Selfie Without Self

This Week’s Summary:

Learned: Be present in the moment, you might be left out

Planning: Plan leader engagement

Business idea: What happens when there’s no more land?

Vet Opp: Manufacturing training

I met: Paula Naeff

Stoic Quote of the Week

Living is the least important activity of the preoccupied man; yet there is nothing which is harder to learn.

-Seneca

What I learned this week:

Wow! What a week, so many memories with a bit of a fog mixed in for about 36 hours. We got to spend some great family time at the Denver Zoo, where a silly mistake reminded me of a great life lesson. We wanted a family photo of all of us with the zoo lights in the background, so instead of doing what used to be the usual thing, asking someone to take the picture, we decided to do a family selfie, with me as the cameraman. As y'all know, I'm not shy to selfies; that's what 60% of our video content is me talking to you through the camera. I should be OK with the action. As we all settled into that awkward position required to get five adults and a toddler in the frame, I stretched out my arm and snap only three faces. Try again, two this time. Try again, three now. OK, one more. I think I have the right angle now, snap, five faces. Done, I thought to myself, and a damn good picture if I don't say so myself until my daughter pointed out that I was not in the selfie! That negates the selfie definition. So, one more time and snap, six faces this time! I did it, and it was a great reminder to me that I wanted to share with you. Are you in the selfies that you take? Are you present with the people that you are around? With the Christmas and holiday season upon us and kids out for Christmas break, are you present? When you take the day off, whether it is only Christmas Day or no holiday break for you and you are around others, are you there? I can think of many times in my life that my body was in the room, but my mind was on something else, whether it was a broken hot water heater at home when I was deployed or an upcoming business deal when I was eating dinner with the family. Let this time of year, when we gather with friends and family, be a reminder to be present where you are. Those other things can be taken care of when you are in the room. [If you want to learn what to do with 'pop' ideas in the wrong room, call me.]

Planning thought of the week:

Few leaders plan how they will engage and follow up in the execution of the plan. I've mentioned measurement and data collection before, but for the plan to succeed, the leader must be involved. I'm not talking about the execution perse. I'm talking about the leader following up and checking on what's important to the plan's success. I love management by walking around. It is the best way to get the ground truth; however, in many cases and plans, that is not physically possible. As the leader, you must plan your actions to check and interact, even if it is only an email. It is still the leader demonstrating the importance of the action.

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

What happens when the construction is done? Has anyone ever really thought of that? Everyone always talks about that ain't making no more land. OK, true. But does that really mean that there is a point in the future when the construction will be done? When Colorado Springs can no longer grow to the East because there are no more wheat and corn fields to turn into subdivisions. Yes, of course, there will always be teardowns and rebuilds. But I'm talking about new roads and new construction. What is the next step? 3-D printed houses? Robots building houses on top of houses? I don't know, and I just thought I'd plant that seed for you today.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

I love a Veteran training program, and because I have several friends in the manufacturing industry, this one really hits home. (If you didn't know, the manufacturing industry is HURTING for skilled workers, welders, CNC operators, etc.) The Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program is designed to fill that gap. You not only get a free four-month course, but they also provide housing while you are enrolled! Learn more here, ATDM .

Someone I met this week:

I met Paula Naeff at a conference in Arizona a few weeks ago, and we were finally able to catch up again over Zoom this week. I love what Paula is doing, and her focus on helping corporate leaders realize what's holding them back from happiness. I'm excited about the programs that she is creating and launching. Paula is launching her newest program right around the corner, The Road to (Im)perfection. How many of you beat yourself up because you didn't get it just right? Or feel disappointed when everything didn't come together in this perfect Hallmark movie in real life sort of way. Well, this is the program for you! Check it out, and sign up here, Road to (Im)perfection . You won't be disappointed.

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