How To Network Like A Pro.

Last night, I was invited to attend a gala event at the prominent investment firm in NYC. There were 500-600 people there to meet, greet, and listen to great speakers talk about the market.  I was invited by one of my past clients - so I didn't break in uninvited like I usually do. Just kidding.

Here are some key techniques that I used to make the night a fruitful and productive one:

1. Don't Go To Ask For Leads, Go There To Help People Get Leads.

So many people HATE networking. Why? When you go around a room full of begging for business and connections, it SUCKS. You have to change your perspective 180° and go to HELP people and not ask for help. You are there to connect — get to know them, understand their needs, and figure out how to help them.

2. Show Up Early.

Ensure that you actually get there and are parked safely way ahead of time. With traffic, wrong turns and accidents, you never know what will impact your travel. It also gives you time to get the lay of the land, see how people are dressed/acting, and talk to some of the support staff to learn about the building/event. My client actually scoped out the location the day before, got a guided tour of the building from security, and learned all about the history of the building - which he used as a talking point when he networked. BRAVO!

3. Wear Your Nametag The RIGHT Way.

Bring your own in addition to the one that they provide. Nametags are CRITICAL to the networking process. Unfortunately, most event planners get a big 'F-' when they design the nametag. Usually, your name (the most important item on the nametag) is too small and their logo is too big. Morgan Stanley did it right - my name was nice and big (even enlarging my first name) all to make it stand out and readable from a distance. I also had my personal nametag in my breast pocket of my suit - just in case they failed misarably with the layout. Also - pin/clip your nametag to your left lapel (right side if you are looking down). Why? When you shake hands with someone, it allows their eyes to follow up your arm to your nametag. Trust me - this is the best way for people to remember your name.

4. Triangulate Your Body.

When networking with a partner, many people tend to face one another. This is a huge faux pas. By doing this, you literally cut yourself off from everyone else and announce (with your body language) that any intrusion into your conversation is not welcome. My client and I actively 'triangulated' ourselves at a 45 degree angle when we spoke. This invited others to mingle in and introduce themselves without fear of intrusion.

5. Always Have A Free Hand.

Juggling a drink and an appetizer plate? Put one down. Always have a free hand to shake hands, make a point, or touch someone to enforce an idea. I can't tell you how many people bumble and juggle their drink/food when you first meet them. It doesn't leave a good first impression.

6. Act Like A Host.

Nervous about walking up to people and introducing yourself? Just act like a host - walk up, introduce yourself, and ask how their night is going. Or how the food is. Or is their wine up to snuff. They will never ask you if you are the host - they will just infer that you are an important person and you care about their welfare. A great way to start a professional relationship!

7. Always Talk About THEM.

Bottom line, who cares about you? Only YOU. So always position the conversation around the person you are talking to. Use my technique - Ask a question, listen, repeat. The more your ask questions, the more you learn about the person you are talking to AND the more that they are engaged into the conversation. This allows you to position and align any answers you provide to their interests.

There are so many more - but these are the best for now.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Want to expand your networking success? Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Image: Royalty-Free License from Dollar Photo Club 2014.

Stop Hitting Your Career 'Snooze Bar'.

Do you need a 'Wake-Up Call' to your career? In the movie 'Up In The Air', George Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham is firing a man named Bob in his late fifties who is complaining he has no idea what to do next.

Ryan replies in a powerful tone: "Look, I’m a wake-up call.”  He explains to Bob he must follow his dreams. Bob doesn’t understand. Ryan looks through Bob’s resume. He minored in culinary arts in college and worked busing tables at an Italian restaurant before working here. “When were you going to do what makes you happy?” Ryan asks. “This is a rebirth,” he says. Bob takes the packet with a new direction for his career.

Sometimes there are internal and external forces knocking on your door — a career wake-up call — for you to change. Sometimes it's a light tap on the door — sometimes it's someone breaking the door down. Here are some examples of a 'wake-up call':

• You HATE going to work. Not dislike — HATE. Step back and think, if I hate my job, what kind of effort and quality will I produce? Will it suffer?
• You give a motivational speech to your company — and no one finds it motivational. Why aren't you speaking their language and firing up what important to them?
• You find your support network of friends are dwindling. Are you taking regular steps to engage new people? Are you losing or retaining your current colleagues?
• Your board turns down your request for expansion. Have you done the requisite politicking to each member to get their buy-in? Or are you resting on your laurels?

