Seasons of Change

I don’t know how much national weather you follow, and logically if the weather doesn’t directly affect you there would be no rational to follow other areas of the country.  Living in Nashville, the weather has been a big topic the last few weeks as the region saw unprecedented  record high temperatures breaking multiple records along the way.

These warm temperatures has not been a good for giving people the fall color that everyone looks forward to.  Rather than having the leaves turn from green to gold to vibrant reds, the heat has simply dried the leaves out giving us a rustic brown, and yes, I’m being kind in calling it rustic brown.  

This change in seasons got me thinking about my life, and to a larger extent everyones lives.  We all experience seasons of change in our lives, and not all end up as pretty and photogenic as we’d like.  But I’d like to think that within that seasonal change a lesson can be learned that we can apply to our lives.  

Much like the leaves on the trees, this year locally the leaves are dying without going through that cycle of creating brilliant color, but that isn’t always the case.  The reality is, whether going from bright green to brown, or bright green to yellow, to red and orange, the leaf is in reality dying as it progresses through that change.  

Granted, in going from green to brown it simply dies quicker, but the point is, it dies.  Seasons in our own lives follow a similar trajectory.  There are seasons that run their course ending in brilliance, and other seasons that we can’t wait to get out of as we recognize that those times aren’t good for us.

Either way, we live those seasons, we learn from those seasons, and ideally we exit those seasons stronger than when we started.  

Have you stopped to take a look at a tree in early spring?  After the winter has passed and things start to warm up.  Take note that during those winter months, new growth occurs.  When all the leaves have fallen, and spring is about to start to bloom, new growth takes place.  

All those spring buds we look forward to in anticipation are sprouting on not only existing growth, but new growth as well.  That growth occurred while the leaves were off the tree.

Isn’t that how our lives are as well.  We need those leaves in our lives to fall off so that we can experience new growth.  For me, what I find most amazing is that even though our trees this year did not give us vibrant colors, growth will still occur.

It stands as a reminder for us and the things we have in our lives.  For growth to occur, we need to shed those leaves.  The core growth occurs when the leaves are off the trees, and I think the same can be said of us.  When the leaves fall off we have the opportunity to experience growth, and during those times of growth new branches of opportunity emerge that allow us to grasp hold and better ourselves.

The encouragement for you this week is simple.  As you go about doing your daily lives, take a moment and look at the trees and leaves.  Observe where they are in the process of dying off for the season.  Take a moment to remember that that process has to occur for growth to take place.  

Perhaps in taking a few moments of reflection you’ll see areas in your own life that need to die off so that growth can occur.  I promise you in that within that recognition growth will occur, and a new season begin.

*****

Personal Success Coach is pleased to offer coaching packages starting at $299 per month.  Each session is intentional and deliberately designed with you in mind to address the issues important to you taking you from where you are in life to where you want to be.

From Crutch to Catalyst

I had an interesting conversation with a previous client this past week that really put a smile on my face.  This particular client engaged my coaching last year, and over the course of 9-months we worked together developing some new habits and initiatives for his business.  In January, our engagement ended, but we continued to keep in contact grabbing lunch a few times throughout the year, times that gave him the opportunity to update me on things going on within the business.

I had cause to reach out to this client this past weekend, I had a referral for him that I wanted to discuss.  After the discussion regarding the referral was finished, my client told me some of the changes he had instituted within the business.  

He told me that within the last couple of months had instituted changes that had initially been discussed during our engagement period last year.  One critical change involved staff, he recognized the need to hire an office manager, and recently had hired one who was making a tremendous impact on the business as a whole.  

Additionally, an employee that I had recommended letting go, he let go, and another put in notice as they weren’t happy with policies previously initiated, but not enforced.

The comment he made that really wrapped up the conversation was this, “I recognized that I was initially looking for coaching to use as a crutch, not as a catalyst for change.”  

I like that statement, a catalyst for change.

