Walk Into the Future

Category: Mentoring

  • Leadership lessons from the GOAT

    “Complacency breeds a blatant disregard for doing what’s right”.

    (Nick Saban)

    Leadership lessons are available daily.  I normally write about my preferred style of Authentic Leadership but continue to seek out new ways to improve my leadership knowledge.

    One of my 2024 goals is to read two books monthly.  I naturally gravitate to leadership topics and found myself shopping for a new leadership book on Amazon.  The algorithm used by Amazon always provides me with recommendations based on my past book selections.  There were several interesting books available but the book “The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban” caught my attention because of his continued success and recent retirement.

    Always knew Nick Saban was a great coach who won a lot of football games and put a ton of players into the National Football League (NFL).  His players ranged from high first round draft picks to solid contributors that spent years as professional ball players.  He is known as an outstanding recruiter and an even better developer of the talent he recruited to the University of Alabama.

    His ability to recruit players at a high level and then the development of those players were reasons I wanted to explore his leadership style and techniques.  Opened the book without any knowledge of how Coach Saban was able to become successful but wanted to learn directly from him on how he led his teams to multiple championships.

    The book opened with the concept of building a team framework.  This provides a solid foundation for the team and sets the tone needed for success.  Coach Saban’s first meeting was designed to inform everyone of his vision for the team and how team members would operate.  Recruiting was identified as the life blood of the program, and everyone needed to be on the same page when it came to recruiting players. 

    He ensured the team understood that there needed to be other leaders in the organization—he set the foundation but needed others to step up their leadership.  He created player leadership councils and allowed players to lead each other.  He demanded that players get involved in the daily operations of the team activities.  This created multiple leadership voices within the team but that all resonated with Coach Saban’s message.  This translates to all organizations that want to see staff and process growth.

    Coach Saban also welcomed staff turnover in his organization.  He saw staff turnover as a way to improve the organization as new staff members brought in their ideas.  These new ideas were added to Coach Saban’s routine to enhance his overall message.  He lost staff members yearly but was able to regroup and still win multiple championships.  His core beliefs remained but he was willing to adjust based on new staff members input and continued to lead a championship program. 

    Coach Saban was known for The Process which is the system and mindset everyone must follow.  Coach Saban stressed winning each play as the goal instead of winning the game.  The concept of do your job each play led to the success his team maintained.  This focus gave the players a more immediate outcome than simply saying we need to win this game.  Win each play over and over and the game will be won—in theory.  This translates directly into the work environment for employees.  Teams that focus on the next task and complete it well win—sounds simple, huh?  The Process can work for us all.

    The last concept I will explore is Be True to Yourself.  This resonates with me because it parallels Authentic Leadership and the need to be self-aware.  Internal moral perspective requires leaders to evaluate themselves daily to ensure they are not doing anything that compromises who they truly are.  You don’t have to rant and rave to get staff members to do the right thing.  Leaders can remain themselves and not have to try to become something or someone else.  You can be a quiet leader and still get positive things accomplished.

    There are a ton of other outstanding leadership lessons in this book.  Highly recommend this for your leadership library.

    What are you currently reading?

    Irie!

    “Success is not a continuum; it’s momentary”.

    (Nick Saban)

  • Operational Gears

    close up photo of stainless shift knob
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    “Winning requires reaching inside of yourself for that extra gear to accelerate challenges”.

    (Orrin Woodward)

    How many gears do you have?  This may be the first time anyone has asked you that question, but I leverage this daily in my work environment.

    Yes, I know people are not machines with a gear shift like cars.  I use this concept to identify team members who can handle more responsibilities and help the organization grow.

    My goal is to hire 5-gear staff members or work to help current staff members develop additional gears.  This is not a simple process considering staff may have already maxed out on the number of gears they possess.  The Peter Principle identifies a person competent at their job will earn a promotion to a position that requires different skills (gears).  I added the word gears to this definition to highlight my thought process.

