too much pressure on yourself to succeed right away. I had to build self-imposed limits and boundaries as to how much I worked, because it started to feel like I was experiencing burn-out.

There was a constant push-pull between wanting to give my wife, Karen and our two kids, Koby and Maya my best energy versus the tension of moving from where I was starting out to where I wanted to get to.

Share with us some experiences/memories/stories that you think are significant to your journey so far. 

1998 – 2000: Working for Saturday Night Live Founder, Lorne Michaels, and the show in New York.

After cold calling Executive Producer, Lorne Michaels, twenty-five times over three months while living in my parents’ basement after graduating university, I got a call back from his assistant. I talked my way into an interview with Lorne several months later.

After meeting the late legendary comedian, Chris Farley, in the writer’s room while nervously waiting for my interview, he calmed me down by kindly asking me questions about my story. We shared a mutual contact – my former baseball coach – who was in a movie with him.  I then walked into my interview with Lorne Michaels feeling calm and self-assured and was offered an entry level job.   

The journey was the destination because my time in New York was brief but the experience of living and working in New York in one of the most renowned entertainment companies in the world was amazing. It planted the seeds that are coming to fruition now in my speaking career and in developing my own reality TV series for a Canadian network.

2008: Traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia: I won a Canadian Ambassador of the Arts Grant from the Canadian Government to premiere my short film, ‘The Barber of Kigali’, based on a true story of a survivor in the Rwandan genocide, who was living in Canada at that time.  

It reinforced in my mind that the journey is the destination. I realized that I didn’t travel from Canada to Cambodia to show a short film. Rather it was to connect with people from a different culture, to contribute to a local school and to expand my view of the world.  

2014: On a professional level, my TEDx talk in Luxembourg was a pivotal moment where I knew that being on a global stage and moving people emotionally, adding value to their lives, was what I wanted to pursue.  

I didn’t know how but this was a powerful boost of inner confidence that I could rise to the challenge and strive to become one of the best in the world in this type of speaking and training.  

2018: Being on the same stage as a speaker with my childhood idol, Nando Parrado, was memorable.  After both our talks, he asked me if I wanted to have lunch with him.To sit down with him for a meal and hear him share his story of how he survived one of the most extraordinary plane crashes in history, made me feel grateful for being able to have such amazing encounters while I am still living.

2021: Giving a live virtual training to physicians in 21 countries made me realize how grateful I was to serve, to teach, to connect with professionals all over the world. It also made me pause to appreciate how far my speaking journey has taken me over the past four years. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Which achievements are you most proud of and why?

2020/2021 Speaker of the Year Nomination (Meeting Planners International NY)

Starting from scratch and building a thriving keynote speaking and training career, working with leading clients like Sun Life Financial, Assante, Novo Nordisk, Canadian Public Relations Society, Broadway Video Entertainment, The Terry Fox Foundation, TEDx, Baker Tilly, and top speaking agencies around the world. 

TEDx Talk: How to Spot a Leader in Their Handwriting = over 2 million views

My goal was to give a TEDx talk to spread my message about the limitless possibilities that exist within us if only we take a moment to look in our handwriting and in ourselves.  It took two years of planning, visualizing and goal setting. This includes creating a vision board dedicated to bringing this goal to fruition.  

After winning a TED Education Award, I connected with an organizer for a TEDx event in Luxembourg. The talk was set in a castle, which gave me the confidence to pursue a speaking career.  

TED-Huffington Post International Educators Award

I applied for this award but totally forgot about it later on.  A few months later, I got an email, which I thought was a potential scam, saying that I was the only Canadian educator to win the award. I happened to be at a conference with a friend, a professor and former police detective focused on fraud!

He checked out the e-mail and concluded that it was real.  We called the TED offices in New York, and they verified that I did indeed win and was invited for an all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans to be honored for my work in creating innovative learning environments.