When I approach a new opportunity, my most important criteria is making sure that I am a good fit for the client, and likewise the client a good fit for me.  There is no cookie cutter approach to coaching, each person is unique, and therefore deserves a unique approach specific to where they are in life.

Inversely, a client who is simply using coaching as an excuse or that bounces from one thing to the next without ever putting anything into practice isn’t really looking for help, but simply a crutch.

It does no good to listen, learn, and add tools to the toolbox if you never put them into practice.  Change requires action, excuses don’t.  

As my client conveyed the changes he made, it was exciting to recognize that he saw value in the coaching provided.  The plans developed during our initial times together for the most part sat on a shelf and collected dust.  

Several times during our engagement he commented that he wished things were progressing quicker, and I would gently remind him that the plans initially developed created a roadmap to achieve desired outcomes, but the kink in the plan was his inaction to start the process.

Thankfully, the process was started, change has occurred, and coaching went from being a crutch to acting as a catalyst.

What things are you using as a crutch in life that you need to toss out?

What things are needed to act as a catalyst to kick start the plans you have for your life?

If you aren’t moving forward to accomplish the things you want to accomplish in life, perhaps its time to engage the help of a coach.  I assure you, there are plenty of crutches in life, a coach can help you overcome those and get that forward momentum going again in your life to get you to achieve the things you know you are capable of.

*****

Personal Success Coach is pleased to offer coaching packages starting at $299 per month.  Each session is intentional and deliberately designed with you in mind to address the issues important to you taking you from where you are in life to where you want to be.

Would You Hire You?

Can we talk candidly with each other for a moment this morning?  Forget about everyone else, right now it’s just you and me.  Friends, talking over a drink outside the four walls of the office.  You know the setting, a place where you and I can get real and honest with each other without consequence or retribution.

You good with that?

Great.  I wanted to ask you a question that I was challenged with this past week.  And the more I thought about it the more intrigued I got about the idea.

Would you hire you to do the job you currently do?

It’s a question that the more I ponder, the more relevant it has become.

Last week we discussed the idea of leaving a mark, and I’ve since added the idea of seizing the moment to that on my own personal journey, but along the way I’ve recognized that if I’m not up to the task of doing what I’m supposed to be doing, I’ve got some adjustments that need to be made before I’m situated to leave that mark.

Which raises the notion that if I wouldn’t hire me to do what I’ve been hired to do, were did the breakdown occur and what steps am I taking to correct it.  In other words, if on a daily basis I am in effect simply phoning it in and not giving it my all - why on earth should I continue to get paid to simply half-ass the effort I’m bring paid money to do.

The fact is, if we aren’t giving it our all, we are not only letting ourselves down but those around us as well.  And I for one don’t want to be the topic of conversation as others sit around drinks each night bemoaning the fact that we aren’t carrying our fair share of the workload.  I don’t want to be the one singled out for subpar performance.

I want to be the one setting the world on fire and tackling each and every task as if my life depended on it.  To accomplish that means I need to be giving my all - all the time.  I know that seems unrealistic, and in some cases it probably is.  But what I know is absent that desire the throws of mediocrity will quickly set it meaning your role within your role quickly becomes marginalized with others most likely having to pick up the slack.

I’ve got a friend who recently shared with me how annoyed they were as a co-worker spends most of their day tackling the mind numbing chore of managing  fantasy sports teams.  This really irritated my friend as this co-worker was a cohort on a project that bore both their names.  

As we dove deeper into the discussion, my friend revealed that their co-worker had never even set themselves up on a particular software program needed to complete the project meaning my friend ended up completing most of the project.  

Getting down to the brass tacks revealed that most, if not all the frustration with this co-worker was predicated on that fact that at the completion of the project both names would appear even though one did the majority of the work.  

I don’t know about you, but for me being that other person who slacks off is not a role I want to assume.

So let me ask you the question again this time within the context of our conversation here.  Would you hire you to do the job you are currently doing?

If the answer is, “Yes”,  Great.  If the answer is, “No”, what things do you need to start doing today to effect the change necessary to change that No to Yes?

