Mentor – Walk Into the Future

Five Minute Thursday: Mentor

paper boats on solid surface — Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself”.

(Oprah Winfrey)

The Walk into the Future blog is back and will give the Five-Minute Thursday prompt another run.

I was surprised to hear from multiple readers who enjoyed the concept and what I put out during my first run with this prompt. Will get a few more topics in with this format.

My second prompt for Five Minute Thursday is: Mentor.

I have been blessed with great mentors in my professional life. These folks have each provided me with guidance and showed me the correct way to move forward in life. Deborah Friendly mentored me at my first Air Force duty station in Fort Worth, Texas. Tony Greene picked me up when I went to Japan the first time. I connected with Rich Gardner in San Antonio while stationed at Randolph Air Force Base. The interesting thing about these mentors is they were all from Florida—just like me. Funny how people cross your path—three of my first mentors were from my home state but I met them in other states and countries. Life is interesting!

I’m still in contact with these three folks and appreciate the knowledge they shared with me.

The mentor I will write about today is Jan McIntosh. He was a Chief Master Sergeant and the top enlisted Personnel Manager in the Air Force. He oversaw Personnel (HR) operations for every Air Force Base in the world. I knew the Chief by name but had no idea he knew me or anything about me.

I met him during my time as an Air Force Instructor at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. I was one of two instructors charged with training computer analysts on a new personnel database that was being integrated Air Force wide. We built the course in record time and then had to train analysts worldwide to ensure operational integrity throughout the Air Force.

Chief McIntosh watched me teach a few sessions and then pulled me to the side and gave me the most important piece of advice I ever received. He asked me if I wanted to know the key to success and I said, of course. He told me the secret to success in life was: Be where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it. A very simple concept but I put this advice into action after he shared it with me, and things really started taking off for me.

Doors started opening for me because I put this simple concept into action. Promotions, better work assignments, financial wellbeing, better health outcomes, and improved relationships all came my way by utilizing this advice.

I use the knowledge Chief McIntosh gave me in 1997 to this day and share with all my tree branches. I also use this information in my work environment to lead my teams—yes, I share these same words with everyone on my team to show them how easy life can be if we get out of our way.

Interesting fact—the advice Chief McIntosh gave me was the ONLY conversation we have ever had. I never saw him or spoke with him again, but I leverage his wisdom daily and consider him one of my best mentors. He came into my life at a time when I needed his knowledge, and he shared it with me freely.

Which mentor impacted your life the most?

Irie!

“Your mentors in life are important, choose them wisely”.

(Bill Walsh)

2022 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Conference

NACE2022

The 2022 NACE Conference was held in Portland, Oregon this year. This was our first in-person conference since 2019 and there was a lot of excited and anxious people in attendance. Safety protocols were taken to keep us safe, but you can never truly feel safe with over 1,700 people in attendance.

I have been a member of NACE for the past 15 years and have continued to look for ways to expand my role within the organization. I have served in multiple roles which have allowed me to grow a network with professionals across the world.

I am currently finishing up my role as a Co-Chair for the Mentorship Enhancement Task Force. I received a phone call from the incoming NACE President in July 2021 to talk about the task force and the importance he placed on mentorship. He asked me to Co-Chair this critical task force and work to revamp the program and increase awareness/participation for NACE members.

Fast forward to the NACE conference in Portland and my task force was provided a session to discuss the work we have been doing for the past 12 months and highlight the improvements we recommend to the Board of Directors.

I have attended past NACE conferences in Anaheim, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, and Orlando but this was my first opportunity to present to my colleagues. We were given a prime slot on the second day of the conference to present our work and recruit new mentors into the program.

My Co-Chair who is based out of St. Louis, Missouri and I spent multiple Microsoft Teams virtual sessions going over the presentation format, slides, and flow. We decided to give a big overview of the program changes and then jump into a panel discussion with current NACE mentors and mentees to get their perspective on the impact of mentoring for each of them.

