Alan Webber, Fast Company

Alan Webber is the founding editor of Fast Company.

Alan Webber and Fast Company have had a fundamental influence on my belief in Great Work—work that’s less hierarchical, more innovative, more creative, more design focused, more full of meaning and more engaging.

Alan Webber has just published a fantastic book called Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self, which contains Alan’s wisdom and insights from 30 years in business.

In our talk, Alan sheds light on his top rules of thumb from the book:

• Ask the last question first: what’s your definition of victory?
• How to create an a-ha moment to create a solution that actually works
• Keep 2 lists: 1) What gets you up in the morning? 2) What keeps you up at night? And learn how these questions can help you find work that’s motivating and makes an impact on the world.

You can learn more about Alan at the Rules of Thumb website as well as by following him on Twitter – @AlanWebber or check out his bio on Fast Company.

Listen to my interview with Alan Webber

0:07    Michael introduces Alan Webber, founding editor of Fast Company
2:32    Alan’s book Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self
5:38    Ask the last question first: what’s your definition of victory?
8:52    The importance of separating the signal from the noise
10:35   How to create an a-ha moment to create a solution that actually works
14:33   The power of language
16:42   Keep 2 lists:
1) What gets you up in the morning? 2) What keeps you up at night? And learn how these questions can help you find work that’s motivating and makes an impact on the world.
23:50   How to find out more about Alan Webber
26:12   Michael closes the interview with Alan Webber

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