To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Ideas

Leave every conversation with energy

Being an energy GIVER versus an energy TAKER is a goal that we should have.

When people interact with you, be it on the phone (yes an actual call), via text or in a meeting, do they leave noticing that they have more energy than when the communication began? Another way to say it, is do they feel better… more inspired, excited or hopeful?

This isn’t the kind of energy a cheerleader brings – although that is great energy. This is the kind that LIFTS the atmosphere. The kind that heightens your awareness of life itself and how we can accomplish and achieve so much more together. No matter if it is holding someone’s pain with them, challenging them to level up in a specific area, or encouraging them to develop a plan to achieve their personal goals… this ENERGY brings the mood of the room up a notch.

We all need energy transfusions. We all need to be more aware of how we “leave a conversation.” Are we elevating the ENERGY, or can we do better? I for one, can always do better by being more aware of even the most simple transactions…

I hope you’ll join me in raising the POSITIVE ENERGY in our world! We certainly need it!

Where do you want to end up?

For me, it’s all blue sky and blue water! (OK, really any kind of water. But dang, this pic is cool.)

Where are you headed? As in, for the next let’s say 81 days or taking us to the kick off of a new year? If that scares you, how about the next 30 days.

I had a great meeting yesterday with someone I’d say is a “co-mentor,” as in I get way more out of our exchanges, but hope I am helping her in some way. We talked about the need to really gavel down on where you want to be in this season – not the fall like season, but the season of your life.

Are you in a growth mode or a contentment mode? Are you ready to fire up the engines and move to the next level or simply rest? All seasons are good for us so there is no judgement wherever you may identify that you are.

For me, where I want to end up by December 31 can be summed up by a few key things…

I want to connect or reconnect as it may be with those people that I absolutely treasure but my work or life has not allowed for the time I desire. I want to elevate my work by spending more time on strategy development and execution now that I’ve been on a learning curve for for four months. I want to ensure I don’t lose sight of my physical goals to maintain a healthy exercise regimen, and mainly eating right in the midst of a very hectic season. Oh, and I think I better find some time to rest and truly reset at some point soon. (The whole blue water thing needs to happen.)

How about you? Where are you at today? Can you spend some time writing down what you’d like to see happen? The power of the written word is strong. According to a recent Forbes study, we are 1.2 to 1.4 more likely to accomplish what we take the time to write down. In the process you “encode” your hopes and are able to draw on these thoughts as you go through your days toward success.

I hope your weekend is purely wonderful. Here’s to smashing the heck out of whatever we all want to achieve in this season.

Becoming better EXPLORERS to supercharge our thinking

What can you do that you could not do a year ago? (This one is hard for me… I need to get to work.)

What are some challenges your organization is facing?

Are your ideas and strategies innovative enough, and are they creating the meaningful impact you’d like (in your work, family, community work, etc.)?

What are you passionate about and wanting to spend more time doing?

What does the world need more of?

I was inspired by this idea of being better “EXPLORERS” of our world by Beth Comstock’s new book, ‘Imagine it Forward.’ I will surely blog a lot more about her  ideas, but today, this one simple idea created a flurry of thinking.

If we can keep our focus on constant learning – whether it be from observing a flock of birds and their patterns, diving into a good book, or engaging in conversation with someone who has a different interest or approach to life – I am confident we will be able to use that information to supercharge our thinking and creativity. Solving today’s problems, requires different thinking and approaches. I fully believe everything we need is right in our midst if we go forward with a learner’s mindset.

I hope you will join me in getting our from behind your desk and regular routine to get out there and EXPLORE. The WORLD is literally waiting for us to take hold and use it’s beauty to create the best for the generations to follow.

So, you thought you had a bad day

I don’t know when I have ever laughed so hard as when my friend sent me this…  She actually sent it after she shared the details with me about a horrific day she had. It involved all manner of crazy, including disagreements with several people, a tantrum with a family member (possibly the kind you may be married to…), the dogs getting out, dropping the groceries, etc. It ended at the end of a long day with sitting on the toilet before bed, and it literally shattering with water spraying all over the house… NOW, THAT IS A BAD DAY!

Have you ever felt like it couldn’t get any worse? Let this short story be a reminder that it could. Sometimes we have to literally just laugh at the pure out crazy. I know this time of year can make us all feel nuts. I mean, weren’t we just sitting with our toes in the sand a week ago? All of a sudden – and in a whirlwind – we have a million responsibilities, commitments and people counting on us. It can cause a fuse to blow, internally and externally.

