Shows
The Working AntTo innovate you must be parched in thirst and desperate to transformOnly out of a real and desperate necessity comes innovation and transformation that lasts the test of time. This should be applied to yourself and the changes you yearn to realize. Real transformation requires a valor that is firm in conviction and a desperation to be achieved.“It is not hardships that are desirable, but the courage by which to endure them.”
— Seneca
2025-08-1918 minThe Working AntFree yourself from the perception of othersLiberate yourself from the perception of others even when you depend on it.Marcus Aurelius said, “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
2025-08-1615 minThe Working AntLive in Accordance with Your NatureTips, strategies, and practical analogies on living in accordance with your nature. “Don’t ever forget these things: The nature of the world. My nature. How I relate to the world. What proportion of it I make up. That you are part of nature, and no one can prevent you from speaking and acting in harmony with it, always.”— Marcus Aurelius
2025-08-1015 minThe Working AntDeliberate Insecurity: A Path to GrowthI'm diving deeper into something I call "deliberate insecurity" - a strategy I practice in my executive leadership practice. It might sound counterintuitive, but I truly believe it's the key to thriving in today's world of constant change and AI buzz. Forget trying to avoid feeling insecure – I'm talking about intentionally stepping into those uncomfortable zones to build real mental muscle and emotional resilience.Here's a summary of what I talk about:What Exactly is Deliberate Insecurity? I'll break down what it means to intentionally embrace uncertainty and even potential failures, because that's where the...
2025-04-2514 minThe Working AntMastering the Mask: Craft the "You" others See at WorkYour role requires you to wear many masks. Learn to craft yours wisely.Take Control of Your Image: How much control you really have over how others perceive you in different settings.Beyond Social Norms: Explore going beyond standard branding advice to showcase your unique capabilities.Perception with Purpose: Learn why having a specific goal for the perception you want to project is crucial for consistency.Navigating Uncertainty: Use your perception to lead effectively during times of change and challenge.Intentional Self-Promotion: Understand how to deliberately create opportunities to highlight the perception you want others to see, both profess...
2025-03-2112 minThe Working AntBeyond Transactional: Building Meaningful Relationships at WorkAs an executive coach, I see the power of genuine connections every day. This episode dives deep into moving beyond transactional work relationships, revealing how to cultivate meaningful, loving bonds that not only boost your professional life but also enrich your personal growth.Key Highlights:Move beyond transactional: Shift from simply asking or supplying to fostering deeper, personal relationships at work.Conspire for success: Actively go out of your way to support and advocate for your colleagues' achievements.Disrupt your communication: Audit and change how you interact to avoid predictable, transactional exchanges.Express authentic care: Give...
2025-03-1410 minThe Working AntYour Primary Responsibility Is This.Are you truly being yourself, or are you holding back? I challenge you to examine whether you're suppressing your true voice for the sake of security or comfort. *Gratitude vs. Inhibition*: Understand how gratitude can sometimes prevent you from speaking out or taking risks, and how to find a balance.*Speak Up, Stand Out*: Learn why it's crucial to express your true feelings and push the needle, even (but especially) in challenging situations.*Prepare for the Future Authentically*: Discover how to prepare for potential disruptions by practicing more authenticity today.
2025-03-1107 minThe Working AntControl is an illusion.This episode reveals how focusing on what's within your power can transform your work and life. Focus only on what is within your power to control—your own thoughts and actions—and accept what is not, for that is the path to prosperity and lasting fulfillment.You are the guardian of your mind and you must act accordingly": This is a powerful statement that resonates with personal responsibility and mental well-being.Choose what you can control. Lean into those things.The sooner you can accept the fact that there are only certain variables which you can in fact cont...
2025-03-0807 minThe Working AntChoose who you're investing in.Feeling overwhelmed at work? Struggling to keep up with whack a mole like endless demands? Be aware of the outcome but more so understand the cycle of churn. This short episode dives into the importance of sustainable momentum and the power of investing in meaningful relationships. While you may not immediately be able to transition from being a task completer and operator to more of a maestro of your career, learn to focus on what you can control (relationships) and build connections that pay dividends in the long run. Tune in.
2025-02-2206 minThe Working AntThe Power of Your Absence: Are You Missed at Work?In today's episode, we're diving into the thought-provoking question: "Are you missed at work?" With the shift back to office environments, it's crucial to understand how your presence (or absence!) impacts your team and your personal brand. We'll discuss ways to gauge your value, whether through direct conversations, 360 reviews, or self-reflection. Remember, being missed isn't just about being likable – it's about aligning your contributions with your goals and ensuring you're making the impact you desire. So, are you ready to uncover the reasons behind your workplace presence?
Reflect on why you are missed at work and if it is...
2024-10-2808 minThe Working AntWhat is experience, anyway?We’re hired for our experience. Every day in some way, we are applying our experience. We’re praised for our experience and compensated for the perceived level of experience we possess. We’re rewarded for the promise of applying our future experience by investing our time to create new experiences.We respect one another for our experience but also judge others based on their experience they have - a quality we seem to have little trouble assessing based on our own experience.
