Who is your spotter?

4 x 8 sets of Heavy Bench Press

This was the workout.  

The last thing the coach said after explaining the workout was “Spotters are mandatory!”

In the gym culture, we think nothing of asking for assistance, or a spot, when lifting weights.  Yet, in our professional world, we often do everything by ourselves and often go out of our way to avoid asking for help.  Why is that?

It got me thinking, what does a spotter do? What are the rules or what makes a good spotter?

A spotter is one who keeps watch.  In the gym, this means that they are watching you, keeping you safe during the lift. 

Roles of a Good Spotter

• Safety
• Confidence
• Present with you (during the lift)
• With you, but does not do the work (no bro reps, or yelling “its all you” as they “help” you lift)
• Helps you find your limits (where your growth occurs, i.e. add 5 more pounds next time, or let's take off 5 pounds next time)
• Celebrate with you (both the struggles and the wins)

When lifting without a spotter, I find I will go lighter, use a weight I know I can hit.  This is safe, yet growth does not occur in the safe zone.  Growth happens at the edges, near the unknowns (I should be able to do this weight for 8 reps, but I do not know). 

The good news is that spotters can assist you in the professional world as well.  When you ask for a coach, mentor, or guide, this is a powerful statement of Intent.  You are saying to yourself, I am wanting to grow, stretch my limits, try something I do not know ahead of time how it will work out.  This is an important part of your growth.  Being intentional!

 Roles of a Great Coach

• Safety – they can help you know when to push and when to pull back
• Confidence & Presence – they are there with you during your work
• With you, but you still do the work – if the coach is doing the work, then you are not growing, they are
• Celebrate with you – we do not stop and celebrate the wins that come from hard work.  Growth is not given to us, it has to be earned.  Remember this and celebrate the results of your hard work

Rest time is over, get back to the bar.  Time for your next lift!

There is no such thing as a born...

Photo by Anugrah Lohiya from Pexels

The born salesperson

500+ Seth Godin by Seth Godin  /  5d  //  keep unread  //  hide

There’s no such thing as a born salesperson.

What there are… are people with empathy and learned charisma who choose to work hard.

If you show up and show up and show up, and care enough to learn to connect, you will have a skill for life.

In the meantime, consider getting yourself hooked on 30 minutes a day of audio that trains you to sell. It takes a while, but it’s learnable.

Zig Ziglar, Anthony Iannarino, Dan Pink, Brian Tracy, Frank Bettger, Jill Konrath … anyone who will help you learn the long-game, the generous long game.

I love this article by Seth Godin, especially because the content of the message is true no matter the subject.

You can insert almost any topic and the statement is still true.

There is no such thing as a born…

• Leader
• Teacher
• Parent
• Finance Manager
• Event Planner
• Marketing Manager
• CEO
• Business Owner
• Friend

But, if you show up and show up and show up, and care enough to learn, you will have a skill for life.

The question is "What do you care about getting better at?"

"Where in your life is your good enough not good enough?"

The best leaders are always learning because they know what they have is a skill.  And that skill must continue to be honed and practiced or it gets dull and no longer serves you.  If you do not know where to start, start by identifying the people you admire.  Read and research what they are doing, then, go and show up.  

It's not about the eggs (but it is all about the eggs)

Customer Service Story

It was a quick trip to the grocery store, needed to grab eggs, soup, and a gluten-free dessert for Lisa.  It was mentally taxing because I was doing this without a list (I know, I like to live dangerously). 

I keep repeating eggs, soup, gluten-free dessert; eggs, soup, gluten-free dessert; eggs, soup, gluten-free dessert so I do not forget what I came in for. 

Grab all three items, no cart or basket for this guy, and proceed to checkout.  My cashier rings up my items, and then she takes the extra step as she is sacking my order to open the eggs to make sure none are broken. 

The extra step.  The one the other stores do not do, they ring you up and get you out.  It takes time, it takes training and yet it is so helpful to me the customer.  You see I was so intent on what I wanted to get, eggs, I forget that I needed to open them to make sure they were not cracked (which of course mine were).  Arriving home with cracked eggs is an inconvenience, but it is completely avoidable with good customer service.

Thank you Market Street, for the care and training you give to your employees.  It truly is the focus on the little things that make this store such a special place, because all of these little things add up to loyal customers.

So, what are the cracked eggs that show up in your business?  

What is that little something extra that you can do (or used to do) that makes your customers love you and go out of their way to return to you?

