Leading global consultant, business author, A-list blogger and podcaster David Maister presents a podcast of highlights from his speaking engagements covering his four main topic areas: Strategy, Management, Client Relations, and Careers.
Maister Moments
Leading global consultant, business author, and former Harvard Business School professor David Maister presents a podcast of highlights from his speaking engagements covering his four main topic areas: Strategy, Management, Client Relations, and Careers.
As a new feature to my podcast, I will be including a link to the executive summary of each chapter of my book as a pdf. I encourage you to forward these to friends and colleagues who may be interested in the materials covered in this series.
TITLE | TIME |
Summary Proverb | (02:46) |
We will close this series with a proverb that I use to conclude many of my seminars. It illustrates that what most businesses need, is not clarification on what is the right thing to do, but the courage to not give in to short term gratification.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
01:00 – Summary Proverb
01:21 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Earning a Relationsip | (04:50) |
Everything in we want in life must be given to us by another human being. This being the case, a key question in the early stages of a relationship is, how do you get another human being to want to give these things to you?
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
01:08 – A personal account of relationship building skills
03:29 – The lessons
03:52 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Dynamos | (10:44) |
Professionals at any given time can be one of three things: dynamos, cruisers or losers. What are the percentages in your organization and how will you as a manager motivate and excite in order help under-performers and create dynamos?
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
00:57 – Three stages of energy and drive: Dynamos, Cruisers, and losers
04:45 – The role of the manager in helping underperformers
05:38 – Mobilizing the organization through excitement
09:18 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Think of Work | (09:58) |
Marketing services that excite you to clients that you are interested in brings the odds of winning business significantly higher. However, this appears to be the route less taken in most professional lives. The question is, is this acceptable?
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:08 – A survey on professional excitement: Does your profession excite you?
03:25 – A survey on professional excitement: Do your clients excite you?
06:04 – The importance of choosing work and clients that actually interest you
09:08 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Getting Hired by New Clients | (15:32) |
sides of the fence. We will discuss how to thwart this cycle at the root by demonstrating your capabilities first and building a reputation as a trustworthy provider.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
01:03 – A personal account of the power of recommendations and reputation
03:37 – The cycle of mutual recriminations the client/provider relationship
05:31 – How to “go first†as a provider
12:11 – Demonstrate, don’t assert
14:22 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Experts vs. Advisors | (05:08) |
In the marketing of professional services, you can come across in one of two ways to the buyer. You are either interested in them, or you are interested in their cash. We will show why the former is the key to successful business marketing.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
00:45 – The seller in the eyes of the buyer: Interest in the buyer vs. interest in the cash
02:28 – Convincing the buyer that you care about them
03:39 – Conclusion
04:21 – Special announcement: Forthcoming Book and DVD offer
TITLE | TIME |
Marketing To Existing Clients | (18:40) |
Most professional organizations spend the overwhelming majority of their non-billable, business generating hours on chasing new clients even though it has the least probable R.O.I. We will examine the alternatives and their relative effectiveness.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:27 – Investing in existing relationships vs. new sales generation
02:40 – Four places in marketing for non-billable time
03:54 – An R.O.I. comparison of non-billable hours
10:07 – A real world example of the merits of relationship building as non-billable time
14:23 – Why we choose the lowest probability marketing actions
17:19 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Rules of Relationships | (04:42) |
There is far more to building a relationship than the point of any given conversation and there is no “going through the motions†or baseline communications. Learn two of the most important aspects of communication in relationships.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
00:58 – The ability to remember: the true test of a good listener
02:21 – Communication and talking even when there is nothing to talk about
03:38 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Romance and Sincerity | (5:50) |
In business development it is too often the case that professional strive for the transaction in the short term and neglect the essential foundations for building a lasting business relationship. We will discuss two distinct mindsets for coming to mark
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:26 – Romance vs. the one night stand: two distinct mindsets
02:46 – Taking a genuine interest in your client’s affairs
03:48 – Human connectivity vs. revenue generation
01:01 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
How We Buy | (08:22) |
All marketing and selling questions boil down to one basic query: How do people buy? To learn the answer to this, one only needs to look as far as their own experience in buying to find that it’s not only about qualifications but also about trust.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
01:02 – Understanding marketing equals understanding buying
02:50 – The key to every marketing question in your profession
04:30 – The essential truth of being a buyer
05:19 – The two necessary attributes for a successful sale: qualification AND trust
07:20 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
What We Hate About Those People | (06:08) |
Often times there is a degree of laziness in communication on the part of the professional that is incredibly alienating to the client. Learn a simple exercise that will help you better understand and fulfill your clients’ wants and needs.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:00 – The scarcity of qualified professionals vs. interpersonally skilled professionals
01:12 – What we hate about those guys
03:51 – Treating your clients the way you would be treated as a client
05:06 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Where Should Marketing Time Go? | (09:38) |