So what is experience anyways? We’re always chasing after it and we get paid because of it, right...
2023-12-0818 minThe Working AntAre you one with the people?In uncertain times and under exceptional circumstances, leadership is strained and stressful. In "peacetime," where work is quite clear and career aspirations appear realistic and achievable, all this becomes thrown out the window when one has to operate in an environment that is equivalent to a battleground for relevancy, power, and survival. One must then ask themselves, how they can keep people inspired and motivated when everything in arm's distance from the island they operate on says "run for the hills!" And so one must ask, "Are you one with the people?" And if not, how do you even...
2023-06-2016 minThe Working AntKeep your tongue warm.There’s an old stoic saying that saying what is unnecessary, often leads to saying more than it is necessary. And so one must act as though he/she is the moderator of what they choose to say over what may be a natural byproduct of their personality.
Context is everything. And so when you find yourself sharing something that may be an off the cuff remark, ask yourself if what you’re about to share is relevant, and more importantly, if it will lead to a better outcome – a more immersive and intimate relationsh...
2023-06-0611 min
Kerning CulturesMo Amer: Stand-Up Comedian and ActorWe’re thrilled to share another podcast from Kerning Cultures Network with you: al empire.al empire returns for Season 3 with more stories of exceptional Arabs from around the world and their journey to the top, from comedians and entrepreneurs to musicians and media mavericks. This season of al empire, we’re also releasing the full uncut video episodes online.In this episode, we sit down with Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor Mo Amer.Mo always knew he wanted to be a comedian, and he has turned that life-long passion into an incredible care...
2023-05-3126 minThe Working AntThe joy of character and the bounty that it brings your career.We often forgo the closest things to us, but we don't lose character, we simply lose sight of it. The quality of one’s character is what gives birth to one’s personality. It’s the bedrock to the base and the beacon in the light of careers and contributions. Character channels charisma and character powers craft.
Through it all, character at its core is what enables our ability to count on ourselves – the person in the mirror, the one staring at his/herself in the rearview pondering life’s givings and misgivings. If you feel yo...
2023-05-2312 minThe Working AntTransform your expectations.Our expectations stick to us like a shadow to the body - always following us as a reminder of the presence and power they hold over our life satisfaction. Little do we reflect on why they are there nor do we contemplate reassessing their content and quality. Since we're almost at the half year mark, it's important to revisit the origins of where they've come from and the power they yield over us in how we conduct our day to day. Understand that these expectations are reflections of who you believe your potential to become. While this can cause...
2023-05-1616 minThe Working AntInstead of striving to have a voice, aim to have a say.It's a common theme to strive to have a voice in the workplace. Everyone wants a voice (well most people). With that voice carries a feeling of being heard and acknowledged as a focus vs. that of having influence of opinion and sway. I ask you to consider aiming for the latter which yields much greater power. This subtle difference is a game changer. Rather than ensure the decibels of your tone carry to the ears of empty space and time, ensure that it lands with gravity and substance. Aim to have a say - this is true power. When...
2023-05-0922 minThe Working AntLike the Lynx, hone in your ability to see clearly through the darkness.There's something about the allure of the person who can see light in the midst of darkness. These days, optics of optimism are a rarity but a necessity. Without clarity on our motivations, we're spinning and spitting out work with little to speak for and celebrate. As a working professional you must go beyond your fellow peers and understand that if you are to get out this funk ahead, seeing opportunity when there is none is what will be your key differentiator. Look at your world not from the lens of its inhabitants, but from from its colonizers. See...
2023-05-0215 minThe Working AntDo I want your life?Do I want your life?
This is more than a fair question to ask, but rather a necessary one, not to compare yourself to others, but rather to anchor on the possibilities for yourself based on theirs.
For the sake of the conversation, let me double down on the latter half of the statement above and say that to compare yourself with others is often a theft of happiness when you look at your current circumstances from a perspective of deficiency rather than one of opportunity.
Understand...
2023-04-2519 minThe Working AntMake your Possible, Profitable. Here's how.You need not a reminder that if you want to get the lift back into your feet and the lightness in your walk, you must have a goal that is focused and enlivening - something that excites you, brings you closure or comfort in the present and injects confidence in the uncertainty around you. You also must accept the reality of resources in that you may not have the space or time to think through how to turn the influx of work, tasks, projects, and processes into something profitable. What is profitability anyways other than what you define it...
2023-04-1823 minThe Working AntWin the Competition at Work with this Alternative Approach.In a time where competition is at its fiercest. A time where Generative AI has so many use cases that it feels like the “boogey-man” is coming to find a way to do what we do better, there more frequent moments where we can’t help but wonder, “How is this all going to play out in the next few years and where am I going to land after this recession and contraction in the market sorts itself out?”
An alternative to consider? Activate your inner stupid and primitivity.