Today and this week, make a decision to take a deep breath and try to smile through the chaos. Listen to some music or watch your favorite comedy to lighten the mood. Let’s not let crazy get the best of us!

Reveal your true self: Accelerating your relationships

I’m in a relatively new role at work, and one of my priorities has been to both get to know my entire team and to give them an idea of who I am — including my personal and professional goals.

There’s no surprise, that I loved hearing the story of Doug Conant — former CEO of Campbell Soup Company — who shared the philosophy that conveying a full picture of who he is right away to his team, including what he stands for and wants to accomplish was critical to his personal mission. When he took over, he was faced with reversing a severe decline in market value and “re-energizing” the culture. Conant led the company to deliver excellence, including world-class employee engagement in the 10 years he served as the company’s leader.

So, how does this point us to serving better all around? Here’s a quote from Conant that I loved from the Harvard Business Review, “Leadership is a Conversation” series, (Groysberg/Slind, June 2012):

“I explained that my goal is to take the mystery out of our relationship in a personal way, as quickly as possible, so that we can get on with the business of working together and doing something special.” 

Is that not brilliant? So, YES, it is my feeling we can all learn something here. Both in my personal relationships (and certainly work relationships) I have found that the more we are able to share our true selves — be transparent, honest and authentic (with a positive approach…) — the quicker we are to move forward.

More often than not, when we are able to take out the “mystery” factor, we are able to forge ahead. I love this. Just today, in fact, I experienced two of my team members at work came together to reveal themselves and, as a result, are on a better path.

Do the people you “do life” with know who you truly are? Is there an opportunity to advance your relationship so that you can truly being “doing something special?”

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

The Radical, Strategic Mind

Happy almost weekend! As we wrap up the week, I’m mindful that with school pretty much back in session, those of us in the work place are also gearing up for a strong end of the year play.

To me, this season is sort of like January where we rise to the occasion and develop tactical strategies on how to achieve our professional goals. Come to think of it, we do this for our lives in general as well. It’s the ideal time to assess our wins so far for the year, and those areas where we haven’t hit the stride mark yet. The great news for all of us of course is we have more than a quarter of the year left — that’s plenty of time to regain perspective, strength and eventually hit the ball out of the park so to speak.

So what is a radical, strategic mind to you? For me, it’s getting out of the norm in thinking and allowing ourselves to be truly creative… to paint outside the lines. It is a fundamental difference in how we view whatever challenge is in front of us. Radical minds are those that are the voices of social and political change advocates, and those that often make the greatest impact.

The end of summer is a great time to fire up the mind. In theory, we had time to rest a bit and soak up some sunshine, and our minds and bodies should be prepared for a higher level of energy. My personal game plan is to identify a few key areas — for me, likely career and relationships — to focus on for the year-end wrap up.

Asking the right questions is critical right now:

How can I maximize my time to ensure I achieve my goals?

What areas can I “cut” or reduce so I can make more time for what is important?

What are the “must haves” that I have?

Who are the people I need to connect with?

What projects must get off of the ground? Are there some that I can move to next year? Why do they matter? Who can help me achieve these? 

What is a different approach that may be better?

Those are some of mine. How about you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

The ripple effect of our actions – or our inactions – are enormous

Now here’s a statement I could probably just leave as is and not opine further. It’s something for us all to think about and it certainly hit a nerve with me.

Most of us hear the word “ripple” and think of positive change… Things we do to “pay it forward,” and that have a lasting impact. I love that idea the most. It’s healing and somehow magical to think how we can all make a such a difference in our world. For that part, keep dreaming it and keep doing it! We need all of the positive ripples we can get.

For the last part, well, how often do we really think about our inaction? What are we not doing that is leaving a lasting impact? I don’t know, but here’s what came to mind…

  • Am I not telling my team how awesome they are enough?
  • Am I not doing enough?
  • Have I not done my part to create a neighborhood that’s caring and fun, and that embraces the spirit of what a neighborhood should be?
  • Have I not showcased to the next generation how to foster and build community?
  • Have I not stopped lately to pick up a piece of trash in my walking path? How does passing by that effect the world and that of our grandchildren and their children?

Hopefully you can track the train of thought here. It was definitely a stop-and-think statement, and I hope it does the same for you. Have such a wonderful week and let’s all go for the positive ripples and take action!

Welcome August! (Well, not really — but let’s make it stunning anyway!)

