Starve your doubts

Google Maps screen shot
Yesterday, had already driven over an hour before turning off Interstate 4.

 

Charlotte High School Stadium
First glances at yesterday’s 2015 Sunshine State Games – for athletes age 50 and over.

 

Starve your doubts.

Feed your dreams.

Simple.

Simple doesn’t mean easy, but it does mean simple.

At work.

At home.

Here, there, everywhere.

All day.

Everyday.

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Let’s rename advice to suggestion

Best Disney Keynote Speakers
True dat.

 

After my leadership keynote, a client told me he made a commitment to learn all the staff member’s names, because he realized not knowing was really poor leadership. Here’s my response:

Advice? Let’s rename it to suggestion, since you haven’t officially asked.

Five years ago i stopped all texting, emails and phone calls while driving. Our Son was ten. i didn’t reveal what i was doing for 90 days.

After three-plus months i asked him, while we were stopped at a red light, “Have you noticed anything different about me?”

He responded with, “Did you get your hair cut?”

We quickly got to the end goal.

He had noticed.

A lot.

By the time he gets his permit, he may not recall me texting and driving. My clear expectation that he never texts while driving will carry so much more weight, because there will be no double standard. People hate double standards. Betting you do. Your staff is no different.

My advice suggestion:

i wouldn’t announce what you are doing. At all. Just do it.

And while you’re doing it, sneak in a bit of casual conversation – getting to know them, but don’t make it seem like an interview or an interrogation. They’ll get suspicious and start talking about you behind your back.

They’re going to talk about you behind your back anyway, but if you do it right (intentionally), the buzz/rumors will be extraordinarily positive.

Go slow, be sincere, and find a million ways to stay motivated.

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He asked for advice and this is what i shared

Disney Executive Leadership Keynote Speaker jeff noel
Photo: David Smith. Yesterday morning.

 

 

First, some back story…

Everything looks good on paper, right?

But it’s actually doing the things, with the pressures and challenges of the real world. Theory is often impossible much harder than it looks.

If i was reaching out to a stranger for the first time, i’d look intentionally (but not forced) to find common ground, personally and professionally.

The way in is trust, and trust is built on honest relationships. Honest relationships are based on getting to know each other. Really knowing each other. Gobs of potential topics: kid’s names, hobbies, worries, goals, dreams, pet peeves and the list goes on.

And this should never feel manipulative.

The text book stuff about relationships didn’t become crystal clear until i retired. When you are the CEO of your own gig, everything is your fault. And everything is also your opportunity.

Other people are the key to building something wonderful.

But if you’re going to ask for something, give first.

Otherwise it feels kinda creepy. Desperate even.

Fast forward. An executive reaches out to me electronically asking for serious advice. But he did not give first. For example he could have made an introductory comment from something on my LinkedIn profile.

If people don’t find creative ways to talk about the whole person, all we see is a business mindset.

Everyone is a real person, including the CTO who asked without so much as a “good morning, nice to meet you”.

i was nice to him, and offered to answer any of his questions, anytime.

He offered nothing in return.

Two things: it comes with the territory, and don’t be that guy to others.

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The how behind the wow

Marriott Ft Lauderdale Ocean View Terrace
Yesterday from my Marriott balcony.

 

Lei’d back Luau preparations.

It’s not the Magic that makes it work, it’s the hard work that makes it Magic.

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It takes a long time for lucky breaks to begin happening

Letter in mailbox
Had our 14-year old write a thank you note to the Director of Admissions two days ago.

 

After a third and final High School tour at 9am, i’ll begin the drive to Ft Lauderdale to deliver tomorrow’s Leadership Keynote Speech at the 2015 gMed Summit.

This is the first post-Disney retirement speech in which the audience is a mixture of attendees from many diverse healthcare providers.

This is the type of engagement in which future speaking opportunities generally come from.

Note to self: Hand-written thank you notes are rare, hence valuable.

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