If you don’t look for and fix, well the “yokes” on you (so sorry, I could not resist!)

Lessons on Reflections

When do you reflect on what just happened? 

I have found that most leaders are running so fast from completed project to the start of the next project that they never leave time for stopping to learn from what just happened. 

What insights, lessons, or do overs are you missing out on?  If you have to do this project again (or a similar type event) in the future, here are a few questions to consider asking yourself:

• What would you do different?
• What would you keep the same?
• What would you not do (the next time around)?
• What would you add?
• What would you try/experiment with next time?

The magic is not in the questions asked, but in the slowing down and reflecting on the events.  That is where the lessons are learned and your growth as a leader occurs.  Slow down, reflect and you will get more done.

What is one thing you have learned from reflecting back on last week?

Put me in Coach

“Put me in coach, I’m ready to play, today

Put me in coach, I’m ready to play, today

Look at me, I can be centerfield”

The song “Centerfield” by John Fogerty is a sure sign spring and baseball spring training is just around the corner.

It got me thinking about what does into the development of a successful baseball player.  Here is a short list of all the people that are involved:

- Manager
- Assistant Manager
- Hitting Coach
- Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Catching & Fielding Coach
- Base Running Coach

Think about all of the people (coaches) it takes to develop a baseball player!

Each one of these people have a specific role and expertise in helping the baseball player become better.  Let’s apply this to you and your life and business.

Who are the people in your life that are responsible for helping you develop and work on you?

It is the same process in business and life as it is in baseball.  You need to surround yourself with people that are focused on helping you get better.

A personal coach is a great place to start.

There are many good one out there.  If you do not find what you need, reach out to me.

I am a personal coach, a person that coaches others on opportunities, challenges, and areas of struggles in both business and life. 

And I too need to practice.  I have dedicated time each week to learn and develop new skills.  I also need other people to practice with!  This is where you come in.  If you have an opportunity, challenge, dream, or your own area that you want to start to practice, reach out to me and we can have a conversation. 

No fee or charge, it’s just practice.

What's your Practice?

When do you practice?

This Sunday, the message was on the topic of practice.  

My main insight from this sermon on practice was this:  

• An Attorney is someone who practices law
• A Doctor is someone who practices medicine
• A Christian is someone who practices their faith

The opposite was shared too, that knowledge without a practice is useless.  The doctor with a cure for cancer, but does not do anything with this information, is worthless to others.  You must be willing to put your knowledge into practice.

What keeps people from practicing?  Fear of failure, fear of mistakes, fear of being found out that you do not really know it all?  If you have the mindset of the expert, I can now see how these thoughts can hold you back.  But in the mindset of practice, it holds the space that you are still learning, getting better, making mistakes, trying new ways to improve and build on what you know.  You also never stop because there is no end point.  Practice is the end point.

So what do you want to start practicing again?  Faith, Family, Fitness, Friends, Fun?

The best part about the practice mindset is that there are coaches of all types out there that can assist you in your practice.  They can help you establish a practice, can help you get better quicker, improve your technique, and make you better at what you are working on.  Do not hesitate to reach out and let them be a part of your practice.

How does this apply to me?  I am a personal coach, a person that coaches others on opportunities, challenges, and areas of struggles in both business and life. 

And I too need to practice.  I have dedicated time each week to learn and develop new skills.  I also need other people to practice with!  This is where you come in.  If you have an opportunity, challenge, dream, or your own area that you want to start to practice, reach out to me and we can have a conversation. 

No fee or charge, it’s just practice.

Struggles all Successful Leaders Face

What do Successful Leaders struggle with?

In this series of blog posts, I am going to share the top 5 struggles I have seen my clients face and most importantly; how they specifically overcame each one. I use the qualifier successful, because while each of these leaders are performing at a high level, they still run into issues because of their success.  

Take a look below and see if these struggles resonate with you.

1. You have lost control of your calendar

2. You only focus on the short term 

3. You cannot see that you have a distorted view of reality

 (This is why you need an outside partner to help you re-frame your struggle and see different options)

4. You are not being selfish enough

5. You feel that you do not have the luxury of time to learn new skills

While these challenges may impact everybody, they present a strong barrier for mid to senior leaders because these issues have a larger impact to keeping them from their goals and hamper the success of their companies.

Let me know what you think.  Do these hit home with you?  Did I leave something out?

Stay tune for the next post where I will share strategies and processes for eliminating these struggles.