December 10, 2024

As we ease into the holidays, we may find ourselves reflecting on memories from past holidays. I'll spare you the "Time sure does fly" feelings, but they're so true. 

It does remind me of a story I heard about a young man who grew up in Boston but lived on the West Coast. His friend asked how often he saw his parents. "One time per year," he answered. We go there for Christmas."

"How old are your parents?" 

"70," he answered.

"You see your parents one time per year. They are 70 years old. Have you thought that if your parents live to be 80, you'll see them only ten more times?"

Time really is fleeting. It makes me think about my grandson. His dad is an Army officer, and they'll likely never live close to us. I hope to have many more visits with him, but there is no guarantee. 

It reminds me that our time with our loved ones is precious. It reminds me to be present. To treasure the moments. To make them meaningful.

They won't go on forever. 

With that, let's dive in.

The Huddle is a weekly newsletter that is designed for leaders. Leaders must be learners. There is never a moment when leaders arrive. It's a never-ending growth process. I hope this can be a resource that you can use to stay sharp and share with your team. 

With that, here are some things I ran across this week. 

Something Missing - What does it take to be successful in sales? Most people would say hard work, product knowledge, the ability to communicate well, and so on. All are correct. Yet, it is easy to go down the wrong road. 

Success in sales (or any endeavor) is a combination of attitude, behavior, and technique. If you are a master of technique and work very hard...but are afflicted with a lack of confidence and low self-image, you will struggle. To thrive, we need to be focused on each of the elements. They are interdependent. 

Part of attitude is our purpose. Why do we do what we do? In one of our most popular podcast episodes, I spoke with Jesse Grapes, President of Benedictine Schools of Richmond. He shared a part of his story that illustrates this precisely. He tells of being a young college graduate with a great job and an expense account. Yet, he was missing something—meaning. Purpose. 

One day after 9/11, he went to the Marine recruiting office and volunteered. It's an inspiring example of our innate hard-wiring and a guaranteed emptiness when we aren't connected to something bigger than ourselves. 

Here's a short post on the topic that I found insightful. 

Word Salad - I didn't get into the world of business until I'd been in the work world for about ten years. I joined a Fortune 50 company and was impressed with the brains and wit of the people around me. As someone trained as a humble teacher and coach, I was in the early stages of a big-time dose of Imposter Syndrome. How am I even working in this company?

The organization's leaders were articulate. They were so good at describing their thoughts and were extremely knowledgeable about all things surrounding our business. My peers? Even sharper! I'd leave meetings with a big dose of "not OK." There was lots of technical talk and strategic prose that was, frankly, over my head. 

It took me a couple of years to figure out one very important fact about this new world of corporate America. Many people in business are really, really good at talking about business, but they aren't so good at actually doing things that will enhance the business. I quickly realized that I wasn't the dull knife in the drawer. It was almost as if this "business blabber" was to compensate for a lack of effort. 

This article from the Harvard Business Review spoke to my soul. Turns out, this yakkety-yak-yak tendency of workers is widespread. It reminds me that nothing replaces simple execution and a bias for action. 

Productivity Hacks from a Master—Ali Abdaal is a YouTube star. If you haven't discovered him, he has great content presented in an enjoyable way. In his spare time, he's a physician. 

I've been reading (and writing about here in The Huddle) about conviction and how it trumps any sort of hack to manage our time. That said, old habits are hard to break. 

I like his 5-minute rule and his discussion around The Daily Adventure. See what stands out for you. 

Leaders and Metrics—A leader must wear the supervisor hat. This is the hat of positional authority, which is different from the relationship-driven roles of coach, trainer, and mentor. 

Part of the supervisor's role is defining and developing business metrics. How are you defining success, and do these metrics align with your mission, vision, and values? If you don't keep your eye on the numbers, who will? 

Today, consider how intentional you have been about choosing metrics that will inform your progress. Watch this short clip from Buzz Williams, basketball coach at Texas A&M (and formerly of Virginia Tech), as he discusses this topic.  

A quote to leave you with 

Have a great week!