Tag: Career

Leadership Wake Up Call

This Is Your Wake Up Call
This Is Your Wake Up Call

Yesterday’s jungle jeff blog post ended sort of weird, didn’t it?

It felt like that to me anyway.

Leadership. Personal leadership or professional leadership. It doesn’t matter.

Maybe it’s “right-sizing” at work, that’s your wake-up call.

Maybe it’s an alarming medical report that does it at home.

These are the things that rattle our cage and inspire us to make dramatic changes.

Positive changes.

Life-altering changes.

Just the other day, a neighbor commented that he was relieved he was given a package. As an executive, he felt he always remained a “target”.

Now, he no longer has that worry. He said he saw it coming and started an entrepreneurial business last year.  Now he can devote full-time effort to it. He claimed he should have done this long ago.

Good for him.  Proactive effort. Now, back to the point. What are you planning to do this year?

Makes everyone think, doesn’t it?

And then the Christmas Day attempted terrorist attack reminded me of something.

Leader Top Priorities?

Leadership priorities.  Probably the single most important “to do” on a great leader’s list.  Right?

At the top for me is a compelling vision.  Then acting with integrity. And thirdly, building trust.

But these aren’t the priorities I’m talking about.

I’m referring to personal, moral priorities.

A few months ago, I had the privilege to hear a Fortune 100 President give a speech. To my surprise he listed his as:

  1. Faith
  2. Family
  3. Career

Didn’t see that one coming.  Career was third.  As a Fortune 100 President. Wow.

Live authentically, serve humbly, live to make other’s dreams come true.

Half My Life

Tonight my wife and I will attend our company’s service awards banquet at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.  We’ve each achieved 25 years of service with our company.

Many Central Florida companies utilize Disney World’s fabulous facilities to host their events. Our company is no exception.  Plus, we live a stone’s throw from Disney’s Contemporary Resort.  That’s just cool, if you ask me.

Anyway, we’ve lived in Central Florida, permanently, since 1984.  I spent the better portion of 1982 working here, then left to pursue a dream of riding a bicycle across the United States (that’s a tale for another time).

While social media is THE way for the future, many organizations are currently figuring it out.  So if anything here seems vague, please know it’s on purpose.

What is so exciting though is the realization that we have both devoted our lives, half our lives actually, to the same great company.

It’s one of those milestones that we’ve never reached before.  And having now reached it, it is almost too cool to comprehend.  (gulp) All modesty aside, we are both very good at what we do – how could you not be after 25 years?  That’s also a milestone, becoming a true professional in your field.

I hope our son (9) will have the joy in his career that we are feeling.

Oh, and one more thing, I hope you do too.

LinkedIn Profile Quick Tip

LinkedIn profiles.  How many have you read?  I’ve read a ton.

Please forgive me for saying this, “Most of them bore me to tears”. They all say essentially the same thing about the author, “I’m so smart, I’m so smart, I’m so smart”.

The intent, noble.  The result, boring.  Why?  Because they all sound the same. Without creativity, and without courage, we perform the status quo.

Who’s looking to hire status quo?  In today’s tough market, I’m guessing no one.

What prompted this post?  A couple days ago a LinkedIn connection said, “Yours is the best LinkedIn profile ever.  Interesting yet informative”.

Ok, so it’s just one person’s opinion, but it sure feels good to know the intent and the result aligned.

Our Similarities Are Different

MBA – If you have one, are getting one, or plan to in the future, an MBA carries a certain clout.

People seek clout for a variety of reasons.  Mostly, it would seem, to advance their career and their paycheck.

In a competitive world, key advantages make for good strategy.  But because everyone knows an MBA increases one’s chances over one without an MBA, you’d think more people would actually get an MBA.

So why don’t they?  Not sure.  In fact, it’s really inconsequential.

The MBA I’m pursuing is for the same reasons, but the approach I’m taking is a completely different strategy than anyone else I know.

Seems our similarities are different.