To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Learn

CliffsNotes, Spark Notes… Short cuts can be found in the stories of others

Remember those AMAZING creations that offered us a “short cut” through some tough reads in school? Circa 1986 we used “CliffsNotes.” My boys used Spark Notes.

As we all know, finding short cuts to learning how to deal with life’s challenges aren’t easy to find. I heard something recently that stuck with me, and that was that the stories of others are really the “Cliffsnotes” we often need. Ah, what a great reminder…the power of storytelling.

I love good storytellers. Whether it’s a terrific author, like Salinger’s ‘Catcher in the Rye,’ covering topics of innocence, identity, belonging and connection – or my father, who spins some pretty amazing tales.

We learn from stories. Taking the time to hear both those younger and older than us offers insights into how to better make decisions and gain wisdom. I mean, why recreate the wheel if someone has walked the path, and can share an easier route?

It got me thinking.

Who in my circle may have walked a path I’m currently on? Who may have already experienced the hills and valleys and be able to offer some context, ideas or answers to the questions I face? (This of course runs the gamut from work to parenting to life…)   

Who do I need to schedule lunch with to gain some perspective – some wisdom?

Who might you reach out to this week?

Let’s up our “wisdom” game this week and use the stories of others to help elevate our thinking!

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!

Daily rituals of excellence

It is no doubt that if you want to lead an “epic” life – a life of purpose – that you incorporate some steadfast daily rituals that help you achieve your best self.

I am a sucker for any book, article, speaker who offers me ideas of what may be worth adding into my routine. I loved this picture for two reasons: it is a beautiful work of architecture and, the people in the background look like they are soaking up the beauty around them instead of hurrying past the moment. That’s a great ritual.

So today I am sharing 13 of my daily rituals. That’s my lucky number so it had to be 13. Hopefully at least one will strike a chord for you. They ebb and flow a bit with the season, so the start of summer may be a great time to change it up a bit. I’d love to hear some of yours, so please take time to note one or more in the comments!

  1. Get moving. My grandmother, who just passed a few months ago at 96, used to always say “You have to get up, even if you don’t feel like it.” So get to moving!
  2. Incorporate greens into every meal if possible. Yep, I am even throwing a few with some lemon vinaigrette next to my morning meal.
  3. Drink lots of water! I carry my water bottle everywhere!
  4. Use dishes you love. I had a local potter, (Erica Iman of Urban Potters) make my plates, bowls and mugs for the house. I got the idea from a hotel I was visiting for business. They served up a simple dish in a super cool bowl and I loved it. I realized that something as boring a salad or bowl of soup can be special if you know it was made by hand by someone who loves their craft. That is a gift to me.
  5. Spend time in nature. A walk with my dogs is my personal favorite, but any time outdoors is the goal. Some days it may even just be rolling the windows down in the car and enjoying the breeze.
  6. Start the day by reading from the Bible. I have done this 7 years in a row now. This year, I am following a chronological version plan via the YouVersion Bible app. I journal one thing that stood out to me and pray that I might learn, grow and engage with it if applicable.
  7. LEARN. I incorporate learning into my life anytime I can. Solo time in the car, walking on the treadmill, etc. I have a host of speakers I listen to as well as podcasts as of late.
  8. Send an encouraging message to a friend or colleague.
  9. Try to catch the sunset and snap a picture if possible. I just added this one over the past year and I love it.
  10. Read and relax. I almost always end my day with a bath and take time to read for at least an hour, and often a lot more. This time to unwind and get out of my head is just what the doctor ordered to sleep well! (I read non fiction, and generally business books, or some sort of self improvement, spiritual or otherwise similar in messaging.)
  11. Music… I need to learn to listen to it more, because I love it. I’ve tried to be mindful of this lately because there is nothing like throwing on some Kenny Chesney, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Hillsong, Elevation Music, Lionel Richie, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, etc. It can shift your energy on the spot.
  12. Positive social media talk! I am very intentional about keeping my social media feeds positive. For example, I use Twitter primarily for business or inspiration, but I craft who I follow with a goal in mind. I unfollow those who aren’t consistently positive and thoughtful. (Overuse of social media could be on my “things I need to take out of my daily life.” I’ll save that for another blog…)
  13. Pray. My goal this year is to be a better “prayer” person. I’m good at the brief, “popcorn” prayers and I believe all prayer forms are great, but I want to go deeper and truly connect through prayer.

Your turn!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Unity

A month of UNITY. We need feel-good moments in this country, and I love that February helps do just that.

Between the Super Bowl (shout out to what I consider to be the best Superbowl in my 50 years!), Black History Month and the Winter Olympics, we have a ton of opportunity to step in to the conversation of unity.

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have seen that I attended UMKC’S Martin Luther King Jr. lecture series, and boy was that powerful. I am forever humbled by what I don’t know despite 50 years on this Earth. Our nation has been through a lot. We are better for what we’ve experienced, and we should all be intentional about taking time to learn about our past and let it inform our present.

I hadn’t given much thought to the fact that slavery in America existed for 339 years, and that just about every major institution played a part in it. Science proves out that the lasting impacts of this are still alive and well today. I had no idea. Thank you to Dr. Joy DeGruy and the hundreds of other people who have made it their mission to bring awareness and galvanize us all into action.

Unity is an all-encompassing term, but understanding the history of our country can go a long way in helping us sort out why we’re where we are today. We can do better. We are, as we know from the Bible, dependent on each other and are one in Christ. That is the truth; that is powerful.

My prayer is that we will all consider what little we know and make an effort to gain a greater understanding. If we can take that knowledge and make it useful in our generation (and those we impact: children, grandchildren, etc.), honoring the heritage of all people, we stand a much great chance of achieving peace and love all of the days of our lives.