If you didn’t know it already, your curiosity carries you.
Ask for...
2023-04-1125 min
al empireMo Amer: Stand-Up Comedian and ActorIn ninth grade, Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor Mo Amer struck a deal. If he recited a monologue from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in front of class, his English teacher would let him do a stand-up set and help him pass. Mo killed it.Mo always knew he wanted to be a comedian, and he has turned that life-long passion into an incredible career in stand-up, TV, film, and many other mediums. The star of Mo, Ramy, DC’s Black Adam, and many Netflix specials like The Vagabond sits down with Dana Ballout to kick off Season 3 of al e...
2023-04-1025 minThe Working AntLose the pressure to please and restore your identity.Imagine who you would define yourself as if you lost the pressure to please. These days we're constantly under a barrage of tests and trials over what's being asked of us to produce - especially those of us in teams that are no longer the same size but are left with the same scope. If the constant asks and barrage of demands keep coming your way, the likelihood of proving your capability, strategic thought, and impact must also bring anxiety and stress to maintain the perception of value you have built and brought with you over the course of...
2023-04-0425 minThe Working AntIt might be just beginning, it might be near the end.Remember when you wanted to grow up so fast because adults apparently had it all figured out? Look at yourself now, at whatever stage in life you may be. Are you at the beginning? Or are you near the end? These two questions can fundamentally change your entire experience of life. It's exceptionally challenging to close a door even when it might be the best thing for you. It also may be equally challenging to feel you are just at the beginning of something where you may have to struggle and sacrifice as you once did in the past...
2023-03-2823 minThe Working AntWhen you have opportunity, but don't have the optics.With so much on the line and so much pressure to preserve what you've built, it's so easy to be blindsided about opportunities that pass you by. When the competition is all about finding a new job or keeping the one you have, creativity gets killed and fatigue takes over physically. In times like these you must not compete over what everyone is after, but rather shift the mound of your thinking towards places others are not looking. Your place of prosperity is determined by how you view events as is the quality of your life in how you...
2023-03-2123 minThe Working AntMoments of Choice When There Isn't ChoiceHello there Working Ant fans and subscribers, I've been feeling emotionally charged with so many imminent layoffs, economic uncertainty, and the power of bad becoming more prevalent now in the new year than ever before. It's hard to believe we're only in March, three months into the year, and facing a fervent reckoning with an unstable system and unreliable decision making that has led to a lot of pain and uncertainty for many of us. Today's episode is about having a choice when choice does not seem imminent and far from prevalent over how to conduct ourselves in our...
2023-03-1519 minThe Working Ant"Love the Discipline You Know and Let it Support You." Marcus AureliusOne of my favorite quotes of all time by Marcus Aurelius, "Love the Discipline You Know and Let it Support You," has been around for generations in his best selling memoir "Meditations." I explore this quote and what it means for our careers. How did we come to love the work we do? Was it a forced love? Or perhaps a learned love over time? These questions of our relationship with work are very similar to the same questions we ask of ourselves in our personal relationships. The expectations we have of our work should very much determine what w...
2023-03-0722 minThe Working AntLet's go deeper into LikabilityLikability remains one of my most talked about subjects here on the Working Ant. Today let's dive deeper into the topic of Likability - specifically how 3 attributes create lasting and authentic likability - Self Efficacy, Authenticity, and Opening the Doors of Childhood. The more likable you are, the more likely you'll close your next deal, nail your next interview, and build critical rapport in the workplace.
2023-02-2818 minThe Working AntDo you know what your job is?It's hard to believe but we all need a wake up call to what is the obvious, and that is, "What is your job?"
In times like these it couldn't be more important and yet it's precisely in times like these that we struggle to define what we do outside of our title. And you don't need me to remind you that your title says little about what it is you actually do and the value you bring to your role.
This existential but fundamental question should be the very first thing on your mind.
2023-01-3117 minThe Working AntWhat you consume, you become.I've often wondered why we consume so much of what doesn't move the needle or at best is neutral in contributing to our personal and professional development. Often times it's because the consumption of what is good for us simply isn't as "feel good" or compelling in relation to the necessity to change and grow. And yet, it bothers us when performance evaluations are inconsistent with how we view ourselves. More so, when we're tasked with projects and programs not of our choosing deep down we knew all along that if we had taken charge when we were supposed...
2023-01-1720 minThe Working AntThe Feedback that Matters Most: Your Own!It's that time of year when feedback starts to trickle through. While feedback is so important towards our career, it also is a cause for anxiety and fear of rejection. What's most important is that we don't fall to the mercy of other people's feedback for our own well-being. Do not compromise yourself simply for the approval of others. This is the perfect time to understand that your greatest feedback and approval comes from within. While we do need good feedback to keep our jobs and maintain the quality of life we have built for ourselves and our family, ta...
