A Moment First
A Moment First
The knee jerk reaction is to congregate a meeting to solve a problem.
Before you do that, though, ask if the answer could be right under your nose. Right in front of you. Staring at you the entire time.
Be Curious
Be Curious
Who showed up in your life today?
There’s a reason they did. Be curious.
Purpose
Purpose
Why are we working?
Those who believe that they’re destined for something, better figure out the answer to this question. Otherwise, they’ll continue working for someone else’s agenda.
It has been said that a chicken is just the egg’s way of making another egg.
Accountable
Accountable
A shortcut to gaining trust with colleagues is being accountable.
It’s as rare as trust in the workplace.
Embrace Difficulties
Embrace Difficulties
The best alibi is ‘No one could’ve predicted this.’
This might be true.
How we react to the problem, however, is on us.
EVERYONE faces difficulties. Moments of difficulty are opportunities growth. Embrace them.
A difficulty is a horrible thing to waste.
Light the Dark
Light the Dark
The darkest place is under the candlestick.
What problem is your team facing?
We spend a lot of time and money to fix what’s around us, ignoring the cheap internal fixes that could pay dividends.
What do you wish your team would do? What’s stopping from that happening? It might’ve not been possible back then, but is ripe for change now.
Don’t fear change.
“He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils: for time is the greatest innovator.” –Francis Bacon
In this universe, nothing is constant—except change itself.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
America gets to pause two times every year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. This Thanksgiving, let’s be more intentional.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.
It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
-Melody Beattie
Here are some interesting questions to discuss together:
What’s the value of gratitude? Why does it even matter?
Why aren’t people, especially Americans, more grateful?
What can we do to feel grateful the other 364 days of the year?
Are older people more grateful than younger people? Or is it the reverse?
We all know the value of connections, but where did the barriers come from and what can we do to topple them?
Who’s the most grateful person you know? Who’s your gratitude role model?
What is something—a conversation, advice you received, etc.—you became grateful for only well after it occurred? Why did it take you so long?
Have you lived a life that deserves gratitude from others?
Peace From Gurgles
Peace From Gurgles
Have you ever marveled at the gurgling after a meal?
It’s so peaceful out here despite the raging storm within.
Perhaps, it’ peaceful out here BECAUSE of the raging storm within. Someone is working hard right now so that I don’t have to.
Clients are at peace BECAUSE their contractors are assiduous in their work. They might never know about all that it takes to get it done.
Punchlines First
Punchlines First
In training sessions, say the punchline first and then articulate the intricacies that support it. Not the other way around.
If the topic is alternative payment models, start with why it matters to them. Then go into its history if you have to. Not the other way around.
Cheat Sheet for Professionals
Cheat Sheet for Professionals
Having a flashy degree is just not good enough.
Newly graduated professionals hit reality when they realize the importance of empathy—and how the 2 decades of education failed to teach them that.
Empathy is like a cheat sheet in the professional world.
Empathy is a skill. The good news is, just like any other skill, it can be learned.
