Choose your path....

When I started writing these daily messages I was working on the opening of the Resort at Pelican Hill, whose Palladian style of architecture emphasized grandeur – one of the values these messages address.  Those original missives were used in pre-shift meetings during the property’s pre-opening to give new employees a sense of the company’s values. Now, ten years later, I’m still writing and sending these to people and companies that use them to instill employees with a sense of what their employer stands for. Interestingly, grandeurhas often been used interchangeably with excellence: both describe Pelican Hill and its dedication to those values.  These two values can be adopted by other people and companies that aim for the stars in all they do: thinking and talking about excellence is a good way to prepare to do your best work, keeping it in mind as you work helps you to remain focused, and reviewing everything you do against those standards helps to achieve that goal. In that way, life will lead you through the narrow valley of grandeur and excellence today, and every day.

Kristian Goldmund Aumann: Austrian author, screenwriter, filmmaker, director and actor 

Make a plan....

Decide what you want to be and then make plans to achieve your goals: aim high and work hard if you want to do great things and get ahead. I interviewed long term employees at a client recently and asked about their aspirations: some said they were content where they were, but most wanted to do and be more. When asked, few had a plan about how to get there, but one said she was taking classes to learn to be more, asking her colleagues about the things they did so she could prepare to do more, and shadowing other employees on her own time to practice to be more. It’s hard to get from good to great without personal sacrifice, extra effort, and a good plan. Nobody wants to be or have less tomorrow than they have today: if you want more then then put some skin in the game, talk to your supervisor, and act like you mean it. That’s how to begin achieving your goals today.

Joshua J. Marine: Author of books and motivational quotes

Plan for tomorrow....

Some of my clients are getting more engaged in strategic planning: identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and focusing them to help decide where they’re headed. This exercise can be done by one person and teed up to others, but it’s often best to do as a team: that’s what your mother was hinting at when she said‘two heads are better than one’.  But habits tend to keep us doing what we’ve always done – they’re less risky but won’t help when you’re trying to keep up with the competition or continually improve. When planning becomes a habit you bring people together, improve communication, foster collaboration, create alignment, and discover potential. It’s probably not for those scared of change, but can be an elixir for those who like to peer over the horizon and have hope for tomorrow.  It’s the way for you and your team to start to achieve great things today.

Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993): American minister and author known for his work in popularizing the concept of positive thinking

Be prepared for life....

This quote aptly describes the life of a consultant …. but I’m not complaining. It’s about scheduling: keeping one eye on the calendar and the other on the work left to be done. It’s about flexibility: having options, making choices, and quickly changing when needed. It’s about being prepared: thinking ahead, planning ahead, and communicating with others can help keep things going. And it’s about being happy with what you have: don’t over-reach, or under-reach for that matter – know your limits. I started out thinking this was about me and the work I do these days, but this applies to everyone who has places to go and stuff to do: whether it’s managing your time or timing your moves, it’s important to be aware of everything that’s going on around you and acting accordingly. People sometimes accelerate or delay things we’re involved with and we have to roll with the punches: this applies whether you’re planning for yourself, or you’re trying to coordinate things for a whole group or team. Make time, save time, use time wisely: that’s the way to manage your life today.

Paulo Coelho (b. 1947): Poet, Writer

#VegasStrong....

The news in Las Vegas the last two days has been all about the anniversary of last year’s mass shooting here: stories of the victims and survivors, and the way our community came together as #VegasStrong. Some of the other lesser-known stories told how our two new professional sports teams played a part in helping us recover and move forward.  The Golden Knight’s hockey team immediately got involved with promoting relief efforts like blood drives and food donations to the families of the victims and at their opening game that week they spoke about how it takes a community to begin healing from something like this.  And football’s Raiders, whose stadium was just breaking ground then, got the NFL behind allowing commercials that showed the heart and soul of Las Vegas, something many hadn’t really seen before that: those commercials showed our pain and pride and helped sustain the healing. Fortunately, those tough times slowly became easier, but the real story is how these rugged athletes stood by their new neighbors and helped us begin to get beyond the tragedy. Hopefully we will never experience a mass shooting like that again; thankfully, our shared responses have made all of us and our community stronger today.

Robert H. Schuller (b. 1926): Pastor, Author

Re-charge your batteries....

People tend to overcommit their time and energy when working as a team on important stuff: they get so excited to be included and involved in those team efforts that it can disrupt their normal schedules and habits. They stay hyper-focused, take fewer breaks, work extra hours, and think they can ‘burn the candle at both ends’ without affecting their performance and productivity. But energy is a valuable and finite resource: it needs to be used and distributed wisely, making sure there’s enough left to continue after the project is done. When opening hotels, I learned to consciously pace ourselves during the pre-opening phase so that there was energy left to handle the post-opening business demands. I also realized that a work/life balance was less about time off than recharging everyone’s batteries and sharpening their focus on the things that needed to get done. The best leaders are attentive to employee needs and react appropriately: if every member of the team is sharp then the team will perform at its best. No matter what you’re doing, find time to re-charge your batteries today. 

Jay Samit (b. 1961): American digital media innovator, author, and Independent Vice Chairman of Deloitte 

Be your best....

 We all have competition: sometimes it’s not so apparent who or what it might be. The best way to look at this is to first assess who the customer is: companies can scan the market or conduct focus groups to better understand where the competition is coming from; individuals may have rivals but most often compete only with themselves. While my clients do a great job identifying where the competition comes from and how to deal with it, most people don’t: they think it’s another employee. But look at this from a supervisor’s perspective: they rarely pit one person’s output against another’s and almost always try to encourage and motivate each individual to be the best. Each individual’s challenge is to be better than they were the day before: it’s about continuous learning, self-improvement, and a commitment to be the best you can be for the people you work with and serve. Focus on being your best today. 

Steve Young (b. 1961): American football quarterback who played 15 seasons in the NFL, 13 of them with the San Francisco 49ers