I felt like my partnership with Jesse was a little strained. So we recorded a podcast to work our way through it.

This is a HIGHLY edited transcript. Catch the full conversation on YouTube.

Relationship Evolution

Andrew: I feel like our relationship has been strained lately.

Jesse: Every relationship has its seasons. What's interesting for me is helping you get out of your “Mr. Businessman” mode into your creative genius mode.

You’re spending too much time doing things outside your Zone of Genius, which is making you hard to work with because you’re dropping the ball on things that matter.

That's why I wanted to record this podcast with you.

I want to get you back to the creative genius who just saw something in me, and to get us back to the things that make us great together.

Andrew: You use the term “genius” a lot. How do I find my Zone of Genius?

Jesse: Email 20 people who know you well and ask when they've seen you most energized and what they think you're best at.

Your genius is often so natural to you that you don't even realize it's special - like how I'm good at riffing off people and giving feedback.

I've seen your unique ability to probe for information and connect it with people who need it most.

[Andrew’s note: We also did a newsletter on it. And Jesse often recommends reading The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.]

The Challenge of Commitment

Andrew: Is that it? Just find my Zone of Genius?

Jesse: Once you find it, you need to commit to staying in your zone.

When I was at Ampush, I knew my genius but couldn't commit. I'd start new initiatives within my Zone of Genius but abandon them when client issues arose.

The hard part isn't identifying your genius but staying in it when problems tempt you to grab the steering wheel.

I’ve watched you work. You're probably at 30% of your time in your genius instead of 75-80%, making you less effective and more burnt out.

Power of Conversation

Andrew: You know what? This is one of my favorite things to do, to just have conversations like this. And I do feel like our relationship needed this.

Jesse: That’s your genius. You came to my house to meet my family. After you left, my wife was like, “Damn, how did I get so deep with this guy so quickly?” Find your Zone of Genius and spend time there.

Other topics we talked about

• Where Jesse put his Ampush money

• How he made a big bet on Facebook’s stock when the company seemed to be in trouble

• Why his dad won’t upgrade his seat on long flights

Catch the full conversation on YouTube

~ Andrew

PS I’m going to record more of these conversations with Jesse. What other topics should I ask about? I’m looking for taboo topics, like the ones above.

PPS does anyone read these PS lines? Say hi if you see this.