    A 5-gear staff member in theory will have the emotional intelligence, intellectual curiosity, and grit to continue to get positive things accomplish.  My view centers on the 5-gear staff member being able to take in information, process this information and then put it into action quicker than someone with less gears.  I view myself as being a 5-gear person and this allows me to take on more responsibility at work and continue to thrive.  I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I have an insatiable curiosity that serves me well.  Organizations with a large contingent of 5-gear staff members can pivot and grow because of their ability to handle and process information and tasks.

    Now, imagine what would happen if an organization was comprised mostly of 1-gear, 2-gear, or 3-gear staff members.  Things would continue to get done but the organization’s growth would be limited by the capacity and capability of these folks. 

    Think back to the gear shift analogy.  A vehicle moves the fastest when it is shifted into 5th gear.  It can move in 1st gear but there will be limitations on the speed the vehicle can travel.  Same with 2nd gear, 3rd gear, and 4th gear.  The higher you go up on the gear shift the vehicle performs better and you can fully enjoy the ride.

    Bring this concept back into the workplace and my theory is this translates to staff members as well.   All the gears are needed but to fully engage the 5th gear needs to be present.

    Professional development and training are two key components to gear building.  I’m not sure a 1-gear staff member can ever be developed into a 5-gear person, but professional development and training needs to be present to bring out the best in everyone.  These programs need to be consistent and prescribed for everyone in the organization.  The concepts need to focus on helping staff members improve in areas they are lacking.  A healthy dose of self-awareness is needed for the staff to provide a real assessment of their gears and identify ways to develop additional gears.

    Self-aware staff members will have a full understanding of their strengths, values, and weaknesses.  Building a self-aware staff is a foundational process to increase the gear potential for the staff member and the organization.  Imagine the lack of productivity that happens when a 1-gear staff member fully believes they are helping the organization at maximum capacity.  This staff member would frustrate their teammates unless they put in the effort to gain and/or display additional gears.

    Organizations begin to thrive with higher gear staff members because they have the capacity to bring new ideas and concepts into the workplace.  These new ideas provide a new level of growth for the organization and help move everyone forward.  Too many 1-gear staff members and things remain stagnant. This is never good for an organization looking to produce at a high level.

    So, I ask again.  How many gears do you have?  What are you doing to gain additional gears in your work environment?

    Irie!

    “God, I hear you giving me an earful but I’m gonna cruise in 5th gear until I’m near you”.

    (Joe Button)

  • The Return to Gatlinburg

    Gat Waterfall3

    “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing”.

    (Barry Finlay)

    Not a huge secret but I love Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains!  There, I said it again!

    I deviated from my normal Gatlinburg trip in 2022 and headed to Asheville, North Carolina instead.  Asheville and the Black Mountain area were beautiful and happy I got a chance to experience the area.

    My winter getaway is designed to allow me to get back to nature and wander around in the mountains to relax and recharge.  Asheville is an eclectic city with a ton of things to do and a restaurants to choose from.  This is not a bad thing but not really what I need for my mountain retreat time.  Black Mountain was a pleasant surprise with the views and trails available to explore.  May look to add Black Mountain on a return trip in the future.

    Decided to make my way back to Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains this year.  Yes, I’ve explored most of the trails there but love the environment and smalltown appeal Gatlinburg brings.  I can park my vehicle and walk the downtown streets to hit restaurants, attractions and moonshine tasting venues.  Downtown Gatlinburg also provides direct access to the Gatlinburg Trail which is the gateway to the Smoky Mountains. 

    I started my adventure on the Gatlinburg Trail again since this provides a nice warmup and allows me to capture some great water views.  The Gatlinburg Trail covers just over two miles of trails with minimal elevation and is connected to the Sugarland Visitors Center.  The Gatlinburg Trail is used by hikers and joggers looking for a quick mountain adventure.  I like this trail since it allows me to take a quick break and then hit the Sugarland trails.  These trails are smaller and popular with park visitors.  There were several tour buses at the visitor’s center, so the trails were crowded this year.  Cataract Falls is a popular spot, and I was able to make my way to the falls and get a few pictures before heading back down the trail towards Gatlinburg.

