Lessons from Camp

Lately in many of my conversations, I've begun reflecting back on some of the realizations that I had in previous incarnations - most particularly, from the years I spent working at the residential camp in Alberta. While there were many smaller lessons to be learned more specific to the time and place (like the challenges of having shoulder-length hair while living in the mountains, and how ridiculous I looked with it), there were other, larger lessons which have a universal truth, and which I can new see transfer into everything we currently do. Of all of them, there is a singular definitive one that stands out:

Follow through.

See, here's the thing - all kids will fight you on all parameters, all restrictions, all boundaries. It's their nature, and it's part of their development as individuals. BUT: despite all the tantrums, despite all of their crying and shouts of "It's not fair"... they WANT those boundaries. They want them, because parameters make them feel safe, and when someone enforces those boundaries consistently, and with respect, they feel cared for. The kids who were allowed to have too much free reign, or who were let off the hook ("Yes, I know that I told him he'd be grounded if he did that, but that's not fair to ME... I don't want to have to stay home and babysit"), in the end, tend to have trouble with boundaries and respect themselves.

Funny thing is - it's the same with adults.

Whether it's holding customers or teammates accountable, you MUST set deadlines, and you MUST follow through with the commitments you made - whether it's a repercussion from missing a deadline, a failure to meet a standard (ie. letting them pause during the jump squat in profiling session), or simply missing a session outright... people have to know that you are going to call them to task on it. They may not like it when you do so, they may feel it's unfair, and they may be pissed of at you in that moment - but if you are consistent in what you're asking, if you respect them enough to explain the "what/why/how", and if you FOLLOW THROUGH on what you've promised... well, they may not like you, but they will respect you. Remember - we are not trying to be their friends. We are trying to lead them.

When I was little, there was one thing that stuck in my mind was during the Trudeau era. Being from western Canada, of course, my parents couldn't stand a number of the policies that he implemented - but I can still remember hearing my mom say "You may not like him, you may hate what he's doing... but you've got to respect him. Because he tells you what he's going to do, and then he does it".

Next time you consider letting someone "off the hook", either because you feel badly for them or because following through will actually inconvenience you as much (or more) than the other person, think about the long-term effect on them. Will they be a better athlete/coach/person if they finish what they've started properly?

Set the bar high... and the expectations higher.

Opportunities - Rebirth

A couple weeks ago I wrote about an opportunity that was presented to me. To support for a brief second in time, a family committed to making a difference. I was offered a chance to ride out from Kits beach with a family that had planned to ride across Canada. Benefiting the same foundation JDRF as our cross Canada ride late last year. On that day I followed through with what I said I was going to do and took part in their first chapter. As short as it was, it made an impact on me and made those I shared it with, feel good.

Fast forward.

Last week, that family of riders were struck by a car on the Trans-Canada Highway. Their support vehicle was an hour ahead, parked on the side of the road. The father was killed, his friend who was supporting was killed, his daughter broke her leg and his son sustained minor injuries…. It turns out a car was passing them on a single lane portion of the road and when a car appeared in the oncoming lane, the car swerved back and side-swiped the four riders…

Sadness, sorrow and mourning towards the families involved. Anger that it happened. Questions: How did this happen? What now? One must choose to think positively and progressively even in times like this.

It is unclear of the next steps in terms of the completion of the ride, time will only tell. Be sure of this – there will be opportunities that come next…From every action there is a reaction.

When an opportunity is on the table, don’t just thoughtlessly pass it by without truly giving it a chance.
Conversely – don’t just let it pass you by without choosing to create opportunities.

Thoughts?

The Bucket List

I watch the movie the bucket list last weekend and 4 things inspired me to write mine.

1.     Seeing Curtis checking some things off his list in 2007

2.    My best friend’s mom who died at 58 without driving more than 2 hour out of town, not flying…

3.   The movie The Bucket List

4.    The feeling of joining someone like Matt cross one thing off his list. http://www.swimupstreamlife.com/2007/09/what-do-you-want-to-do-before-you-die.html#links

 

if you don’t have one already I hope you will create one and make them happen for you.