2023-01-1019 minThe Working AntHow to Make a Decision (the right kind)Happy New Year!! It's incredible how the new year has come upon us. Many of us feel compelled to make a decision - perhaps something that has been hovering over our minds for quite some time. And many of us want to make a decision knowing that something needs to change but have no idea how to do so. This episode of the Working Ant addresses these two scenarios with a very unconventional approach using cognitive distortion techniques from the world of psychology. This basic technique, never once talked about from a career perspective will have you thinking...and t...
2023-01-0326 minThe Working AntMaster Your IdentityOne of the strongest forces of human nature is to be consistent with the identity we have developed for ourselves. This identity which has been built over the course of our lives holds within it our strongest values and beliefs about life and our experience of it - what we should and shouldn't do, what makes us proud, and most importantly, the expectations we have of ourselves.
While there may be other mental "pulls" we have tendencies to pursue, the force in which we align ourselves with our identity, is one of the most prominent of all.
2022-12-2118 minThe Working AntHow to create more meaningful conversationsIt's so easy to have passive, transactional conversations.
The plethora of short, surface-level interactions we encounter leave much to be desired if our goals are to pursue more meaningful connections with others.
Your ability to shift these conversations, irrespective of the level or circumstances of those you are speaking with is a tool that is seldom activated or utilized - until you now.
Deliberately evoking anchoring statements, opening yourself up to more empathetic stories, sharing strong convictions, and ascertaining what has been implicitly said allows a depth of conversation to flow that facilitates strong...
2022-12-1325 minThe Working AntWhat would happen if you received it all?This time of year, we reflect, we ponder, we anticipate, often hyper focusing on "If only..." in some form or another:
• If only I had a larger paycheck
• If only I was working on what I believe in vs. what I've been asked to do
• If only I had more time! (Guilty)
• If only my team was...
• If only I made that decision
There are SO MANY situations and circumstances where "If only" paired with "X" dominates our thinking and emotional capital, robbing us not just from reaping th...
2022-12-0613 minThe Working AntWhy Imagination Wins Over Intelligence (and how to get your imagination back)As we grow in our careers, our intelligence takes over imagination and yet it was imagination that got us here in the first place. Here's how to get your imagination back and recognize its key to your future.
2022-11-1722 minThe Working AntDon't Become a Career Sitting DuckDon't wait for the wind of fortunes to change your career path. Either you evoke an urgency for action, or become a sitting duck for others to take target at. Choosing the latter is not an option!
2022-11-0918 minThe Working AntInternalize Other People's Joy: Practicing MitfreudeWe celebrate other people's accomplishments but rarely do we ever tap into how they feel about them. Transition having joy "from" to having having joy "with" another person's success and reap the benefits both in your relationship with that person, but more importantly, with yourself!
2022-11-0817 minThe Working AntChasing Care over Cure & the Expectancy Value Trap.Chasing Care over Cure & the Expectancy Value Trap.
2022-11-0317 minThe Working AntPick the right race to run.Are you on the right team? Are you learning from the right people? How obsessed should you really be with your work? Here's how to begin thinking about whether or not you're running the right race with your career.
2022-10-2513 minThe Working AntHave you heard of Social Loafing?Social loafing is real. Learn what it is and how to navigate your career around it.
2022-10-1816 minThe Working AntWhat you take for granted, others take for gold.It's a privilege to be back with you.
2022-10-1115 minThe Working AntEp. 45: Pursuing what you love vs. Doing what is good for you.Inspired by a former manager, an over 15 year mentor, and a prominent technology leader here in the San Francisco Bay Area, this statement is perhaps one that lingers most with me as it has with hundreds of others I have had the privilege to coach. Often one cannot find the words to structure thought when thoughts are currently battling for our attention. What do we do? Do we take the path of greatest risk and resistance in pursuit of our passions in a profession that may or may not yield profitability? Or do we stay put, head down, sacrificing so...
2021-07-2636 minThe Working AntEp. 44: How to influence without authority. Master the art of influence in the workplace.Who ever said you needed to be in a position of power to influence a team, an organization, or your manager? Most of us feel we need to show up wearing a white robe or have a specific title so people can listen to us when it couldn't be further from the truth. Maybe you want your voice to be heard more often or feel you want to be fully respected and appreciated for the value you bring. Perhaps you have some great opinions that you wish others would take more seriously. If you find yourself constantly wondering how you...
2021-07-1943 minThe Working AntEp. 43: Giving Voice & Visibility: Go out of your way to promote others.You see it all the time. Managers and leaders demand excellence. Your KPI's, OKR's, SMART objectives, and so on, keep you on your toes and in the know of what gets you to the next level. What's not measured is heart, passion, and intent. There seldom is enough time to identify rising talent because we're too in the weeds trying to stay afloat.
There is a way forward through this - if not through you than it's with those around you. Working to promote your colleagues, even your mid-level manager to a higher position will do you an e...
2021-06-2836 minThe Working AntEp. 42: Sustenance is what leads to Success, not Sustainability!We all strive for a level of stability. We wish for a sustainable, predictable lifestyle. The hustle requires too much muscle and we tire out quickly expecting results, which when not apparent, make us default back to predictability and sustainability. Getting through the day is the obstacle in the way when you know things could be different for you. What's worth the effort? The paycheck? The weekend? The house over your head?
