This is a trying time for evryone around the world. No matter how hard it is, strive to be better. Be better in your thoughts, in your actions, in yur words, and in the way you spend your time.
I am here to help. Please reach out if you need any support
Every day is an interview.
Now, more than ever, we need leaders. We need leaders who will help others to survive in difficult situations. Surround yourself with these leaders. Stay away from Facebook (Captain Facecrook) Instagram (Instasham), Snapchat (Snapchump). These sites are not going to provide you with the leadership and the guidance you need. Stick to The Center for Disease Control (CDC), The World Health Organization (WHO), and Johns Hopkins University. They have earned my respect as a leader based on their previous performances.
Stay Calm. I heard a leader speak in one of my buildings the other day. There was fear in his voice. Instead of his encouraging words helping others, they added to the fear that his team already had. Though he tried to do a good deed, he did not help all of those who listened to his message
My wife and I are scared of what might happen. We are especially scared because there is nothing else that we can do to protect ourselves, our family, or our dog. We are appropriately, and ethically (I did not hoard toilet paper, cereal, bleach, frozen food, or paper towels… I still do not get the toilet paper scare) stocked with supplies. We have been doing a good job of staying calm in front of our kids. This is helping them to stay calm as well.
We have all been through trying and challenging times before. We have all experienced new challenges without precedent. Based on the fact that you are here today reading this blog, you survived them. Stay calm and be a leader. Do the right thing. Use this as an opportunity to improve yourself, your leadership, and those around you.
Stay safe and stay healthy.
Every day is an Interview.
The other day, the forecast was for snow and ice. The roads were going to be impossible to travel across. It was the end of a long holiday weekend, and luckily, my schedule was clear and I did not have to go on the road for the next two days. I could get work done at home and spend time with my family.
As I was driving to the store to get some last-minute “needs” before the storm, one of my clients texted me. We usually have a Sunday session to prepare my client for the week. Our sessions are always in person. When I received the text, I did not want to look at it. I did not want to drive to their house if the weather was going to be bad and the roads were going to be dangerous. However, my conscience told me if the client calls and my schedule is clear, I need to meet with the client.
I did not want to answer the text when I got to the food store because I was focusing on what would happen if I drove in dangerous conditions. It was evident that my mind was not where it needed to be, which was responding to the client.
After a few minutes of sitting in my car thinking of the impending doom that may not happen (The storm was not that bad and the roads were safe), I realized that I had to stop thinking about all of the what-ifs and answer the text. I had already made the decision that I was not going to travel. However, it’s the 21st century and I could meet the client through Facetime, Skype, etc.
In the end, I was proven to be the fool. I got my phone and checked the text message. The text read ”I am contacting you to make sure that we did not schedule a meeting for today. I do not want you to drive out in the bad weather. Thank you for your efforts and enjoy the weekend.”
All of my worries would have been avoided if I faced my reality right away. I do not know who said it first, but the worry is just a waste of my time.
Every day is an interview.
I recently attended a conference for science teachers and school administrators on its second and final day. Even though this is an excellent opportunity for me to network with colleagues and vendors from across the state, I find that it is not worth my time to attend the conference on both days. I was eager to meet with some vendors as I have some new ideas to help us meet our vision
As usual, there were a large number of vendors at the event trying to promote and sell their goods. Unbelievably, a bunch of these vendors was sitting playing on their phones. I could not believe it. They were not interacting with attendees. It seemed that either they made their quotas on the first day or they were done after the first day and had nothing else to give. Though in reality, if I made my quota, I would look for ways to make more connections for furutre sales.
Not one of these phone gawkers even noticed when I walked by their displays. How could I trust them, or their companies, to help my students and staff grow? How could I be sure that they would be there when I needed them? Why would I want to deal with a company who thinks that these vendors accuractely represent their brand? How could I defend, both to my boss and to our school board, giving any of these vendors’ companies our money?
