This morning I spent some time reflecting on all of the mentors along my journey who helped me see what's possible in my life. Teachers, coaches, family, friends, bosses - mostly people who had no idea they were role-modeling a life of goodness for me. One person in particular, our family physician Larry Finney, helped me see a picture of who I could be when I grew up. The question for me now is:
Two weeks ago, I was the Master of Ceremonies, and part of the team that hosted the MN Business Top 100 Best Places to Work celebration. Instead of a snoozy dinner, the event felt more like senior week before college graduation. It was a party! This annual event has emerged as the best one in its category. Because the best and brightest of the MN small, medium, and large business scene get just a little bit rowdy in celebrating their success. It was awesome! But, are awards worth the investment? Business awards in general create a divide:
As much as I'm loving the World Cup soccer tournament this year, I'm slightly muted in my joy because USA isn't in the mix. I love chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!," even when we are getting our butts kicked. Maybe it's my advancing age, but I'm feeling my patriotism surge these days. Yes, the dialogue coming out of Washington DC is troubling. And yes, I'm sick of mass shootings and corporate shenanigans. But, I'm also the son of a Veteran. So, here's what I'm celebrating:
Returning to the basics is all about revisiting the four values which support "goodness" in leadership - excellence, generosity, fairness and positivity. We call them the Cornerstones of Goodness, because the foundation of everything coaching is built upon are these four enduring values. The end of a very satisfying week of coaching in Los Angeles ended with this familiar comment from a client:
I'm feeling younger today. This past Saturday, my daughter Katie and I "graduated" from the ten-week fitness challenge at Farrell's Extreme Body Shaping in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. You may recall, I blogged about my 55-year old insight that I need to learn better self-care on May 1st of this year. The punchline was how I was lured into the Farrell's kickboxing based fitness program as Katie's accountability partner. It was an easy decision for two reasons:
Leadership is about many things, including resilience. It's important for good leaders to show up in ways that are consistently positive...so they can radiate goodness. But what happens when important things don't go the way we planned? Within the past week, we've had amazing highs around here: a lot of new clients, projects, and investments that are beginning to shape our future. And we've had some tough decisions that tested our positivity.
This past Saturday, June 2, 2018, our youngest child, Anna Mary Batz, graduated from college. It was one of those moments where I really felt successful. What does that even mean? By whose definition of success would I make that statement? And why is it important to "feel successful?" Yes, my work is important, but without a doubt parenting is the most satisfying part of my life. Melinda and I share many things, but mostly we share the idea that
Let's start the summer with a celebration! Two weeks ago, the co-host of our Good Leadership Breakfast Series earned the "Woman of the Year" designation by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society of Minnesota. On Saturday, May 19, Julie McDonough claimed the stage in joyous, graceful elegance as a huge crowd cheered her name. Her smile was radiant and magnetic. What I admire about what Julie did the most is this:
"You need to make it good yourself," a teacher and mentor told Amanda Brinkman. That's how her brilliant career began. Amanda was the speaker at the Good Leadership Breakfast last Friday, May 18 - ending the Spring 2018 series. Today she is Chief Brand and Communications Officer for Deluxe Corporation, and her message "doing well by doing good" was well-defended and exceptionally well presented. Here's what she shared with us last Friday:
What we concentrate on grows. Ten years ago this month, I started concentrating on the idea that I needed to start my own firm. It took me 18 months, with the help of a good friend, to take action. If you read The Bucket List Book, you know that after starting my own firm, the #1 item on my list was an African Safari. It was #1 because I knew the firm had to be successful for me to take a month off to make the Safari happen. The dream came true this past March. The setting was the most enchanting place I've ever been, and the safari was the coolest thing I've ever done. Here's why:
