The Great Experiment - Bizzaro World (Part 2)

So, how did I do? Well, I'd say I did ok but not great. The following are the items I wrote down to help me understand what went well and what didn't go well. Then, I reset my game plan based on lessons learned. 

May 19, 2015
Plus

•  I was more focused and did more than I would have two weeks ago.
• Conversations with others felt more impactful (even if the other people didn't say anything).
• Thinking about My Why and the Interstates Why was good for me (energy, attitude, etc.).

Delta

• I did not do it every day.
• It's hard to do something for teammates on the weekends.
• If I got busy or focused on getting stuff done, I forgot about it or did it poorly.

Moving forward (lessons learned)

• Keeping it simple is key for me: The Power of More - What More Can I Do?
• 1 thing for family/friends
• 1 thing for teammates (focus on Monday-Friday; don't feel guilty if it does not happen on the weekends)
• Identify the two people at the beginning of the day.
• Set the tone every day by remembering:
• My Why and the Interstates Why
• Lead with love and have a thankful heart.
• Be all in. 

I hope you got something out of this experiment. For me, it was helpful to keep John's message in front of me for another week and set the direction for myself moving forward. 

Continue leading the Interstates Way by Rising Above (John's theme), being all in, and remembering the Why!

Scott Peterson

The Great Experiment - Bizzaro World (Part 1)

This week's post comes from Scott Peterson.

This blog post is an experiment. It is actually my journal entries from two different dates -- May 14 and May 19, 2015. These journal entries allowed me to lean into two different elements:
  
         1. The excitement and motivation that comes from hearing a great message. 

         2. The fear of not doing anything with the message and losing that motivation. 

So, basically, this is an experiment for me and on me. It's a way for me to learn more about myself and understand how I can boost my personal accountability and self-discipline. Hopefully you can get something out of it too. If nothing else, you will have some insight into Scott's world, also known as "Bizzaro World -- a strange and scary place." Enjoy!!

May 14, 2015
Yesterday was the John O'Leary event. I was lucky enough to hear John's message for the 2nd time (in the morning with the students and faculty of local schools) and 3rd time (in the afternoon with Interstates employees and various local community members). I thought both presentations were awesome. I am truly motivated and inspired. Now, here’s the challenge:  What am I going to do with it?

Here is my game plan. I need to keep it simple, and I need to keep it going. 
            a. Journal every day on the topic, "What more can I do?"
            b. Pick two people (one family/friend and one teammate) to invest in.
                (Names have been excluded.)
                          i. My kids - Spend 15 minutes truly listening to them about any topic.
                         ii. My teammates - Take a chance and give them some feedback so they
                                                        can be more successful.
            c. Today, remember:
                          i. My Why (personal mission statement) and the Interstates Why
                         ii. Success is a journey, not a destination.
                        iii. Be all in.
                        iv. Lead with love.

This might be too much. I will try to implement these activities for a week and then see if I need to make changes. Now comes the scary part for me: day 2 - day 7. Why? This is the test of my commitment and self-discipline. Will I choose to act and lead differently or will I allow the busyness of life to pull me into my old routines? Time will tell, but as of today, I will try. 

Stop back tomorrow to see the results!

Every Conversation

This week's blog post comes from Dave Crumrine.

I recently spent time listening to and studying a speaker whose primary point was:

"Every conversation is an opportunity to create the future.”

As humans, we spend our days in conversation. The better we are at engaging in conversation, the better we will be at impacting the world in a positive way.

Think about it. What is a relationship without conversation? Whether it is a meeting, 1-on-1 time, or a chat while driving down the road with someone else in the front seat of your car, we learn through conversations. We persuade through conversations. We educate and train in conversations. If we want to end a relationship, what do we do? We stop having conversations! 

This really impacted me. Through every conversation, I have the opportunity to make an impact. Am I prepared for that? Am I vulnerable enough? Am I more worried about how I look or how smart I sound than what others might get out of the conversation? I am going to make some kind of difference in every conversation. That is how it works. Will it be worthy? Have I wasted everyone's time? Have I made this a rich part of their day and possibly helped set a productive course for me, for them, or for the cause?

Conversations are creative. If they are truly engaging, some new insight or information can be created right there in that conversation. In fact, the best conversations often result in new insight. People can modify their views on topics; it can change the way they feel and believe.

Can this happen any other way? It is unlikely that people will get this from the evening news or from their trade journal. Only a quality conversation, grounded in genuine interest and mutual benefit, can lead to a different future. 

What kind of conversations are you having? Are they worth it? Are you bringing your heart and A-game to every conversation? Are those around you expecting a great conversation? 

We can make a difference…every conversation has that opportunity.

Continue Leading the Interstates Way (with some great conversation)!

Dave Crumrine