I made sure that I took note of these companies. Later, I developed a list of companies that I refuse to work with. Every single one of the companies represented by these phone gawking vendors were on the list. When one of their representatives called me to set up a sales meeting, I refused. When they sent me promotional material, I sent it to Spam. When they were in the “area”, I was too busy. If their sales force cannot take the time to promote their products to me at the state conference, how can I possibly develop any confidence that they will be there for me and my clientele when I need them.
Every day is an Interview.
At times, I get fixated on the things that I have to do. I end up thinking about them so much that I get frustrated with all that I have to do and I get nothing done. When this happens, I am clearly not in the present. This is when I am least productive.
What is the best solution?
Do the thing that you are thinking about. Start it right away. Do not wait until you have the perfect plan or the perfect schedule. Doing what you are thinking about solves the problem every time by building the momentum needed to accomplish your goals. If you are thinking about multiple things, pick the first one that comes to your mind and do it to completion. Then pick the next thing that comes to your mind and do that to completion. Repeat until done.
Good Luck
Every day is an Interview.
Both of our sons are great young men. We are very proud of them. Sometimes, their character makes me stop and ponder whether I am living up to the standard that they are setting. Sometimes, their actions are so great that I have to take stock of myself and determine if I am truly living well.
For the last year, my oldest son has been saving for a gaming computer. Even though he has tried, he was not employable until he turned 16. Once he turned 16, he found out that no one wanted to hire him unless he could drive. It took him a long time to save to get the computer he wanted.
We placed the order for the computer right before the Christmas Holiday. It took over three weeks for the company to make it. Finally, he received notice that the delivery was to take place for January 20. My wife had off that day, but she had numerous errands to do and would not be able to stay home all day. I also took the day off, realizing that at least one of us had to be home when the delivery guy with the order. Nothing happened; both boys came home from school. At 5:30, I took the youngest to his gymnastics practice. After his session, I dropped him off and went to a meeting with a client. When I got home, the computer was not yet delivered.
My oldest son came to the door and told me that the delivery guy showed up while I was meeting with the client. He was in his truck for a few minutes and then left. He did not deliver the computer, and he did not provide us with an explanation. I asked him to check the tracking status on his computer. January 21 was the new scheduled delivery date.
My wife and I were devastated. We could not believe it. Our son was so excited to receive his computer, and yet, the adults let him down. It took him over a year to get to this point, and after all of the waiting, he got nothing, not even an explanation. At that point, our son came up to us and told us that it was ok that he would get it tomorrow. We could sense that he was disappointed, but he handled it well.
I wish I handled my disappointments as well as he did his. I hope that I can live up to his character the next time I am faced with a disappointing situation.
Every day is an interview.
I was walking out of my office today to get to my car and go to another school for a meeting when I saw an 18 wheeler blocking my parked car. My parking spot is located right across from Central Receiving. Trucks stop by all the time to drop off deliveries for our school district. Because of an ongoing construction project, there is a dumpster located right next to Central Receiving, making it more difficult for trucks to park when making deliveries. In this instance, there was no way for me to get around the vehicle. I knew that was going to be late if I did not find the truck driver and get him to move his truck soon. He was not in his vehicle, and no one was in Central Receiving. I was starting to get frustrated.
A few seconds later, I saw the truck driver was walking towards me. Right behind him was a forklift moving towards the truck. Both the driver and the forklift operator waved to me. The driver said hello and apologized for blocking me in. I started to realize that my issue was not his fault, but I was not out of the woods yet. The forklift operator asked if I could give him a minute as he had to unload one pallet from the 18-wheeler, and then they would be out of the way. The politeness of both the driver and the forklift operator changed my mood. I was no longer angry. I called my secretary so she could inform my meeting participants that I would be a few minutes late and I waited for the workers to do their jobs.
They were a great example of how to act, mainly when circumstances cause one to impose upon others. Apologize, take responsibility, and make sure that the person who feels put out realizes that it was not personal (or out of laziness, or out of disregard for ohters, etc.)
