Dream Come True!
I once had a dream. In fact, it was so long ago that I forgot that I ever had it! Have you ever been reminded of an old dream and then brought up short when you thought about it after all those years? What was your dream? Maybe is was to be an astronaut, or a doctor, or a ballerina, or a fireman, or the President, or a baseball player or, or, or, or, or....
Last week I was reminded of a dream that I had back in college at a small school in central Minnesota, the College of St. Benedict. Five miles away was our "brother" school, St. John's University. For all intents and purposes, the two schools were one. While I liked CSB I REALLY LOVED SJU! The whole campus was perfect-old buildings with lots of character, a lake with a haunted chapel in the distance, BOYS, a great culture of learning and living, did I mention-BOYS?
Anyway, when I was studying at SJU I would dream about someday coming back and teaching there. FAST FORWARD: a bunch of years later and, guess what? No PHD, not even a masters degree and...we live like 800 miles away from my dream, which, did I mention, I'd totally forgotten about? Until last week that is.
Through a series of circumstances I was asked to fill in for a teacher at Miami University. I didn't hesitate. Nor did I realize that I was fulfilling a dream-until I was in front of the kids. Then, it all came rushing in. Although I wasn't at SJU, it's hard to complain about being on campus at MU!
DREAMS....how do we forget them? Should we seek a compromise to fulfill our dreams, should we just forget them or should we create new dreams? In this case, it wasn't so much about the dream, but rather, about DREAMING. At some point I'd given up on this dream because I didn't want to pursue an advanced degree. It never crossed my mind to find another way to achieve this dream. NEVER! You don't have to have a doctorate to teach on a cool campus!
I used to dream of being a medical doctor. I wonder if there's a way to get around the M.D. requirement?
Something to think about......
Peg
I Quit!
Several months ago my 17 yr. old daughter, Corrie, asked me if I'd coach her basketball team. I've never coached any sports and only played a year of high school basketball. (I HATED it because I practiced hard, was put on the varsity team as a sophomore-because I was tall, not because I was good, played for ten minutes all season and ended not playing the next year---BUT that's another story!) Anyway, Corrie was putting together a rec team of her friends and wanted me to be the "un" coach. The girls didn't want any of the dads to coach because they're always on them to perform rather than helping them to have fun but they needed an adult in order to play. I agreed.
I have to give kudos to my daughter. She did everything that needed to be done to get this team together and to make sure we were all at the games. We lost our first game by quite a bit. I was sure that we were doomed for the season! The next game we only lost by one point. After that we won way more than we lost. I wish I could say that I had anything to do with it-NOT! The most significant thing that I contributed was to suggest that they each take a turn at planning a practice. I guess I was at least trying to act as a leadership coach.
After we were crushed in our first game I started writing this blog post in my head. I was going to talk about how we had fun even if we didn't win but it just goes to show that everyone needs a coach, blah, blah blah! The girls messed everything up! They went and WON the championship tournament. So, what's the lesson? To tell you the truth, I don't know! We rarely had a whole team at a game and had very few practices (17 year old girls are very busy!). We tried to create just one play, which never worked, so they just played without any plays. We dealt with crazy schedules, breakups with boyfriends, too much partying, whether legs had been shaved or not, forgetting the right hair tie, conversations about whether or not someone's shorts were the right color, and God only knows what else! Actually, we saw it all-except great preparation for a game and/or execution during the game. YET-they won!
Again, what is the lesson? I really wish that I could say that everyone needs a coach is the main lesson but it's not. Instead, I think it's a lesson for the parents and I hate to say it, especially the dads. My daughter drove separately to every game because she didn't want to be in the car after the game when her dad would go every detail of the game. One of the girls forbid her dad from coming to any to any of the games. These girls love their dads but they're at a point in their lives where they don't want to be coached by them.
Ok-so I do have a lesson to share (I knew I'd find it!). My daughter worked REALLY hard to put this team together. She recruited the people that she wanted and needed on her team-including me, the token adult. She communicated with all of us and she kept it fun for her teammates. She reminded me to bring the scorebook and money for the refs. She played her heart out and although was not thought of as the best player at the beginning, was by far the leading scorer. She planned the after party (which I wasn't invited to-what's up with that?!) In other words, THIS WAS IMPORTANT TO HER AND SHE MADE SURE THAT IT WORKED! Corrie is the lesson!
As you head into another week of building your business, think about Corrie's lessons for all of us:
- If you're doing something that's important to you you'll work REALLY hard to be sure that it works!