    Clingmans Dome is one of the highest points in the Smoky Mountains and is a great spot to take in the smoky hue of the mountains.  This was another popular spot and parking was a bit of a challenge this year.  I parked a little down the road and made a small hike back up to the trail that leads directly to the Clingmans Dome observation tower.  The trail to the observation tower is paved so that makes the climb a bit easy, but it takes effort to get up to the top of the mountain.  Once there you get a panoramic view of the mountains and can see points in North Carolina and Tennessee—very cool place to take in the Smoky Mountains.

    Decided to head back down to Gatlinburg before it got dark—not a fan of driving in the mountains at night.  Made my way back to Ole Smoky Moonshine shop to see if they had new flavors to try out this year.  The folks at Ole Smoky seem to create a couple new flavors each year and this year did not disappoint—they added pineapple and pickles into moonshine to create special edition flavors.  I’m not a fan of fruit in liquor so passed on those flavors but got a chance to sample my favorites:  Blue Flame and Hunch Punch again.  Got a bottle of Blue Flame to add to my collection so I could drink when I got back to Florida.  Fun fact, most of the Ole Smoky moonshine flavors can be found in Publix, Walmart, and Winn Dixie liquors stores.  Prices are good there too.

    Hiking on day 2 was centered around the Cades Cove area as I searched for waterfall views again.  Parking was tough again, but I was able to get a spot that required a short walk to get on the trails.  I hit this trail back in 2021 and wanted to explore the waterfalls a bit more this year.  This was another paved trail so climbing up the mountain was easy.  There were a ton of people out again, so the trail was crowded but manageable.  The waterfall area provided a great view of the mountains and was a convenient spot to rest up before heading back down the mountain.  Got a couple nice pictures before making my way down the mountain.

    Mapped out the Cades Cove area and my plan was to hit every waterfall in the area.  Made my way down the road a bit and ventured to a new area to take in the water views.  This was the last water I got a chance to see while out.  The park rangers came out in force to let everyone know there was a wind advisory, and everyone had to leave the mountains.  They were concerned about campers starting fires in the high winds so everyone had to go.  The rangers directed everyone in the same direction, so I found a new way back to Gatlinburg.  It was scenic but not exactly what I planned for the day.  The high winds shut down most of the entertainment attractions to include the Gatlinburg Sky Park. Decided to find some good Tennessee BBQ and beer to ride out the storm—pun intended.

    Discovered Pigeon Forge has a Tanger Outlet so headed over there to get some shopping in.  I never miss an outlet mall, so this was a great way to complete my mountain adventure.

    The mountains called and I answered.  Already planning my 2024 trip back to the Smoky Mountains. 😊

    “Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting, so, get on your way”.

    (Dr. Seuss)

  • 2023 WordPress Stats

    blog blocks wallpaper
    Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

    “I made a decision to write for my readers, not try to find more readers for my writing”.

    (Seth Godin)

    Love this quote as it reflects my original thoughts when I started the Walk into The Future blog back in 2018.

    My intent has always been to create content others would want to read but not seek out followers for the blog.  Some of you are stuck with me because we grew up together, so happy to have you along for this journey.  Others have found my writing via WordPress based on my content and/or topics presented.

    I’m happy to have you here regardless of how/why you read my thoughts—appreciate the company on this life I live.

    WordPress provides authors with daily, monthly, and yearly statistics directly on my dashboard.  I’m able to identify when my work is viewed in another country and my reach continues to expand.  Again, not driven by this but it is nice to see someone in Spain or India has read my latest blog post.  Not sure how I attract folks so far away, but it feels great and inspired me to write a bit more and with more substance.

    My 2023 stats can be viewed here:  https://wordpress.com/annual-report/walkintothefuture.blog/2023

    I’m back in the writing lab working on new topics and adventures I will begin sharing next week.  I am also entering the busy portion of my racing schedule so there will be race recaps to include my 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon experience and the next BIG race on my 2024 schedule.  Hint—I got accepted into the Chicago Marathon.  This is exciting news for me and will be the largest run event I will participate in.  Thanks to Orlando Track Shack and the global running impact of this organization—it helped me get into the Chicago Marathon.

    Big things coming in 2024—stay tune! LOL.