Understand: All of these goals are noble and necessary, but they lead us to operate at what is sustainable whereas if we adopted a mindset of s...
2021-06-2142 minThe Working AntEp. 41: A Timeless Blunder: Output vs. OutcomeNeed I say much more? We work so hard to get ahead and some of us can't seem to rise above the surface for air when it's already performance review time. Wiping away the sweat, sitting upright in our chairs, deep breaths and in an instant the year has gone by. It's performance review time and with a stroke of a pen we're marked, graded, laddered, evaluated, and formally given a category of associated measured value. And yet all this time we've been closing things out, whacking error moles, fielding support, presenting, managing, leading, sacrificing and so much more...
2021-06-1439 minThe Working AntEp. 40: How to elevate the significance of your work even if you don't directly impact revenue (4 secrets)*Know this: Whatever job or role you currently have that you don't believe adds any significant value to the company can in fact be transformed into an integral role that many depend on.
*Understand: Perception matters.
*Realize: Most people will benchmark you off of feelings, not facts.
If you're loving the Working Ant, please connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know!
2021-06-0748 minThe Working AntEp. 39: Programmed Rationalization: How to Escape Ongoing Self SabotageWhat comes through habit, seems completely natural. If we tell ourselves something over and over again, it probably may start sounding more true even if at first we called it into question. So why rationalize instead of accept a reality, even if temporary? It's hard to see the truth of our situations, but harder to accept it. Our quest to grow and progress is marred with temporary appeals and diversions from meaningful change - and yet in moments, when the time is right, we embrace what is necessary to move us forward. Rationalization is different from being rational. One is...
2021-06-0242 minThe Working AntEp. 38: Plant the seeds, not of or for the necessities of the season, but for a harvest that may never come"He who is self absorbed may temporarily protect himself in his mental castle of preserved self image, letting no one near his sphere to penetrate influence - but when exposed to the ocean of abundant possibilities and alternative thought, the barriers of the mental castle become nothing more than sand washed away by water." The Working Ant. The mental barriers of your fortified mind may appear to give you the peace of mind and ease of fortified solace, but solitude which will occur as a result serves you no other purpose but solidified justification for everything you have while...
2021-05-2440 minThe Working AntEp. 37: Surfacing your Undisturbed Inner Voice. Your UIV will set you FREE.Our "Undisturbed Inner Voice" (UIV) exists in each and everyone of us. It may surface, but only when called on, only when asked to deliberately be activated. Like any mental muscle that is rarely ever flexed, it is difficult to really understand and utilize our UIV when in reality, the progression of our career is so dependent on it. That's in this week's episode of the Working Ant.
Connect with me on LinkedIn and share your thoughts! Your work, life, and circumstances inspire me.
2021-05-1735 minThe Working AntEp. 36: Celebrate your Ignorance & Embrace Self-Revelation"If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?" Rumi. In this bonus episode of the Working Ant, let's combine what we know and do not know (and choose to ignore) in order to achieve our goals. When we're in this mindset, this aloofness and innocence breeds the mental bridge between what are just mere retained facts to true learning. We'll do this through self-revelation where we don't just admit what we do not know but instead use our ignorance as an actual tool to pursue our goals! Have a great week! :)
2021-05-1247 minThe Working AntEp. 35: How to show your boss that you can bell the cat (and other mighty things too)You have just one boss, but your boss has many direct reports. You have infrequent scheduled 1-1's with your boss, but your boss has several 1-1's with his directs each day. Such limited interactions on our side, and such an abundance of interactions on our leader's side means we must be more deliberate and intentional about these very infrequent conversations - our career progression depends on it! With such limited time with those who hold power over our progress, I'm going to coach you on how to build stronger, more meaningful, and deeper conversations with your boss. Be...
2021-05-1042 minThe Working AntEp. 34: How to Positively Associate Your Presence and Secure Your Career in the Process“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” Marcus Aurelius. When we think about building relationships at work, we often don't think about the future, we think about the now. How can this person accelerate my career today vs. how can I grow with this person to partner with for an unknown opportunity tomorrow. Will this person remember me more for the quality of my work, or the joy in working with me? Self consumption with what we believe is a benchmark for success is often far from the reality. It's no wonder why most of us don't keep in touch...
2021-05-0536 minThe Working AntEp. 33: How to Avoid the Trap of becoming Data Rich, Execution Poor (DREP)"Constant misfortune brings this one blessing: to whom it always assails, it eventually fortifies." Seneca
As we progress in our careers, many of us find ourselves inevitably in leadership positions commensurate with our hard earned experience. Naturally, we become better at solutioning while directing others from our team to solve. Yet when we've reached the precise level we aspired for early in our careers, we find ourselves struggling in interviews to execute on, let alone comprehend why we are asked to solve for such granular level problems of the individual contributor role we successfully transitioned from years ago...
