While at the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association, speaker Mike Paton said that we should evaluate how we match up with our jobs by using the acronym, GWC: Gets it – Your current job aligns with your skills, ability, education, and interest. You “get” what it takes to do the job. Wants it – Your job excites you. You look forward to it. Your participation in your job gives you a feeling of satisfaction, competency, and accomplishment. Capacity to

I’ve been listening to a podcast called Flying Coach, which features LA Rams head football coach and NFL journalist Peter Schrager interviewing other NFL coaches.  All the interviews are of younger coaches. Candidly, it’s full of football jargon and could be hard to follow, but these are young people who have reached the top of their game.  Their insights are interesting. A standard question asked of every guest is: “What advice do you have for

People who are mentally tough… Have a growth mindset. They have faith things can and will get better versus stay the same. Can focus on what’s important versus falling victim to distractions. Don’t lose their cool under pressure. Work relentlessly in pursuit of their goals. Bounce back quickly from setbacks and disappointments. Choose to do the right things when they don’t feel like it. Have insight into what others think and feel. Face fearful things

It’s easy to do. You wake up. Move into your routine. Go through the motions. Get to work. Do what’s in front of you. All around you, everyone is doing the same. But what if each changed it just a bit? You get up. Embrace the day. Purposefully, intentionally decide what you can do to make things better. I can start with energy. I can greet my teammates with a smile. I can suggest a

Trust is a vital ingredient to a great team. How do you build it? Jaspar Polak says there are three ingredients: Intimacy. It might sound like a weird word for business, but developing a closeness with teammates improves how we function. Some people believe there is no room for the “personal” in a relationship. But research says that isn’t so. We ask these questions every year: Does someone care about you? Do you have a

One strategy in The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson is to build teams through One Minute Praisings. The idea is simple. Be alert to the efforts and work going on around you. As you notice good things happening, say so. The authors call it “catching someone doing something right.” I have discussed this idea with many others who have read the book. Most of them had the same reaction: “I don’t praise

“Be really good every day at all the things that don’t take talent.” – Bo Ryan, former Wisconsin basketball coach As we start the work week, it would serve us each well to consider Ryan’s advice. What doesn’t take talent? Be safe. It starts with your commitment to follow safety procedures. Be punctual. Show up. Every day. Every shift. After every break. All hands on deck is essential for any team to perform best. Try

Here’s an interesting finding: “America’s cancer mortality rate has fallen 32% since the early 1990s.” To hear one has cancer is sobering news. But it’s not the guaranteed death sentence it once was. Cancer deaths declined as people smoked less. In other words, it declines when you stop doing the things that cause cancer.  Cancer deaths declined as we became alert to its risk and began to screen for it. In other words: when you study the risks,

One of the coaches I admire most is Steve Kerr, basketball coach for the Golden State Warriors. I’m enjoying reading a biography about him. As a team leader, he promotes four key values: joy, compassion, mindfulness, and competition. Joy. Teams should have fun. The time spent together should have meaning. Progress inspires joy. Achievement inspires joy. Friendship inspires joy. Kerr pays attention to the level of “joy” the teammates are experiencing. Compassion. Compassion brings connection.

The following is a list of characteristics that employers value when hiring and evaluating employees. They are in order of importance: Positive Attitude Reliable Good Work Ethic Punctual Friendly Follow Through Flexible Hours Experience Respects Authority Dresses Correctly Interesting list, isn’t it? It doesn’t say grades in school. It doesn’t say technical skill. It doesn’t say good looks or natural intelligence. Employers place value on this list of characteristics because finding people who model them