To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Workplace

Choosing who to do life with!

blog_840526_2959943_1474927514

(Photo Creds:  We Heart It… I so love this picture!)

Life is full of decisions. Decisions on where to go to college, what to study, who to marry, where you will live and grow your family, how you will respond to life in the good and bad times, and perhaps at the top of the list, who you choose to “do life with” in your circle of friends.

Some are lucky enough to meet people in elementary school and still count them as close friends. Some find these friends in college dorms and late night conversation. Some in the workplace, some in church, some in neighborhoods and soccer field side lines. Some by happenstance, some are given to you as a gift and we call those family. We know they change at different times in our life and that is both cool and needed.

What’s important is that we choose wisely. These are the folks that both wipe our tears, lift our spirits, share our dreams, and celebrate with us. They don’t always have to be in our presence, but we are always in their thoughts and prayers. These are the people that run our fan club and don’t judge us when we inevitably say something crazy or simply need to have a pity party. They get us out of the house when we most need it and spur us on through a Tuesday morning text or a Facebook comment that reminds us that they are indeed cheering us on regardless of where we both may be at the moment.

Folks, these people are the “real deal” the one’s that SHOW UP for you and we need them desperately. I think no matter what your age, we should reassess from time to time whether we are truly surrounded with the people that we most need in our lives. People with a positive and honest spirit, and make us better by their presence and concern. If they don’t meet these requirements, perhaps we don’t need to take them into the next season.

I’ve seen this need in both 70 year olds and in elementary school students. Humans are designed to live in communities, and making this process of evaluation an “intentional” part of our life plan ensures that we are surrounded by the support, love and care that we all need to get through this crazy world.

I would love to know if this resonates with you. In the meantime, I’m thinking of just how I could come up with the setting featured in this photo, and invite my circle to celebrate fall in proper fashion!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: The Power In Vision

(Photo Creds: My iPhone, believe it or not! Cool picture from last weekend in Northern Idaho. The water was that blue, and the mountains that clear. God’s pure beauty showing off.)blog_837852_2957228_1474207925
I am going to be sticking with the theme of VISION this week. We all need a vision, and there is biblical support of that truth. This is true whether we live in a retirement community, on a boat, on a college campus, or in our homes and workplace.

At all times in human history, we have survived and thrived through the power of VISION. We must focus on three key things around VISION:

  1. Seeing and clarifying the vision:Just where does God want me to go? For me this has only been made clear through the reading of scripture and other books, podcasts, sermons, etc., that seem to be delivering to me consistent and similar messages. This is how I know it is a vision I need to follow.
  2. Owning the vision: In other words, being obedient to the vision. If we want to truly move forward from whatever it is, we have to take action and today generally is better than tomorrow (or putting it off.)
  3. Energizing and Inspiring others and their visions: I happen to believe we are all designed to help others. It’s the only way this world has ever worked brilliantly. Whether it’s lifting someone up on your shoulders, or locking arms and walking through a situation together, or words of encouragement as they press on. Regardless of the way this is done, our actions are CRITICAL.

This has been a bit more than a “simple thought,” so I’ll press pause and continue Tuesday.

Have an amazing week and my prayer is that your vision would be made clear if it is not and that you make it a priority to continue to follow where God leads you and make a difference in our generation. There is so much power in that.

The 12th man – Who are you helping “win” the game?

blog_836804_2955958_1473892133I love the “12th” man! The FAN, the one cheering on the team to victory! While I wish I would have been in KC watching the Chiefs win their home opener, I was fortunate enough to to be at the Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday, and their rallying cry is the “12th” man. Texas AM, also uses the “12th” man but it’s legacy is that of an actual extra “man” from the stands that they had to call into the game.  (See the story below!).

Over time this legacy of the “12th” man has become the same rallying cry… The “12th” man is the FAN and the FAN helps WIN THE GAME. (After researching this, there are actually quite a few other schools that use this term… Apologies if you are a fan of one of those!)

While this concept to me is super cool, the idea really goes into an area that is actually super important.

Who are you helping “WIN THE GAME?” I am going to dive into a work scenario here, but hoping you can see it’s application in your world. I have noticed over the years that far too often, employees don’t have a “champion” that is helping to move them forward in the workplace. Someone that is pointing out their strengths, advancing their status and cause, and quite literally cheering them on to win. I have seen some of the smartest people be in their roles for far too long, without advancement, without proper recognition. Far too many leaders are so saturated with their own agendas, full schedules and personal goals that advancing their team is not taking the proper priority. This to me is one of the great crises of our workplace today.

If you do not have a champion at work, you need to consider whether or not you can work toward that, and if not, then you may quite honestly need a new “gig.” If you are a leader, I hope that this post is a call to action for you to consider whether or not you are truly championing your team and individual team members. No matter what their personal goals are at your workplace, how are you putting them out front and center and cheering them on? We shouldn’t be afraid of someone getting promoted on our team and sometimes even ahead of us. That means we did a great job hiring and being an effective “12th” man. It makes our teams stronger and our companies stronger and ultimately makes for a better world.

My hope is that we can all be a strong “12th” man for our teams!

COOL STORY ON THE ORIGINS OF THE TEXAS AM 12th MAN:  (RE:  BUZZFEED)

  • Origin: The 12th Man tradition began on January 2, 1922. A&M played defending national champion Centre College in the first postseason game in the southwest. So many A&M players were hurt during the first half that Coach D. X. Bible feared he wouldn’t have enough men to finish the game. He called into the Aggie section of the stands for E. King Gill, a student who left the football team after the regular season to play basketball. Gill put on the uniform of injured player Heine Weir and stood on the sidelines, ready for action.
  • Why it’s awesome: Although Gill didn’t actually play in the game, his readiness to play symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually getting in the game, hence why the student body stands throughout the entire game.

(Photo creds: We Heart It, Pinterest)

This is one hero we need to emulate

MotherTeresa_01

Today, Mother Teresa will be Canonized by Pope Francis and officially becomes a saint. I had to look that up as many of you might have as well.

Thankfully, it’s as simple as it sounds. Canonization is the process by which the Catholic Church solemnly proclaims that a holy person becomes inscribed on the list (i.e. the canon) of those persons who may be venerated publicly in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. In the case of Mother Teresa she will receive her own feast day with a Mass and a liturgical office constructed to offer due veneration to her.

Of course many of us already unofficially consider her at the highest level a human being could attain in displaying the virtues of a life of service to others. A true hero, a life to emulate.

blog_832969_2951325_1472998463

Mother Teresa is perhaps “the best” example for us of living a life in the real, postmodern world, and trying to serve as the “salt and the light” improving our communities, home, schools and workplace. Although she was clearly a holy person, her life service was primarily given to non-Christians and those not normally of the church. In fact, if you take a few minutes to study her life more carefully you will find that she often acted out her mission without the help we might expect a saint to have surrounded themselves with. She shared how she often found no encouragement in prayer and “had a bewildering sense of absence of God; finding little but dryness in her encounter with scripture.” (Cunningham, Vatican, 9/3/2016)

Many of my friends have confided this very reality to me and I can say prior to 5 years ago when I went deeper in my faith that this was often true of me as well. What’s important to me here is that she was doing ordinary life, and to her doing ordinary things, and had no idea that what she was doing was truly extraordinary. The message to me is to keep reading scripture, keep praying, keep serving, keep digging deep and God will reveal the EXTRAORDINARY IN YOUR LIFE.

Have a week that is blessed beyond. My bold prayers for you all!

(Photo creds: We Heart It, Ruthie Stark Photography)

Things the Olympics teaches us about UNITY

blog_823768_2939774_1470706658

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach kicked off the games with an important message: “In this Olympic world, we see that the values of our SHARED HUMANITY are STRONGER than the forces which want to divide us.” His remarks focused on UNITY and how the games provide the setting for an attitude of peace and hope.

In 2010, I had the opportunity to attend the winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, with my boys and my sister. (If the games are ever that close again, I recommend you stop what you are doing and make a plan to attend if at all possible.) What we witnessed firsthand was that every country we encountered were more than kind, generous and willing to thrive together during the games. I remember most the Netherlands and their enthusiasm toward their national sport, speed skating, and their jovial hugs as their team went ahead in the race. It was fantastic.

While I promise I won’t write about the Olympics every time over the next three weeks, I may use the opportunity as the games play out to share a story or insights that may be relevant to the blog. I definitely don’t want to miss this chance to SHOWCASE UNITY AT ITS BEST! Here are some thoughts I had as I worked through this blog…

  1. Unity happens when everyone lays aside their personal interests and races toward a common goal. Unity can get disrupted at home, in the workplace and of course we have seen the terror when unity is threatened during war. But what if we all truly did see the world from someone else’s viewpoint. You know, the “don’t judge until you have walked in someone else’s mocassins…” (Or something like that)  That’s pretty darn good advise. Lay your personal interests aside and remember we are here to use our best gifts. Don’t get tied up in someone else’s drama. The athletes don’t lay aside their goal to win the race, but no doubt during the month they live among those with cultural differences, they surely experience a host of differences and lay those aside to achieve peace
  2. Unity is possible. There are those that believe unity isn’t possible. “I can’t get a long with this guy at work, I cannot stand that lady, their religion really bothers me… etc.”  I was devastated when I saw the news this week of the young Muslim couple being asked to leave a Delta airline flight home from Europe.  We must all INVEST OURSELVES FULLY in the FACT THAT UNITY IS POSSIBLE. Watch the games over the next few weeks. These athletes are living in the Olympic village together and they are in full community together and they LOVE IT. The fun of the Friday ceremonies with all countries taking selfies together etc. was magical. Watch specifically for those moments. You’ll see what I mean!
  3. UNITY IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY. I hear so many people right now due to the national election talking about how our country is in disarray and the concerns with ISIS and the refugee crisis and… You get the picture. Everyone is looking to a leader to solve our issues to somehow step in and create a world where we suddenly are all singing “kum ba ya” together in harmony. The reality is, every athlete, every volunteer, every leader of the games and every one of us is responsible. We have to realize that we can’t sit aside. We must use our voice and our time and actions to strive for unity in all things. I will spend some time again this month on some opportunities here locally to step in and use your voice.

Have a better than great day!

In the Pursuit: ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!

blog_804354_2918997_1465438196(Photo credit: WE HEART IT – ISN’T THIS GUY AWESOME?)

Most people who have worked with me or lived with me, know that one of my top mottos in life is “Attitude is everything,” or in the work place, “Hire for attitude, train for skills.” It doesn’t matter what area of your life, or the time of your life, whatever “playing field” you find yourself on, ATTITUDE IS THE DIFFERENCE MAKER.

I’m never one to to re-create great content if I can find it. Today I wanted to share Jon Gordon’s writing on the power of ATTITUDE.  Jon is the author of the Energy Bus and the No Complaining Rule and you can find out more about him at www.jongordon.com.

My favorites are 2 and 7. I would love to hear yours! Have a strong wrap to your week!

11 Benefits of Being Positive – posted by Jon Gordon

Over the years I’ve done a lot of research on the positive effects of being positive and the negative affects of being negative. The research is clear. It really does pay to be positive and the benefits include enhanced health and longevity, order happiness, online career advancement, athletic performance, team building and financial success. Being positive is not just a nice way to live. It’s the way to live. In this spirit here are 11 benefits of being positive.

1. Positive People Live Longer – In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)
2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)
3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)
4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)
5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)
6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)
7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)
8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can’t be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)
9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)
10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)
11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Several Studies)

Get out there and bring others with you!

blog_792239_2894125_1461621496Jeep ran a campaign I believe in 2007 that had the tag line “Have fun out there.” Nature Valley ran one “Get out there” a few years earlier. Honestly, I got them confused and thought “Get out there” was Jeep, which I think is absolutely BRILLIANT!

Regardless of who gets credit for the idea, my vision is that WE NEED TO GET OUT “THERE” to realize the fullness of life.

Sunday I talked a bit about being as strong as “Caleb” at 85 years old. In order to live a strong life we have to get out and explore the world. I had the opportunity to take my first bike ride of the season yesterday and honestly, we have some pretty cool places to explore right in our own neighborhoods. We need to model this for our families, in the workplace and wherever God has placed us. No matter your age or situation, get OUT!

Here’s another thought… Do you know someone that perhaps can’t necessarily get out there? If so, do everything in your power this week to get them out if at all possible. Even if it means pushing them around the block in a wheelchair or visiting a park, the zoo, or anything really. Help get others out who may not feel they have that ability. If you don’t know anyone in that situation, just give me a call or a message, I’ll hook you up!

Let’s all be AMBASSADORS in this category this week both for ourselves and for others. I promise your life will be richer for the effort.

(Photo credit: We Heart It)

Cheers to a “long line of friends” today

blog_776804_2870492_1457900047

Today is my birthday – WOOT WOOT!

A few years back I decided that birthdays are really about celebrating those people in your life that lift us up and become the threads and ultimately the beautiful fabric of our lives.

TODAY, I celebrate ALL OF YOU and the many that have crossed my path and been a part of my story. I cannot even begin to tell you the impact of teachers, grandparents, neighbors, fellow “PTA” and “SOCCER” family, workplace colleagues turned life-long friends, sorority sisters, “fellow” Belton Pirates, WWMB friends and mentors, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and of course my immediate family.

To my lovely sister and handsome brother, Mom, Dad and my incredible boys, a special CHEERS TO YOU! Through, the amazing days, crazy years, and always thrilling and/or education adventures, you are a huge part of who I am today and I AM DEEPLY BLESSED.

I RAISE MY GLASS TO YOU ALL!  Have an amazing week wherever life may have you out making a difference!

3 reasons being loyal will improve your year

blog_754715_2832370_1452747244Loyalty! Why be loyal? It seems obvious in some categories, such as relationships.

As a friend, we really need our friends to be loyal and honor our story and support us no matter what happens. As an employer, we really cannot succeed at the top of our game without employee and customer loyalty.  =Starbucks thanks many of us for our loyal support, as do thousands of other businesses nationwide.  Why does it matter?