It may not seem like a hard question but it is a needed challenge.  This week, spend time making sure that job you are doing is meeting or exceeding the job you were hired to do.  And if it isn’t, make this the week to start the change.

*****

Personal Success Coach is pleased to offer coaching packages starting at $299 per month.  Each session is intentional and deliberately designed with you in mind to address the issues important to you taking you from where you are in life to where you want to be.

You Can't Spell "TEAM" Without "M E"

Are you a team player?  It’s a question that is thrown around far too easily, the phrase appears on resumes and LinkedIn profiles at such a prolific rate, I’m not sure most people actually stop and think about the implications of truly being a team player.  

And then there is the old cliche, “There is no “I” in team”, and fun little nugget that for the most part is fundamentally wrong.  While there is no “I” in the word team, the fact is you can’t spell team without including ME - or you.  

So let’s start this over, and really ask the question, are you a team player?  

I was talking with a friend of mine who is part of a team at work whose focus is developing new processes to deal with a specific issue involving employees.  I can’t get into the details as to the project, but you don’t need to know them to get a handle on the bigger issue.

The team consists of two people.  My friend and one other.  The issue revolves around the fact that the one other isn’t making an active effort to contribute to the team to accomplish the goals that were set out for the team to accomplish.  The team itself is seeking to solve a real issue within the company, but at this moment in time only one of the two members of the team are actively engaged in the process of finding solutions.

And frustration is building as this project is just one of many my friend is tasked with working on, and the need to devote a disproportional amount of time to pick up the slack left by the other team mate opens up the potential the my friends participation on the other projects will suffer.

In considering this topic, there are several key ideas that I think we all can learn from this week and apply to our own lives and the interactions we have with those we come into contact with.

#1. If you are part of a team, it is important for the “ME” to shine, contributing as much as possible to see that the stated goals of the team are accomplished.

#2. Failing to bring yourself fully to the team means others on the team will have to pick up the slack you are creating.  You don’t want those other team members going home at night complaining about your lack of contribution.

#3. If you lack direction or knowledge within your role on the team, ASK for help and guidance.  I promise you others will be glad to help you succeed because their success is hinged on your success and vice versa.

#4. If you are leading a team, set expectations.  If you are a member of the team, ask what expectations are expected from you.  And return to those expectations often, as they often develop and change over time.

Think of your participation on a team from a very second grade school yard kind of perspective.  Just like kids being chosen for a kickball or dodgeball team, those who excel always get chosen before those who don’t.  Now granted, maybe you like myself weren’t the most athletic of kids, but as an adult it is not uncommon for me to be asked to join a team as those asking know that if I join the team, the team will get all of ME meaning the team as a whole has a much high likelihood of success.

When you give your all, the full ME to the team, you set yourself apart and make yourself more valuable to not only that team, but the company or organization itself.

So the challenge this week is to make sure that you always, always, always, bring the full ME to the TEAM you are on.

*****

Personal Success Coach is pleased to offer coaching packages starting at $299 per month.  Each session is intentional and deliberately designed with you in mind to address the issues important to you taking you from where you are in life to where you want to be.

24 Hours

The brevity of life is something I grapple with on a constant basis.  The reality is none of us are getting younger and with each intake of air we draw closer to our final breath.  Last year my wife’s mother passed away, a heartbreaking time of life for all who knew her, loved her, and were loved by her.  The truth is, her memory will live on in our hearts and minds forever even if the warmth, love and laughter she brought into every situation is no longer with us here on earth.  The peace we enjoy is knowing that today she celebrates in Heaven with no more pain, no more sorry - only joy filled days enjoying her reward from her time here on earth.  

And although in her case, once diagnosed with cancer she in effect was on a hard clock in terms of the time she had left here on earth, the reality is, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, WE ALL are on a hard clock.  The difference being we haven’t been told what that time frame is.  But what if we actually knew?

If you knew what that timeframe was, would it change what you are planning to do today?  It reminds me of the country song that advised us to live like we were dying.  What if you knew that you only have 24 hours left on this earth.