The standard marketing practice of proposals and assertions fails in respect to building relationships. We will discuss one of many tactics aimed at earning and deserving existing and new client business through demonstration rather than assertion.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:05 – Earning and deserving business through demonstration not assertion
05:03 – No selling required: demonstrating excellence in your field
06:35 – Using the same tactics for new client business
08:12 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Accountability | (07:34) |
In order for the employees of an organization to raise their performance, those in managerial roles must first be held accountable for their own performance. We will discuss one way that this accountability could be installed inside an organization.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
00:12 – Over-investing in training, under-investing in accountability
02:07 – Managerial accountability
02:59 – Standards and the goals of an organization
06:25 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Managing Dad | (05:10) |
Commonly used tactics in management such as performance appraisals, go against every rule of family life. In this episode, you will learn how the interpersonal, emotional, and psychological skills implemented in family interactions are the very same th
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:05 – How the generally accepted rules of management break every rule of being a family member
01:42 – Criticism vs. interpersonal sensitivity and skill
03:22 – The #1 Qualifying test as manager: Ego suppression
04:03 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Using Language to Get What You Want | (05:06) |
Careful attention to language and an understanding of the best way to present issues are key interpersonal skills. Listen to and learn from an example of phenomenal use of language.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
Timeline:
00:40 – Introduction
00:59 – The real talent: reading the person in front of you
01:50 – An example of language skills in action
03:51 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Train a Pigeon | (09:48) |
Getting another human being to fulfill their potential is a general process akin to the process of parenting or coaching. What are the steps to unleashing the true potential within an individual?
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:08 – Step one: Does this person want to live to standards we do?
02:29 – Step two: Finding an overlap between organizational needs and personal excitement
05:05 – Step three: encouraging success in the overlap
08:48 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Getting Others to Give You What You Want | (05:12) |
Everything you want in life must be given to you by others. The key question in getting what you want is whether you engage with others as “themâ€, people you want something from, or as “usâ€, people who are part of a relationship with you.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:07 – Anything you want in life must come from other people
02:14 – The difference between them and us
02:51 – The difference between relationships and one-night stands
03:52 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
How Managers Should Spend Their Time | (09:16) |
Often times, the coaching or managing role of a professional group leader is neglected in favor of revenue generation and client service. Learn the various reasons that this is a poor economic choice and ways to invest in and nurture the coaching role
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
01:16 – The economical mistake of neglecting management in favor of revenue
04:38 – How managers should spent their time
08:11 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Excitement | (06:06) |
Organizations accomplish their missions when the people who comprise that organization are excited and passionate about their work. Learn how to create this environment in your workplace.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
Timeline:
00:40 – Introduction
01:00 – The difference between being happy and being turned on
02:13 – Why it is imperative that people be excited
04:09 – Managers: People of principles vs. people of expedience
TITLE | TIME |
Not Qualified to Manage | (06:32) |
The main trait that qualifies a manager is not about intellect or rationality. The job of the manager is to build organizations that accomplish their mission through an ability to deal with people as people.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:39 – Introduction
01:04 – Management: A passion for other people’s success
02:30 – It’s not about being “rightâ€, it’s about people
05:32 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Managing Works | (15:40) |
Motivating people to perform to their greatest potential is a multifaceted skill. Learn the traits, tactics, and dialect to be an effective manager.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:40 – Introduction
01:03 – An example of fabulous management skills
06:04 – A comparative analysis of exemplary management skills vs. common management
14:31 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
The Fat Smoker | (06:34) |
All companies know what they need to do to be successful. The trick is to have the determination and courage to not give into the temptation of short-term gains.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:38 – Introduction
01:03 – The fat smoker
02:04 – The avoided inevitable: Eat less, exercise more.
03:35 – The courage to change
03:55 – Go to class, do the homework: The temptation of short-term gains
05:28 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Survey Results | (06:32) |
The goals of an organization are only attainable through the mobilization of the organization as a whole. How does your organization measure up?
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:38 – Introduction
01:04 – How does your office live up to its standards?
02:13 – The constant falter: ANYTHING to do with people
03:50 – Energy, Excitement, Determination, Passion, and Ambition: the only competitive advantage
05:26 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Strategy is Standards | (04:08) |
In order to succeed, a professional firm must have values, principles and standards. These should not exist as goals or aspirations, but as solid bottom lines that the professionals within the firm must live up to.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:38 – Introduction
01:10 – The philosophy of managing with values
01:46 – The only deal breaker: not playing the game
02:08 – The importance of having organizational values
03:05 – Conclusion
TITLE | TIME |
Profit Formula | (7:56) |
In business many factors lead to ultimate financial and business success. The challenge is to identify which factors tend to drive other factors and hence, where you really should start to launch the sequence that leads to ultimate profitability.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:38 — Introduction
01:11 — The sequence of consistent, superior client satisfaction
02:10 — The necessity of excitement and enthusiasm
05:08 — It’s not only profits; It’s also peoples lives
06:13 — The character of the manager
06:53 — Conclusion
