I am the former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. I have worked in the book publishing industry for most of my career.
I began at Word Publishing while a student at Baylor University. I worked at Word for a total of six years. In addition to serving as Vice President of Marketing at Thomas Nelson in the mid-80s, I also started my own publishing company, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, with my partner Robert Wolgemuth in 1986. Word eventually acquired our company in 1992.
I was a successful literary agent from 1992 until early 1998. However, I really missed the world of corporate publishing. As a result, I rejoined Thomas Nelson in 1998. I worked in a variety of roles in both divisional and corporate management. I was CEO from August 2005 to April 2011, when I was succeeded by Mark Schoenwald. I was Chairman from August 2006 until the company was acquired 
by HarperCollins in July 2012. Since that time, I have run my own company, Intentional Leadership.
I have also written eight books, two of which landed on the New York Times bestseller list. My most recent one is called Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World in May 2012. In addition to the New York Times bestseller list, it hit the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists.
I have been married to my wife, Gail (follow her on Twitter @GailHyatt), for thirty-five years. We have five daughters, five grandsons, and three granddaughters. We live outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, running, and golfing. I am a member of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, Tennessee, where I have served as a deacon for twenty-seven years.
Topics discussed in this episode:
– Chalene and Michael dig deep into goal setting!
– The #1 misconception of goal setting.
– You cannot create this incredible goal and expect to just drift towards it. You have to take the right steps and created a plan to achieve it.
– How to handle a goal that maybe is too big, or not in alignment with your priorities.
– Remember to JUST TAKE STEPS FORWARD. Even if they’re small. A lot of time people get overwhelmed with goal setting because they don’t know where to start. Just start! Even if it’s as small as a google search… small steps towards your goal.
– Don’t be afraid to revise you goals.
– Some goals just need to be removed because they aren’t relevant anymore. Don’t view this as a failure or as a negative. Life shifts, priorities change, and your goals should shift too.
– A goal is 42% more achievable if you write it down.
– The amount of goals you should be setting – 10 is typically a great amount to start with. Don’t overwhelm yourself with more. Too many goals can set you up to not conquer any of them.
– Goal setting is something you do always, not just when your unhappy about your life.
– Nothing important in your life happens in the comfort zone.
– Focus on the goal that creates a domino effect to the other goals.
– The reality of goal setting is that you can’t plan everything. You can’t plan everything life is going to throw in your path, so be open to changing your path and adjusting.
– Consistency day in and day out is what creates big change over time.
Time Codes:
0:00 intro
0:40 Chalene introduces Michael and talks a little bit about his story
2:00 This man know leadership
2:25 the interview begins
3:15 Michael talks about how his podcast became a video podcast
4:17 can I ask you a girly question?
5:00 Michael talks about his co host Michelle
6:30 Chalene and Michael dig deep into goal setting
7:10 goals should be specific, concrete, and should be written down either on a piece of paper or digitally
7:30 research conducted on goal setting
9:00 what do you suggest people do when they realize they need to change their goals?
10:08 first, determine if you can recommit to the goal, and if you can, do it
11:14 sometimes you have to remove it
12:30 Chalene’s experience in realizing a certain goal she set for her life didn’t align with her priorities
13:34 sunk cost bias – you’ve invested an enormous amount of time into it, and now your faced with having to walk away
14:30 Michael’s experience with sunk cost bias
15:20 the fear he experienced when having to face the sunk cost bias situation
16:50 put your thoughts on paper
18:00 how to factor in faith and family into your goals
18:54 how many goals do you recommend setting?
20:23 what would your best year event look like?
21:32 how Gail and Michael set their goals as a couple
23:05 goal setting is not something you do when your dissatisfied
23:40 happiness comes from the pursuit of a goal, not just arriving there
25:22 how do you prioritize your goals?
27:00 the other place people get stuck – where to start?
28:08 what a goal should look like
29:15 the power of incremental change over time
30:16 set a goal for an important relationship
31:00 Michael and Gail’s experience in counseling
32:56 smart people seek out experts
34:01 where to learn more about Michael’s Best Year Ever
35:40 it’s been an honor to talk to you
Links from this episode:
Michael’s website: http://michaelhyatt.com
Set yourself up for the BEST YEAR EVER: http://bestyearever.me/chalene
SPEAKING | http://michaelhyatt.com/speaking
TWITTER | http://twitter.com/michaelhyatt
FACEBOOK | http://www.facebook.com/michaelhyatt
GOOGLE+ | http://gplus.to/michaelhyatt
