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David Taylor-Klaus, a coach and the author of Mindset Mondays, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to trace how quotes on the backs of his business cards became a weekly live broadcast and then a book. He calls his approach a tenth of the effort for 10x the impact. What emerged is that the leap came from following the heart over the head's need for validation, and from asking for help instead of doing it alone.

Episode at a glance

Guest: David Taylor-Klaus, Coach and author of Mindset Mondays
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released October 20, 2020
Format: conversation, 56 minutes
Topics: Repurposing content for 10x impact, The heart versus the head chatter, Public commitment as accountability, Asking for help as strength, Content that comes from the heart, Designing a book people use

What David brought to the conversation

David Taylor-Klaus is a coach who, in his words, reintroduces successful entrepreneurs and senior executives to their families, through one-to-one coaching for the leader and team coaching for the teams they lead. He brings play into all of his work, welcoming new clients to the coaching playground, and he collects brilliantly concise quotes, with 50 different backs to his business cards. Those cards became Mindset Mondays, a weekly live broadcast he launched in 2018 that was approaching 150 weekly episodes at the time of this conversation, and then a book of 52 short chapters, one for each week of the year, designed for people to use. His drive is impact: expanding his footprint of impact with the least amount of effort.

What emerged

The central shift is from the head to the heart: David Taylor-Klaus says the heart doesn't need reassurance from anybody outside, while the head craves it, and once he outed himself publicly he had to follow through. He names asking for help as the ultimate strength and credits the collaborator who helped him write the book. Niiamah Ashong takes away a sense of relaxation: the job is to share what's on the heart, and readers will show which threads are compelling. David Taylor-Klaus adds the distinction that the content still has to come from the heart and from who the creator is, so feedback shapes the language, not the message.

Questions this episode answers

How can a leader get 10x the impact from content they've already created?

David Taylor-Klaus repurposed what he already had instead of creating more: the quotes on the backs of his business cards became a weekly live broadcast, and the broadcast became a book. He describes it as the least amount of effort for the most amount of impact, a tenth of the effort for 10x the impact.

How can a leader turn years of recorded videos into a book?

David Taylor-Klaus had his broadcasts transcribed, and every couple of weeks his assistant pulled the comment threads from each post into one document, so all the content was in one place. He recommends searching it for the words that show up most often and having somebody else read through it, because they'll see threads the creator is too close to see, and a collaborator helped him channel his tangents into one thread across 52 chapters.

Should leaders design their content around what the audience wants to hear?

David Taylor-Klaus says no: the content still has to come from the heart and from who the creator is, and audience feedback is for finding the language people resonate with. He adds that an author talks about a book's content for three to five years, so it has to be something they're compelled to bring.

What helps a leader actually start a project that requires more visibility?

David Taylor-Klaus says the plan he made in February 2017 waited until January 2018 because he listened to the head chatter, which craves validation, while the heart knows. A coaching challenge to text his marketing person that he was launching that week got him started, and announcing it publicly gave him the accountability to keep going.

How is the Mindset Mondays book designed to be used?

The book has 52 short chapters, and each ends with a section called REWIRE, an acronym for reflect, experiment, write, investigate, revise and expand, with a journal page for each chapter. Readers can also sign up for an email sequence and join a private group, so it works as a year-long experience.

In their words

I could figure out ways to use, repurpose and expand what I already had. A tenth of the effort for 10x the impact.
David Taylor-Klaus

The heart doesn't need any reassurance or any corroboration or any agreement from anybody outside. The head craves it.
David Taylor-Klaus

Just because you're an outlier, just because you're a trailblazer, just because you're a maverick doesn't mean you don't ask for help.
David Taylor-Klaus

Key moments

03:40 – Reintroducing executives to their families

06:46 – Mindset Mondays began with business cards

11:56 – A tenth of the effort, 10x impact

14:30 – The plan that waited a year

18:08 – Going public to stay accountable

22:47 – Asking for help is strength

34:10 – Collecting transcripts and comments in one place

38:52 – Content from the heart, not market research

46:33 – The REWIRE section in every chapter

54:25 – Where is the support already available

About Niiamah Ashong

Niiamah Ashong is a coach to outlier leaders, host of the Outlier’s Edge Podcast, and founder of the Trailblazer Collective. He coaches leaders who are creating something only they can make: a company, a body of work or a movement. Make a difference with your difference.

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