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I’m re-reading my favorite book of all time for at least the 10th time; Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden. Likely the most decorated sporting coach in history and perhaps the most underrated teacher of how to embed his coaching principles into ones daily life.
The business I’m in is tough. That said, there are levels of professional toughness that far exceed the work I’m in…an oil rigger is tough; physically taxing and long hours in hostile environments. Tough would also describe a lumberjack; working outdoors in a variety of weather elements. And perhaps the most tough job of all is the Alaskan Crab Fisherman; 24 hour shifts, bitter weather and a certain death if one falls over into the cold, dark sea.
Our culture is the character, personality and heartbeat of our business. It’s what makes us unique, and is the sum of our values, beliefs, interactions, behaviors, and attitude towards each other, our customers and the community we serve. Culture does not just happen. It’s done with intention. And the intention has to be intentional. And that “intentional intention” has to be consistent across every person in the building, every second of every day. And we’ll only get there if we all believe in these common principles.
I was walking to the coffee machine at work the other day when I noticed a coworker (whom I’d also consider a friend) sitting and staring out the window, clearly in deep thought. I had to stop to see what was at the core of this deep thought. After a few minutes of small talk, the conversation turned serious. “What do you think about trusting the process?” he asked me.
We’ve been talking a lot at work about customer expectations. Not just what they expect from us but what we expect from ourselves and how that maps to what our customers expect from us. The notion of customers’ expectations outpacing the expectations of ourselves is frightening.
Scrap the talk and embrace the action. Scrap the mile and embrace the extra mile. Then scrap the finish line and embrace the road that leads you there. Work hard in silence and let success be your noise.
Comfortable is boring. At 3:30 AM this morning, the only place I could have been comfortable was back in my bed. Instead I was awake, eating, stretching, and preparing for a day of hiking Colorado’s famous 14,110 ft Pikes Peak.
I’m a believer that ‘ordinary’ seldom inspires. But ‘extraordinary’ more frequently inspires the ‘ordinary’ to creep beyond what he or she did the day before and break down the walls of their comfort zone. The comfort zone is a cozy place but nothing ever grows there.
I walked into a room full of strangers who were visiting from out-of-town. I had sixty seconds to tell a story that was relatable and relevant to this group, then I was out. My story is set, emotions are in control, and I’m ready to go.
My cousin is a cop. He’s not a street patrol officer, but a plain-clothes narcotics detective in the borough of Brooklyn on the streets of New York City. He’s a bad dude: standing 6’4” and nearly 240 lbs. of lean, tattooed muscle. His approach to his duty is what makes him so special on the streets when it comes to dealing with the bad guys.
I was sitting in a doctor’s office today and sat beside me was a really old man talking to whom I assumed was his daughter. It wasn’t very difficult to eavesdrop on them- the old man was wearing hearing aids, and the two were virtually shouting at one another in what likely sounded like a normal tone to the old guy. They were talking about politics and church. Nothing controversial. Easy chat about the state of our country during this election season and how members of his aging congregation feel about the state of our union
Aren’t the best places in the world often the hardest to get to? Doesn’t the greatest sense of accomplishment come from the hardest effort you’ve ever put in?
NYC at 3am. Most people who are awake are likely just coming home from a fun night out. I, on the other hand, am just getting out of bed and ready to eat a full meal (which isn’t easy that early) in preparation to run the iconic NYC Marathon. This run is about two things: raising money to bring awareness to fight Hepatocellular Carcinoma and spending time with a friend who’s fighting the terminal illness and will likely never run again.
My grandmother used to tell me “Hang around 5 successful people and you’ll become the 6th. Hang out with 5 idiots, and… you get the point.”
Talk to a stranger. It might be Larry David, or it might not. Either way, it doesn’t matter. In the end, it’s the smiles, the laughter, and the friendships that are important.
This is a blog written by one of my favorite coworkers, Sharon Steingruber. Her message is a powerful one, and I felt the need to share it here. I hope you take away as much from it is I have.
The phrase, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” needs to be replaced with “Who cares how you say it; if your audience doesn’t interpret it the way it’s intended, you need to say something else.”
It’s a proven fact that diversity breeds innovation, improves performance, and inspires creativity both personally and professionally. What are you doing to implement it?
“Slow down, and enjoy the moment. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going fast – you miss the sense of where you are and why.” -Unknown author.
At 9AM on Monday morning, I’m sitting in my office with my millennial mentor, Haley. I throw out the idea, “What do you think about me blogging every day for the next year? Do guys my age actually blog?”
Before I date myself too much, I’m 46 years old…so I’m going to reference one of my favorite TV commercial lines from the early 90’s from the famed 70 year old one-armed pushup actor Jack Palance.