The truck driver pulled out, and I was finally able to get on my way. As we were leaving the parking lot, he pulled over and waved me on. This guy was on a roll with his acts of kindness. I was lucky that day to be surrounded by people whom I have never met before, and raised me to a higher level.
Every day is an Interview.
January 11.
Last night, we sat down to watch John Wick on TV. We had wanted to see it in the movie theatre, but our schedules got in the way. As we were getting settled, I asked my youngest son if we had any popcorn. I cannot believe that I fell back into my old habits so quickly. I had pretty much eaten clean for the whole year (11 days). What happened next was an awful example of poor discipline. I ate half the bag of microwave popcorn, had a serving of mixed nuts, ate a serving of chips, had a cookie, and 2 Rocher candies. The worst part was that I was not even hungry. I truly ignored my goals as I fell into an old habit
Discipline is the only way to reach my goals. I gained a lot of weight in the last 6 weeks of 2019. By cleaning up my diet, I lost a few pounds in a short time. If I want to get to my goal weight, I have to be more disciplined in my decision making.
This morning, I woke up dwelling on my mistake. This did not help me focus on the goals that I want to achieve today. I need to let this mistake go and move forward. I am not a perfect person and I just need to move forward. I need to focus on making the best decision and move forward.
Move forward, just move forward.
Every day is an Interview.
I am lucky enough to live in a town that has an excellent volunteer fire department. I highly value their work and commitment. My family pays taxes for good schools, a strong police department, and other benefits. I always thought that these benefits should include a well-equipped volunteer fire department.
Growing up, my neighbors were volunteer firemen. My brother was a volunteer fireman. I saw them give up sleep, recreation, dates, etc. to protect those that they served. They trained multiple times a week and they were always ready to protect others. I once saw my brother on the roof of a house cutting a venting hole while the house was on fire so his team could save the structure. I heard stories of these volunteers going into burning buildings to save others. They are all brave men and women.
Once a month, the volunteer firemen in my town can be found at the major traffic lights collecting money. WTF. Why do they need money? They are not collecting a salary. When I asked, they stated that they were fundraising for new equipment. I was shocked. Why do they need to buy equipment? Based on our tax levy, there is no way that they should need or want for anything. Yet, they are not getting the support from the town council and the mayor that they need. Instead of whining, these brave men and women are standing at traffic lights at busy intersections collecting money to voluntarily serve us better.
I am disappointed in our leaders. How could they allow our volunteer fire department to be in such sad shape that its (volunteer) members have to give up more of their time to raise money to protect our township?
The mayor gets paid. He is the ultimate leader. He decides how the tax levy is spent. Why doesn’t join our brave volunteers each month? Our town needs firefighting supplies. He should lead from the front. So should the town council members. We should never live in a place where those that volunteer to protect us have to give up more of their time so that they are properly equipped to safely protect us. The town and its leaders have failed the interview. The courageous and generous volunteer firemen and women have passed.
Every day is an Interview
It is that time again. That time when everyone waxes poetic about their New Year’s Resolutions. The same resolutions that they are going to forget about in a few days or weeks. Each year, instead of growing, people make the same mistakes over and over again. They make a resolution that will start on January 1, usually after a night of poor sleep. Each time, they have great intentions. Each time, they fail miserably. Year after year, they do the same thing, thus limiting their growth and limiting their potential.
My resolutions for January 1 included the following;
These are not new resolutions. Each day, my resolution is to eat well and to drink 100 oz of water. Sometimes I fail, but I do not quit… ever!!! Each day, my resolution is to workout. Each January, my resolution is to not drink in January.
A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something (Google Docs Dictionary). Every day, you need to make a firm decision to do or not do something. The “resolutions” that people make for the New Year are not the same resolutions that you need to make on a daily basis.
Once you realize that a change needs to be made, research the change, then resolve to make it. Do not wait for the New Year. Use the New Year to celebrate those resolutions that you have made numerous times during the past year, and that you are still committed to making as you grow on a daily basis.
Every day is an Interview.
Happy New Year.
Everyday is an Interview 