This is a difficult concept to wrap your mind around, statistically you probably won’t die today so perhaps the idea is foreign to you.  I would argue to the contrary though, why don’t you live every day as if it was your last day.  The fact is even if this was your last day, the ability to take the dream vacation, or visit Disney World, or that thing you’ve been waiting a lifetime to do really probably couldn’t be pulled together in 24 hours.

So that would limit you to things in your immediate sphere of geographical location and be inclusive of the friends or family you could get to within a few hours.  The who, what, where, when and how of your final hours would be for you to decide and dictate.

And yet the who, what, where, when and how of your life each and every day is in fact controlled by and dictated by you.  You are the master of those decisions.  You are the one who could effect change to those circumstances.  You are the one that decides if your life stays stagnant or if real meaningful change takes place.

As my brother in law and I drove around town in preparation for the funeral he commented to me on how much he hated his job.  This weeks “Monday Morning Minute” is the conversation I had with him.  I told him if he woke up everyday thinking that that day was his last, most certainly he’d make much different decisions than those he is currently living in his life.

And if that advice is good for him, I promise you it is as good and as relevant for me and you as well.  So as you get ready to tackle today, why not spend a few minutes being intentional about living your life as if it was the last day you had here on earth.

I think you will be surprised at the outcome at the end of the day - so surprised in fact that perhaps you’ll embrace the same thought and idea tomorrow - and live today as if it was your last day.

(Did you know you can get Monday Morning Minute delivered to your inbox every Monday morning?  Go to PSCoachTN.com and register to have Monday Morning Minute waiting for you each Monday as you start your work week.)

The Musician

I want to tell you a story with the intent of introducing you to an idea that has always been near and dear to my heart.  The idea is pretty simple, “Act as if”, but the premise and execution behind it isn’t quite as clear cut.  The irony here is that on multiple occasions I have actually sat to write specifically about this topic unable to fully complete and develop what I want to convey with the words that I think would have the most impact.  Let’s see how I do this time.

I have a friend who is extremely talented musically.  I don’t want to under emphasize this point, this guy is talented.  His ability to sit and create music, mix music, play music, envision and capture the essences of music is beyond reproach.

I always marvel when I get a chance to sit in his office and watch him work his skill and talent, he’ll pull a track or two out of a multi-track (I’m not sure how many tracks he deals in, it seems like a lot though) recording he is working on and comment on a subtle nuance and change he made.  His mind is amazing in its ability to hear things that to the average listener they’ll never hear let alone miss, and yet to my friend he constantly amazes at the skill and talents he has and the finished product is amazing.

From time to time he will reflect back commenting on his time at a major university (whose name I won’t mention to protect identities).  When he mentions his time at that school, the impression I’ve always gotten is that he’s a graduate having completed specific studies that made him the musical genius he is.  I asked him once what his specific degree was in, and he laughed stating that he never actually graduated only going a semester or two.

The first time I heard that, my immediate response was, “well who taught you” referring to his skills both musically as well as with his ability to mix and create music.  His response is humble stating that he taught himself.

Wow!  I’m blown away by this fact.  I had 15 years of piano lessons in my youth, my parents had an overwhelming desire for me to be a concert pianist - an interest that I never had.  I went through the motions, and although to this day I can sight read a sheet of music placed in front of me, my ability to actually create music is not a skill I possess.  I love music, but creating it is not a gift I have.

Perhaps that is why I am so enthralled with the talents my friend has.  Maybe my own appreciation of music lends itself to a fuller appreciation of the job my friend does.  Or, perhaps in knowing that even with 15+ years of piano lessons I am still not a musician while his love and passion of music created not only a musician, but dare I suggest an audio engineer and producer as well.

Now here’s the thing.  When it comes to music,  my friend and his ability to “act as if” he was trained in his craft by an elite university has boded well for him and his career.  He has parlayed this ability to great success, and although he has never misrepresented his lack of a formal degree, he doesn’t make it an issue either instead offering the suggestion of an advanced degree without ever stating he has one.  He “acts as if”.  