Anyone else with me on this? We can – and should – DO THIS!

Don’t miss an opportunity: Tales of my Uber Driver, part 1

Travel often offers us the opportunity to meet some great people. Some not so friendly, but thankfully the good wins.

I was reminded on Sunday night, as I was traveling from the airport in Denver, of the tremendous opportunities we have to CONNECT with some AMAZING people. It is always great to put the headphones on and get lost in our own thoughts, but that’s a choice that may result in a miss. I generally do the headphone thing on airplanes, but when I’m at someone’s mercy as they drive me around unknown territory, I like to be aware and also engage. (Mom, I’m sure that makes you quite happy.)

Sunday, the driver was a local attorney from Nigeria, moonlighting with Uber to make money for a foundation he has created to send back home to help provide educational opportunities for students in his native land.

He had two children at home ages 10 and 14, so I know this extra effort is a sacrifice. How many of us would work a part time job JUST to send money to a cause we love and know will change the world?

We had a truly meaningful conversation, and I think we both walked away as better humans – I for sure did. I like the idea of of being “BETTER HUMANS,” don’t you?

As you go through your days, don’t miss those opportunities we have to learn, connect and as a result GROW.

An accelerating world continued: INVENTING OUR LIVES

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I hope you are good with my continued focus this week on maximizing our summer (especially for the younger generations) by understanding and hopefully creating an action plan to go “deeper” in your knowledge of how our world is ACCELERATING.

Of course the quote above would stop me in my tracks. Grab the highlighter and send texts simultaneously to the kids… We have to get in the mindset of INVENTION. I would say even my generation needs to grasp this sooner rather than later. It’s not too late… in fact, it’s RIGHT ON TIME.

Here’s the thing: you need a plan to succeed. If you have younger folks in your life, even if you don’t wish to “jump in,” you need to do it for them.

To truly understand the driving forces and and help them design that “plan.” By the way, the “plan” will be short lived, because for this generation, the pace of change is so fast that they will have to recreate (INVENT) themselves via learning multiple times in their lives.

“Like everything else in the age of accelerations, securing and holding a job requires DYNAMIC STABILITY – you need to keep pedaling all the time,” says Friedman. “Within the next decade the digital divide will disappear (meaning literally everyone in the world will have access to the internet and cloud, i.e. a WORLD OF EDUCATION AT THEIR FINGER TIPS…). And when that happens, only one divide will matter, says Marina Gorbis, executive director of the Institute for the Future, and that is, ‘MOTIVATIONAL DIVIDE.'”

So there you have it. The future pretty much belongs to those that will JUMP IN and take ADVANTAGE of the world that is literally available to them. What a great OPPORTUNITY WE ALL HAVE TO embrace the CHANGES. Sure, days at the pool, throwing rocks in the pond, and hangin’ with your besties are still critical. I’ll always be one that says we learn so much from the people we surround our selves with. However, this is a world that Mr. Friedman helped open my eyes to over the last few days. I hope this helps IGNITE some of you to begin to go further in understanding and truly make this SUMMER COUNT for you and your families and friends.  Let’s all get to INVENTING… and let’s make it FUN.

An accelerating world… Making THIS summer count by learning

(Photo Creds: Canva)

I am reading one DEEP BOOK (Hint: You should be reading it, too).

Some of you may be familiar with Thomas L. Friedman, who also wrote the famous book, “The World is Flat.” He also has won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work with the New York Times. He’s a genius and his style is a bit refreshing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I’ll do my best to make it required reading in my house and in my circle, (hint: In the house, that means there will be bribes).

So, here’s the thing: I hope you’ll stay with me on this “deeper than normal” writing for this week.

As you may have picked up, I’m HUGE on innovation. I am even bigger on life long learning… reading, listening, whatever I can get my hands on to grow as a person. Here’s the thing… it’s summer. If you have kids of any age, they probably have some down time. This would be a REALLY great time to begin to explore with them how this WORLD is moving and to help steer them in the right direction. I’m afraid we don’t have the answers because this world is markedly different. What we DO have are great resources such as this, and with a bit of effort we can MAKE THIS SUMMER COUNT in helping the younger generation grasp and grow and take FULL ADVANTAGE.

I’m not even halfway done with this book as it requires really understanding, taking time to soak it in. Here are the key points so far and why I decided it was so important to get it in writing now:

  1. The world is changing so fast we cannot even begin to understand. Since 2007, a mere decade ago, our lives have been upended and are each year by a pace that we cannot even define. The three largest forces  -technology, globalization, climate change – on the planet are accelerating all at once which requires that our societies, communities, etc. be reimagined.
  2. We should consider having “no limits on our curiosity” about learning different disciplines and how the advent of the internet and the “cloud” have literally OPENED the FLOODGATES into what is possible and who can achieve what. The three possible ways to look at the world sounded reasonable:
    – “Inside the box” thinking
    – “Outside the box” thinking and the best one…
    – “Where there is no box” – of course this is the world we live in today
  3. Consider how the world is becoming interdependent… Technology can connect us to one another in ways not imaginable a few years ago. Case in point is AirBNB, which now connects any renter to any tourist or business personal anywhere on the planet… The platform build had an infrastructure that supported BUILDING TRUST so you could rate one another, etc. This is one small example.

I hope this gives you a SPARK of INTEREST to consider going DEEPER THIS SUMMER for the sake of a better WORLD. It is entertaining also, I promise! The generations that follow will thank you!

Another quote from the book I loved… it happened to be at the start of chapter one, which is likely why I jumped in so fast:

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie