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To provoke thinking and facilitate discovery is to earn my keep

Cedar Crest College sign
Many people believe a higher degree will lead to greater opportunity. Do the math. (photo: Last week while running in Allentown, PA)

 

This week will be interesting because today is the first work Monday after the long holiday break. Expecting to hear updates on several important business conversations that got placed on hold for the past 10 days.

Patience, confidence, and optimism are real things when it’s your business. Otherwise, they are merely theories we’ve studied.

This has me thinking about insights that can be gathered from observing where colleagues, who were receiving their company subsidized MBA’s, were seven years ago and where they are now.

No one liked my comments that MBA’s are generally a false hope and an insanely time and energy intensive commitment with literally zero ROI.

i say this with deep respect and admiration for every individual. i also say this because my primary function, and obligation, as a teacher is to provoke people to .think .differently

 

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On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

 

i knew i’d be inspired by the 60 Minutes recording

iPhone Photos settings screen
Apple has changed the way the world does many of our everyday activities, like taking and storing photos.

 

i knew, unquestionably, i’d be inspired by the 60 Minutes recording. Found it last night while searching for the Big Bang Theory recordings we missed while vacationing in Pennsylvania.

The episode featured Tim Cook and Jony Ive from Apple.

Tim said of Steve Jobs, “I’ve never met anyone like him. He had this relentless, driving force for perfection. Things have to be insanely great.”

This is a concept culture i’ve lived within at Disney for 30 years.

Simplify and focus, without sacrificing quality.

What does this mean to any of us?

Do it (follow your passion) even when labeled “crazy”.

As a solo entrepreneur, doubt, fear, excuses, and hesitation surround you.

Constantly.

Change comes from within only when you are willing to become a relentless, driving force for the “perfection” of your passion.

 

__________

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

 

Only 364 days left to gather more business

2016 iPhone calendar screen shot
The little red dot says there are still 364 days of business left this year.

 

My cousin asked how business was going yesterday, January 1. In hind sight, i wish i hadn’t gone on such a riff giving him so many specifics; maybe a simple, “It’s going really well.”, would have sufficed:

  • One signed Keynote speech contract
  • One Keynote speech contract awaiting signature
  • Two Keynote contracts looking very good
  • A verbal agreement for a 1.5 day engagement, with additional contract layers probable
  • Another client getting closer to a multi-layered cultural transformation engagement
  • And finally, several big, former Disney Institute fans who are seriously interested in working together this year

Riff over.

 

__________

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

 

Thank goodness for life’s sucker punches

Cinderella Castle under construction
Cinderella Castle 1971. Photo source unknown, from the Internet perhaps.

 

Thank goodness for life’s sucker punches.

It was 2008-2009 at Walt Disney World and a new round of layoffs was in progress.

This time, the first time in my 24 years at Disney, it didn’t make sense.

It didn’t make sense for many people, including me. The bottomline was this: i felt vulnerable, and i had never experienced that before.

i hated it.

But then i embraced it.

It was in finding the silver lining that i was able to thrive.

And i decided the best time to create a plan b was when i didn’t need to.

That’s how my business, and early Disney retirement (after 30 incredible years) idea was born.

 

__________

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

 

Vision

Nursing Home employee time clock
The biggest excuse is time.

 

Vision.

If you can’t see the future in a clear, concise, and compelling way, imagine how the people you lead have to squint.

This applies whether you are the CEO, a division or department head, a middle manager, or a front line leader. it also applies to every single able minded adult because we are the CEO of You, Inc.

Perhaps the best investment in your time this year is creating a clear, concise, and compelling vision of the future.

 

__________

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

 

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.