Why did you do that???

If you are reading on a smartphone, use landscape / hold phone sideways. 

One of the coolest things that I do (that I get to do) is interview people. Cool people. Sometimes really famous people, sometimes people who are not famous (yet) - but just give it a minute. 

I vividly remember the first time I met Simon Sinek. It was in 2011 during his first Start With Why book tour in NYC, not long after he caught lighting in a bottle via his amazing TEDx Puget Sound Talk (up to 62,156,566 views). I saw that Simon was doing a book signing in the city. I yelled to my two sons, who were sleeping upstairs. "Boys, let's go into the city, I want you to meet someone!" They said...... "WHY?" And I said: "EXACTLY!" 

It hit me this morning. First it was audio only podcast interviews. Then, jumping on the bandwagon, I moved over to doing video podcast interviews. But when it really took off, when it really became "my thing" was because I met Dr. David Burkus. 

I came across David's audio interviews back in 2013. We met for lunch in NYC in 2016 at Gramercy Tavern - and David picked up the tab (I noticed - and remember - stuff like that...). Also in 2016 we had a really big snowstorm, where we had several feet of snow. I was stuck at home for a few days. I remember praying that we would not lose electricity. It was during that snowbound weekend that I (get ready for it) listened to every....as in every interview on David's website. Easily 100+ interviews, I think it was called Radio Free Leader at the time. I consumed all of them. So many thought leaders, subject matter experts, so many.... Behavioral Scientists. 

A behavioral scientist is a professional who studies and analyzes human behavior, often using scientific methods and principles. Behavioral science is an interdisciplinary field that combines insights from psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and other related disciplines to understand and explain human behavior.

Behavioral scientists conduct research to investigate various aspects of human behavior, including individual behavior, group behavior, decision-making, and social interactions. They may design and conduct experiments, surveys, and observational studies to collect data and analyze patterns and trends in human behavior.

The work of behavioral scientists has wide-ranging applications. They may study consumer behavior to understand how people make purchasing decisions, work with organizations to improve employee productivity and motivation, analyze public health behaviors to develop effective interventions, or examine social dynamics to address societal issues such as discrimination and inequality.

Behavioral scientists often work in academic settings, research institutions, government agencies, or private organizations. They may also collaborate with policymakers and businesses to develop evidence-based strategies and policies that promote positive behavioral change.

Overall, the field of behavioral science seeks to provide insights into why people behave the way they do and use that knowledge to improve individual and societal outcomes.

And now, on this Sunday morning, I sit in the same room at my home where I listened to (all) of David's Radio Free Leader podcast interviews all those years ago. I sit and I write (another) Sunday blog. 

Since meeting Simon in 2011, then David, and now (the list is long...) our Coffee In The Clouds aka NYDLAcast.com interviews have become a thing. My thing. And, so many of the folks that I met because of David - through David - have over the years agreed to do video podcast interviews - with me. It went something like this, via LinkedIn: "Hello, I just listened to your interview with David Burkus - you would make a great interview for the NYDLA.org community - please say yes." And, many did. Not all, but most agreed. 

Timing in life is everything. So is taking action. Physically going into the city to meet Simon in 2011. Listening to (all) of David's interviews in 2016 - making a spreadsheet - contacting them for "my" show, that was action. The amazing cloud technology of 2023 (Zoom, BlueJeans, Teams, etc.) allow us to "be in the room" from anywhere in the world. When we do video podcast interviews today from NYC it is in HD Video, and Dolby audio. We can have 50+ people physically LIVE in our NYC office, 50K+ attending LIVE Powered by BlueJeans Studio and 50M+ (yes, that is million) attending on Livestream or watching the archives like a TED Talk.  

Ah yes, Behavioral Scientists. On this Friday, I shall interview Dr. David Burkus as we talk about his new book Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performance Teams. Yeah, I am not a classically trained professional who studies and analyzes human behavior, using scientific methods and principles. 

But I do play one on TV - wait, make that - I play one in the clouds. 

https://davidburkus.com/books/