Wrote #1 Amazon best-selling book: LIVE FROM YOUR CLASS: Everything I Learned About Teaching, I Learned from Working at SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

I wrote this book by getting up at 4:30 am every day for over a year before teaching and before my two kids (babies at the time) were up.  The book is about more than teaching, it’s about how to create learning environments in school and work that truly engage and inspire students and employees.  I’m very proud of this book as it is a culmination of my work as a teacher for 12 years and incorporates stories and experiences I had up to that point in the world of media and film. 

Dale Carnegie Public Speaking Award Winner

Winning this award while still in university at the Western, University in London, Ontario, Canada, made me believe that one day I would pursue a path that involved adding values to people’s lives through speaking professionally.

Granted Ambassador of the Arts Grant by the Canadian Government

I won a grant and acknowledgment by the Canadian government for a short film that I directed about an incident in the life of a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who immigrated to Canada. The grant was for me to represent Canada as a filmmaker in Cambodia for the Cambodian International Film Festival and to teach Cambodian children film-making skills 

Best Film Director, London, England based Film Festival for The Barber of Kigali

My short film about a Rwandan genocide survivor who meets his father’s murderer in Canada and must decide whether to kill him or walk away was inspired by true events. The film was accepted in 9 film festivals around the world from California to Cambodia to Boston to London England and gave me the chance to travel to several of them.

Cambodia was particularly memorable because I not only showed my film on the anniversary of The Killing Fields, but got to work with local children and teach them film-making skills. 

Website ranked #26th best leadership speaker & coach website by wpblogs.com

I’ve been working on my website for years so when a reputable website that reviews websites reviewed and ranked my website as one of the best on the internet in my speaking and group coaching niche, I was honoured. 

What do you think are the key ingredients to your success?

If you’re not invited to the party, throw your own party so that the right people will want to attend. 

In other words, be a magnet for opportunity by showing your value to others, working on your skillset and being so good at what you do that eventually the people who you want to connect with will show up in your life in unexpected ways. Instead of forcing your way through the front door where everyone is trying to get into, look for the side and back doors that others have overlooked.

Turning crisis into opportunity. 

For example, when Covid-19 hit, I looked for ways to serve pre-existing clients and created a new media project to help small-to-midsize businesses that wouldn’t have been possible in pre-covid.  

Working smart and working hard. 

I wrote working hard first because focusing on outputs instead of outcomes can make us feel like we’re working hard yet progressive can feel elusive. Focusing on what the outcomes I wanted and then reverse engineering what steps I need to take was helpful in making small yet substantial progress in achieving my goals.  

Showing up daily by working hard and being disciplined and consistent in focusing on the 1% that makes the biggest difference and then iterating along the way has been essential for my success. 

Surrounding myself with one close speaking buddy who I could learn from, and he could learn from me has been a revelation. 

The commonly repeated expression is that you are a reflection of, or your income is based on the five people who you surround yourself with.  I’ve come to the realization that 1 – 2 people is what you should be aiming for. 

I define and refine what it means to be successful.  

Success means different things to every person you know. My success starts with asking myself what my values are. Some of my core values are: long-term orientation (professional) and family first (personal).  I want to make sure that my daily decisions in service of my highest vision for my life are rooted in my values.  Then I know that the success I achieve is in alignment with who and what I value most.

Resilience.

I have continued to bounce back from rejection and continually put myself out there. This trait is key for anyone trying to become successful in their field. It is never about how you fall, how you get turned down, ignored or rejected – rather it’s about getting back up with confidence and taking one more step forward instead of giving up.

Throughout countless rejections and failures, I push through my sensitivity, my ego, my sadness and simply ask: what’s the best next step? And then I take that step, and continually adjust until I get closer to my goals.

It’s not always about setting goals.  

Some experts believe setting goals can be harmful to the spirit because when you reach a goal, it never seems enough.  I set goals but I also focus on the process, on positive habits like working at the same time each day, even if I don’t feel like doing the work, on constantly researching new concepts and ideas and taking action even when I don’t have all the answers.  

Share some successful case studies with us – people who have been successfully transformed under your guidance. 

 A med-tech entrepreneur in Canada was awarded first-round financing for his company, EasyLabs in an Amsterdam-based worldwide tech.start-up contest, with my help in creating a pitch for his product.   