2021-04-2836 minThe Working AntEp. 32: The Art of Giving (and Risking) Strong Opinions“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.” Marcus Aurelius. Give an opinion swiftly and you turn out to be right, you'll be praised. Give an opinion too fast and you're wrong, you'll be thought of unfavorably, the "peak end rule" will become activated, and you'll have a very tough uphill climb ahead of you. Remember: Opinions are inescapable. You must have them in order to progress...
2021-04-2236 minThe Working AntEp. 31: Fortified Facades of Character: How to Secretly Pierce Through, Occupy the Void, and Leverage Your Victory.Understand that people's deepest desires are not only to be appreciated, but to be understood. The faster you can get past the formalities of the fortifications of the facade in front of you, the more opportunities you'll have for reaching the outcome you're often yearning for.
Use your ears, eyes, and focus much more than just what comes out of someone's mouth. That's in this week's episode of The Working Ant!
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2021-04-1435 minThe Working AntEp. 30: The Necessity of Making Introductions (the Highest Quality Transaction) and How to Brilliantly Give What You Always Wanted to Receive!"In your actions, don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse. In your thoughts, don’t wander. In your soul, don’t be passive or aggressive. In your life, don’t be all about business.” – Marcus Aurelius
In one of my most compelling coaching sessions yet, learn how to become a supply and demand epicenter connector. Making this a priority for yourself will elevate you to professional heights worthy of legends!
2021-04-0732 minThe Working AntEp. 29: The Hidden Truth about Your BehaviorWhat are you focusing on today? What will the goal you have your mind fixated on, mean to you once you've achieved it? These two questions seem quite obvious, but a third more critical question is where we spend most of our time: What are you going to be doing about achieving your goals? This of course means your actions! If you choose to measure something as a metric of success, won't your actions then bend to that metric? You may not realize this, but you might have to reconsider (or reaffirm) how you define the measurement of success fi...
2021-03-1532 minThe Working AntEp. 28: Liberate your Language! How to Immediately Elevate your Verbal Arsenal (and Thinking) through Language.Your words shape your reality. Your reality is shaped by your words. To succeed in elevating yourself to new heights, you must understand the significance of the words you choose, the analogies you use to avoid misspeaking and losing out on opportunity in your journey. Acquiring knowledge and experience over the course of your career is not enough. Language is the key - that's in this week's episode of The Working Ant.
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2021-03-0739 minThe Working AntEp. 27: The 3C's of Perception: How to create the Ultimate Perception you want of yourself.Make no mistake about it, you are an emotion in human form - an idea, a thought, a truth. Take the ultimate perception you want others to have of yourself and create it from within! Let me coach you on how to manage the perception you want others to have of you in your next meeting, formal conversation, and interview. That's in this week's episode of The Working Ant.
2021-02-2239 minThe Working AntEp. 26: Sprezzatura: Practicing the Art of EffortlessnessWant to appear as if you were naturally gifted at your craft? Did you ever consider not sharing how long it took you to complete an assignment instead of communicate how hard you worked to achieve your goals? In this week's episode of "The Working Ant," I'll coach you on rethinking your strategy when it comes to your perception, impression, and association both in the workplace and in your next pitch or interview. Perhaps the practice of Sprezzatura can give you the appearance of what you wanted all along - a natural talent born of the ages!
2021-02-1736 minThe Working AntEp. 25: How to instantly increase your accessibility and become more approachable.Perhaps it's your language, the sound of your tone, your personability, or your approach altogether that needs some fine-tuning. In this week's episode of "The Working Ant," I'm going to coach you on how to become more accessible to those you'd like to target and hear back from. Become more accessible, by appearing more approachable!
2021-02-1034 minThe Working AntEp. 24: The Alchemy of Persuasion: How to Convert your next Conversation.In every transaction, persuasion of some form is the primary driver. No action is ever possible without it. Let me, your Host and Coach show you how to master your next interview or pitch by focusing on the elements, not the outcome - The Alchemy of Persuasion. Get to a YES faster than you thought possible. That's in this week's episode of The Working Ant.
2021-02-0233 minThe Working AntEp. 23: How to Make Time your Ally by seeing it as an Emotion.Imagine you could view Time purely as an emotion. What would that do for you? Would you generate it more often if you needed it? Time can feel fixed or infinite. It can also feel limited or managed. As we get the wheels moving in 2021, let's use time as an ally in pursuit of our goals. In this week's episode of The Working Ant, I'll talk through how time, if accepted as an emotion, will immediately liberate you from the confines and limitations you view of it as you pursue your aspirations in the new year.
2021-01-2532 minThe Working AntEp. 22: How "taking action" can actually be your biggest distraction!You push. You sacrifice. You strive to get ahead. "The only way up is by taking action," they say. Ah, your rigorous and noble pursuit for better days ahead! All this action can be your biggest distraction - apply here, reach out there, create a use-case here and try to get on someone's schedule there. Don't take a spray and pray approach - take a deliberate and intentional approach! I'll coach you how to do just that in this week's episode of "The Working Ant."
