Conversations #21 - Paul Millerd

Writer, Coach, and Consultant

Nicholas McCay

Feb 23, 2022

A conversation with Writer, Coach, and Consultant, Paul Millerd—

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“This is the pathless path. Where the journey leads is to the deepest truth in you.” — Ram Dass

This month, we sat down with Paul Millerd. Paul is a writer, coach, and consultant and who I would describe as the epitome of a digital nomad. He is also a freelancer and digital creator. Paul is “Trying to carve my own path. Sharing what I learn along the way” and he recently released a new book called:

The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life

“The Pathless Path is an exploration of the invisible scripts that constrain our lives. It is not a how-to book filled with “hacks”; instead, it is a vulnerable and personal account of Paul’s journey from leaving a path centered around getting ahead and towards another, one focused on doing work that matters. It is the ideal companion for anyone contemplating an unconventional path or aiming to improve their relationship with work.”

Paul’s book is a fantastic read and goes deep into his personal journey through the “default path” of business school, working at McKinsey, and chasing prestige as a “world-class hoop jumper.” After a bout with Lyme disease and reassessing what is important in life, Paul realized that “wonder tips the scales” and that he was somewhat fearful in pursuing what he really wanted.

“I’ve found that these fears fall into one of the following five areas:
1. Success: “What if I’m not good enough?”
2. Money: “What happens if I go broke?”
3. Health: “What if I get sick?”
4. Belonging: “Will I still be loved?”
5. Happiness: “What if I am not happy?””

Paul’s message of “Embracing a different kind of journey, one focused on coming alive, embracing uncertainty, experimenting, and being open to possibility” is a liberating thought experiment, a rallying cry for people feeling stuck in their job, and a needed push for anyone who wants to get off the default path.

Summarizing (not absolutely) to finding and walking your “own pathless path.”
Question the Default
Reflect
Figure out what you have to offer
Pause & Disconnect
Go make a friend
Go make something
Give generously
Experiment
Commit
Be Patient

Background thread on Paul writing the book:

Paul Millerd @p_millerd

1/ It's two days after attending World Domination Summit. Reading a book that a new friend @jonnym1ller gave me, The Three Marriages by David Whyte, I stumble upon the idea of a Pathless Path One year into self-employment this single paragraph changed the conception of my path

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Paul is also a strategy consultant and runs a four-week course called “StrategyU” where you can “Learn strategy consulting secrets. So you can talk strategy with the CEO. Learn the Frameworks & Principles Consultants Use to Create Compelling, Insightful & Persuasive Recommendations to Clients.”

MECE - Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive

A Framework To Help You Structure Ideas & Information
By sorting into groups and identifying which information is not relevant, you can clarify your message in a way that is easier for your audience to understand

Invented at McKinsey: The Pyramid Principle

Turn Ideas Into Insights
Learn how to use the pyramid principle to turn data, information, and research into ideas that resonate with an audience and motivate them to take action
Practical Exercises
The course includes two exercises that will enable you to apply the pyramid principle and learn how to use it in complex projects

Strategy Consulting Deep Dive:

StrategyU - Learn Strategy Consulting Skills @strategyskills

1/ I've been teaching consulting skills to colleagues, students and business leaders for years. I love sharing these ideas. People get excited by how quickly they can adopt these principles I learned while at McKinsey & BCG in their work

strategyu.coLearn Strategy Consulting Skills Of McKinsey, Bain & BCG ConsultantsLearn the “secret” strategy consulting skills of top-tier strategy consultants like MECE, Pyramid Principle, SCQA, PowerPoint & issue trees

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Our conversation was wide-ranging and it was great fun to finally get to talk to someone that I have been interacting with on Twitter for years now. We will be instituting some of the key learning from our discussion with Paul moving forward.