    Irie!

    “Do or do not.  There is no try”.

    (Yoda)

  • Student Success Karaoke

    Student Success 3

    (Prince, Luke Combs and Gwen Stefani)

    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.

    (Frank Sonnenberg)

    Work hard and play hard.

    How many times have you heard this phrase?  Do you agree or disagree?

    Well, my Walk into the Future journey provides a perfect dichotomy to both sides of this concept. I continue to seek adventures that allow me to maximize my personal time when I’m not trying to change the world one tree branch at a time.

    My work as Associate Vice President of Advising and Career Services allows me to impact a lot of people in positive ways.  There are days where I’m not the most popular person in the building based on decisions I must make as part of my daily duties.  This is a part of the business and makes my work interesting.  No two days are the same.

    I leverage my Organizational Psychology knowledge to build a team environment and culture to help the team thrive daily.  We have built in team building activities with cohorts to help our communication and ability to get positive results for our clients.  We started using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to enhance our internal communications and build on our goal towards positivity within the workplace.  The process to improve culture is an ongoing project and one I put a lot of effort into for continuous improvements.

    We started hosting a large Student Success activity during Halloween week back in 2021.  That year we put on an 80’s Dance Battle between one of my friends and myself.  It started as a simple joke, but the staff heard us talking and decided seeing older guys battle dance at work would be fun.  We turned this event into a full fledged 80’s party where staff dress in 80’s gear and we played music from the decade.  Fast forward and this was successful and we entertained colleagues from around campus.  Never saw so many smiles, people laughing and having fun at work. 

    Student Success decided to run this idea back for 2022.  We graduated to the 90’s with Music Bingo and a modified dance battle.  The intent was to engage folks in a different manner and still have music in the process.  We drafted dance teams and then had them battle in front of their colleagues to pick a winning team.  Our President got involved and handed out prizes to the winning team—we didn’t know he was going to do this.  Again, we created and hosted another fun and successful event that got the campus vibing and enjoying time with colleagues.

    My VP texted me over the 2022 Thanksgiving break with an idea for the 2023 fun activity.  Yes, we started planning the next event a full year in advance. 😊

    Her concept was to host a karaoke event and encourage staff to dress as their favorite artist.  This sounded good to me but did not fully process how this would work format wise, but we had a full year to bounce ideas and put the program together.

    Turns out Student Success Karaoke has been our most creative, ambitious, and entertaining event so far!  Did not realize how many folks enjoy karaoke and the ability to dress up at work.  We added a few wrinkles to the format where participants had to dress as their favorite artist and had to sing a song by that artist. 

    We had performances by Prince, Luke Combs, Steppenwolf, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Sia, Lil Nas X, Radiohead, Salt n Peppa, Gwen Stefani and Run DMC to name a few.  Everyone was dressed appropriately and had fun while entertaining the crowd.  This was my first-time singing Karaoke, and I was completely sober—no alcohol in sight! LOL. We had folks from every office on-campus in attendance and they all signed up to sing.  Some even hit the stage multiple times to show us how talented they were.

    We had three local food trucks pull up outside our building and provided folks with multiple lunch options in between our song sets. 

    Another successful event for the Student Success team!  This process may seem simple, but it goes a long way towards building the team dynamics that will allow us to grow and thrive together.

    Yes, folks are already asking us what we have planned for next year.  No idea at this point but it will be epic—I promise! 😊

    What do you do for teambuilding?

    Irie!

    “Where people aren’t having fun, they seldom produce good work”.

    (David Ogilvy)

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    happy thanksgiving greeting card on brown envelope
    Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! 

    Thankful for you Walking into The Future with me!

    Irie!

  • Career Choices 101 (Repost)

    (Image by Orange Fox from Pixabay) 

    “Don’t chase the paper, chase the dream”.

    (Notorious B.I.G)

    The Great Resignation is a term that describes the trend of the mass voluntary exit of employees from their employment obligations.

    The Great Regret is a new term that describes the feelings of 80% of the people who took part in the Great Resignation.

