Why being outside benefits you, your team and your organization

Recently we held a company offsite meeting for a couple of days.  It was the perfect opportunity to come together and discuss our new structure,  strategy, products and our plans for 2024.  The problem with the meeting was that our entire customer-facing team was away from their desk, and their daily work, which meant that emails, quotes, orders and other tasks were stacking up and we’d have to pull a few long days to catch up.

Just after lunch on our final day together, I could see the stress on their faces as I asked everyone to close their computers so we could begin to wrap up our meeting.  The stress of not responding to email, not getting quotes out and more was draining the energy from the room and our meeting.  Something had to be done.  I had to change this - for the better.  

I stood up and asked everyone to join me on a walk outside.  Even though, at the...

The 3-C’s of Business Research 

Why understanding your customers, competitors and colleagues is critical to your success

I remember it like it was yesterday, but it was 20 years ago.  I was sitting at the conference table with the company’s leadership and several representatives from the customer.  We were meeting so they could share with us why we had been awarded their project.  This was a first for me and I was excited to learn why we had won.  I was anticipating they would say things like, you were the low price, you have the better products, your overall package fit our needs the best.

However, what they shared stopped me in my tracks, could this really be a driver in why we were successful?  You see, this project started when a bid landed on my desk and as I looked through it, my initial thought was “this is impossible, we’ll never win.”  But that was my job, to take the impossible and make it a reality.  So...

Understanding the role that personal, professional and industry specific growth plays in your success!

There is no doubt that the world around us is constantly changing, evolving and in most cases, moving forward.  Whether you’re a seasoned professional like me, a budding newbie to the industry, or somewhere in the middle, forward progress is critical for your continued growth and success. 

My journey of continuous growth started just a few short years ago.  In March of 2017, I entered a room of 25 other aspiring Coaches and my world changed forever.  

During this year-long program to become a Certified Professional Coach, I discovered what professional development and growth was all about.  It’s about me.  It’s about me doing the work, sometimes, really hard work, to understand who I am, who I want to be and how I am going to become the best version of me.  Because it’s about me, and it’s about you. ...