We soon discovered the NACE conference committee booked our session in the LARGEST room at the event. We had no preconceived perspective on how many people would attend our session, but we did not imagine we could fill every seat in this large space. NOTE—we did not get close to filling all seats. 😊

No worries! We had a very good crowd, and the folks were able to get a more personal touch from my co-chair and I. These folks were able to ask the panelist questions and we had on the spot sign-ups for new mentors and mentees.

We shared the work of the task force and identified our strategies and marketing plans to create a world class mentoring program.

The new program will have 3 mentoring layers:

1 on 1 mentoring (traditional)
Reverse mentoring (new)
Mentoring Circles (new)

Mentoring research identifies Reverse mentoring and Mentoring Circles are unique ways to increase mentoring awareness and participation. We discussed the benefits of each mentoring model and introduced the software we recommended to match mentors with mentees. The current matching process is manual and does not consider the demographics of the mentor or mentee. This software matching process was a big hit with the NACE board and folks in attendance during our session.

The marketing plan will utilize all social media platforms and the NACE website to promote the changes and encourage NACE members to join the program.

I was excited to see the NACE President, David Ong in attendance during our session. This was his pet project for the year, and he was extremely happy with our progress and excited to roll out the new program to the general membership.

David gave us a by-name shoutout during the general session late that day to thank us for the work we put in over the year. This was the highlight of the conference for me and got more members wanting to discuss the mentoring program and to sign up. I walked around with sign-up sheets for the rest of the conference and got many mentors and mentees signed up.

My official Co-Chair role ends on 7/15/2022 but we still must complete one more project before our term ends. I have decided to take a year off from serving on another NACE committee or task force. This was my second national commitment to the career field in the past two years—time to take a small break and concentrate on my local duties.

I plan to get back into the national work of our career field in 2023 by either serving on another committee/task force or taking a larger step up to become a NACE Board Member. This would provide me with additional leverage within the career field as we set policy to keep us relevant.

Yes, I’m still dreaming big! 😊

My 2023 conference travel plans will be less than this year. The 2023 conference will be held in Lake Buena Vista (Disney World) so I do not have to endure another 7 hours of traveling. My travel time over to Disney World will be just over an hour and I don’t have to worry about flight layovers in Salt Lake City or Minneapolis.

Look forward to getting the band back together next year.

Irie!

2021 OUC Half Marathon

OUC 1

Running Friend (n): One who listens, does not judge, and somehow makes two hours of running fun.

(Pinterest)

Yes, I made the trek over to run the Orlando Hometown Half Marathon again this year. This is becoming my favorite half marathon due to the course, weather, proximity, and the great Track Shack staff.

The is the 8^th time for me running this half marathon and it may have been the most enjoyable. I signed up for the race in December 2020 with the intent to target a Personal Record (PR) during the event. I made an adjustment to my mindset during packet pickup to just enjoy the course, the spectators and, great December weather in Orlando.

I still wanted to beat my 2020 time but did not overemphasize the concept of a time-based goal. My training has been good but nothing like the miles or training sessions I put in in 2019. The hills in Tallahassee helped prepare me for races so I knew where my conditioning was before every race. Targeted race times were easier to predict due to hill training.

I toed the start line this year with the intent to get/stay close to a pace so I would complete the half marathon in 2:15 (two hours and 15 minutes). This would be ten minutes slower than my PR but obtainable without stressing my body too much just to hit a number. This is personal growth for me because I normally beat myself up if I do not hit a certain number. Decided to listen to my body and have fun since that is what this is all about.

I crossed the finish line this year in a time of 2:18:58 (two hours, 18 minutes, and 58 seconds). Close but extremely happy with this time. Why you ask?

Great question! 😊

I knew my tree branch, Daniel Botero was signed up for the race and we texted to make sure we connected prior to the race start. Always great seeing my tree branches and this was the first time Daniel and I have seen each other in-person since February 2020. While catching up and stretching Daniel asked me what my targeted time was for the race. I gave him 2:15 for my targeted time and he asked if he could tag along.