A lot of people are unsure as to what to include in a bucket list, so they decide to put it off until they're crystal clear on exactly what they want.

Don't allow performance anxiety to stop you from creating your bucket list. Start by creating a  rough draft; you can always add, delete, or modify as you go along.

 

You're going to create your list by having an individual brainstorming session. Set your kitchen timer to go off in forty-five minutes and find a place where you won't be interrupted. Play Baroque music in the background, if you have it. Baroque music, such as "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi and PacBell’s "Cannon" have been shown to slow brainwaves down to the Alpha range, the brain frequency which has been linked to increased creativity.

 

Do not criticize or evaluate what you write down during the brainstorming process: you're trying to open yourself up to possibilities. Write down whatever comes into your head, it doesn't matter how wildly impractical the idea seems. Basically, you're going to have to quiet your internal critic, that little voice in your head that might be saying: "You can't do that"; "That's silly"; "I can't afford that." Push the limits on what you currently think is possible for you and think outside the boundaries of your current life.

 

It's never too early or too late to create a bucket list. So, whether you're 10 or 98, get started! It will feel really good when you get to cross one of them off and even better when your friends help you make it happen because you shared the list with them.


"Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed (98 3/4% guaranteed)." - Dr. Seuss

Have fun making your list!

Trusting One Self

I have had some extra time to catch up on some reading while on vacation. I decided to read the book ’Trust Me’ written my Matt Young ad Scott Boyle. While reading the book many things jumped out at me. Some of the material was new sparking new ideas getting me to think in different ways-this is great. But what stood out more to me during this read was the reinforcement of 1 thing that we hear on a daily basis that serves to create the foundation for future growth. The Personal Inventory. Yes, most of us have written ours and think we know the whole process as that is the position I found myself in. What I learned from reading this book was another reason behind the process of writing ones self story-to be able to better trust yourself.

Internal Trust
This is the trust we have within ourselves to be confident in the choices we make that dictate our future success. The degree in which many of us trust our own self is not always high. On June 20th I wrote about ’Values Clarification’ and after reading ’Trust Me’ I realized that internal trust is one of the most crucial first steps next to knowing what our personal values are before achieving your life mission.

Don’t Be Afraid to Flow
Easier said then done I know. But just do it. Take the time to write the inventory of yourself if you want to get ahead. Why am I emphasizing this first before taking on a greater role at work or in life? Because by writing we gain the better understanding of ourselves which in turn leads to a greater level of internal trust which is so important.

Why So Important?
Writing will determine how confident we are in ourselves in making the decisions in life that lead us to becomming more commited in what we do. Why commitment? Without this your are neiter in nor out, simply sitting on a fence wasting time. Get off the fence if you want to be successful. This goes for both personal or professional areas in our lives. Your inventory is your window to create trust willingness in yourself first by exposing your fears and making you vulnerable. Sharing it with others now creates that trust willingness in them.

A Simple Equation
Personal Inventory = Vulnerability = Trust Willingness = Internal Trust = Self Confidence = Commitment = Success. Combine this with understanding of your values and you will be unstopable in this life.

not taking it personal

Okay so I have to be honest, when I first read the email from Curt "Selling ourselves" it kinda rubbed me the wrong way and I was ready to vent BUT I didn't and decided to not take it personal. Alternatively, I decided to look into how I could take the feedback and learn to market myself better and this is what I found on the Monster.ca website:

Assess Your Soft Skills

In 1999, two years of experience as a systems administrator might have gotten you hired. No longer -- not when you are competing against hundreds of candidates with skills similar to yours. Candidates must now assess their soft skills. "This is about doing a little bit of soul-searching," Wilson says.

Ron Peterson, branch manager at the IT staffing firm Bradford & Galt suggests techies ask themselves about core competencies, especially mentoring and team-building. "Intangibles are going to sell this individual," Peterson notes.

