Lots

Lots of experts out there

Lots of trolls hiding behind their computer screens (in their Mom’s basement)

Lots of futurists predicting with absolute certainty what’s next

Lots of pressure to make the right decision, every minute of every day

Lots of opinions in our hyper-politicized society

And there are also…

Lots of sad people

Lots of employees struggling to make ends meet

Lots of our friends and neighbors masking depression with smiles and friendly waves

Lots of opportunities to pay closer attention to those around us

Pause for a moment during the hectic pace of your day and think about those around you. How are they really doing? Do you know; or, have they always responded with “I’m fine, how are you?”

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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Giving Tuesday, Leadership and You

Giving Tuesday is a wonderful tradition. It helps us move beyond the frenzy of Black Friday and the relentless screen time of Cyber Monday and reflect on the important work that must be done in our communities, often grossly underfunded.

I am privileged to serve on the Board of Directors of one of those places, an organization called The Children’s Cancer Center located in Tampa, Florida. Not a healthcare organization, rather, it is the only organization of it’s kind in the United States delivering thirty programs to children and families fighting pediatric cancer and chronic blood disorders. 

My ask today is simple and direct and should touch your heart. As you think about your gift options on Giving Tuesday, I would like you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to this amazing organization.

• Help us support the thousands of children and families that rely on us each year.

• Help us bring a few bright moments to exhausted Moms and Dads who are struggling to keep it all together.

• Help us support the siblings watching their brothers or sisters fight the fight of their lives.

• Help us connect those parents grieving the loss of their child to this insidious disease.

• Help us wrap the love, support and compassion around those brave kids that are going through this nightmare every minute of every day.

Click Here to Donate to Fight Pediatric Cancer

Leadership is not only what you do inside your organization. It’s also what you do for your community.

You can make a huge difference.

Please prayerfully consider helping out of your abundance.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

The picture is one of our brave kids fighting the good fight!

Subtraction

I don’t know about you, but I often feel a tremendous amount of pressure. Professionally, people are counting on me to do a good job. Personally, my family, friends, and the organizations I support want me to deliver consistently. I also have my own goals and aspirations that get added to the long list I’m already managing.

That feels like a lot.

What can I subtract? At first I thought it would be a series of hard decisions about what to drop.

Acutally, it’s been quite the opposite. I’ve added things that help me understand my long list much differently.

I’ve locked into a morning routine that has made a tremendous difference.

• Up at 4:00am
• Gym
• Walk
• Prayer
• Scripture
• Daily bible study
• Attempt to learn Italian for fun

Then my work day begins.

It may sound counter-intuitive to add to my day instead of deleting to ‘simplify everything.’ Candidly, it is. Yet the results have been important and meaningful.

I have dropped a few things to make room for my mental health though, including:

- slowing down on overcommitting

- removing the need to be constantly busy or active or achieving results every minute

- allowing others opinions of me to get much less headspace 

I’m adding another important piece shortly…more on that later. For now, I’m curious, how do you manage the pressures in your life?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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From This Day Forward

New goals…

New commitments…

New expectations of ourselves…

New limits on what we will accept from others…

New mindsets about how we will work and play and live…

…from this day forward.

Our society is big on declaring new ways to live and work and be. 

Actually, that feels like a hell of a lot of pressure.

What if instead, from this day forward…

- we tried our best

- we reached out to someone who might be hurting

- we didn’t try to reinvent ourselves simply because a social media post was bold and brash (and most likely hiding massive insecurities)

- we chose kindness first

What if that was more than enough?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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They Can’t Afford You

Time to level up.

You are a talented, experienced professional. You know what you’re doing and are bright enough to know when you need help and aren’t afraid to go after it and deliver for your organization.

Candidly, if you weren’t there your organization would suffer.

Let’s level up another step.

Think about the community where you live. There are many not-for-profit organizations that do incredible things right in your backyard. Somehow they make a difference despite the massive challenges they face each day, not the least of which is being able to hire the best talent.

This is where you come into the picture.

Can those organizations afford to hire you? No, they cannot.

Would those organizations benefit massively from your expertise? Yes, they absolutely would.

Final step.

My ask today is that you identify a not-for-profit organization in your community that aligns with your personal values.

• Contact them
• Get to know what they do
• Volunteer your time
• Join their Board of Directors
• Make a difference beyond the four walls of your employer (which also builds your employer brand as a community-minded organization)

Are you willing to take that step? Or, is it easier to say that you’re “just so busy that you don’t have any extra time?”

One last thing…I do practice what I preach. I am privileged to serve on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Cancer Center here in Tampa, Florida. Click the link to learn about the incredible impact the Center has on the lives of children and families navigating pediatric cancer and chronic blood disorders.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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15 Years of Excuses

This blog turns 15 years old on Saturday.

After more than 1,000 posts I’ve been asking myself…is there anything left to say?

Then I look around…I listen to colleagues, friends and clients. 

I hear the struggles and see the stress they’re under to make a difference and lead through unbelievably difficult times. 

I see new leaders emerging each year who are trying to be relevant in the confusing and complicated world of work.

Is there anything left to say? 

Yes, indeed. There is so much more.

Cheers to the last 15 years…and to the many years ahead of holding ourselves accountable.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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All at Once…All the Time

Leadership was the only option.

When I was young I couldn’t see myself being in any roles except leadership. I wasn’t entirely sure what that would look like, but I knew it was meant for me. And from the time I was young I seemed to end up in those roles, whether it was ‘with the boys’ or on a sports team or the various garage bands I played in.

As an adult, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to serve in leadership roles for more than 30 years. That makes me sound old, but candidly, I don’t feel it. Not yet anyway.

My youthful aspirations did not include the realities of leadership pressure to:

• Do it
• All the time
• All at once
• Manage the never-ending scrutiny
• Ignore the eyes of others always watching, and sometimes judging safely from a distance
• Achieve the future-state that is obvious at times yet requires so much patience
• Appreciate the tremendous satisfaction of seeing members of your team succeed when you know they’ve worked so hard to improve themselves

If we’re honest with each other, we place a tremendous amount of pressure on ourselves to do everything, all at the same time, every day.

I’m not sure that expectation makes sense. What do you think?

Back to it then.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

chit

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