I have gotten fat. Not fat with a ph, but fat as in out of shape and lazy. Fortunately, I have been working on getting back into shape and am making significant progress. My "fat" clothes are loose and my "regular" clothes are making appearances in my rotation again slowly but surely. Why am I sharing this with you? Well, for me, my lack of activity led to me getting comfortable with complacency. After all, keeping yourself in shape requires effort and daily goals to maintain your appearance. This daily effort is required in your business life as well. It is very easy to get complacent when things are progressing along normally. The true leader and Edupreneur however is always seeking out new ventures and opportunities. The excuses I used about avoiding the gym at the beginning of the year (I'm too busy, I'm traveling too much, I just want to relax) don't cut it in the business and higher education world. We all need to actively work at staying in shape and on the cutting edge. Being complacent will not only have you falling behind your competitors, but it will self-select you out of being a contributor and a game-changer.
So, if you have become complacent with your career, it is time to find your career personal trainer and get back in the game.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Faith and Leadership
I have always been more spiritual than religious. I grew up Catholic, but admittedly have been a "non-practicing" Catholic for quite a few years. I always relied on the mantra that if I treat others the way I would like to be treated and remained spiritual, I was doing enough to fill my faith quota. My wife started taking my daughter to a church called The Garden and today I joined them for the first time. I realized a number of things about faith and its impact on leadership in general, but specifically what it means to my leadership style. As was mentioned today, faith is not a one-size fits all endeavor and not everyone can be poured into the same mold. Similar to leadership styles, there is not just one fit for everyone. You must adapt as a leader and adjust your leadership style to best impact those around you. Having faith in your life helps soften the egos of those, myself included, that have large egos and enjoy being the center of attention. In addition, the presence of faith allows a person to find the inner strength to deal with adversity in life and provides the courage to be less afraid to make mistakes. Both of these benefits of faith are directly tied to being a strong leader. Great leaders make great mistakes because they are not afraid to fail and have the faith in themselves, those around them, and a greater spirit to thrive from mistakes.
The quote we discussed today is from Dan Millman and reads: "Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied- that we have only to look, listen and trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all." To me, this should speak to all of us as leaders as well. It is not good enough to only talk about leadership and faith...we must live our faith and live as leaders every day in order generate the best results.
The quote we discussed today is from Dan Millman and reads: "Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied- that we have only to look, listen and trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all." To me, this should speak to all of us as leaders as well. It is not good enough to only talk about leadership and faith...we must live our faith and live as leaders every day in order generate the best results.
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012- My Annual Contribution to the Blogosphere
Hopefully everyone has shaken off the cobwebs from an incredible holiday season. I was very fortunate in that I was able to take an extended break over the holidays and spend time at home with my immediate family and friends. It is amazing how the perspective of my four year old daughter helped keep me grounded during the winter holidays. Our daughter didn't even ask Santa for anything specific this year. She said that if Santa brought her anything she would appreciate whatever she received. That was probably the best gift that my wife and I could have ever asked for. It really did make Christmas morning that much more special for us this year.
So now that we are officially into 2012, and I am rapidly approaching my 39th birthday in a couple of days, what is next? I have never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions as I feel like we should all be striving for improvement throughout the entire year, and not just in the New Year. That being said, pick one thing. What is the one thing that you can commit to in order to make yourself better and more importantly, make others around you better? Find one thing that you can commit to doing once a week for the next 52 weeks. What if you committed to spending 30 more minutes per week with your team members at work, or your family or your friends? That is translates to 26 hours over the course of a year, or a little over 1 day. How much impact could you have on someone if you spent an extra day with them? How much would it mean to you if someone you respected and cared about spent an extra day with you over the course of 2012?
Make sure you take advantage of your time and abilities over the next 52 weeks and share those skills with someone. Make 2012 be the year that you resolve to leave your mark on someone or something...Good luck!
So now that we are officially into 2012, and I am rapidly approaching my 39th birthday in a couple of days, what is next? I have never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions as I feel like we should all be striving for improvement throughout the entire year, and not just in the New Year. That being said, pick one thing. What is the one thing that you can commit to in order to make yourself better and more importantly, make others around you better? Find one thing that you can commit to doing once a week for the next 52 weeks. What if you committed to spending 30 more minutes per week with your team members at work, or your family or your friends? That is translates to 26 hours over the course of a year, or a little over 1 day. How much impact could you have on someone if you spent an extra day with them? How much would it mean to you if someone you respected and cared about spent an extra day with you over the course of 2012?