OUC 2

Looking at past articles on my training program and race schedules highlight I run alone. This is mostly by choice but also because not many people in my Fort Pierce circle exercise or run. I happily accepted Daniel’s request to run with me and embraced having a tree branch running with me. I was surprised when he identified he would try to keep up with me—made me laugh a bit too since I am a lot older than him.

We agreed to run together until it was no longer practical. Happy to report I got to run the first 5 miles of the half marathon with Daniel. We kept a decent pace of 9:30 per minute over this distance before going our separate race strategies.

I traditionally run 8 smaller races within the half marathon. I find it easier mentally and physically to leverage this approach and it has helped me gets faster.

Example: The water stops are approximately 1.8 miles apart for most half marathons.

I run to each water stop and then walk through the area to drink water and Gatorade. Please note, I do not stop moving forward but take about a 20 – 30 second walk break to replenish my fluids. I take off running to the next water stop after getting my water and Gatorade. This concept creates 8 smaller races and helps me stay strong throughout the half marathon.

There are other running strategies for success, but this works well for me.

My pace stayed consistent for the first 8 miles, but I began to slow a bit when the lactic acid in my legs started to get away from me. I incorporated beet and tart cherry juice into my diet to help with the lactic acid buildup but there are times when it just jumps up and grabs you by the quads. This was one of those times!

I carry nutrition gels in my running belt and started taking them at the 8-mile mark. The gels help get more carbs into my system and helps with the leg pain. Yes, I spend money, time and, effort to put myself in pain—runners are a unique breed.

A new adventure for this race is I ran with the 2:15 pace group for a good portion after mile 8. The pacer was an experienced marathoner and paces half marathons for fun—again, we are a unique breed. 😊

I was happy to have company again and stayed with the group until my quads told me to slow down—I did! My goal at this point was to stay ahead of the 2:20 pace group that was further behind me—I refused to let them catch up with me. I stayed between both pace groups as I made my way back downtown Orlando. The crowds were huge at this portion of the course and having people cheer for me gave me the extra inspiration to finish strong.

Yes, I was able to fake wellness and sprint across the finish line with a smile on my face. This was a forced smile but smile I did. Looked down at my watch and was happy with my effort and time for the day.

Track Shack ran a 3-year series and every runner that completed the OUC Half Marathon in 2019, 2020 and 2021 got an extra medal to go along with the normal swag. I did not realize I was in this elite group but happily accepted my additional bling.

OUC 4

Made my way to the runner’s village to get some refreshments and recover. I wanted to stick around to cheer Daniel across the line and make sure he was okay. He came across the finish line in good shape and I directed him to the medical tent to get some ice on his legs. I always get ice to begin the recovery process and it helps with pain and inflammation caused by a 13.1-mile race.

Got a couple beers to replenish carbs and Daniel and I parted ways with a new memory for our growing friendship. Hope to run with him again in 2022!

My plan is to run the OUC Half Marathon again in 2022. Who is going to join me?

Irie!

OUC 3

Heavy is the head that wears the crown!

crown

(Image by Radfotosonn from Pixabay)

“Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets”.

(Luke 6:26)

My Walk into the Future in 2020 was an interesting journey!

I am sure everyone who just read that last sentence can highlight how 2020 was a unique year to remember—good or bad. We all had to adjust in 2020 due to COVID-19 and these adjustments impacted our daily lives.

One area I needed to adjust was how I lead an organization with COVID-19 work protocols–working from home, virtual meetings and having staff with preexisting conditions. None of these things were on our radar when 2020 started but quickly became necessary talking points in early March 2020 for most of us.

My gravitation to the Luke 6:26 verse came about because even when I am doing great work, I continue to look for an angle to motivate myself to do more. I am not a person to rest on my laurels but look for ways to motivate myself and team to do more. Luke 6:26 stands out to me today because I am happy to report not all men speak well of me on my current Walk into the Future.

