The 3 questions that changed everything for me

Below are three developmental coaching questions that you want to sit down and ask every one of your key leaders. As you will see, the focus of the three questions are not externally focused, rather they are internal.  In other words, the questions are directed toward yourself. 

My suggestion is to prepare yourself.  Because a lot of what they will say will be potentially hurtful to you, but it is valuable information you will need to thrive.

-The key is total honesty, an open heart, an open mind and thick skin.

Number one what are my personal existing strengths?

[What am I already doing great around here? & what are my natural strengths?]

Number two what are my personal development challenges?

[What things do I need to overcome in order to be successful?]

Number three what specific suggestions would you give to me in order for me to grow to my fullest potential?

[What are the barriers that I need to overcome in order to achieve success?]

These 3 questions changed my life.

-I sought out older, wiser people that new me and loved me.

The feedback that I received was abundantly helpful and propelled me foreword in more ways that one.

Question:

-Who can you find in your life to sit down and ask these 3 questions to?

-What do you think are the answers you will receive when you finally sit down to get these questions answered?

-What is holding you back from asking someone these questions about yourself?

The 3 questions above are found in the above book by Marshall Goldsmith.

Your New Job Description: Passion

"Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.”

-John Wesley

I love Wesley's words... Honestly, I heard the quote years ago and it has stuck in my mind like a dagger.
It's one of my favorites.

It's raw.

It has that, I'll get the job done Without you ... Despite you... all I need is a group of like-minded passionate people on my side kind of feeling to it.

Have you noticed that having passionate people around you makes all the difference in the world?

Another famous example of gathering a team of like-minded passionate people can be found in Earnest Shackleton's job description for his daring expedition of the Antarctic.   

---Could you imagine reading this job description in your local newspaper?

I have noticed that many young people entering the work force are full of ambition, but their bosses generally are not looking for men and women with the type of ambition that both Wesley and Shackleton are calling for.  Most businesses steal the fire in your belly and provide steps on how you can become the average Cog.

Entailed in the above job description's is a calling so rare with many jobs today.

We are told from youth that, "the nail sticking out is the one that gets pounded in."  This advice is nothing more than a calling for the hum-drum; this is the stuff of boredom and yawns...

-Let me ask you a question:

-Have you ever left your house to listen to a boring band?  

-Do you ever go to the store to pick up the latest sleepy book? 

-I Doubt It.  

-I bet you picked the concert and the book(s) that stood out-  

Recently, I ran across a coffee mug with these words on its side.

-It was a breathe of fresh air for me.

I can only imagine that the person who owns that mug would be one of Wesley's 100 or that they would be sailing right next to Shackleton as he set out on his mission.

I'll bet you that working next to this person is never boring.

I'll bet you that this is a man or woman that sees their job less in terms of drudgery and more in terms of a calling.

-I wonder where you fit in this whole conversation?

-Are you content just watching life pass you by?

-Would you be one of the 100?

Something to think about today, on the first day of school

For my Parents

On vacation I found a biography by Jay Leno that he penned early on in his career
I was mostly skimming through it, until I found this story on the very last page of the book.
It was extremely moving for me because it reminded me of the sacrificial love that my parents showed me over my life. I am sure that as you read the story, you will also feel the same if you've been blessed with great parents.

"When I was 14, before I had my drivers license, I scraped up $350 to buy a crappy old 34' Ford pickup truck. Even though I couldn't legally drive, I just wanted to have my own car. The truck actually ran, but it was a dented up nightmare. Every day after school I worked on fixing it up: sanding, filing, painting, buffing.

As a present, my mom and dad got me brand-new upholstery for the seats.

Then, one day, I slammed a door a little too hard and the window just shattered. I did not have any money to replace it.

Around that same time. I finally got my drivers license. My favorite thing to do was to drive myself to school. My high school was a big flat building, where you could see the parking lot from every classroom.

----------One day it began to rain very hard

Because of the broken glass, I sat in class and watched my truck, and the new upholstery, get thoroughly drenched.  And I could not do anything about it

Then, suddenly, through the window, I saw my mom and dad tear into the parking lot. They screeched up next to my truck and dragged a huge piece of plastic out of their car.

Then they covered the truck in the pouring rain. My dad had known that the rain would ruin the new upholstery. So he left the office in the middle of the day, picked up my mom, and bought this hunk of plastic to save my seat...

I watched them do this.

And I just began crying right there in class...That memory has always stayed with me. There are so many things to miss about my parents..."

I am not sure why this story grips me so much.
It actually leaves me with a large empty feeling in the pit of my stomach each time I read it.
I am not sure if it does the same for you ...
Perhaps it is the way Jay tells it. He is reminiscing, which means his parents have passed on as he is writing it.  To me, there is a sadness to that.  Looking back and remembering the great times you had with those you loved the most and then having to put the pen and paper down only to live life without them is deeply sorrowful.
Or maybe the story moves me because I see my parents in the story...
Getting drenched in the rain for their son.
Putting themselves second for me ... again.
Sacrificing over and over.

--When I am honest, it is both.

I love you mom & dad.

Me & Mom! 
Some people say we look alike... ;)

Dad goofing off at Christmas.
He is wearing his new snow shoes on his head!

-If you have or had parents like Jay's share this story in their honor.

Lessons from Noah