One business owner took my advice on creating a plan to tell his company’s story through a purpose-based video, which has reinvigorated the organization and its direction. 

Based on my coaching suggestions on how to make his excellent talk even better for his audience, one of the top business speakers in Canada has credited my feedback with growing his business.  

`Dozens of people have reached out to thank me to say that my coaching, which includes a speed handwriting analysis session, has given them the courage to mend broken relationships, follow their goals, pursue previously out-of-reach dreams and to discover their strengths. 

One of Canada’s top parenting experts, Alyson Schafer said that three minutes with Jamie’s unique graphotherapy coaching process is better than 3 therapy sessions. 

What lies ahead in terms of your goals and ambitions? 

I’m a believer in not sharing your goals or ambitions publicly.  I believe that you should write down your goals and ambitions on paper regularly.  Then review those written goals daily.  Then take one small step each day towards that goal.  

My process on this point is supported by verified studies that show that when people put their energy into revealing their goals and ambitions before first putting their energy into putting them in motion, they can easily be derailed or discouraged from strangers, friends and even family.

I’m happy to share my goals and ambitions once they are about to be completed or launched to the world.  But until then, I’ll be busy working on them, not discussing them.  

A quote I love that further amplifies how I feel about the importance of writing down, visualizing, and taking action but not talking about your goals, here’s an excerpt from a famous American singer-songwriter, author and visual artist, Bob Dylan:

“DESTINY is a feeling you have that you know something about yourself nobody else does. The picture you have in your own mind of what you’re about WILL COME TRUE. It’s a kind of a thing you kind of have to keep to your own self, because it’s a fragile feeling, and you put it out there, then someone will kill it. It’s best to keep that all inside.”
― Bob Dylan, The Bob Dylan Scrapbook: 1956-1966

PERSONAL (LIFE) 

How does a typical day look like to you now? 

Wake-up: 5:30 am

530am – 8:00 am:  Drink lemon water. Walk 3 km. Meditate on my front porch. Coffee. Write down my goals, top 3 areas I will focus on that day and write down a daily gratitude practice.  I then help get my two kids, Koby, 9 and Maya, 8, ready for school or camp, with my wife, Karen. 

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Do creative work on speeches or media projects 

1:00 pm – Workout (yoga stretches, weights, trampoline in the backyard, lunch

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Business tasks related to speaking, scheduled meetings

After 4:00 pm is more flexible with family time, hobbies like abstract painting, reading and watching Netflix! 

To you, what are the most important things in life?

My wife and kids are the most important thing in my life.  It’s most important to me to live a life that balances the priorities of health, happiness of my family with my greater purpose of positively impacting lives around the world. 

For my children and my wife, I want to live as long as possible in order to ensure that I provide them (in partnership with my wife, Karen) a healthy + loving home.

What’s worth mentioning on your life’s bucket list that you have not done? 

• There are many countries I want to travel to with my family including Rwanda, much of Europe, and South-east Asia. I lived for 8 months in Malaysia teaching at a university but I worked so much that I didn’t have a chance to visit surrounding countries. 
• Singapore is a country on my bucket list! I’ve heard it’s a flawless country in many ways – the city design, the people, the food and the sights.
• Professionally, I have a major bucket list media project in development. When it’s ready to launch to the world, I’ll let you know.
• I’d like to also do a world speaking tour in south-east Asia and Asia.
• Learn a martial art.
• Attend a meditation retreat (there are several on my list)
• Attend a World Cup game and F1 race in-person.
• Have my abstract art accepted and shown in an international gallery.
• Live in another country with my wife and two children for a period between 2 months and 1 year before they are 18 years old.
• Learn to speak another language.

Why do you do what you do? (What drives you everyday)

~ To progress by being a little better than I was yesterday

~ To be a ‘learn-it-all’ not a ‘know-it-all’

~ To be a role model for my kids and give them an example of a father who goes after his goals with intention and deliberate focus yet is always there and present for them.

~ Ultimately, I want to help and serve other people by helping them reach their professional and personal goals.

What are some things that many people don’t know about you? 

