Category Archives: Personal Growth

How to stay on track with your goals

by Posted under discipline, Goal Setting, Meeting rhythm, Personal Growth, Small Business | No Comments
Newton’s first law, states that a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to stay at rest. Of course, Newton is talking about objects like a ball or a chair. If these things are at rest, they tend to stay at rest unless some outside force moves them. I was thinking about how this law as it applies to life and how the disciplines we apply in our lives have the same “first law” effect. For example, I know I should exercise. I know this is an important discipline which is part of being healthy. I've gone through periods where I’m exercising a few times a week. It’s tough to get up at 5am, but I do it. I've noticed it’s easier to get up at 5am when I’ve Read more [...]
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The Risk and Reward Principle

by Posted under decision making, Personal Growth, Small Business, taking risks | No Comments
This past spring I decide to buy a boat. I had never owned a boat before and literally knew very little about how to operate one. I didn't know the bow from the stern and the hundreds of other things that a boat owner needs to know. I did however have a goal - to spend more time with my family. After talking to many other boat owners, I felt that boating offered a great way to spend time while enjoying the outdoors. I began my research and ended up purchasing a great boat for a family that offers the ability to stay overnight (camping in the water). My kids were all thrilled, my wife was happy - I was good to go. The day came to take the boat out for the first time. The dealer who sold me Read more [...]
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Watch Out For Your Blind Spots

by Posted under Leadership, Personal Growth, Personality Types | No Comments
If you’re like me you have blind spots. You’re doing your thing, living your life, then WHAM something hits you and you realize that you had a huge blind spot about something. For me, it’s usually has something to do with the way that I relate to others. My personality type causes me to have a weakness in this area. When you’re in a leadership role you need to be more and more aware of the affect your words and deeds have on other folks. So how do you deal with blind spots? I’ve got a few simple ways… 1. Be honest with your self No one is perfect. One of my early blind spots was that I thought I was always right (which is completely ridiculous by the way). As a young lad, Read more [...]
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How Understanding Your Personality Can Make You a Better Leader

by Posted under Leadership, Personal Growth, Personality Types, teachability | No Comments
I just completed my 7th book of the year, “What’s My Type?” by Hurley & Dobson. I’ve always been interested in understanding personality types ever since I first discovered the Myer’s Briggs personality typing reading the book “Type Talk”. It was very revealing for me being an introvert and lover of science, the book helped me to understand my own personality and how I relate to others (pretty important for an Introvert as especially important if you’re a leader and manager of people). In case you’re wondering, my Myers Briggs profile is INTJ. Hurley & Dobson’s book focused on the Enneagram, which is another method of understanding personality types. The book describes Read more [...]
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Insights on Leadership from Inc

by Posted under Leadership, Personal Growth | No Comments
A recent article in Inc magazine, Bob Sutton was asked some interesting questions about leadership…here some of what he had to say. “In tough times, what leadership traits are the first to go out the window? The ability to look at things in a cognitively complex way. The more stress you are under, the more you oversimplify things. You tend to grab the first decision. It’s really easy to become selfish and stupid. Look at Tony Hayward’s performance after the BP oil spill.” This quote really spoke to me. Mr. Sutton’s comment is really a combination of two things – (1) decision making and (2) character development. I’ve recently been involved in some executive coaching. Read more [...]
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My Daily Feedback Loop

by Posted under Personal Growth | No Comments
There is only one way to improve – you have to measure your performance to some standard. You need a feedback loop. I use a daily feedback loop that helps me continue to move in the right direction. I ask myself the following 4 questions at the end of each day. #1. Did I give 100% today My son plays lacrosse and at the start of every practice the team needs to do a couple laps around the field. My son hates running and typically ends up last. I ask him to look me in the eye and tell me if he gave 100%. The answer is usually no. He can run. He has no injuries. He just doesn’t want to do it. If you’re honest with yourself, there are days when you “mail it” in. For whatever reason, Read more [...]
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