We are often negligent in reflecting upon our lives, but sometimes it’s forced upon us.
Many of you have wondered where I’ve been recently. Simply put, I have been in the hospital, and that came about suddenly and unexpectedly.
When a life-threatening experience or any experience suddenly cuts you off from your family, friends, colleagues or customers, you are going to be challenged. You expect to be able to make plans and adjustments, normally rescheduling an appointment or having someone pinch-hit for you when needed. But if you face a sudden interruption in your life’s routine, that’s not always possible. What do you do?
I faced just such an experience, and here are some of the things I learned.
Many good leaders train like a boxer. They plan their offense, but do they expect the unexpected?
You must be prepared to take an unexpected blow. You will make mistakes in life and in business; the key is not making a fatal mistake. If you get sick, you typically think it’s just a temporary thing before you get well and get back on your horse. Another surprise: You must allow for the time it takes to recover. The same holds true in business. A crucial mistake to avoid: You must have the resources in place to tide you over.
Well, I plead guilty on both counts. I wasn’t prepared for the unexpected, nor was I prepared with the resources (time) it would take to recover. There is such a thing as momentum in business, and you can surely lose it.
In addition, I learned another thing: Creativity takes an unbelievable amount of physical energy! I’m a professional speaker, author and coach, and it takes an enormous amount of physical energy and preparation just to deliver to an audience.
For me, the secret to my writing is the same. I have to have the energy invested in what I’m writing because it’s just another way of speaking to you. I’m not preaching to you. I’m having a conversation with you, and you know full well if I have any “umph” in my message.
For any of my columns to reach you, I must convey a feeling to you. It doesn’t matter which feeling; you may identify one of joy, sadness, intrigue, humor, anger, motivation or inspiration. If I’m doing my job, in some way I’m going to reach you. A professional speaker must connect with his audience. It’s not what I have to say to you; it’s what you hear.
A good leader is one who knows his feelings and thoughts and can express them with clarity and focus. My intentions are simply to communicate what I think and feel about various issues of leadership and performance, sharing my experiences and observations with you, particularly those that are internal. A good leader is congruent and authentic with inner feelings and values that typically reflect external conversations and actions. I hope I model that behavior for you. One thing I’ve learned in life: People don’t hear the important things with their ears; they hear them with their heart.
I want to end this column with an upbeat note. Timing is a good thing if it works for you. My latest book, Mission Possible, is being published as we speak — just at the time Tom Cruise’s third Mission: Impossible movie is out. The theme of the movie is the same as the book: What mission in life are you going to undertake?
It’s your life, and the decision is yours. It’s never too late. Stephen Covey, Brian Tracy and I wrote this book; go to CEOperspectives.com and order it. Call me, and I will come to your group and speak.
Jerry Stein, motivational speaker and executive coach, can be reached at
jerry@careercoach.com or (770)
988-0500. Go to careercoach.com for more info and
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