~ I stuttered as a child.

~ My mother, who did handwriting analysis as a hobby, saw traits in my handwriting that revealed the potential for me to become a writer and a speaker.  

~ I was skeptical but eventually it came true. I became a speaker and wrote a #1 Amazon best-selling book. 

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind? 

~ I want to be the best, most present and engaged father I can be to my children. So that they are equipped with life lessons and the belief in themselves, which I taught them with regards to being able to accomplish anything and overcome any adversity when they set their minds to it.

~ To become the best husband and partner I can be to my wife and help her achieve all of her dreams, both in our family and her own life goals

~ To be the friend to my friends that they could always count on, be vulnerable with and know that I always had their backs and believed in them.

~ To have added transformational value to people’s lives in my professional roles as a teacher, speaker, trainer, coach and media producer.

VIEWPOINTS 

In your opinion, what steps can individuals take to discover and fully realise their full potential and develop their talents?

1. Find out your strengths — what you’re naturally good at. This might be a subject in school that came easy to you or a skill that you were quick to pick up.

2. Find out what you love to do. What makes your heartbeat fast with anticipation, joy and delight when you do it? What makes time fly by because you are so engaged?

3. Research on accomplished individuals who have combined these two areas in a profession.

4. Take an online course (Coursera, for example) to see if you feel a spark inside during learning, even if it’s hard work and prove to be a steep learning curve.

5. If you do like it after doing some additional research, see if there is a market for this service or talent, then invest more time, schooling and coaching into taking steps in this direction.

6. Get a coach to help you eliminate unnecessary mistakes in pursuit of your goal.  The key here is the coach should have been successful in this career recently, if not still doing it. Such a coach will also have valuable contacts that could potentially help you if they see that you’ve made progress and have the potential to excel.

7. Find an online or in-person peer group of other people who share the same interests in this field. You only need to find one other peer, with whom you can encourage each other and help each other along the way. 

What makes a good leader and how can one lead effectively? 

What makes a good leader is someone who creates a safe space for their team so that each team member feels heard, acknowledged, and understood. A good leader creates a space where their team feels that they have permission to make mistakes in order to grow.  A good leader ultimately has the goal, either expressed directly or in their actions, of making others better.  

A person can lead effectively by being a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all. I think the Head of Microsoft said something to that effect once.  Be accessible, show-up so that your team sees you on the front lines with them and not hiding in an office somewhere out of sight.  Be humble and open to new ideas from any member of your team.  

Focus on defining and bringing a purpose-led, value-driven vision into your leadership every single day.  Be the change that you want to see in your team.  Culture starts at the top, which means that everything that you do, say, and don’t do or don’t say, will be seen and interpreted by your team.  

When you have integrity – in which your actions match your words, you will build an unspoken trust and bond with your team that will not just make for a better work environment but a better world. 

To you, what does it mean to be resilient in the face of adversity? And how can people build up this quality in themselves? 

Being resilient in the face of adversity means to find strength in difficult moments or situations. It’s about how fast you bounce back from a temporary setback. You can build up this quality in yourself to truly grasp that in any situation, the one thing in your control is your attitude. 

I learned this from Victor Frankl, who wrote the book that influenced me most in my life called: ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’. Frankl overcame the most difficult imaginable situation, being in a Nazi concentration camp during World War Two. He reflected on what survivors had in common, based on his position as a leading psychiatrist .

Even though it was often luck that separated those who lived and those who were killed, the ones who lived (1 out of 28 to be exact), had an attitude that they wanted desperately to survive for another person, for a higher purpose – such as to finish their life’s work or to find purpose in their suffering.  

Each of these perspectives or attitudes to their predicaments gave them strength in the most extreme hardships.  As you go through your most challenging obstacles, you can ask yourself questions like:

• Who am I doing this for?
• What is a higher purpose that is essential that I carry on in pursuit of this goal?
• What meaning can I find in this challenge or setback that can make me even better?  

You can build up resilience by taking care of both your mind and body.  Some examples include: going on daily walks, doing yoga or practicing mindful meditation for just ten minutes a day. Those activities have been shown in a validated thirty-year study to build resilience in people who experienced trauma in their lives.