I do not make that claim lightly but have found a level of motivation, enjoyment, and humor in this fact. Turns out the people who do not speak well of me are the people who are slackers in their daily work endeavors. It is obvious I take a lot of pride in getting positive things done, correctly and on-time. I have discovered people who do not take pride in their work, who are satisfied with the status quo or who are plain lazy are not fans of people like me.

I enter new organizations with the mission to make a difference daily—amazingly simple concept but one I do not take lightly. I have discovered in my new work environment there WERE several people who were not held accountable for their daily actions. You cannot make a difference daily without being accountable, so these people hear from me they are not meeting my expectations.

Please note, these folks work or worked in multiple departments, so it was not isolated to just one area.

“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes the wicked incur abuse.”

(Proverbs 9:7)

A funny thing happened when I identified we all need to be accountable in the work environment. Some did not speak well of me! Not saying that to be nonchalant or play it down but I heard someone say they could not thrive in a work environment with expectations. True statement!

I wish I were making this up, but it is true. Imagine being in a work environment and a staff member has an issue with being accountable to the team and overall mission. I have been on this professional journey for 30+ years now and find this a terribly sad state of mind for anyone.

Turns out the previous leadership did not value accountability as much as they should have. It is amazing how much energy is needed within an organization to correct these type thoughts and actions. There have been times new leadership has been questioned but The Energy Bus continues to move forward. Great things are happening and staff who did not have a voice are now able to fully contribute. The new energy is contagious!

I hope there are other folks who do not speak well of me! My work speaks for itself. I was promoted to Administrative Director of Advising and Career Services on July 1, 2021. Must be doing something right, huh? 😊

We will continue to Walk into the Future and do great things! Irie!

Believe Shakespeare perfectly sums up this episode below!

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown”.

(Shakespeare)

Leading from a distance

(Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay)

“Leading remotely makes the complex role of leading even more complex”.

(Kevin Eikenberry)

The year 2020 started with a bang for us all and the promise of a fantastic year.

The term 2020 Vision was used to highlight the promise this was going to be the year where vision became reality and positive things were coming.

2020 has been a lot tougher than most of us would like but there have been positive things to be thankful for. We must remember tough times now can lead to positive outcomes in the future.

One area of my Walk into the Future where I really needed 2020 Vision was after accepting my role in Fort Pierce and discovering my entire team was working remotely. Imagine moving to a new city during a pandemic, taking over a work environment and meeting your entire team on your laptop. Strange times but quickly discovered all my leadership training, speaking, and consulting experience were needed for me to make positive things happen.

I have read a lot of leadership books and written multiple articles on authentic leadership. There is not a manual on how to come in on day one and begin to lead a remote team. Trust me, I searched for that book for days!

You always want to make a great first impression, but it is tough to gauge your direct reports via a laptop screen. Things are progressing but I continue to learn new tools and techniques daily. 2020 Vision has morphed into a new mantra to remain focused and control the controllable.

Teambuilding

A first step to build a great team is to ensure teambuilding is a central focus to get everyone on the same page and moving in the correct direction. I have written about several teambuilding exercises we have completed (MBTI, The Energy Bus) and the need to help each team member grow professionally. We completed these activities in a complete physical distancing environment where staff members engaged each other via computers from separate offices. Let’s repeat that…we were together via a Zoom like application (Blackboard Collaborate), in different locations, and working on our teambuilding activities. Not ideal but it can be done.

Never imagined this was possible but got the 2020 Vision to try this and tweak as needed. We have been able to enhance team dynamics and maintain our physical distance from each other. I continue to look for interactive ways to engage the team using computer technology and ensure we have fun with the process.

Work schedules

2020 Vision allows me to understand the traditional concept of work schedules went out the window earlier this year. Not saying people do not have to work but the COVID-19 pandemic created a huge work from home dynamic. Jobs traditionally done within the office environment were rapidly transformed to work from home. This was a major change for everyone, and work schedules had to change as well. Gone were the typical 8 am – 5 pm work schedules since people had to juggle work, childcare, home schooling and a myriad of other tasks daily.

