"Luck comes to a man who puts himself in the way of it.You went where something might be found and you found something, simple as that."- Louis L'Amour, To the Far Blue Mountains I had the pleasure this past Saturday of joining an executive coaching client on a local group bike ride. As a cycling enthusiast, I always welcome such opportunities, and have a number of clients who are excellent riders. Our route was north out o...

As an amateur cyclist and former road bike racing enthusiast, I am all too familiar with one of the sport's toughest and most lung-busting workout routines, popularly known as "interval training."Interval training consists of two elements: (1) working HARD at a heightened level of effort for a predetermined period of time and (2) fully recovering between the interval and/or sets of intervals. Work hard, then rest; work hard...

I made a personal commitment at the beginning of this year as follows: "If a business appointment or meeting is important enough to be on my calendar, then scheduling a block of time to PREPARE for that appointment is equally important." In the past, my practice had been to leave enough time between appointments and meetings to allow for what I thought would be adequate advance prep time. What tended to happen, however, wa...

I have a couple of executive coaching clients who share a great Monday morning habit -- one that really sets the tone for a positive week. It's a great way to kickstart the week and inspire your team members. It involves four simple steps:1.Write down the names of all of your direct reports on a blank piece of paper -- no particular order, just a simple list with a few blank lines between each name.2.For each person on the...

LinkedIn is the world's largest social business network in the world. As it continues to grow it is crucial to have a compelling and interesting profile. Here is a list of questions you can ask as you review your profile: •Is my profile 100% complete? If not, LinkedIn will tell you exactly what to do to get it there (look on the right side of your profile).•Have I created a compelling headline that is my marketing/branding...

The idea of "doing what you love" for a living or "pursuing your passions" eludes many and often has a ring of impracticality to it -- "HOW could I possibliy EARN A LIVING doing what I love?"There are, however, a number of ways to pursue your passions that many of us don't consider or overlook. Have you considered ALL of the following possibilities?WAYS to "Pursue Your Passions"•Doing what you love•Providing a service to o...

Enhance the effectiveness of your decision-making by tapping the knowledge, input and perspective of others. Ask others: • "What do you think?" • "Who else would you recommend that I ask?" • "What am I missing?" • "Who will this decision affect?"As a leader, seeking the opinion of others communicates that their role is important, it conveys respect and appreciation, and it strengthens their bond with you -- their l...

Finding a few minutes at the end of the day to reflect back ON your day is an excellent habit. Many times I'll journal those reflections, particularly if something substantive surfaces as a result of the reflection process.During my reflection time, I ask the following questions and answer them to myself:•What NEW THING did I learn today? What action can I take on that learning point?•Did I do a good job today of LISTENING...

Are your antennas up? Is your radar turned on and tuned in? Are opportunities "finding" you and appearing on your radar screen, or are you tuned into the channel of negativity and self-absorption .... missing those potentially life-changing personal and career-related opportunities?Being on the right channel and tuned into the right frequency is the ONLY way you can possibly pick up on the great ideas, suggestions, hints, a...

As a leader, as a human, it's natural and instinctive to REACT to a situation -- allowing our EMOTIONS to drive our immediate behavior. Many times, our initial/immediate reaction is something we regret later or is something we realize could have been handled much better. Great leaders are conscious of their reaction and response to situations. The best leaders substitute reaction with a conscious RESPONSE to a given situa...