Open yourself up to the support of a friend.  A good friend who encourages you, who pulls you up from a failure, who believes in you even when you don’t believe in yourself can help you to see your worth in vulnerable moments.  

Cultivate a hobby that you do just for you. Make date days with yourself to allow yourself to get lost in an activity that challenges you and that makes you feel joy.  Hobbies have been shown to calm the mind, put you in a positive and creative state and help create balance between our professional and personal lives.

Take nothing personally. Be independent of the good or bad opinion of others – said Wayne Dyer.  Sometimes negative feedback or indifference relating to our plans by people we want approval from can derail our enthusiasm and focus on our goals. 

Remember that every successful person you’ve heard about, read about, or know has been told that they are not good enough or their work is subpar in some way. Don’t be defined by another person’s careless comments that reflect where they are and what their opinions are, not who you are and what you are capable of. I suggest listening to a podcast called, “We Regret to Inform You”. Each episode tells a story of a well-known personality who persevered through years of rejection and failure to become international successes.  

Finally, ask: What’s in my control and what’s not moving forward? Whatever happened in the past, is in the past. What you have control over is the present. What can you do right now to take a step forward towards your goal? The Serenity Prayer reads: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 

If you internalise this quote and focus only on what is in your control to turn a moment of crisis into an opportunity to grow, you’ll be on your way to building resilience in your journey through life!

The post Leadership And Resilience – Jamie Mason Cohen appeared first on My Story Lounge.

“We don’t buy products because of what they do. We buy them because of what they mean.”

A sought-after figure within the corporate world, Michael R. Solomon is a thought leader, keynote speaker and renowned author on topics concerning consumer behavior, fashion psychology, branding, retailing, advertising and marketing.

In addition, as Professor of Marketing at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, U.S.A., Solomon has written over 30 books on these topics above. He is a contributor on Forbes.com, and is frequently quoted in major news outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Adweek, Time and BBC News.

Combining cutting-edge academic theory with actionable real-world strategies, he helps brands to better anticipate the needs of their target audiences and effectively communicate messages. Even marketing guru Philip Kotler, who is famously known as the “Father of Marketing”, sums up his expertise this way, “Solomon has the mind of a scientist and the writing flair of a journalist.”

His work with corporations include the likes of Calvin Klein, eBay, Campbell’s, United Airlines, Levi Strauss, Intel, Dupont, BMW, Under Armour, Timberland, Wrangler, Lululemon, and H&M, among other major global brands.

Advertising and marketing is all around us – from our perception of brand names to our shopping choices and more importantly, the influence it has on our behaviours as consumers. We spoke to the man who only understands this world too well.

EARLY LIFE

Tell us more about your family background and share with us on what it was like growing up.

I had a disgustingly normal childhood. I was an only child, and I grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. My Dad was a Professor and Dean at The George Washington University for many years. My parents were originally from other parts of the U.S.A., so we had relatively few physical visits with family. However we had a very close network of friends and neighbors that filled in quite nicely.

How did your upbringing shape the person you are today?

We were very close-knit and of course since we are all products of our upbringing, I can still see my parents in my values and personality traits. They also made sure I had a reasonable variety of experiences such as visiting other places, going to restaurants and museums, etc.

And, because I was basically a “nerd” and not very athletic, I learned early on to develop a cutting wit that neutralized potential bullies (I still need to watch that today) and helped me to make friends during the adolescent quest for popularity.

How would you sum up your childhood?

I owe my late parents many things, but one of the most important is that I’m grateful to them for giving me a happy childhood. My only regret is probably growing up in suburbia, where kids were relatively sheltered from many of the tumultuous events that were changing our society in the 1960s and 1970s.

Michael in High school (1973)

JOURNEY

How and why did you decide to venture into marketing and advertising?

I blundered into a career as a marketing academic. I did my Ph.D. dissertation on the psychology of fashion. When it came time to apply for Psychology faculty positions, the market was dreadful; every open position was overflowed with applicants. One of my professors suggested that I considered Marketing faculty positions. At that time, I literally didn’t know that Marketing was a discipline; I thought my professor meant going to the store!

My professor connected me with a Marketing professor at the U. of Florida, who in turn recommended me to his colleagues at New York University. Sure enough, they invited me for an interview, and they offered me a job by the end of the day. The rest is history! I have never regretted my move from Psychology to Marketing because my adopted field was very tolerant of some of the “crazy” topics some of my colleagues and I were doing research on at that time.

Why did you choose to become a speaker and author?

I was one of those nerdy kids in college who actually enjoyed doing intense term papers (and in those days we didn’t have Wikipedia).

The “drama” of pulling an all-nighter to write (and then type on a typewriter) a research paper really appealed to me. It’s kind of like hitting your head against the wall: it feels so good when you stop! But to this day I still enjoy the writing process, and the tools we have available today are game-changers.

I developed a love of speaking from giving countless lectures to students. I believe that it’s in my interest to have fun while imparting new ideas (so I don’t bore myself as well as my audience), and later in my career I discovered that corporate groups also wanted presentations that were both engaging and informative.

What were the challenges you faced and hard decisions you had to make along the way?

As I noted, when I started in academia there were no jobs available in my discipline. So, it was quite challenging to reposition myself and join a business school faculty. In the first few years, I was literally about ½ chapter ahead of my MBA students because as a liberal arts scholar I had never taken any business courses. I still haven’t (a little secret I keep from my students).

As a young man (sole breadwinner) with a growing family, I had to make hard decisions about how much time I could devote to my wife and kids. I worked constantly as a junior faculty member, and this exacted a toll. Although I wish I had been able to allocate more to my family, I feel I made a “noble sacrifice” to be sure everyone benefited from my hard work – at least in terms of day-to-day life, educational opportunities, etc.

Today, I don’t work quite as hard, and I’ve learned that I can get about as much done in ½ day of focused work as I used to do in a full day (and often night).

ACHIEVEMENTS

Which achievements are you most proud of and why?

I have been fortunate to have had a successful career, both within academia and as an industry consultant. I’m proud that I’ve been able to pursue issues that combine the characteristics of both. And – I’m very grateful to the colleagues and students I’ve had the honor of working with over the years. I’ve also learned a lot about the publishing world, and I’m very proud of all the textbooks and trade books I’ve written.

When I wrote the first edition of ‘Consumer Behavior’ textbook (now in its 13th edition), it wasn’t at all clear that any faculty members would assign it to their students.

There were several well-entrenched titles, and the multidisciplinary perspective I brought was still not widely accepted among Marketing faculty. But the book captured the zeitgeist of the newer forms of research that “the Young Turks” in the field were doing at the time (I was one of them – that was a long time ago!).

Today, this “new paradigm of consumer behavior” is actually pretty mainstream – but I’d like to think that at least part of the reason for that is the prolonged success of this book and the many thousands of students who learned from it, and then applied what they learned in marketing settings.

What do you think are the key ingredients to your success?

1) For better or worse, I am extremely well-organized. I maintain a very elaborate organizational structure for myself that helps me to be productive.

2) I have always worked well with others, so I’ve been able to publish many articles with co-authors. In particular, I have always prioritized publishing with my students – and putting them as first author when appropriate!

3) Not taking no for an answer. I am a consummate “nag” and I usually persevere when problems arise with other people because they don’t turn around their work on time.

What lies ahead in terms of your goals and ambitions?

I believe that the ideas I present in my latest book: The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization, are really valuable to marketers, most of whom don’t appreciate how much consumer behavior is changing even as I write this. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to do more keynotes around the world to share these ideas with audiences.

I’m also working on an online course that I’m very excited about; the tentative title is ENGAGE! How to Turn Your (Bored) Customers into Brand Fanatics. I believe that connecting with consumers in a very chaotic marketing environment is the biggest challenge marketers face today. I’m really keen to show learners that there are still ways to galvanize customers and help them to appreciate the value of a brand to improve their lives.