I learned quickly when staff needed time to take care of their home life. Also learned the work from home mindset is not the same for everyone. Some folks are just as motivated working from home as they were in the office. I came to understand that some are not as motivated working from home—human nature kicks in for these folks.

My role has evolved to ensure everyone can use the technology we have available to complete work assignments. We needed to create communication channels to check in without being overly connected daily. I am still learning and evolving in this area, but we are getting things done.

Mental well-being

My initial thoughts for this section was to write about helping my staff with their mental well-being. We do that daily but one aspect I continue to focus on is my mental well-being. My workouts and running program are great escapes for me from the daily grind of leading a team from a distance. This new world of work seems to always have someone trying to schedule a Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Blackboard Collaborate meeting—they never stop! ☹😊

Finally had to tell some coworkers to ask before just jamming a virtual meeting on my calendar. This is a constant reminder the world of work has changed—mostly for the good but there can be a bad side to always being connected. I work to connect with my staff daily to make sure they are doing well. I do not email, call, or text them after work hours to model behavior that honors a true work and life balance. Small steps!

I am still learning how to operate in this new world of work.

What techniques do you use to not be connected all the time? How has your 2020 vision changed from earlier in the year?

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something”.

(Plato)

Walking with a month of inspiration!

Mattie inspiration project

(Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay)

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do”.

(John Wooden)

My Walk into the Future has provided me with a new perspective on how I see and live life. This process has created transformations (mental and physical) which allow me to walk daily with a mission to make a difference daily.

A great aspect to my Walk into the Future has been the great connections I make and reconnecting with friends and family. I have mentioned one of my mentors, Mrs. Mattie Fouraker who I met in the 10^th grade. She was my Typing 1 teacher and the skills I learned from her have led to many successful outcomes for me over the years.

I started sharing Walk into the Future blog articles with Mrs. Fouraker to show her some of the things I have been doing and a way to say thank you. Decided to print a few articles and mailed them to her so she can have them readily available. Got an email from her to let me know she received them and a huge surprise.

My mission to make a difference daily and sharing blog articles inspired her to create an Inspiration Project.

She decided to get busy and find ways to inspire others in her life daily! My mentor put a smile on my face by emulating something I do—truly humbled when she told me what she was doing.

She cut out my mission: to make a difference daily and put this on her refrigerator with a monthly calendar underneath.

Her goal is to do something to inspire someone every day of the month and record the deed on the calendar. Thought this was a very purposeful way to inspire others and make a difference daily. In fact, the ability to look back on a month’s worth of difference making must feel great. I love this idea and grateful she shared her project with me.

I will follow her lead and record my daily difference making initiatives to get a better understanding of impact AND to keep me focused. I am sure there are days I may fall short but having a visual tool will keep me on-track. The monthly good deeds may also lead to future blog articles—we will see!

Challenge accepted

So, now I challenge everyone who may read this post to join Mrs. Fouraker and me on this Inspiration Project journey to make a difference daily. Create a calendar, excel spreadsheet, or Google doc to record who and how you made a difference today. Do this for a day, a week, or a month to see the impact you have on the people in your daily walk. Track your inspirations for as long as you want but thought this was a great way to highlight the importance of helping others. Who is with me? 😊 This could also be the beginning of you establishing your own tree branches.

Who can you inspire today? What will you do to make it happen? Thanks!

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does”.

(William James)

Note: Mrs. Fouraker is a regular reader of the blog now. She follows along weekly on her iPad —hope you enjoyed this one and thanks for the inspiration! Hope to see you soon!😊

Time to Inspire

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Daily flowers—send them now!

Purple Rose

(Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay)

“Don’t wait for people to die to send them flowers”.

(Reverend Simmons, New Bethel AME Church)

It is amazing the things we retain from our childhood. I attended weekly Sunday school and church services at New Bethel AME church while growing up in Jasper, FL. I am sure Reverend Simmons said some other amazing things but the quote above always stuck with me. Never understood it as a kid so maybe that is why it stuck with me all these years.

Thought it was a weird saying until I fully understood his meaning. It can be interpreted multiple ways, but he was reminding us to cherish/celebrate the people in our lives while we have them. Waiting for a tragic incident is a bit late to let people know what you think about them.

I decided to write this post 3 days after Kobe Bryant, his daughter and friends died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles. I am not much of an NBA fan but watched Kobe during his Hall of Fame NBA career and more intently after he retired. He ventured into business, screen writing, venture capital investments and his sports academy as part of his life after basketball. He became successful in these endeavors because he displayed a thirst for knowledge and sought out mentors to learn new things. He continued to look for ways to get better and make a difference in the world. Believe he was on the verge of expanding his portfolio in the entertainment world but never got a chance to complete this portion of his legacy.

I will not dive much further into Kobe’s life, but his unexpected passing brought me back to what Reverend Simmons reminded us EVERY Sunday—Do not wait for people to die to send them flowers.

I use a lot of quotes in my daily Walk into the Future, but I am sure my tree branches have never heard me use this quote with them. May seem weird to share so much with them but not this one aspect of my background. Allow me to provide a bit of clarity and how I leverage the quote in all my interactions.

I take my role as a tree seriously and believe I should model positive things for my tree branches. I also want to continue to make a difference daily. So, I provide theoretical flowers every day to my people!

I make a point to text, call, email, LinkedIn, visit or carrier pigeon (LOL) someone daily to provide them their flowers. May look like:

Happy Monday!
Happy Friday!
Go (insert name)!
How are you?
How are your students doing?
How’s the family?

I could add more to the list but believe you get the message. It may be small things but once I understood what Reverend Simmons was telling us I discovered a ton of ways to provide flowers daily. Some of you may prefer real flowers but I cannot afford the daily costs so guess you will have to be happy with my texts, calls, emails, LinkedIn, visits and hopefully those dang pigeons arrive soon! 😊

So, do me a favor, look around and identify who you need to send flowers to and get busy! Thank you!

“It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So, don’t take it lightly”.

(Kobe Bryant)

“Live for yourself and you live in vain; live for others and you will live again”.

(Bob Marley)

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

The mirror can lie! Blaze your own trail

round leaning mirror with white frame — Photo by Emre Can on Pexels.com

“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

(Audre Lorde)

Really love the words presented by Audre Lorde. The concept of creating your own definition of self is vitality important to truly progress in life. There are people who look in the mirror and automatically see bad examples staring back at them. Please know, the mirror can lie and the bad examples from the past do not have to hinder the present and/or future.

Bad examples can manifest in multiple locations. I will focus on two specific areas to help highlight how bad examples can and should be used to fuel a positive Walk into the Future. The two areas I focus on are leadership and personal development. I’m sure everyone has a story on bad examples in these areas as well. My attempt will be to show how these bad experiences can be leveraged for a positive tomorrow.

Leadership

Would like to say everyone I’ve worked for has been an outstanding leader but that would not be true. It may not even be realistic to expect EVERY leader to possess the capability to be outstanding. Turns out the leaders who were not the best provided me with enough tough lessons to sharpen my leadership skills. Please note, I’ve had some great leaders/mentors in my life who I lean on even today. Their lessons are with me daily, but the few bad leaders impact my leadership style and methods as well.

I gravitated towards the Authentic Leadership style because I’ve seen organizations destroyed because the so-called leader wasn’t authentic. They profess being a genuine and transparent leader but then their true self comes out and it is the opposite of authentic. Seeing these type leaders in action reinforces why the concepts of authenticity, self-awareness, having a moral compass and relational transparency are so important in my leadership style.