I am sooooo not thrilled that it’s August. It’s a fine month and all, but thanks to whoever thought it was a good idea to start school during the second week of the month.

Let’s just say that now we get a rather strong signal — in my opinion too early — that life is about to get crazy, and that the longer and warmer days are dwindling.

It has been a wonderful summer, and although the heat came on fast and furious, the opportunity to be outside and to relish in all of the outdoor fun gives most of us renewed energy. So, for today, my first blog after a month break, it occurred to me that we need to pause and consider what summer has been teaching us. It is my thought that every season of our lives — whether it’s tied to the calendar or the ebb and flow of life — we are intended to learn something that will help us grow and become our best selves. Life is pretty darn cool in that way!

So, here are a few things I’ve been learning… I’d love it if everyone shared one of their own!

  1. SAY YES. I have been trying to say YES to almost any social invitation. That is not the norm for me and in fact, I like to protect my personal time and stay in absolute balance. (I know some of my friends don’t realize that, but that’s been my modus operandi (M.O.) for the last few years. I’m not sure it was a good decision.)  I have learned I am having fun and a better person when I’m out enjoying life at this level. I would highly recommend you give this a try if you don’t already!
  2. DON’T MISS THE FARMER’S MARKET. In other words… Do everything you can to not miss the little things that will fill your soul! There is something that happens when I pull in the parking lot at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market. Surrounding myself with hard workers who have enduring passion and love for their work and who, as a result, make lives healthy and happier. It’s the entire environment. Whatever it is for you, by all means make it a priority. Our days are incredibly important, as you know, and the sum of those creates our story.
  3. MUSIC! Turn it up, loud and proud. I too often miss this enormously amazing part of life, forgetting to turn off the soundtrack in my head and get lost in someone’s incredible gift. I have been playing everything from Kenny Chesney to Kenny G as often as possible… Filling our home with the gift of music. This alone elevates the climate and can transport you to another place. (Shout out to the 80’s!)

Okay, now it’s your turn. I’m so thankful to be back writing. I am super happy to have this community to do life with! Have an amazing weekend and let’s rock this crazy month!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Playing to win

I am a fan of daily devotions. A good friend got me the ‘Awaken’ devotional book from Priscilla Shirer for this year, and I am really liking it. I love practice examples and she offers plenty. In this verse, she focused on the “in such a way,” part: “Read this again and see: the winning is not just in the running. It’s in the WAY the RACE IS RUN.”

It’s Superbowl Sunday and the Winter Olympics launch on Thursday. A huge week for sports fan and I am indeed among them. Serious athletes and all of us who strive for excellence in our own “race” must run with endurance and have the discipline needed to anchor our souls and lives to a plan that will help us to do so in the best possible way.

Shirer suggests that we do this by listening and submitting in obedience to God’s word. In other words, to actually seek out his voice through scripture reading and any other way that you can soak it in with today’s many resources.

For this “Simple Thoughts Sunday” I am all in on following his plan to achieve the life of excellence I desire. I hope you will have some time to truly enjoy the big game today and will celebrate the athletes who have indeed put in the effort to WIN later this week with the rest of the world.

I can’t wait to spend some time this week diving into the insights of Olympics past and present. It will be FUN!

2017, The final review: Books I loved

Reading — and continuous learning in general, really — is among the top three things we can do to grow personally, if you ask me.

I realized I wrapped up 2017 without my final reading list, so I thought today would be a great day to get this on the record. In fact, as February kicks off, I hope you will find one that interests you enough to grab a copy on Amazon or your local bookstore.

With the temperatures still hovering around freezing, it’s the perfect time to shut off the television and jump into learning! (For many, it’s getting lost in a fictional story. I seem to prefer nonfiction. Whatever you fancy, the practice expands your mind, imagination and thinking so go for what you love.)

Here are some thoughts on a few books that I loved in particular, but my full reading list from May through December is at the end:

Higher is Waiting, Tyler Perry

  • Why I loved it: Frankly I just love Tyler Perry (AKA Madea), so it didn’t matter what it was — I knew I’d probably like it. The thing is, his book is pure gold. This is where I got the idea from a December blog to ask those you love to write you a letter versus giving a gift. I did this and my boys and my mom wrote me the most wonderful, personal letters. I will cherish them forever and make this an annual practice. Books like this provide us those “gems” that enrich our lives.