    The quote above is one of my favorites from the great hip hop artist, Notorious B.I.G.  He was a lyrical genius, and the quote above can be used as a career metaphor. 

    My simple translation = find your WHY and career success will follow.

    The Great Resignation provided a lot of people the freedom or guidepost to see the world of work in a different way.  The new work view provided some with the vision to seek more and bet on themselves with so many new opportunities available.  That’s a positive considering I preach to everyone to explore as much as possible.  My blog is titled Walk into The Future because I continue to explore opportunities and will not limit my options (work, travel, fun).

    There are some folks who viewed the Great Resignation as an opportunity to change their work situation and in some cases cash in more financially.  That’s not a problem if the workplace change was made to get the individual closer to doing things they enjoy.  It could be a problem if the individual changed careers simply because there was more money available for the new job.

    Quick question:  How much of a pay raise will it take for YOU to be happy today?  Would $5,000.00 or $10,000.00 make you enjoy what you are doing more?

    I ask clients and staff this question to get them thinking about what they truly want.  Chasing the paper may seem like the logical answer but don’t forget you still have to pay taxes on that paper.  Also, an extra $5,000.00 to continue to work in a place you are not happy with does not sound enticing to me.  Conversely, leaving a company for a job paying more money may sound just as good but the switch should not be based solely on the money.  Refer to the quote above from the Notorious B.I.G.

    The best of both worlds would be to find your WHY and build up your skills so that when your dreams come true, the paper (money) follows.  Sounds like a simple concept and it can be, but nothing will be simple without knowing/understanding the WHY. 

    Going to work without a WHY causes a lot of people issues daily.  I work with folks who believe that they are not being paid their true worth in the workplace.  Some are completing the same duties they have been assigned for 10+ years—no additional responsibilities or growth from them but they want more.  Why is that?  They have not identified a WHY for their work life and have not built the skills to chase the dream.  A larger problem is some don’t even know what dream to chase to find the happiness they seek. 

    The lack of paper (money) is not really the problem.  The problem is chasing something they are not fully invested in and believing additional funds (salary) will turn this around and they will immediately become happy with what they are doing. 

    Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

    No WHY equals a form of insanity in the workplace.  I coach clients to seek/find their WHY to determine the best course of action for their careers.

    Chasing the DREAM can bring the paper.  Well stated Biggie Smalls!

    What dream are you chasing?

    Irie!

    https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/02/80percent-of-workers-who-quit-in-great-resignation-regret-it-new-survey.html

  • Poetic Flow / The Time

    shallow focus of clear hourglass
    Photo by Jordan Benton on Pexels.com

    The Time

    Watching Time

    Tick Tock, Tick Tock

    Time slowly moves on,

    You must use it wisely.

    Express yourself.

    Let your thoughts flow,

    Inform all who do not know

    Share life lessons learned

    With this you cannot go wrong.

  • My Reading Progress

    “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…The man who never reads lives only one”.

    (George R. R. Martin)

    My Walk into the Future provides me with the flexibility to add new adventures daily.  I continue to view this life I lead to engage my mind, body, and soul.  This blog gives me a space to highlight what I am doing, thinking, or getting ready to accomplish. 

    Goal setting remains a huge part of my success in life, and I look for ways to leverage my goals to help me continue to move forward.  I review my goals daily to ensure my energy and focus are consistent to meet or exceed them.

    I set reading goals each year in January with intent to read something daily.  My daily readings center around Proverbs and a few companion books by Joel Osteen.  I started reading Proverbs daily when I lived in Warner Robins, Georgia and this Atomic Habit remains strong.  Joel Osteen created a 31-day Proverbs companion book which I utilize when completing my daily Proverbs readings.  This little book has helped me understand more and brings Proverbs to life with language for my current Walk into the Future.

    My larger reading goal is to read 1 book monthly.  There were years where I would be super aggressive with this goal but decided to create a reading goal that provides me an opportunity to stay on track.  Please note, just because it says 1 book monthly does not mean I can’t read more, and I do.  I am an avid reader and love to sit on the beach with a good book and cold beer to practice this hobby.  My love for reading started in middle school and it has not slowed down except when my schedule gets in the way. 