2021-01-1933 minThe Working AntEp. 21: Fantasies die with interruption. Destiny is ongoing.Endless possibilities await at the gates of your mind, ready to flood it with fantasies and alternate realities of yourself. It seems so crystal clear - what you need to do, how things must be different this time around, and the actions you will partake in to make it so. Soon, with interruptions of obligations you'll find yourself against an uphill battle again. In this episode of The Working Ant, let me coach you on how to psychologically ready yourself to steer clear of "the land of if only" but rather a reality filled with possibilities into the new yea...
2021-01-1343 minThe Working Ant2021 Message: See through the Fog of WorkThank you for making The Working Ant such a resounding (and early) success in 2020.
Just a short message of love and support from your Host and Coach.
2021-01-0408 minThe Working AntEp. 20: How to deepen your understanding of others by transcending into concealed emotions.Just like you only see one side of the moon at night, you too only show one side of yourself at work. And so, it's no surprise that others only show their deliberate (or best) versions of themselves to you as well. Your ability to influence others must then be somewhat equivalent to your ability to understand others. In this episode of The Working Ant, I'm going to coach you how to deepen any conversation while simultaneously observing emotions. The power, is YOURS!
2020-12-2548 minThe Working AntEp. 19: Avoid the Seduction of Certainty & Strive to be the Dumbest Person in the Room.Certainty breeds an ego that appears strong and enduring, but at its core, is fragile and often false. While it may appear that certainty is rewarded, in the long term, it falls flat when called out or questioned - it breeds ignorance, quells debate and innovation, but most importantly, it'll probably keep you an individual contributor for life. Let me coach you on how to transition from a "certainty mindset" to that of a "confidence mindset." A subtle difference that pays massive dividends in your career (and life). That's all in this episode of The Working Ant.
2020-12-2541 minThe Working AntEp. 18: Bringing Back Emotional Amplification.Like a Honeybee that lost its sting, a lizard who lost its tale, as we mature in our professional careers, our emotion expressions are more prone to tone down, even become stale. Most of us confuse this with emotional maturity, but the reality is that our inability to experience emotions (and express them) prevents us from capitalizing on professional opportunity, when ironically its precisely that professional opportunity that we seek! In this episode of The Working Ant, I'll coach you on how to bring back those emotions, practically and authentically.
2020-12-2542 minThe Working AntEp. 17: Activate the power of your Social Capital. Their Power is YOURS!More than your skill set and your expertise, your Social Capital is the truest and surest gateway to your success. If you don't have it, let me teach you how to create. If you think you have it, let me coach you exactly how to expertly (and authentically) utilize it in today's digital world. That's in this week's episode of The Working Ant!
2020-12-1652 minThe Working AntEp. 16: How Positivity (and Humor) breeds your Likability“He shows a greater mind who does not restrain his laughter, than he who does not deny his tears.” Seneca. Rarely would you get a statement more powerful than that. Why so serious? Don't take for granted the power of associating yourself with positivity and humor. In this ever so serious world, it's not the smartest person that wins but the person who associates himself favorably with the audience. You see it everywhere, but rarely does that feeling transcend into that of your own. This Career Holiday Season, allow me, your Host and Coach to inject some humor into the con...
2020-12-0453 minThe Working AntEp. 15: How to make a fabulous (and lasting) impression.In this session of The Working Ant, I'm going to walk you through some incredible statistics on impressions that will baffle you but will now know how to navigate around (and use to your advantage) with me on your side! Let's talk through them together and let me coach you on my strategies to up-level the next impression you'll make at your next meeting and during your next interview. So excited to share this with you!
2020-11-1745 min
The Working AntEp. 14: Stopping Superficial Suffering (Starting Now).Liberate your mind from narrated nonsense. In this episode of the Working Ant, I'll coach you through common Cognitive Distortions that divert us from reality and away from our ability to flourish as a progressive professionals. Cognitive distortions exist everywhere and they can kill dreams by conflating, confusing, and conditioning a fabricated reality. Remember, we are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality (Seneca). Do not yourself fall into an abyss of monsters and goblins that don't exist.
2020-11-0949 minThe Working AntEp. 13: Want more for yourself? Be more OF YOURSELF!Conformity can only go so far. If you lose too much of yourself (your identity), you'll inadvertently blame more of yourself later in your career. Stop this now by using the most amazing things about yourself and amplify their application elsewhere. What can you do with these fundamental elements of your personality other than find an environment and a career (or passion) to apply them? A mindset of deficiency and a habit of colossal misguided consumption is what stands in the way of a favorable outcome. In this session of The Working Ant, I'll coach you on a little kno...