Make sure you take advantage of your time and abilities over the next 52 weeks and share those skills with someone. Make 2012 be the year that you resolve to leave your mark on someone or something...Good luck!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wordle Up
I am slow on the pickup of new trends in technology and learning. I try and remain informed via twitter, blogs and RSS feeds, but ultimately I always miss cool stuff. Wordle is the newest cool thing that I missed. While in a meeting today in a colleague's office, instead of listening intently, I was focused on his framed wordle. Sounds pretty bad I know, but Wordle is a website that allows you to create "word cloud" art. Individuals can submit their own text from a variety of sources including blog feeds, RSS feeds or even texts from emails. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text to create a variety of different word cloud images. So why am I all over Wordle? I certainly didn't create the website or the concept, and I am not sure of its true functionality. At least with Popplet, I can use that technology in a meeting or during a brainstorming session. I think I am fired up about Wordle because it can visually show what I am talking about across a variety of platforms. Am I really saying or writing what I believe? Am I messaging consistently? Am I putting my money where my mouth is, or am I just full of hot air? To me, Wordle can be used for fun and education. What a great way for a teacher or a team leader to show trends across a presentation or project. Unique technologies spring up daily and the next big thing will be here before I am done with this post. But don't be content just waiting for what is next. Explore what is here now and make sure what you are projecting is really who you are.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Sunday
It's SuperBowl Sunday and my favorite team (Pittsburgh Steelers) is in the big game. Their long standing success can be attributed to how they operate as an organization. They don't pay their players the most money and they don't have a flashy style. They win consistently because they scout players that fit into their system or culture. Culture is so vital to every organization, not just NFL teams. Look at Google, Apple, Exact Target, Compendium, Toms Shoes, etc. Each of these companies has a culture that drives how they do business and how they gauge success. Culture is just as vital as having a strong business plan. In an era where most employees will have worked for 10 companies by the age of 38, identifying and retaining talent is vital to long term viability.
I am fortunate to work for an organization that has a tangible culture and works to build its successes around the people that drive that culture. What is the culture at your company? How do you impact it? What do people internally and externally say about your company's culture? These are the questions that everyone should be thinking about and asking themselves. Culture leads to success. You don't have to like the culture of every company or organization. But if you are passionate about the success of your organization, then you should be trying to shape and promote its culture.
I am fortunate to work for an organization that has a tangible culture and works to build its successes around the people that drive that culture. What is the culture at your company? How do you impact it? What do people internally and externally say about your company's culture? These are the questions that everyone should be thinking about and asking themselves. Culture leads to success. You don't have to like the culture of every company or organization. But if you are passionate about the success of your organization, then you should be trying to shape and promote its culture.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Re-appearing Houdini
I am a lazy blogger. The worst. I disappear months at a time and reappear with what I deem to be insightful quips. I continue to read Seth Godin's advice that in order to be taken seriously, one needs to blog at least once a week. I see other articles stating that not having time to blog is like not having time to eat lunch. So, I am working to correct my laziness and keep the half-dozens of my followers better informed...and I am committing to this BEFORE the New Year!
And this brings me to my point today. The New Year is a convenient time to make resolutions and identify areas of change and improvement. But real change and improvement needs to be a daily occurrence. In a global, technology driven world, change happens continually. If we are not looking at our own standard operating procedures and making daily improvements, then we are falling behind. Part of our responsibility with change is to open ourselves up to the constructive criticism of our peers. Complete trust and transparency with our business colleagues, friends and family should be the end goal for all of us. I encourage you to identify what changes you want to make not only in 2011, but each day leading up to the New Year.
And this brings me to my point today. The New Year is a convenient time to make resolutions and identify areas of change and improvement. But real change and improvement needs to be a daily occurrence. In a global, technology driven world, change happens continually. If we are not looking at our own standard operating procedures and making daily improvements, then we are falling behind. Part of our responsibility with change is to open ourselves up to the constructive criticism of our peers. Complete trust and transparency with our business colleagues, friends and family should be the end goal for all of us. I encourage you to identify what changes you want to make not only in 2011, but each day leading up to the New Year.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Who Is In Your Tickler File?
Having spent nearly seven years as a technical staffing consultant for a large privately held staffing company, I developed quite a tickler file. Not only did I have an expansive file, but I had a routine of when to follow up with former, current and potential business partners. It was a routine that became habit. I knew who I was going to call what day of the month and what I was going to say when I got that person on the other end of the phone. I was much better at tickler calls, and enjoyed them immensely more, than cold calls. But I understood that both types of calls served a purpose.
Today, working in a new sector and in a different position, I still make tickler calls. However, I probably don't do them as religiously as I used to. Part of that reason is because it is easier to send an email or a text or an IM or a tweet or a facebook message or a link to convey your desire to stay connected with that individual. Although I greatly support and utilize all of the above technologies, sometimes they still are not as fast or effective as a phone call. By the time I get a decision completed via an email thread, I could have easily spoken to that person directly and came to a solution faster. The phone is still a synchronous form of communication which eliminates confusion about interpreting the tone of an email or having to translate a text.
Communication options for all of us are changing daily. In my opinion however, the best way to truly stay connected now and in the future with business partners, colleagues, friends and family is through phone technology.
Today, working in a new sector and in a different position, I still make tickler calls. However, I probably don't do them as religiously as I used to. Part of that reason is because it is easier to send an email or a text or an IM or a tweet or a facebook message or a link to convey your desire to stay connected with that individual. Although I greatly support and utilize all of the above technologies, sometimes they still are not as fast or effective as a phone call. By the time I get a decision completed via an email thread, I could have easily spoken to that person directly and came to a solution faster. The phone is still a synchronous form of communication which eliminates confusion about interpreting the tone of an email or having to translate a text.
Communication options for all of us are changing daily. In my opinion however, the best way to truly stay connected now and in the future with business partners, colleagues, friends and family is through phone technology.
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