Thank you for helping us reach 1000 episodes!
…and if you were wondering if we’re going to have a super special guest for the 1000th episode. The answer is yes. YOU! We want to hear from you for our 1000th episode.
We’ll be featuring the stories of fifteen lucky listeners. Plus, we’re giving away $1000 worth of prizes to celebrate!
Now’s your chance to be featured on How to be Awesome at Your Job…
Send in a 3- to 5-minute recording or 400- to 800-word story that answers the question: “How has listening to How to be Awesome at Your Job helped me flourish at work?” We want to hear about the great results you’ve achieved by applying what you learned from the show. The fifteen most inspiring and transformational stories will be aired as part of our 1000th episode.
Three winners will receive the grand prize of a $200 Amazon gift card. We’ll also be selecting 12 runners-up to receive an exclusive How to be Awesome at Your Job t-shirt!
Submit your entries to our TypeForm.
We’ll be accepting submissions until SEPTEMBER 24, 12:00 AM Central Time.
We want to hear your answer: How has listening to How to be Awesome at Your Job helped you flourish at work?
- Which episode from How to be Awesome at Your Job helped you the most? What was the specific insight that motivated you to make a change?
- What concrete steps did you take to achieve your desired results?
- What advice and key learnings would you share with others in the same situation?
Contest Rules:
- All submissions must be in English.
- Submissions may be in audio or written format. You do not need to be the one reading your submission; however, please ensure that you have the permission to use the voice of the person who’s reading. Submissions that use A.I. text-to-voice technology will be disqualified.
- Submissions must be original and the listener’s own. Please be mindful of copyright and trademark laws, and do not include music, sound effects, or any other audio you do not own the rights to.
- Submissions must not contain any explicit content, including curse words or scenarios unsuitable for general audiences.
- Grand prize winners who reside outside the United States will receive the equivalent of a $200 gift card for their local Amazon. Winners whose countries don’t have a local Amazon will receive a gift card for Amazon US.
Criteria for Judging:
- Clarity: Can we follow and imagine the events of your story? Is it clear how the podcast helped you transform your situation?
- Impact: Was the result big and amazing? Do we feel inspired after hearing your story?
- Creativity: Is your story compelling, engaging, and unique? Does your narration convey your thoughts and feelings at the time?
- Production Quality (for audio submissions): No need for fancy audio equipment, but is the recording clear and understandable? Did you add anything else to make your submission stand out?
Need Inspiration? Click below!
Need Inspiration? Click Me!
We recommend checking out these episodes for more storytelling inspiration:
- 403: Hollywood Secrets for Effective Business Storytelling with Matthew Luhn
- 505: How to Make Data Inspire Action with Nancy Duarte
- 773: How to Amplify Your Message Through Powerful Framing and Storytelling with Rene Rodriguez
- 987: How to Ace Your Next Job Interview with Sam Owens
- 990: How to Advocate for Yourself and Get Noticed at Work with Jessica Chen
Need a sample of what we’re looking for? Check out this sample story we’ve prepared. We’ve broken it down into the SPAR framework to give you an idea of how to structure yours!
SITUATION
About a year ago, I was assigned to my first big project. We were in a team of about 10 people, and our job was to come up with a marketing campaign for this new product our long-time partner was launching. Since it was my first project, I was all fired up and excited. I knew I had the skills to succeed
PROBLEM
—but it quickly became clear to me that one of the more senior members on the team wasn’t happy that I was there. It seemed like he thought I was still too junior to take on a project that big…
My ideas were often passed over; I never seemed to get a say in anything—and any time I did try to do something, the more senior members of my team would take over to do it their way. They even started to fuss over the emails I’d write for our clients. Needless to say, my confidence took a big hit.
ACTION
It was around this time a friend recommended I check out the How to be Awesome at Your Job podcast. She had started listening to it in 2019 and thought that I might find something helpful from listening. I started with the episode that seemed closest to my situation: How to End Micromanagement Once and For All with Lia Garvin.
And the one thing that really struck me was when Lia suggested trying to be curious about why they were micromanaging. Her key phrase was, “I want to better understand.”
It took a lot of courage to have that conversation, but I knew that things weren’t going to get any better if I didn’t do it. I sat down with that senior member and one thing I said was, “I want to better understand why people are so particular about the emails I’m writing for this project.” It turned out that the important client we were dealing with was known to be a stickler. They wanted things done a certain way—and only that way.
So then, I made a commitment to him: I would run things by him first and keep him updated on all my progress. I also told him that I’d appreciate his feedback, and that I was glad to be able to learn from him—because he really did have a lot of experience I could learn from. It did turn out that I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was.
He greatly appreciated my honesty, and in the process, our relationship transformed. It was still a difficult project, and it wasn’t pleasant at all to hear his critical feedback or do the extra work of giving him progress updates… but he became more open to my ideas now that I understood the bigger picture of the project. I wasn’t afraid to run my ideas by him, and even though he’d turn some of them down, I knew that he wasn’t doing it because he hated me.
RESULT
As a result, by the end of the project, I felt comfortable turning to him for advice—and he even started asking me for my thoughts, which was something I never would’ve imagined happening. Since then, he’s become my biggest mentor and advocate. I can always count on him to build me up, coach me, and volunteer my name for the important projects at work. He even proactively advocated for me, such that he was one of the big reasons why received a big promotion this year.