PERSONAL (LIFE)

What is your life motto (Or core values) if any?

“It’s better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.”

To you, what are the most important things in life?

Family and friends – including my wonderful wife, kids and grandkids! Although I value professional success, it’s how you act in your private life that really matters. To paraphrase a popular expression: “No one ever lies on their deathbed and wishes that they spent more time at the office.”

What’s worth mentioning on your life’s bucket list that you have not done?

Riding every big roller coaster in the world.

Why do you do what you do? (What drives you everyday)

I’m very fortunate because I don’t have a “boss” in the conventional sense who tells me what to do (the joys of being a tenured Professor). So, I continue to write and speak because I genuinely enjoy it. So long as I feel my students continue to get value out of what I say, I’ll keep doing it. As the saying goes, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Who are the role models and influences in your life?

My Dad was Role Model #1; among other things, he taught me about the joys of doing research and learning. I’ve also had several professional influences and mentors that include a handful of very successful academics who are highly regarded in both academic and the business world.

I’m also grateful to an executive, who worked for many years in the marketing research industry, and who then taught the subject as an adjunct professor. He showed me how the “real” research business works.

What are some things that many people don’t know about you?

I don’t take myself too seriously, and I love to make fun of people who do. Just don’t label yourself as “thought leader” or “guru” – if you have to say you’re one, you’re probably not!

Starting at age 14, I worked for many years as a tuxedo salesman in various formal wear stores.

What are you most passionate about in life and why?

Again, my family including my lovely wife Gail. Also, I love to travel and try exotic foods (except anything from the ocean).

I love to read sci-fi and to see how different authors envision the ways our society will evolve.

VIEWPOINTS

In your personal opinion, how do you think technology is changing consumer behaviours around the world in general and will continue to change it?

As I discuss at length in ‘The New Chameleons’, one of the most important changes is the dissolution of the boundary between humans and machines. As we continue to merge with technology, our very self-identities will mutate. This movement includes the increasing practice of implanting tech into our bodies (examples: microchips, contact lenses that monitor vital signs, prosthetics and so on) as well as the growth of the “Metaverse”, where our digital and physical identities will continue to come together.

You have written countless books on marketing. What are the top five things marketers have to do to adapt to changing consumer preferences and new innovative technologies?

1. Listen to your customers. They are your best source for new product ideas.
2. Understand societal changes, for example the current movement toward greater diversity and inclusion in marketing campaigns.
   Don’t rest on your laurels – just because you’ve devised a new solution to a problem doesn’t mean that others won’t come along with a better one.
3. Understand that the distinction between offline and online marketing strategies is obsolete in an age where your customers are omnichannel 24/7. Prepare for the Metaverse!
4. Recognize the power of external influences on consumer decision making – including the opinions of peers, influencers, etc. and appreciate that especially for many younger consumers these decisions are often made collectively by a “hive mind” that’s constantly churning on social media and other tech platforms.

You are one of the founders in the field of fashion psychology. Could you tell us more about the space and the impact it has on society as a whole?

The study of fashion psychology is quite a new focus (although a few scholars started to probe this area as far back as the late 1800s). One of the events that was a catalyst to grow this field was a large conference I chaired in 1985. The resulting book (The Psychology of Fashion) was one of the first to bring together a range of social scientists and fashion industry executives to look at how fashion processes influence consumer behavior.

It’s also important to remember that the study of “fashion” in this context is not confined to tracking hemlines each season – the same basic processes that determine whether women will be wearing long or short hemlines also apply to our understanding of how scientific theories, political perspectives, consumer packaged goods, etc. originate and diffuse through a market.

Especially post-pandemic, the issues this field deals with are very important. For example, we’re seeing a huge resurgence of interest in apparel sustainability; the solutions we come up with to reduce the immense waste the industry creates will be an integral component of efforts to combat climate change, pollution, economic inequality, etc. If that’s going to happen, consumers have to make it happen, It’s a great time to study how their values are changing.

Micheal and his family at the Atlantis resort (2019)

The post What Consumers Want – Michael R. Solomon appeared first on My Story Lounge.