Don’t Want to Wake Up With Regrets? Create a Mission Statement

mission wooden blocks on white surface

Mission statements are critical to directing success.  Companies have them, why don’t individuals?  Having one can help you focus and reach what you want to accomplish in life by answering the who, what, why and how of you.  Its not a mission statement unless it is written down. Whether or not you are trying to make career or college decisions in your life, everyone needs to have a personal mission statement. The exercises focused on identifying finding your talents, passions and values, for career purposes are a good starting place to help you discover your mission.  Just as the best place for shining your

Leadership Lessons from College Football: Maximize and Recognize your Rudys

We’re so close to the kick-off of football season that you can almost taste it. Less than four days to go till the season kicks-off with Thursday night match-ups. With the kick-off of the season, it’s hard to neglect the leadership lessons that come from the game, the players and thecoaches. With all the coaches talking about practices and preparing their team, another leadership lesson struck me last week.Every player is important. Find “some dreamers that just won’t quit.” Nick Saban was being interviewed after a practice and what did he talk about? The walk-ons.   The walk-ons? Most people would

It’s Okay to Go Gray- Making Career Decisions in a Black and White World

It’s Okay to Go Gray- Making Career Decisions in a Black and White World While coaching a young man this week that had returned home from college with a degree but with no promising job prospects, I realized that is it much easier to point people towards traditional career paths through traditional educational channels than to take them into a “gray” zone. Becoming a teacher (although this is not what he had completed a degree in college for) was one of the career routes, among others, that was a possibility after talking with him and reviewing his career assessment results.

Leadership Lessons from College Football: The “Medicore” and Team Success

“Mediocre people don’t like high achievers and high achievers don’t like mediocre people so if you let those two things co-exist on your team it’s never going to work out right.” Nick Saban Want to demotivate someone who does an outstanding job for you?   Pay little attention to them and pay more attention to your less than “A” players. It doesn’t matter if it is positive or negative attention, its attention. Pay them the same that you pay your less than “A” players, but give them less work because they aren’t performing. Give that work to your “A” players. I

Want to be the next COO of Facebook? Surround Yourself with Great People

I will never forget the conversation in the car on the way back from a meeting in Montgomery with my then boss.  I had been accepted into the graduate school program of my choice and was working full-time in economic development.  The graduate program was full-time and a two-hour drive away, but I didn’t want to give up the job. I waited until about half-way into in to the two and a half hour car ride home, to say. “I want to go back to graduate school.” “Okay,” my boss said. “I got accepted.” “Where?”  He said. “Middle Tennessee State”