The statistics in the workplace are pretty astounding. According to the authors of Leading on the Edge of Chaos, the ability for businesses to keep their customers can increase profits 25-125%. WOW! The reliable 80/20 rule is also true in this category according to Gartner from Forbes.com – “80% of your company’s future revenue will come from just 20% of your existing customers.”

For employers, the cost of turnover is dramatic, but we won’t be delving in that category. The purpose of this post is to share not only what I believe to be true about loyalty, but to offer you some facts that may make a difference in your thinking and year! We need to be loyal to our role for own success and happiness. Here are three reasons why:

1. Full value: If we aren’t loyal, we don’t show up with our full value. I can’t imagine not showing up with full value. (Well actually, I had a temporary summer job one year doing something like making boxes…it was awful, and probably scarred me for life on tedious and boring jobs that appear to have no meaning.)  We must find a path that supports our values, passions and enables us to maximize our talents. Our world is counting on us to all come to the table with our full value.

2. Strong & better: When we are truly loyal, we become stronger and better employees, leaders, moms, dads, friends, volunteers, neighbors..I’m always game for getting stronger and better in any category.

3. Healthier: Finally, it’s January and most are focused on their health. Guess what? Scientists have documented that loyalty in relationships and in our career, offer benefits of reduced illness, longer life, higher compensation, more productivity and creativity. Even being loyal to our sports team, (GO KC CHIEFS!), helps reduce anxiety according to the Wall Street Journal! Who knew?

Who needs your loyalty?  Who needs their story honored by your support & loyalty? If you aren’t feeling loyalty to any of your key roles, stop and evaluate if it’s a good role or relationship and begin creating a game plan to up your game or get out!

3 ways to improve your energy at work!

blog_746118_2823153_1450144076

I love reindeer (otherwise known as caribou in case you need a game winning trivia question)! I have just now realized this – why it took 47 years I have no clue – they are just flat out cool!                __________________________________
So, how in the world do we get more energy? We have the obvious: Fueling our body with healthy foods, getting enough rest… We will hit some of those on Thursday, but for today, I am talking about energy at work (work being loosely defined, whether you are in the workplace, the community or home). Energy at work is defined by what activities that you work on that give you positive energy? What could you do all day? What activities make you feel at the end of the day fulfilled and if tired, a “good tired.” The goal of today’s blog is to encourage you to figure out what those are and play to them regularly! You’ll be better for it, I promise!

I wanted to figure this out in 2015, and so I found this really great Executive coach, Mike Miller, who works with Forte.  Their consulting firm focuses on a great tool called “Strengthscope” which is all about finding out what your top seven areas are that give you energy at work. After you take the assessment you get a great review that outlines the strengths that give you energy.

If you head over to their website you’ll find a few fun facts: People who use their strengths every day are …

  • 6X more likely to be engaged on the job
  • 3X more likely to be happier with their lives.  (I’LL TAKE THAT!)

Teams with leaders who take a “stength” based approach are…

  • 86% more effective than teams which don’t.

For those that know me, they won’t be surprised at my seven: collaboration, decisiveness, developing others, optimism, relationship building, self-confidence, self-improvement. So essentially, if I’m “playing” in areas that allow me to be doing these things, I am one happy camper. If I’m not on a consistent basis, I may be drained!  A key learning from my time with Mike this year, is that I can “over play” to these. For example, if I’m playing in the collaboration/relationship building space and the colleague I’m working with doesn’t have that in their top seven (or maybe even in their top 25 – haha) that I may be draining them, creating conflict. I need to shift to one of my other top seven deciveness for example, to work better with them, therefore giving me energy. Pretty interesting stuff!                          __________________________________________________________________________________________

So this is longer than my normal post, but worthwhile information! Here are the top three posted in the blog title to wrap it up! I encourage you all to find out in 2016 what gives you energy, and play to those! You will improve your “game” and your life! Top 3 ways to improve your energy at work:

  1. Find out what give you energy and play to those. Use Mike’s tool, or stengthfinders, or even make a list. If you don’t think you know, ask your closest colleagues at work, or friends… they will know!
  2. Get organized! Yep, sorry to the folks who may not like this one, but honestly, you have to have a gameplan and that includes making a list and reviewing and editing ofte. I do this at least one time a day and often twice a day. Priorities change quickly, at work and in life, and I have to ensure the top items stay at the top of the list, otherwise I’m drained of energy! You will gain energy only by achieving what you know you need to achieve.
  3. Make time for fun. I talk a lot about culture, and my friends, no matter if your leader is a culture builder or something more like a culture hit man (or woman) you can influence the culture in your area! Make a decision that you will be the difference within a reasonable radius around your area! Schedule time to walk around and be a culture guru wherever God has placed you! It will give you energy and those around you as well! DOUBLE BONUS!