In fairness, given his field of work there is nothing wrong with this approach and I applaud it very strongly.  If I was going in for surgery, I certainly don’t want the doctor to be using the same approach, I want the degree from the prestigious university, so maybe the “act as if” approach isn’t applicable to all walks of life.

But here is the challenge this week for me and you.  Can you look for and execute upon a couple “act as if” moments to advance yourself personally as well as professionally.  Are there some items at work that maybe you can in effect become the de facto expert on acting as if and maybe learning a little along the way?

The answer is a resounding yes if, and here is the key thing, IF you allow yourself and be open to the opportunity to “act as if”.  So as you start this week, be alert and attentive to those opportunities and when one is presented jump on it, tackle it, make it your own.  I promise you, that just like my friend, you will become the expert in the room on a particular topic or two.  And you too, will have acted as if.

(Did you know you can get Monday Morning Minute delivered to your inbox every Monday morning?  Go to PSCoachTN.com and register to have Monday Morning Minute waiting for you each Monday as you start your work week.)

It's Easy to be a Critic

I watched the Super Bowl last night.  I’m not a huge sports fan, if I watch 2 games a year outside of the Super Bowl thats a lot.  But I always enjoy watching the big game.  The fact the Patriots where back again certainly heightens my enjoyment of the game as I have for all intents and purposes been a Patriots fan my entire life.

As I watched last night I and then listened the commentary this morning both of the game and the commercials that go along with it - I realized that everyone is a critic of something.

And sure, have the ability to offer an opinion is something all embrace, may I suggest that an opinion is different from criticism - and most of what I heard today was bleak criticism fashioned as opinion.

Can I offer up a idea?  Most of us simply do not have the skill or talent to either play or coach at the level the LA Rams and New England Patriots play at.  So for any of us to second guess, or - wait for it - “Monday Morning Quarterback” our thoughts about what should have occurred is quite frankly ridiculous.

It’s a fact.  WE - and yes, I’m speaking to me just as much as you - aren’t world class athletes that can take the beating those players take while making the plays those players make.  Sometimes it just hurts watching the abuse their bodies endure so that we can criticize the decisions they make while playing the game.

But I want to develop this idea a little further in that aside from the game itself, we tend to all have an opinion regarding the much hyped (overhyped?) commercials.  But once again, is it possible that our opinions disguised as criticism are not only wanted, but needed.

Hundreds of hours go into the strategic planning that make up a Super Bowl commercial.  Creative decisions meant to sway and influence the viewer go into the careful messaging and crafting of each commercial.

Some are home runs, er touchdowns, while others fail to make the grade.  I get it - that is why we get to have an opinion.  But take it a step further and recognize the time and talent that is behind the scenes of the messaging being presented in the commercials shown during the big game.

This thought has been stewing all day with me and frankly has served as a challenge for me this week.  Outside of the criticism masked as opinion I want to ask this very simple question.  

Are you willing to put yourself out there in a creative way or does the threat of criticism mean you play it safe?

It is a tough question.  I get it, odds are you aren’t in advertising or professional sports, but within the arena that you have influence.  Are you content to sit on the sidelines while others call the shots or are you willing, or perhaps do you consistently put yourself out there and lead with ideas and concepts that you know others most likely are critical of when you aren’t around.

Leadership is funny in that way.  Some of the best leaders out there use their own transparency  and vulnerability to create ideas that while initially laughed at ultimately turn out to be ideas we all embrace later in life.

They don’t allow the naysayers and critics to hold them back rather demonstrate leadership by consistently leading and challenging those around them.

Are you that kind of person and if not, why not begin this week.  Don’t let the opinions of others hold you back from being the person you know you can be.

This week live like there are no critics and don’t be afraid to let your creative side shine.

(Did you know you can get Monday Morning Minute delivered to your inbox every Monday morning?  Go to PSCoachTN.com and register to have Monday Morning Minute waiting for you each Monday as you start your work week.)