I’ve seen leaders who walk by their direct reports’ multiple times in a day and never say hello. Seems like a small thing but how can you say you care about your people and can’t acknowledge them? Not saying a leader must stop and talk every time they see someone but it’s a lot easier leading people when you are relatable and engaged. Also, only talking with direct reports when something is needed or due signals the leader only cares about the bottom line. Staff will do more within a positive and nurturing work environment.

These are two leadership examples I leverage to help build my authentic leadership platform. I proactively do the opposite of these leadership examples because I’ve seen them in action and how they deflate staff and organizational morale.

That’s my approach, things I don’t like or disagree with from a bad leader, I simply don’t repeat—not rocket science but it works. No need to subject others to these habits—create positive energy and blaze your leadership trail to enhance the work environment.

Personal development

There are instances where environment can hinder personal development but many more where great outcomes occur almost against all odds. Life is impacted by choices (good or bad) and we have the capability to choose not to mirror bad examples but learn from them.

I love working with college students from South Florida. They routinely tell me they’re the first person in their family to attend college and they want a different outcome for themselves. They don’t want to forget the struggles from home but use them to continue to grow. They also strive not to repeat some of the bad neighborhood examples others succumbed to.

They tell me of proactive actions they took to avoid running with the wrong neighborhood friends. These people may have been well intentioned but set bad examples of how to truly progress in life. They experienced family and community situations that potentially could hinder growth, but they didn’t let these things stop them. These things were used as inspiration to overcome obstacles.

Environment is an important element in personal development but can be overcome—I’ve seen it done. Mentors and positive examples can help with personal development. Self-awareness and learning from bad examples can increase the ability to blaze a personal development trail.

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be”.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

How do you define yourself for you? What does your personal or professional mirror reflect? How can you leverage bad examples to enhance your Walk into the Future?

Mentoring and people building daily

People Builder March 2020

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

“We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark”.

(Whoopi Goldberg)

Had an interesting conversation with a good friend today about why I consider myself a People Builder. My explanation comes down to this is something I was destined for—my purpose if you will. There it is—I’m a People Builder!

Got invited to speak with 3 Student Success classes at Tallahassee Community College in December 2019. The professor and I worked together at FSU years ago and reached out to see if I could energize her students. I never turn down speaking roles so decided to work on some new material to help students find the why in their studies.

The invite came the week prior to finals so most students were ready for the semester to end–then I enter the arena. Always love a challenge and the end of a semester provides plenty of them. Didn’t let this deter me as I prepared for my full day working on the TCC campus—I’m built for this! 😊

The main message I wanted the students to take away is they control their destiny.

Education and life are active endeavors and the more they participate, take charge and act the more empowered they will feel in all aspects of life. Wanted to ensure the students understood empowerment by having them create a life and educational why statement while I was with them. Some never heard of this concept but were quick to embrace it since the professor made this an extra credit project prior to finals—it takes all types of motivation. 😊

Had several students share their why statements with me during the class sessions—came away impressed with what they generated during our time together. Also introduced the concept of SMART goals (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to the students to help them with future educational and life pursuits. Leveraged SMART goals to help the students understand how written goals would impact their why statements.

The professor conducted a survey to get the students to identify what they took away from my visit. See a sample below.

Sample student survey results:

What was your favorite part of the Leadership Presentation? My favorite part of the presentation was what Dr. Williams proved to us. He proved that all of us are leaders of our own lives. He made me believe that I am far more capable of doing great things than I give myself credit.
What did you take away from the perception vs. reality part of the presentation? The perception of a person is how they carry themselves such as how they walk, talk, and dress. For example, Dr. Williams walked in confident, dressed in professional attire, and he was very well spoken. Yet he is a very introverted person.
In your own words, what was Dr. Williams’s why statement? Dr. Williams’ why statement was simply that he wants to leave a positive impact on every person that he meets.
What is your why for your education (including this class)? My why for my education is so that I can grow into a mature and responsible adult and to be able to become an officer in the United States Army. My why for this class is to help make a smooth transition into college which has been interesting.
What is your why for life? My why for life is to recognize that I will not live forever but I want to create something positive that will.
How long did it take Dr. Williams to learn his why? It took him 20 years.
In your own words, describe what happens when everyone in an organization agrees on everything? Everyone stops learning, they all stop growing, and eventually all become complacent.
How was the presentation helpful to you? It helped me realize the many things that I can do right now for my future. It was very eye opening and motivating. Thank you for having Dr. Williams come in.
If you were a tree, what kind would you be? Explain why you would be this tree. I would be a pine tree because I may not be the toughest, but I am flexible and dependable.
Share something you learned that you can put into action this week. I made a game plan of how I can get into ROTC at FSU. After class today (December 2nd) I made an appointment with the recruiter at FSU ROTC for tomorrow.

Happy to report most of the students I spoke with left with the same energy and got active making positive things happen. Several reached out to me on LinkedIn to stay connected for mentorship opportunities. Got invited to coffee recently for additional insight on goal setting—progress was made at TCC!

People building closely resembles being a superhero—Inspiration Man strikes again!

How can you become a People Builder? Who in your circle would benefit from a little construction?

“Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can”.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Life is short—spend your ENERGY wisely!

Energy

(Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay)

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life”.

(Aristotle)

Dictionary.com defines energy as the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.

Have you ever examined how much energy you invest in others? Are your energy investments being deposited in the correct places?

I ask these questions because I’ve had some interesting conversations with several close tree branches over the past couple weeks. I view my energy and time invested in others as valuable commodities. I’m mindful of how and when energy (time, thoughts, actions) will be invested to ensure I have the energy (time, thoughts, actions) for the right people.

Please note, I still envision myself as a People Builder but also understand energy can’t be expended equally to everyone. Finding the proper balance can be tricky but is necessary to ensure a proper life flow. This balance also provides the ability to move your energy focus and prioritize how and when you decide to expend energy.

I perform a yearly PURGE to ensure I concentrate my energy investments in the correct places.

So, on December 28, 2019 I went through my phone and LinkedIn contacts to identify contacts without mutual interactions within the past year. Mutual interactions can be defined as texts, networking requests, phone calls, simple conversations, etc. I took this action to remove potential clutter and reinforce why I have saved contacts in my phone and LinkedIn. These are the people who should get the energy investments mentioned earlier. I’m not on Facebook so no need for a PURGE on that platform.

Removing the miscellaneous (without a better word) contacts allows me to invest energy on the right people moving forward. Now, I don’t have to scroll through as many people to send out a text or LinkedIn message. This may seem like a small thing, but it reminds me of the importance of tree branches and why pruning is needed in life. It seems I always get a random text from someone in the PURGE a couple days after—it never fails. I don’t automatically add them back—I give them a test phase to see if they add energy to me—if not, they stay purged.

“Become more aware of what’s really worth your energy”.

(Pinterest pin, January 2020)

My example focuses on contacts in my phone and on LinkedIn. Don’t overlook the importance of the energy you expend on people in real life. I’m looking for people who display positive energy and are moving forward in life. Negative energy people can drain the life out of you and should be addressed or removed from your environment. Life is too short to continue to drag or tolerate negative energy on your Walk into the Future! Go ahead and have the tough conversations but make sure your time, thoughts and actions are focused on positive outcomes.

Get that #2020 vision you deserve!

How do you ensure your energy is invested in the correct places? Where can you adjust and ensure your energy is spent wisely?

“It’s a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly, just as it is to be angry with a car that won’t go”.

(Bertrand Russell)

Please note: this post was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my mentors who is 80+. She was able to apply my energy concept to her daily life and move forward in a specific situation where she was spending unnecessary energy. Life is funny, I’m providing mentorship to my mentors now. 😊 Irie!

Wormhole for Energy

(Image by Genty from Pixabay)

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