The Present

 The window of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas – and the run up to the New Year always gets me to thinking about and reflecting upon what ‘1 Word’ I will choose for the New Year. 

 

Lately, this is what has been gnawing at me (it actually has been a multi-year gnaw😊): When I go to sleep at night, what exactly did I accomplish with the day? 

 

All of our time is finite. We are not promised tomorrow. Our only assurance is the present day. 

 

So the adage goes…begin with the end in mind. But for today’s post, simply think of the ‘end’ as the end of the day. 

 

When you bed down tonight, what will make it a productive-successful-impactful day? Determine those priorities- then, get after it.

 

Win the Day. I’m in your corner- take care-pja

 

 

“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

~Stephen Covey

 

 

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Geronimo

I know this year has been a year like no other. You have been called upon to do more than you ever have- your leadership skills are truly being forged by fire. 

 

So this morning, I wanted to share two statements from the US Navy Seals that I think will provide some encouragement for you as you (hopefully) have an opportunity to step back, reflect, and recharge. 

 

As we have journeyed since March- each day seems to bring its own set of unique challenges and hurdles. In Navy Seal training, in order to drive on from yesterday and embrace the new challenges of the day, the mantra is “The Only Easy Day was Yesterday.” So it is with us…we embrace the new day- accept the new challenges before us- and know the day will be hard but we drive on anyway. 

 

And, in Navy Seal Training- knowing it will stretch them like nothing they have experienced before, another mantra they hold tight to is “Embrace the Suck.” Longing for easy days makes us weak and soft. Our leadership team has risen to the challenge because we have ‘embraced the suck’. We have held passionately strong to a growth mind set through the many trials we have adventured through. Adversity is the seedbed of growth. 

 

In closing, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for each and every one of you. I could walk around with each of you- and thank you on the hour every hour and it would not adequately express how thankful I am for you- and what you mean to our team. In the true spirit of Thanksgiving- thank you. You are leaving a lasting impact. 

 

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving- take care- pja

 

“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”

~Theodore Roosevelt. 

 

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Blind Spots

I was all set to talk with you this morning about a Maxwell Podcast I listened to last week. The highlight: Love your people; Lead your people. And Lift your people. 

 

Then I had a dream last night. And in that dream, a para-professional and I were having a conversation here in the District. And she says, I know what you are terrible at. 

 

I said, “What’s that?”

 

She said, “You do a terrible job of hiding your irritation. When you are irritated, everyone knows it.” 

 

I have been thinking about this dream quite a bit this morning. Maybe because it is a Board Meeting day. But in all actuality, it is true. I suppose it is a blind spot I have. And an area I know I need to work on. 

 

We all have blind spots. If you can open those communication lines to those around you- to better understand your grow areas, and allow yourself the vulnerability to admit your grow areas…you will become that much of a better leader. Admitting weakness is not easy but critical for us to grow individually and as a team. 

 

I hope you grow today. I’m in your corner. Fight the good fight- pja

 

“What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.”

~Haruki Murakami

 

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Mental Fitness

 I have mentioned my oldest brother often times to you- he is a tremendous learning resource for me. Currently, he is in charge of Command Strike Group 3- he oversees about 10K sailors and Marines. 

 

He said one of the greatest challenges they are facing – from a personnel front- is suicide ideation. As we have talked about ways they are combatting it, he has spoken quite about on the ‘mental fitness’ route they are exploring. 

 

Recently, he met with a ‘Mental Fitness’ coach. The coach explained that one of the biggest ways to sharpen you mental fitness is to gauge your ‘Present-ness”. As you go through your day- with various meetings-interactions, etc. how ‘present’ are you? 

 

He said he has gotten into a routine of assessing how present he was after each meeting he has- and when he is talking with someone, how engaged he was in the conversation. 

 

I live my life in a perpetual state of distraction. BUT I know I could exponentially grow by being more present- and I am anxious to find out what it would do for my own personal ‘Mental Fitness’. 

 

How about you; how present are you? Are you fully where your feet are? What steps could you take this week to be more present? Not just at work- but home life as well? 

 

Get after it today. I am in your corner- take care- pja

 

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” 

~Amit Ray

 

 

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The Gladiator

 I came across this quote this week…spoken over 2000 years ago by Marcus Aurelius: “Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought.”

 

When I was in Elementary School, Jeff Kellner, the Principal, in a desperate attempt to keep us from watching ‘R’ rated movies would often repeat, “Smut -in- smut – out. Garbage in. Garbage out.” 

 

So it is with you- as you go about the week, there are enough competing voices to bring you down. What are you filling your mind with to combat the energy vampires? We all know energy suckers are aplenty…how can you flip the script to fill your mind with only those things that are going to give you energy? 

 

Emotional intelligence. Recognize those things that give you life. And those that drain you. 

 

Get after it- I’m in your corner- take care- pja

 

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.”

~General James Mattis 

 

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A Minute of Monday Morning Motivation

 Greetings! 

First and foremost, my apologies for being gone for so long. I would love to come up with a great excuse. It would serve no purpose. I need to be better. And I will be...

I started something about a 6 weeks ago with our Leadership Team. Every Monday morning, I send a short piece of wisdom, motivation, and encouragement. In the midst of craziness and the whirlwind of life, I vowed to keep the 'read' under a minute. 

I will share the past entries...and, moving forward, will post each Monday what I write. 

As always, thank you for visiting the site. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! 

Keep leading. Keep learning. Win the Day- pja

The Hungry Leader

It is hard to believe we have two days left in July. The quietness of summer will soon be replaced by the frantic prep of getting ready for another school year...with the sounds of the band beginning to play and fall sports teams ready to take the field. 

One thing I have always challenged myself with- and encourage others to do so as well is to take the summer to take a deep dive introspectively into your own leadership journey. Summer is a great time to be quiet, and to reflect on where you were, where you are, and where you are going for this upcoming school year. 

As I have shared on this blog before, I spend some time every morning reading the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Interestingly enough, I am always able to glean some sort of wisdom on just about a daily basis. The below quote has really resonated with me...and its impact on how hungry we are as leaders to get better. (Villanueva plays offensive line for the Steelers; not knowing his future with professional football, he began working on his Masters Degree at Carnegie Mellon while still playing for the Steelers). 

“I liked being around people who are very hungry in life,” Villanueva said. “Sometimes when you are hanging around millionaires all the time, they don’t have the ambitions and the drive. When you are talking about (someone with an) H-1B visa coming from India and wanting to stay in the United States and wanting the best grades possible because he wants to stay in Silicon Valley and work for a tech company, that mindset was very contagious.”

While I love this statement in its entirety, here is what has resonated with me: I like being around people who are very hungry in life.

Are you hungry? What are you doing to feed your hunger? Would Villanueva want to spend time with you, as a 'hungry' person? And, equally important, are you surrounding yourself with 'hungry' people? If you are a leader of leaders, would your team describe you as 'hungry'?

In my humble opinion, true growth only comes when we can be brutally honest with ourselves. I encourage you to take some time over the next few weeks before the madness begins. Challenge yourself with the above quote. Are you hungry? Or, has your appetite been satiated. If so, how do you get back 'the eye of the tiger'...and get hungry all over again?

Be mindful of your hunger pangs. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Never stop leading.
Better everyday. Growth comes from being hungry.

Godspeed on your journey. pja