    The books I select range from leadership, communication, and inspiration topics.  These are topics of interest for me so stick to areas I seek growth.  I have a couple friends who inquire about my reading selections and have started to read the same books—you can say we have an informal book club going.  We discuss the books after everyone has completed them and look for ways to incorporate the content into life and the work environment. This little book club motivates me to stay on track and focus on my reading.  It has also provided me with access to books I may have missed on my own.  I tend to stick to authors I know but the book club expands my focus and challenges me to explore other authors to enhance my Walk into the Future.

    The following books were referred by book club members:

    • Disruptive Thinking / TD Jakes
    • Wisdom of the Bullfrog / Admiral William H. McRaven
    • 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication:  Apply Them and Make the Most of your Message / John C. Maxwell

    FYI—this was my first TD Jakes book, and I was pleasantly surprised by the content and enjoyed reading his thoughts on Disruptive Thinking.  It is something we can all practice daily, but it was great gaining new insights on how to move forward in life daily. 

    I have read multiple books by Admiral McRaven and his wisdom comes through within the context of leadership and helping teams get better.

    Lastly, John Maxwell communication strategies can be leveraged in most work settings and enhance overall operations for the team.

    I am on pace to meet my stated reading goals and continue to seek additional books to add to my library.  This will continue and help me to Walk into the Future.

    How are you doing on meeting your goals?  What books are you reading in 2023?

    Irie!

  • Navy SEAL Museum (teambuilding)

    “No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes a whole orchestra to play it”.

    (Booker T. Washington)

    My Walk into the Future continues to expand and grow tree branches.

    I am always looking for ways to enhance organizational growth and find opportunities to thrive.  I am still active with my consulting projects and this work expands my ability to develop new ways to inspire my team to meet organizational goals.

    Teambuilding activities have been the springboard towards enhanced communications, better work production and overall success.  This is an ongoing process, there are more opportunities for the organization to grow, and teambuilding will be a driving force towards this goal.

    The national Navy SEAL Museum is in Fort Pierce, Florida.  This is a fun fact, and most people ask why.  The shores of Fort Pierce were utilized as a prime World War II training location to prepare troops for beach invasions.  The underwater demolition program was a key component of the training program and was a precursor to the Navy SEAL program we know today.

    What does this have to do with teambuilding?  Great question!

    Many folks on my staff knew the Navy SEAL Museum was in Fort Pierce but only a few had been to the museum.  I went for the first-time last year with a student organization and enjoyed the experience.  I shared this with a few folks at work and we discussed a team visit to share the history and do some team bonding.  It took a bit of scheduling and adjusting calendars, but we agreed on a date and time for the team visit.

    I did not have a preset idea of how many folks would come to the museum but was happy when 10 folks showed up with smiles on their faces.  This was a voluntary outing for the team, and they took time out of their weekend for team bonding—I was impressed!

    We got an introductory briefing by the museum staff, and this set the stage for the team to explore the multiple displays and artifacts within the museum.

    I did not know how the team would respond to being in a military museum, but they were very active learning the history of the Navy SEALs and campaigns they fought in.  The ability to touch the equipment and sit in an actual helicopter allowed the team an interactive experience while touring the museum.

    The museum has displays outside as well: boats, statues, and monuments.  We got some great pictures of one of the combat boats that was larger than most of us thought it would be.  The obstacle course was popular with other tour groups present but we only tried a few of the obstacles.  I tried the rope swing but sunk quickly into the sand—I traveled 3 feet before my momentum was broken.  Think we all had a good laugh at my lack of movement on the rope swing.  A few others took a turn on the rope swing, and they had better outcomes than I did.  I may have to go back to the Navy SEAL Museum to redeem myself on the rope swing.

    The visit to the Navy SEAL Museum is another step towards making our team stronger.  It was a great way to highlight the ultimate team (Navy SEALs) and how they come together to complete missions.  The importance of teamwork on mission outcomes was a great reminder for my team as we look for ways to get better daily.  Always looking for ways to get 1% better daily.

    What are you doing to become 1% better today?

    Irie!