- Surround yourself with a team that is not only good, but also is made up of people that you want to "play" with
- You need to take the lead and others will follow
- Make it fun!
- Don't get in the car with your crabby "dad" (hang out with someone who will build you up while helping you be better)!
- If you step up to do something that you're not qualified for, have a "Corrie" at your back!
So, after my first and only winning season, I'm going to QUIT. I can't see anything left to accomplish as a basketball coach. I've reached the pinnacle and will retire on top! I'm not just quitting though, I've recruited my son to coach next year. HE knows what he's doing! I just hope his results are as good as mine! He's got a lot to live up to!
Another lesson: the thought of "quitting" has inspired a campaign that we're launching. Watch for more to come!
Peg
Take Action Today
I was talking to a friend/colleague/member today (the titles get kind of mushed up when we're in community!). She asked me about the effect of the economy and how to spin that into her story. I thought I'd share what came of this conversation.
The economy has done nothing more than accelerate what probably would have happened anyway. Businesses that would never change didn't and went under. Those that have an innovative mindset in place were (are) able to seek opportunities and change with the tide. People that were a bad fit for their company were the first to be let go. Those that are irreplaceable are still there.
I know that I'm oversimplifying and I don't mean to make light of anyone's pain. I'm simply saying that those that were prepared to react quickly, have been rewarded for doing so and those that continue to hang on to the old ways of doing things, are struggling and will continue to.
In many ways the economy has been an accelerant for the inevitable. Thinking of it like this might help you to make better decisions NOW and in the future. Ask yourself some important questions:
~How accountable are you? Really!
~What change have you embraced? Really!
~What is holding you back? Really!
~What does your new vision in this new economy look like? (This is a new world-to survive you need to look at it that way.)
~What have you let go of? (Good for you!)
I'd REALLY love some conversation about this important mindset. I'm listening!
Peg
Authentic Business????
Hello!
The word "authentic" has been coming up a lot lately. I recently joined a LinkedIn group called "Authentic Leadership". It's all about leading with character and creating a revolutionary movement to do so. The same day I joined the group I got an email with Andrew Cohen's quote of the week about "Authentic Self". One of our members asked that I post it so I thought I'd also like to discuss it. You can see the quote entitled "Where There Is No Other" here.
What does authenticity mean to you? To me it means being aware of what I believe and being able to translate that into my thoughts, words and actions. Leading with authenticity is a risky endeavor. It means that I have to be VERY sure of who I am, what I believe and how I want the world to view me AND to be affected by me. That's a lot of responsibility! Interestingly, while I was searching for the link to the quote I referenced above I found another of Cohen's quotes, entitled "Authentic Leaders", that's even more impactful for the leader in all of us:
It begins, The thought of being a leader may seem like an appealing idea to the ego, but the reality of what being an authentic leader implies scares the ego to death. It means ego death. Why? Because it means that we actually care so much about a higher purpose, a higher principle, a higher goal, that we're willing to make the most important sacrifices for the sake of what we are aspiring to accomplish.
As business owners we are all evolving leaders. Many of us get into business, at least in part, because of an ego thing that we have going. It's cool to own your own business! I love saying that I'm a business owner rather than an employee of XYZ company! People look up to me and look to me for advice simply because I own my own business!
Here's the thing though: you and I won't last very long in our businesses if we're only in it because of an ego trip. That's why the part of Cohen's quote that says, ...it means that we actually care so much about a higher purpose, a higher principle, a higher goal, that we're willing to make the most important sacrifices for the sake of what we are aspiring to accomplish" is so very important.
For years I've been saying that the most important tools of the entrepreneur are his/her vision and purpose. Let me update that advice: the most important tools of an entrepreneur that is building a successful, sustainable business model are vision and purpose. What's the difference? I'm sure it's obvious but if not, let me spell it out for you: Anyone can start a business. Print a few business cards and you're in business, right? It takes someone special to GROW a business. Before we can attempt to step into the role of an authentic leader of a sustainable business we HAVE to be convicted in our purpose and in search of clarity in our vision (I say "in search of" because we have to allow for the evolution of the business model in early stages).
As evolving leaders, I encourage us all to heed Andrew Cohen's words and ditch the ego while embracing the purpose! Do some digging into self. What's important to you? How do you define "authentic" and what role does that authenticity play in your business? These aren't necessarily easy questions to answer. It requires a degree of "nakedness" and transparency to be authentic. Guess what? Leadership also requires transparency! This will be great practice for all of us!
Let me know what you think and how this impacts YOUR business!
Just say YES!
Peg