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Ten years after I burned myself out trying to get promoted… I finally understood what I did wrong. It wasn’t technical. It wasn’t my performance. It wasn’t my work ethic. It was the way I saw people. A few years ago, a friend gave me a copy of the book Leadership and Self-Deception. I wasn’t expecting a gut punch. But page by page, it felt like the author had shadowed my entire career. What I thought was being “helpful” and “dedicated” was actually me being stuck in what the book calls “the box.” ➡️ I saw people as obstacles or problems to solve. ➡️ I focused on doing, not connecting. ➡️ I tried to prove my value… instead of building real relationships. The network ran flawlessly. The tickets were closed. The fires got put out before anyone noticed. But do you know what I missed? Influence. Trust. Sponsorship. Leadership. All the things that come from people—not checklists. Today, I still catch myself slipping back into that old mindset… …but now I recognize it. I know how to step out of “the box” and into connection. I’ve learned how to build mutual success instead of quiet martyrdom. As I transition into my Epic Encore, this is the #1 lesson I pass on to my clients: 👉 Your value doesn’t just live in what you do. It lives in how you relate 👉 The work that earns you a living isn’t always the work that earns you a seat at the table 👉 And the next chapter of your life deserves more than transactional output. It deserves transformation If you’re entering your Encore Chapter, I’d love to help you avoid my mistakes and turn your wisdom into something visible, valuable, and legacy-worthy. Let’s build what lasts. Ted |
Join 60,000+ seasoned professionals who are done with the corporate world. Epic Encore is an almost daily newsletter with inspirational stories from leading experts. Your Epic Encore is about turning your lifetime experiences into the cornerstone of the rest of your life. It represents your audacious leap into entrepreneurship, fueled by the wisdom and tenacity you've garnered in your successful career. This isn't about playing catch-up in business and building a 7-figure business. It's about forging a unique path, using your distinct perspective, seasoned judgment, and invaluable insights that can only come from years of life experience.
You can skip today's Mastermind Book Club meeting with Alastair Dryburgh this Thursday. It’s just another hour out of your busy day, right? But what’s the real price of that hour? It’s not just 60 minutes. It’s the cost of every proposal you’ve underpriced this year. It’s the revenue you left on the table because you were guessing, not strategizing. It’s the deals you lost to a competitor who wasn’t cheaper, but who framed their value better. Think about it. How many times have you set a...
I’m deep into Alastair Dryburgh’s The Pricing Genius, and he drops this military strategy bomb called the OODA Loop that completely changes how you think about pricing. OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Air Force Colonel John Boyd created it for fighter pilots making split-second decisions. Luckily, we don’t have to make many split-second business decisions in business that could be fatal. Here’s the genius part of the OODA Loop. Alastair shows how this combat framework transforms...
For years, I've left a lot of money on the table. I'd charge $5000 for a project while my competitors were charging $10,000, $20,000 and even $50,000 for similar projects. Why didn't I charge the same as my competitors? Remember when you were a kid and your mom would say, "Because I said so"? That was the end of the discussion, right? Well, here's what Alastair Dryburgh taught me about pricing: Most of us are still waiting for permission to charge what we're worth. We're waiting for someone...