Welcome to a deep dive into the 70th episode of the “Harmonious Workplaces” podcast, featuring special guest Mike Palmer of Palmer Media. Hosted by organizational development consultant Rich Cruz and co-host Sharyl Volpe, this episode explores the critical themes of embracing innovation and growing your voice as a thought leader in today’s rapidly changing professional landscape. As Mike Palmer challenges listeners from the outset, the key question is: What’s one thing you can do now to distinguish your voice and promote your purpose as a thought leader?
From Test Prep to Thought Leadership: Mike Palmer’s Journey
Mike Palmer’s career journey is a testament to continuous evolution and embracing new media. His roots in education run deep, influenced by his teacher parents, and even date back to his adolescent days, when he tutored his stepmother in GRE math, developing a knack for making complex problems accessible and fun. This led him to Kaplan, where he spent 23 years. Starting as a test prep teacher and coach, he progressively moved into curriculum development and e-learning. He ultimately became the Vice President of Digital Media, focusing on leveraging emerging media for a major brand.
In 2019, just before the pandemic, Mike exited Kaplan to launch his consultancy, Palmer Media, building on his extensive experience in media innovation.
The Unforeseen Emergence of Podcasting
Mike’s entry into podcasting began serendipitously in 2016 while at Kaplan. When Slate, a sister company under the Graham Holdings “mothership,” relocated offices, they “bequeathed” to Kaplan a “whisper booth” – a small, soundproof space. Mike felt a strong impetus to utilize this resource, joking that he “probably would’ve fired me if I didn’t start a podcast by that point”.
This opportunity allowed him to develop his voice and gain significant experience, accumulating “10,000 hours” of “reps” that made his interactions more intuitive. He highlights how this practice helps in understanding tone, non-verbals, and the underlying “feelings in the room without saying things” – a skill he believes is “future proof” against bots.
Palmer Media’s flagship podcast, “Trending in Education” (Trending in Ed), hosts conversations about the future of education and the disruption of the future of work. Mike emphasizes that his mission is to help people understand how to use platforms like podcasts effectively and how to find their authentic voice. He observes that many people, even those who typically “take over the room,” become timid when asked to communicate or post on platforms like LinkedIn due to imposter syndrome. Yet, he provocatively states, it’s “almost a trickier time to be saying nothing”.
Navigating the Modern Communication Landscape
In today’s complex world, Mike Palmer advises a strategic approach to communication. While it’s crucial not to shy away from significant issues (“the 600-pound gorillas in the room”), it’s equally important not to let them dominate the conversation. He lives by the principle that “the amount of energy it takes to combat bullshit is an order of magnitude greater than what it takes to generate it in the first place”. The key is to assess the “return on that engagement” – whether it’s genuinely beneficial to engage in certain debates or to focus on positive narratives.
Despite this, Mike admits he’s often “sucked back in” to engaging with “culture wars,” citing his experience with his alma mater, New College of Florida, where the DeSantis administration’s efforts to transform the university forced him to address political realities. He views professional life as a “complex game” where “game theory can be applied to any system,” advocating for an anthropological perspective on how humans organize and interact.
Thriving Through Change: Organizations and Individuals
The podcast highlights that the terms related to change management and organizational change have seen a staggering 900% increase in search engine optimization (SEO) over the last year. This reflects a widespread fear and uncertainty as industries face unprecedented disruption.
Mike Palmer asserts that organizations need to embrace the reality of the “innovator’s dilemma” – that disruption is a real phenomenon, and legacy models often fall to new ones. This necessitates being experimental, constantly changing, and effectively communicating new visions and purposes to their human workforce, as “why is it more important now than ever. He believes organizations will become “smaller and more entrepreneurial,” with more drivers of innovation.
For individuals, especially those in mid-career or senior roles, the challenge is to “stay sharp,” “build those flywheels,” and become “fast and responsive and adaptive”. This involves a commitment to lifelong learning and building one’s profile, even if the term “thought leader” feels awkward.
The discussion also touches on AI, which, while powerful, tends to produce “middle of the road” or “mid” content. To stand out, humans need to learn how to make AI outputs interesting, creative, and “zig when it was expecting a zag”. This highlights the importance of authenticity, surprise, and narrative in communication, much like the personality-driven approach of effective retail education. Mike expresses optimism that breakthrough technologies like AI can be applied to “real problems,” such as climate change and polarization, to foster “higher value human time.”
How Mike Palmer Helps
Mike Palmer’s consultancy, Palmer Media, assists organizations, authors, and innovators in establishing their media presence and developing thought leadership programs. His typical approach involves:
- Podcast Production: He often works behind the scenes, producing podcasts where he’s not on air, or he may train internal teams to create content.
- Media Strategy: He offers “full-service help” to clients, particularly CEOs, to navigate public communication and avoid “saying the wrong thing”. He prides himself on being candid and not “overly flattering and overly subservient”.
- Pilot Programs: A standard starting package is a pilot run of about six podcast episodes, allowing clients to test the waters and decide whether to pursue it more seriously.
- Research & Discovery: His work can also extend to research and discovery, including for mergers and acquisitions.
Mike’s core “why” and passion is for conversations to be “amazing all the time”. He envisions a “golden age of this type of media,” where “thousands of fireside chats all at once” can help everyone find their voice.
The Power of Engagement and the “Why”
Sharyl Volpe emphasizes that successful innovation and individual “flywheels” depend less on mere intentions and more on engagement. When engagement wanes and remains unaddressed, it can lead to a “slippery slope” where talent begins to “slip away.” The “why” – the purpose and vision – is crucial for motivating humans and preventing this disengagement.
Connect and Thrive
This episode of Harmonious Workplaces with Mike Palmer offers invaluable insights into navigating change, fostering innovation, and cultivating an authentic voice in a world that demands both adaptability and clear communication.
To connect with Mike Palmer and Palmer Media:
- Website: https://palmer.media
- LinkedIn: Search for Mike Palmer on LinkedIn and mention this podcast when connecting.
- Podcast: Check out his flagship podcast, “Trending in Ed with Mike Palmer” at https://trendingineducation.com/.
To learn more from Harmonious Workplaces:
- Remember our final call to action: “Make change your friend.”
- If you’ve enjoyed the “Harmonious Workplaces” podcast, please like it online and share it with your friends – it means a lot to the hosts.
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