Blog
Is Your Alignment Right?
I recently played 9 holes with my golf coach. While practicing in front of a simulator to work on my golf swing is good, it’s even better to get on the course and have a playing lesson.
Eric didn’t coach me at all during the round; rather he simply asked me questions and took a lot of notes. He’d ask me to talk about my strategy for each shot, where I was aiming, and why I was choosing certain clubs to use in different situations.
At the conclusion, we walked off the course and he gave me his feedback.
While overall he had some good things to day, he didn’t hold back in giving me a less than flattering grade, “I’m giving you a D in one area – alignment.”
Grappling With Guilt
Today marks my mother’s 98th birthday. Yes, she passed away just over seven years ago but that makes it no less her birthday. And this date still resonates with me even though she’s no longer with us in body, yet still in memory.
As much as my memory recalls the days of my youth when Mom was younger, I still will default back to the final five years of her life when she battled dementia. In retrospect, my guess is we battled it more than she did. At some point, she didn’t understand that she even had it, but we sure did.
Mom lived with Barb and me for two years after Dad died, and before we moved her to a memory care location when it became too much for our “skills” to take care of her. Too often, I harken back to times where my struggle with patience, empathy, and kindness were tested. And the number of times I flat out failed!
Goodbye Captain Jack
Heartbroken.
This afternoon (Friday, March 25th) at about 2:45 we said goodbye to our beloved Captain Jack. The picture below is the last one we took together.
He insisted on scribing his own obituary. It’s below.
We thank you in advance for your kind words of friendship and support. This has been a difficult couple days for us. We embrace that we had our time together and celebrate his life.
Who’s Your QB1?
This past week has been an active one in NFL Free Agency. If you follow the National Football League like I do, you may experience the same level of anticipation and excitement.
There have been numerous transactions involving quarterbacks. Teams have signed and traded away and for their “field general,” referred to in the league as QB1. For those that don’t follow the game, that’s the first-string quarterback.
Here in my city, the Seahawks traded their franchise quarterback over the last decade, Russell Wilson. Green Bay signed Aaron Rodgers to a contract that will likely keep him on that team for the rest of his career. The Browns made a blockbuster trade to acquire DeShaun Watson, in spite of civil litigation pending against him. And just the other day, Tom Brady at age 44 came out of about a 30-day “retirement” to return to Tampa Bay. Each of these organizations were desperate to find the right person to move their teams forward both now and into the future.
What does this have to do with business?
Everything.
Embracing The Good, Bad and In Between
“Pops, I think this is the most fun thing I do with you…”
These words were spoken by my 4-year old granddaughter Ellie as we were taking a walk through the neighborhood. It was the sweetest thing I could ever hear.
Her sister Maddie had started out with us, but the precocious 3-year old made a business decision in the nippy weather and decided quickly to return to the warm living room with Barb and the dogs.
It dawned on me that this was the exact same sidewalk stroll I had regularly made with my mother about a decade ago.
Follow Through
“The follow through is the most important part of the swing. How you finish will inform you on your balance…”
These words of wisdom came from my golf coach this past weekend. I’ve been working with Eric for several years, normally with a full lesson at the beginning of the golf season, and ad hoc help through the summer.
His words caught my attention.
Failing Forward Fast
My new LinkedIn Learning course is coming out soon.
We filmed virtually from my house the first week of January. I enjoy the script writing and filming. It’s right up my alley for fun!
The next assignment I had was a struggle. I was asked to provide something new that LinkedIn had implemented since I last instructed a course in 2018. They asked me to create quiz questions for each chapter.
At first glance, this seemed easy enough. Then I started. Writing a question was easy. So was writing the correct answer.
That’s when it got difficult for me.
Help! I Need Somebody…
“Can you talk?”
It was May 2008. I had just returned from the Rotary District Conference being held in Campbell River, BC.
Barb and the girls had been visiting her parents for the weekend, and were on the road back. Not wanting to eat alone, I invited myself to my parent’s house for a little Sunday dinner.
In the middle of the meal, Mom suddenly stopped, stood up, and put her hands to her throat, signifying she’s choking.
After three decades of CPR/First Aid training (including two years as a volunteer first responder), I knew instinctively what to do.
Freewill Choices
“Even if you choose to not decide, you still have made a choice.”
– That great Canadian philosopher, Neal Peart (as vocalized by his mate, Geddy Lee)
The term “choice” get a lot of airtime in our culture. It has been used and weaponized in politics, sports, entertainment, business, and our daily lives.
We all want more choices, better choices, and to make our own choice.
I find in my work with risk and resilience management, choices are being made constantly. That includes what the legendary band from Canada, Rush sang in their song Freewill. Choices are decisions made and not made, either through lacking information, paralysis, or simple apathy.