I probably don't have to mention the obvious here but I will anyway.....this comes from doing our Personal Inventories and assessing our strengths and weaknesses.

Develop an Elevator Pitch

The elevator pitch is a brief self-marketing statement to be delivered at job fairs, conferences or other networking events. The pitch should echo the summary of a resume, according to Wilson, focusing on four key points designed to attract employers' attention. The pitch should sound informal and unrehearsed. To practice, deliver it to your answering voice mail, Wilson advises.

What do I want to communicate and market about myself in the span of a few sentences?

Seek a Support Structure

In order to learn, or relearn, networking and interviewing skills, look to organizations offering workshops or classes.

The big one for me would probably be public speaking classes to help me feel more comfortable in communicating.

Know Your Audience

Selling yourself effectively means learning everything you can about a company, from the time you write a cover letter to interview day. Tech job seekers "need to have researched the company, be able to speak intelligently about the company and offer their skill set to solve the company's problems," says Barry Mills, national recruiting director for MATRIX Resources, an IT staffing company.

As Matt has said time and time again, have a plan before you meet with someone and everyone to maximize the opportunity that's in front of us.

Be a Closer

Mills suggests techies use a traditional sales tactic for closing the sale. At the end of an interview, ask the interviewer, "Based on this interview, is there anything that would keep you from hiring me for this position?" As Mills notes, "It's very much a sales-type question." What's more, send a follow-up note to the individuals you've met at the company, thanking them for their time.

By presenting the other person with an opportunity to offer us real time feedback we can know exactly how our message was received by the other person. If needed, we can clarify further or take the feedback and apply it to the next situation.

- Paul -

Freedom

"It is bad to be oppressed by a minority, but it is worse to be oppressed by a majority."
~Lord Acton

Interesting story coming out of Sweden this week. Apparently, a school in Lund (southern Sweden) confiscated an 8 year old boy's birthday party invitations on the basis of discrimination - because he didn't invite everyone in the class.

Has the pendulum really swung this far?

There is a fundamental problem with a group imposing their will and beliefs onto everyone else, but this is so Orwellian that it actually makes me shudder. It's the state determining what it right and wrong for it's people, and masking it as a defense of the individual. What's worse, they're doing this to small child, and potentially determining his future responses to similar situations.

Freedom isn't easy - but we MUST be willing to let others make their own choices, and suffer the consequences if they turn out wrong. At some point, each of us has to stand up and argue in favor of each person's right to choose - even if we wholeheartedly disagree with the one they're going to make. As long as it doesn't interfere with another individual's freedoms and personal security, then frankly... it's none of our business.

And nor is it our government's.

So the next time you are working with someone whom you feel is about to make a poor choice, remember the situation above. Spell out all sides to the story, and then - step back. Our responsibility is to educate those around us, but sometimes the only way people learn is by making a mistake.

Choice, after all, defines freedom.

~Guy

team

We are so lucky to have a team like ours

The other day I was sitting with a good friend and over dinner, we chatted about team harmony and direction. It was amazing the parallels our company’s had and vast differences at the same time. Here he was talking about getting to know his people and trying to figure out how to motivate them. He was using example of personal test they had completed and graphs and charts they had come up with. He was explaining about how an outside company had come in to review everyone and was able to place each person on a map to determine what kind of person they were. Different quadrants meaning different things…sound familiar?

He was explaining how there must be a sole driver with vision and great leadership qualities to man the ship and keep its stay. Hummm, interesting…

He is always impressed with my comments on team unity and common perspectives. He always wants to hear about how our team empowers and also holds each other accountable. To be honest, he wants his company to be more like ours.

My question this week – how you thanked your team lately? Think about how much they do for you each day. When they call you out or give you a high five for completing a destination OR are there for you when you have a question…

Literally – I am racing through dirt trails and sweating up a storm…but I tell you, I am thinking about you all from time to time and I want you each to know, thank you for being you!

Richard