I'm a big fan of personal and professional development. You kind of have to be when you're in this line of business. I'm much more likely to watch a TED talk or listen to an instructional podcast than watch the latest binge-worthy Netflix series. (I've purposefully never watched Game of Thrones because I know it will suck me in.) It may seem boring, but I have a trick that keeps things interesting. It also keeps me from being a boring person who can only talk about a few things. I reach far and wide for people and programs to learn from. For example, I don't listen solely to sales podcasts or watch videos on why I should wake up … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Focus on January 7th: Learning How to Make Personal Growth Stick
Do you set New Year's Resolutions? I've found that they've become a bit of a punching bag. In a very unscientific survey of those around me, most people seem to have given up on setting resolutions. Most people pay lip service to working on their goals, but they rarely make concrete plans. Instead, they express vague desires to improve in the new year. Resolutions get dismissed as a waste of time. Why start when you're just going to give up on them? I get it. We've set resolutions and goals before. And we've disappointed ourselves by giving up or not following through. So why put ourselves in a position to fail … [Read more...]
You’ll Play Better in Your Suit
I'm a big fan of the movie The Commitments. If you haven't seen this story of a working-class Dublin soul band, I highly recommend finding it on Netflix. I love this film for many reasons, including a scorching soul soundtrack. It has all of the drama you'd expect when you get a group of people trying to work towards a common goal. And subsequently, it shares some powerful leadership lessons for the careful observer. It also unwittingly taught me my favorite mantra about intention. Before the band's first performance they are backstage getting dressed in black suits, basically because their manager is forcing them to. These are … [Read more...]
This is What Happens When You Perform for the People that Show Up
Play for the people in front of you. And if there isn't anyone in front of you...play for yourself. It's a simple premise. But it's one of the best things I learned while playing in a band in Chicago. When you think of a music concert, it's easy to think of the last Lollapalooza or arena show you went to. Thousands and thousands of adoring fans packed in and singing along. Or maybe it was a street festival with the popular cover band that packs them in. But when you are starting out, it's hard to get anyone to pay attention to you, much less come to a show. It doesn't matter how good you are or how hard you practice. … [Read more...]
Do You Know What Happens After You Achieve Your Goals?
I have a question for you. One that may not have an answer. Or maybe the answer is simply another question. "What will you do on the day after you achieve the thing that you are working so hard for now?" I'm not looking for an "I'm going to Disneyworld!" answer. Yes, assume that you are going to celebrate your hard-won victory. But then what? Each Goal is Just a Chapter On a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, I was struck by the history of the place. The country was reaching it's dominance on the world stage around 500 years ago. So go back to the founding of the United States, and then go back that same amount of time again. That's … [Read more...]
Not Every Seed Becomes a Beautiful Flower
A few years ago I dipped my toe into gardening with an herb garden in my home office. I've continued every summer and this year I've branched out to a few pepper and tomato plants in the yard. When I first started I wrote a piece about the metaphor of planting seeds in your business. The goal as I saw it was to see the value in activities that could have a payoff down the line. This summer I clarified another insight. Plant a lot of seeds because not all seeds you plant will grow and flourish. For example, this summer I've think I've gotten the hang of peppers. My habanero and serrano plants are bushy and full of fruit (we're … [Read more...]
When You Get There, There You Are
“I think I would really like his life.” That was a statement made by my wife last year while watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. It's one that I could echo. And it was an understandable sentiment. It seemed like a pretty good life. Travel around the world, go to interesting places, eat delicious food, spend time with fascinating people. Even his demeanor seemed well earned: grizzled and patient, with the self-awareness of someone who had a tough life and made it through. But as is often the case, we didn’t know the whole story. And one of the people who didn’t want his life... was Anthony himself. "Over … [Read more...]
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