Blog |
By Casey Grey
Blog |
I rarely take the time to partake in the testosterone-building activities that are required for me to feel complete.
So what do I do? I take action to change this! I'm creating a men's group and I'm making it public so that I stick to it. If you are a man, live in Ottawa, want to do cool shit and have fun all while being an outstanding husband, father and leader, let me know. Only great men will be accepted. Idle time.
Unplanned time. Lost time. Wasted time. Great times. A long time. A short time. Family time. Movie time. Rest time. Vacation time. Work time. Gym time. Sexy time. Lunch Time. Weekend time. Me time. The time of my life... Time is our most precious asset. Spend it wisely. As a business, having the right people on the bus is important.
Unfortunately there's not always a seat for everybody you want. Especially in a small business. Whenever posible, pull out people's strengths and get them into positions where they can use those strengths. Don't focus on their weaknesses as that will only make stronger weaknesses. How do you find their strengths? Start conversations. Give them opportunities. Ask questions. Figure out what lights them up. Yesterday we had a team meeting and I spent most of the meeting asking questions. The theme was marketing. "What do you think we should do to market the business and why?" It was obvious to see the people who got lit up by this. People who were excited to add to this conversation and take action if required. I now know more about my team and where there could be some dormant talent waiting to be unleashed. Next step, create opportunities for those who got lit up! If both sides are praying to God, which side does he choose?
Which side wins? First, I ask "what is winning?" If one side loses the match but learns valuable lessons in the process, is that really a loss? If one side wins the match because of a "bad call", Is that really a win? I believe we all get what we need. God will deliver exactly what we need to get us to where we are going. I always learn so I never lose. Did you do your best work today?
If not, why not? What's holding you back? If you feel you did, why do you feel this way? What's working for you? If you lie to yourself, the only person you will be hurting is you. Take time to think about this. Do you put more time into the answer or the question?
How do you know if you have the right answer if you don't have the right question? What if we taught our kids to ask better questions instead of giving them answers? What if we empowered our team members to ask more questions instead of having them follow orders? What if we trained our own minds to challenge our answers with more questions? Answering a question with a question can lead you magical places. As leaders, we want to protect our team members.
As parents, we want to protect our children. The problem with focusing on protecting is that we block them from growth. A Banyan tree is a perfect example of this. It protects everything below it and by doing so nothing grows. In order for growth to happen, we need to allow the sunshine in. We need to be open to the elements. Don't be a Banyan tree. Let the light in. Let those around you learn from their mistakes. Be there to support them but don't shade them. Let them grow! I'm not a person who hates my "job" but I have to admit, I am starting to enjoy 3 day weekends. It has been a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend.
There's something to be said for taking time to be with yourself and/or loved ones. Taking time for what matters most to me. Doing whatever I "want" instead of what I feel I "have" to. It's like recharging the battery on my phone. It needs to be done regularly. When it gets to 100%, it lasts way longer! But if I unplug it and plug it back in too often, it never really gets fully charged. Perhaps I should create more 3 day weekends for myself... What do you do really well?
Perhaps you do it so well that you don't even know that you are doing it. It just comes naturally to you. Figure THAT out and do more of THAT. The universe will reward you for it. “It’s just business.”
Something I have heard too much lately and something that has taught me yet another business lesson. Don’t do business with people who say “it’s just business.” Because it’s never “just” business. It’s people. It’s relationships. It’s livelihoods. If you think this way, I have a good feeling you are not a fulfilled human being and you likely don’t have many friends. People do business with people that they like and trust. THAT is by business. |
Archives
January 2020
Categories
All
|