Side Hustle, Chris Guillebeau

  • Why I loved it: Our current economy is sometimes referred to as the “gig” economy. What this means is that many people have made it a practice to have many “side” streams of income coming in. Chris promises to go from an idea to income in 27 days. This is a simple and practical little book that highlights ideas and stories that just might be a game changer for you.

A Resilient Life, Gordon MacDonald

  • Why I loved it: First of all, let’s just say that I really loved it! I have gifted it multiple times now and paid my boys to read this one. If they soak up even a part of it, their lives will change in the best possible ways. The book is older and full of wisdom. It is a Christian perspective on business and life. Some of the ideas that got me thinking: Who stretches your mind? Who listens to and encourages your dreams? When forming your group of close friends, you might ask: Who will protect you? Those alone are worth the price of the book and that is just a glimpse. If you only pick up one of these, pick this.

Whisper, Mark Batterson

  • Why I loved it: Mark is my very favorite Christian author. His book the Circle Maker is another I gift often. Mark’s books are full of stories, science and studies that compel you to be better and stronger. This book is about hearing from God and how we do so. I loved his story about Pure Delight: “Seven times in the book of Genesis, God steps back from the canvas of his creation and admires. It is his reaction and is expressed as “good” which comes from the Hebrew work tob… joy unspeakable. That first emotion sets the tone, sets the bar. God delights in what he does and he wants nothing less for us.”

Of Mess and Moxie, Jen Hatmaker

  • Why I loved it: Jen is hilarious and inspiring. She captures motherhood — and she has her hands full to say the least, so she knows the job well. One of my favorite quotes in the book she attributed to Brennan Manning: “Many people between the ages of 30 and 60, whatever their stature in the community and whatever their personal achievements, undergo what can truly be called a second journey. The second journey begins when we know we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the morning program.” It’s good.

Unscripted, Ernie Johnson Jr.

  • Why I loved it: This one is especially for the men but good for everyone. I pick up books like this so I can better understand my boys. Ernie is a long-time NBA commentator and the books takes us through his journey, including a fierce battle with cancer. I loved this concept: “God has given us many moments that blessed us and blessed those who seek them. I call those blackberries (blackberry moments). If get get too tied up in what we’re doing in our jobs, in the game, in whatever it is, we miss them, and when we do, we’re missing out on so much.”

Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes

  • Why I loved it: I heard 100 times how great this was before I picked it up. It IS that good. Go get this one for sure. It’s fun, useful and is exactly what the title says about making a decision to get out and say yes to things, including and especially those that scared Shonda.

Braving the Wilderness, Brene Brown

  • Why I loved it: Another amazing work from Brene who has blessed us with game-changing TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” and three other terrific books. Brene is a research professor at the University of Houston and lives out a life of impact. She covers why joy and pain are collective journeys, including the need to “show up” to experience these with those you love and why it is so powerful. So many good concepts that you really should read the book.

She’s Still There, Chrystal Evans Hurst

  • Why I loved it: I think this is her first book. She comes from a family of writers and musicians. I have to say, this was an amazing read. She could have titled it different, but it is full of great insights and inspiration. One idea I noted and love, “Schedule celebration moments monthly.” Love that.

Quiet, Susan Cain

  • Why I loved it: There is a reason this book has earned so much notoriety. It’s one about introverts, and as someone who is just over the edge into being an extrovert, I adored this book and the science and thinking behind the work. This should be a must-read for anyone who works with people, including parents. One of the thoughts: “One genuine relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.” True, true and true!

Black Privilege, Charlamagne tha God

  • Why I loved it: I loved it because it is SO out of my normal category of books. The language and approach aren’t quite my cup of tea but, we MUST learn and grow by understanding others and this is a great way to do it. Charlamagne is a popular co-host on the nationally syndicated hip-hop iHeart Radio program the Breakfast Club, and a featured television personality. He tells his story in a way that makes you feel like you were a part of it. His quote: “If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this book, it’s that privilege is something that everyone can access.” It’s worth your time.

Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferris

  • Why I loved it:  Tim Ferris may be my favorite author at the moment. Last year he wrote Tools of Titans and his famous 4-hour work week, that he wrote a few years ago, are both best sellers. This book is essentially “short life advice” from who he considers some top contemporary influencers in our society today. It’s easy to read and full of wonderful ideas. He asks the same series of questions to these influencers and showcases their answers. My favorite question was: “What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about how to enter the “real world?” With 200 answers to this, I think I sent 50 to my boys… Brilliant format and a must-read.

Let me know if you end of reading any of these. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!