THINKERS Manifesto

In the first episode of THINKERS Manifesto, Sean Jackson explains why we struggle to think and make decisions in a society that can feel designed to distract and manipulate us.The episode begins with a test. Just follow the simple instructions. And it's worth your time to take the test seriously because Sean follows by explaining the underlying reasoning behind the test and why it works almost universally -- which is at once illuminating, and a little frightening. Then Sean dives into some important research by Daniel Kahneman that helps us to understand the two different styles of thinking we engage in and what they mean for our ability to make good decisions.We may suck at thinking ... but by gaining a better understanding for why that is the case, we can improve our thinking and make better decisions. *****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

Learn about an important tool that will help you think better and make more clear-headed decisions -- even in times of extreme stress: emotional circuit breakers.In this second episode of THINKERS Manifesto, you learn the story of a group of young people who went through an excruciatingly intense training session for potential expected abuse that most of us cannot even fathom. And what they did next ... yeah, it will shock you. And what they did is an example of an emotional circuit breaker. What are emotional circuit breakers? And how do they help us break free of extreme emotional states so that we can engage in more rational, deliberate thinking? Find out in this episode of THINKERS Manifesto. *****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

Learn how to create the right physical environment for the thinking you need to do -- with the understanding that different types of thinking are done best in different types of physical environments.This episode begins with a story about one of the most renowned thinkers who has ever lived. What he says about his notoriously messy desk might surprise you.Inherent in his story, and said quote, is an important lesson about the role our physical environment plays in our thinking. And the advice in this episode isn't simply anecdotal; it's based on science and shows us not just how but where we get our best thinking done. Oh, and beware of your phone and laptop. They might help you work, but they aren't helping you think.*****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

Learn the questions you need to ask (and, importantly, the order in which you need to ask them) so that you can get to the heart of a problem, which is the only way to actually discover its best solution. This episode begins with the story of a man whose voice has been celebrated and adored the world over. But were it not for a fateful accident in his youth, it's possible that angelic voice might never have been heard from at all.This story illustrates the power of limitations -- and when it comes to the process of thinking, limitations can actually improve our thoughts and help us make better decisions from those ideas.This is especially true when it comes to problem solving. Because you have to truly understand a problem before you can even attempt to arrive at a solution. And having a specific (and limited!) series of questions that you go through to discover the crux of a problem can be extremely helpful in avoiding dead ends, false starts, and well-meaning solutions that don't solve the problem -- and might even make it worse.*****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

The path to better decisions and better outcomes is paved with the creative destruction of old ideas, and this episode explains how to do it (and why you should).This episode begins with the story of a young writer who, in the days before computers and digital backups, lost all of his unpublished, hand-written manuscripts. It might have devastated his career. Instead, it catapulted it. It turns out that setbacks and destruction (even killing your darlings) can be exactly what's needed to help inspire us to become better thinkers.And when it comes to thinking more clearly and finding better solutions, this process of creative destruction is essential. New ideas need old ideas to build on, and that usually means that the old ideas get left behind (or even destroyed) in the process. But it's important to not leave this to chance. If you're proactive in executing a strategy of creative destruction with your thinking, you'll be on the path to better decisions and better outcomes.*****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

Collaboration is a key to unlocking the potential of any idea, but only if you know how to properly assess and filter the feedback you get.This episode begins with a story about one company's radical philosophy for encouraging feedback and idea sharing, as well as its cutthroat method for filtering good ideas from bad. The story is a springboard for discussing how you can be proactive in getting feedback from the right sources and incorporate the right advice.*****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

Sean puts all the pieces of entire process together into one coherent path for anyone who is serious about becoming a better thinker.The episode begins with a test -- three questions designed to measure your instinctive reactions against your ability to think at a higher level. Listen to the questions and take it seriously. How do you do?Then Sean goes through each step, one through six, to outline the process he has used to become a better thinker. It's all here for you, and you'll be ready to do it on your own after going through this episode.*****To learn more and connect with the show, visit thinkersmanifesto.com.And if you are enjoying the show, please consider providing your ratings and review wherever you happen to be listening so others will know what to expect.*****Produced ByJerod Morris from Showrunner.FMPost Production ByResonate Recordings

In Season 2, we explore the concept of ideas versus execution through the story of what we did with just one idea, sparked by that first season of the THINKERS Manifesto.Our story will reveal some important lessons we learned along the way, including how we recovered from a near-fatal decision. And at the end of this season, we will give you our answer to that eternal question of what matters more: an idea or its execution.The answer we found will surprise you. 

The impact of any idea is directly dependent on the number of people that follow the idea. And the person that has the most impact on an idea is the first follower of it. In this episode, we discuss the role of the first follower -- the person who takes a leap of faith to follow an idea when no one else does. The value of the first follower cannot be underestimated. As this episode reveals, it can have a profound impact on the way an idea evolves into something larger.

How we deal with failure says a lot about ourselves. Failure is painful, it leads us to doubt our capabilities, our ideas, our work.Failure can take a huge toll on us financially, emotionally, and psychologically.And while success releases testosterone and dopamine into our system, failure has an entirely different effect – one that is purely psychological.In this episode, we talk about the role of failure through the story of a failure we experienced when we first set out to launch our company. 

Failure is a key ingredient of success. But just because you fail, does not mean you will be successful. It is how you deal with failure that matters. In this episode, we examine the key ingredients that can help turn a failure into a success. Learning from failure is important - but what you learn and how and when you apply that learning matter more.  

Pivot.It's a term that a lot of startup companies know well. A pivot is a shift in business strategy that involves changing a company’s products or business model based on feedback from the market.  A lot of companies have conducted successful pivots. But not all pivots require changing a product. Sometimes it requires you to change your approach to a market.

We think a lot about change in our organization -- developing the skills that are required to stay nimble in our efforts and humble in our approach. But there is one thing about change: it’s not easy. It’s a struggle between managing the vision of an idea with the execution of that idea as the market sends you a continuous stream of feedback, both good and bad. And there is another thing about change that most people don’t appreciate. You need the right people for change to work well.In this episode, we talk about the importance of being flexible in our business strategy and how to hire the right people that can embrace change.

Over the past six episodes of Season 2, we approached the question of what matters more -- an idea or its execution -- from the story of our journey creating a company based on an idea. We've discussed how we generated our idea, the value of the first follower, and even the experience of our first major failure and how we recovered from it. Most importantly, we've discussed how this idea - and our execution of it - has grown and developed, based on the people and perspectives we've encountered along the way.And through this journey, we found the answer...one that we will reveal in this season finale.

Enjoy every episode of THINKERS Manifesto Season 2 in this one audio file.In Season 2 we attempt to answer the question of what matters more; an idea or its execution through the story of our startup journey that was sparked by the ideas in Season 1. The answer we found along this journey will surprise you.