2020-10-2629 minThe Working AntEp. 12: How to preempt (and design) high stake conversations. Seize your bounty through preemptive intent!Deliberateness unsupported by intent is like a shield without its sword. Although sturdy and compelling, the inability to strike leaves the other party only dazed, slightly phased, and more than likely to walk away. In this episode of The Working Ant, I'm going to coach you how to be preemptive in your next crucial conversation. It's not enough to be deliberate, you must be intentional. Yes there is a clear difference between the two! Seize your next bounty through preemptive intent.
2020-10-1933 minThe Working AntEp. 11: Looking for a Hero? Enough already! Look in the mirror. Be YOUR OWN HERO!Narrate your own story. Seeking validation? Create your own! Do not seek permission and learn how to be great at being your own source of inspiration. This week, I'm a little unabridged in how I feel about becoming your own hero. In this episode of The Working Ant, expect motivation aligned with aspiration because I'm going to coach you (and push you) into practically becoming the version of yourself you've always aspired to be. Enough already! BE YOUR OWN HERO.
2020-10-1238 minThe Working AntEp. 10: If you were given a tongue, use it to speak to benefits FIRST, then to process.Most of us default to speaking like operators, talking up our process when in fact we're losing out on massive opportunity when we don't speak in terms of benefits. Want to play the game well? Learn to speak the language of impact - the language of BENEFITS. That's what I'm coaching this week on The Working Ant.
2020-10-0536 minThe Working AntEp. 9: Secrets on how to become immediately more likeable (and memorable)In this episode of The Working Ant, I'm going to coach you on how to RADICALLY differentiate yourself in a way most of your peers would never even think of and it ironically starts with using our past experiences (and memories), as assets rather than liabilities.
This is practical stuff. No fluff. Let's do this!
2020-09-2845 minThe Working AntEp. 8: The Peak End Rule: Why your last impression is more important than the first and how to genuinely hack your next interview.Don't wait for the positive signs in the interview, CREATE them! Want to ascertain live feedback in your next interview and deliberately showcase the compellingness and consistency you intended? Well, these are just a few strategies of what I'll be coaching in this episode of The Working Ant.
2020-09-2142 minThe Working AntEp. 7: The Importance of Letting Go: How to begin to free yourself from the shackles that have always held you back!Your professional future should never be defined by the fear of a new path! In this episode of The Working Ant, I'll coach you on an alternative way of thought - a mind shift through narrative and practical tips to start your week. Learn how to let go of bad past experiences and free yourself from the emotional shackles that hold you back.
2020-09-1452 minThe Working AntEp. 6: The Power of Beliefs Over Your Career (and your life)Is it a gift or a setback? You choose. Is the silence deafening, or is it an awakening? You choose. Should I pursue it further, or is the writing on the wall? YOU choose. This is all about the power of beliefs - the beautiful creations they make and the destruction they inadvertently cause. The power of beliefs are yours. YOU choose. Choose wisely.
2020-09-0538 minThe Working AntEp. 5: How to forge a new identity and give yourself sole responsibility for your own image.Society imposes much on us. It's stressful initially, but we've gotten so used to masking it and living out an alternative image of ourselves that we fail to recognize the power we have to use a lost self-consciousness, resurrect it, mold it, and shape the true character we were destined to have. An aligned character gets us closer to an aligned life - one of awareness and necessary agility, but one that never compromises the secret you hold, your unique character. Either you learn to master your image or others will do it for you.
2020-08-3051 minThe Working AntEp. 4: Ostinato Rigore: Relentless Rigor (for yourself and your career).Overcoming the mental block that tells you you're not good enough, not qualified enough, not ready to make the most out of this short life. Not for you and not on my watch!
2020-08-2442 minThe Working AntEp. 3: The Power of Feedback: How to get it, where to start, what to ask, and why it REALLY matters.Do you want to improve the perception people have of you? Are you clear about the impact you have on others? The only way to truly respond to this question is to know what other people perceive you as already. The reality is that you need to take an active approach rather than one of passivity in how you build an image of yourself and for yourself. If you don't want to follow your fellow working ant whose only security is that of colony, you must differentiate yourself deliberately and mindfully. Let me teach you how through the power o...
2020-08-2156 min
The Working AntEp. 2: How to finally create a compelling image of yourself that others will gravitate to!What is the ultimate perception you want others to have of you? Did you ever think about this question and how it has impacted your career?
In this episode I'll teach you how to find what truly empowers you to brand yourself deliberately and genuinely with practical methods you can put to use immediately in the most compelling and authentic way.
2020-08-1843 minThe Working AntEp. 1: To control the narrative, control yourself.There's a big difference for those that feel constrained and confined with that which they cannot control and those who seek to seize what they can control and maximize its yield. Do not fall into the folly of the fainted heart! Determined and deliberate you can master a narrative through the on-going mastery of yourself.
2020-08-1738 minThe Working AntWhy Ramy? Why the Working Ant? Why this is different.I've been asked this question a lot lately. It turns out this was a long time coming. I prolonged the inevitable, but inevitable is now here, and I intend for it stay.
2020-07-0209 min