BalanceI once had a friend tell me that when companies tell you they want you to have a work-life balance they didn’t really mean it. He thought the employers he had worked for would soak up every available minute of his life. While this may be true of some workplaces it really boils down to…
Finding your passion Interviewing people became an important part of my career early on. I learned that the quality of the people I hired drove the success of my team. One of the things I noticed about the people I talked to was that some had little passion about working. It was apparent that they…
Do you ever wonder why something that often works is not effective? I’ve had this experience recently while taking a course in mindfulness. Working hard and striving to accomplish things yielded results in my work life. Setting goals, holding myself accountable, checking things off my to do list…all of these things led to forward progress.…
I have a friend who is a hard charger. He has high energy and can tackle almost any problem with a zest that is admirable. He is relentless in trying out different options to solve the problem of the day. Most people admired his ability to do so many things effectively. When praised for this…
Some people enter retirement with some idea of things they’d like to do – travel, home projects, pursue hobbies, etc. While all of these things are meaningful and important they sometimes lead to a feeling of emptiness. I surveyed a number of friends in their first five years of retirement. One of…
I am an Alabama college football fan and have been my whole life. I heard something on TV the other day about an upcoming Alabama game and one of the former Alabama opponents was talking to a current Alabama quarterback . The current Alabama player asked the opponent how he played so spectacularly in a…
Many people wonder about what their purpose is in life. It is a consideration that one might ponder when they are at a crossroads in life. During times of transition, we reflect about longer-term issues because the decisions we make often have ramifications years down the road. How might one go about discovering their reason…
Do you ever feel like you just don’t have the energy to do something? You know it should be done – you just can’t summon the discipline to proceed. I dare say all of us feel this way at times. Common things we tell ourselves are: “I’m not ready.” “I’ll do it later.” “I’m afraid…
Years ago I was a young medical supply salesman. I had many hours in the car driving to see my customers in rural hospitals. A mentor of mine suggested a series of lessons from Earl Nightingale called Lead the Field. There are 12 lessons that run 25 – 35 minutes each. I Iistened to them…
I approached retirement with a fair amount of apprehension. I had always enjoyed the work I did because it was interesting, challenging, full of surprises and very intense. My career was in sales of medical diagnostic equipment, a winner take all process that had long sales cycles and vigorous competition. At times it was frustrating…