EDITOR’S NOTE:

Before he was Director of Marketing at PhoneBurner, Jesse Wisnewski was the content manager for best-selling author, Jeff Goins.

Jesse also authored a book called Read to Lead — and he’s currently editor-in-chief of The Copybot, which was originally founded by one of my biggest copywriting influences, Damian Farnworth.

In only 298 words, Jesse shares: 

• Lessons from his biggest professional failure…

• How he shortened his craft’s learning curve…

• A crisis of confidence…

And more… 

Enjoy!

Thank you, Jesse.

Let’s get started. 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

It’s pretty basic. At the beginning of every week, I reconnect with my goals and projects, identify the priorities for the week, and then make time in my schedule to get it done. 

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

Done > Ideas.

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

This isn’t a failure per se, but at one point, I really struggled with confidently expressing my opinion. From a desire to please people to not wanting to rock the boat too much, oftentimes, I’d play it safe. Over the years, I’ve learned how to overcome this fear, and to share my thoughts as clearly, concisely, and hopefully, compellingly as possible. 

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Hands down, that's reading (a lot) of books. Since reading books have influenced my life so much, I wrote (well, co-authored) a book about it called “Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career.” 

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

This is a tough question for me to answer. It’s like being asked to choose my favorite child (for context, I have five kids). As I think about this question, I’d say it’s whatever book I read in the moment that helped me to solve a problem, learn something new, or overcome a challenge. For what it’s worth, there are A LOT of books that fit these categories for me. 

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

Treat every day like it’s your first day at work. Stay hungry. Be curious. Strive to learn something new. Keep an eye on developing new skills. And be willing to adapt on a regular basis.