I can go on ad-infinitum. Fortunately, there is a common thread running through all of these examples:

What you've done before isn't working now. Something has changed — sometimes it's you, and most of the time it's external.

Bottom line — you need to change. Adapt. Evolve. Morph.

Because if you don't, that wake-up call will turn into something far, far worse. And don't hit the snooze bar either. Take action and change.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. The alarm bells are ringing at work — and you don’t know what to do next. Don’t worry – you and I can work on it together so you instantly develop a plan of attack - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Image: Royalty-Free License from Dollar Photo Club 2014.

Good Service vs. Bad Service - A Parable.

Once upon a time there was a coach. He woke up every morning at 4:30 AM and worked until 5 PM. Some days he worked at his office in Stamford — some days he worked at his home office.

Some days he coached all day long with wonderful clients — some days he was on the road connecting with old and new friends to build his business.

During these wonderful times, this coach would make a small detour and pick up a few foodstuffs for his family (it's the least he could to to help his ravishingly beautiful and infinitely smarter wife).

This day, he stopped off at a supermarket, let's call it Supermarket 'A'. Everywhere Rich went in Supermarket 'A', if he saw an employee stocking the shelf or walking by, they would greet him with a smile and ask if they could help him find something. Many times, they would comment on an item he was purchasing and offer positive comments on how to use it. The store was clean, well-stocked, and had a homey, comfortable feel about it.

Supermarket 'A' provides a station where one could sample new foods and most of the time, the offerings were incredible where the coach would just have to buy the spotlighted item. And today he would do just that.

The best part of this coach's visit was checking out. First, there were three registers open and one of the employees immediately caught the coach's eye and asked, "Ready to check out? I can take you over here!". As they unloaded his cart and scanned each item, they engaged the coach in conversation about some of the items he was purchasing and how his day was going so far. They profusely thanked the coach for bagging and encouraged him to fill out a ticket (a drawing for a free gift certificate) because the coach brought and used his own bags.

With a hearty good-day from the Supermarket 'A's employee at the register, the coach had an extra spring in his step rolling his carriage to the car.

The next day, the coach had to stop at another supermarket, let's call it Supermarket 'B'. Everywhere Rich went in Supermarket 'B', his aisle was blocked by multiple large, wheeled pallets full of boxes. The employees unpacking the boxes all had a unique air that the coach would describe as 'depressed and angry'. They rarely moved out of the way, grunted when they had to and filled in each aisle making travel a torture course for every shopper. Each aisle was dirty and the lighting resembled the inside of a refrigerator — blinding, florescent white.

When the coach reached the pharmacy to pick up a prescription (no worries - it's an allergy) — he had to wait in line (5 customers deep) and watch the pharmacist work behind the counter, answer phone calls, and ultimately step out and assist the next customer. Where it should have taken the coach 2-3 minutes to complete a simple pick-up transaction, he was in line for approximately 12 minutes. That's a long time to spend standing in line. Honest.

Finally, when it was time to check out, there were only three (out of 15 registers) open and all three had lines 5-6 people deep. The coach chose the self-checkout register, scanned his frequent shopper card to get normal pricing on his items, and began to unload, self-scan, and pack up his items in his bag. Guess what? Three items in, the scanner encountered a problem and required a manager to login, reset, and allow the coach to purchase his five items. Unfortunately, there was no manager to be found, so the coach had to wait until one appeared from their break.

With a hearty FU from Supermarket 'B', the coach had an extra slog in his step and rising, burning anger in his neck rolling his carriage to the car.

All kidding aside, what's going on here?

1. One establishment gets it, one doesn't (or just doesn't care).
2. One has engaged and enthusiastic employees, and one doesn't.
3. One has the layout and logistics of selling food nailed, and one doesn't.
4. One had a comfortable, homey feel and the other a dirty, clinical atmosphere.
5. One had reasonable pricing and great quality, the other high-prices and questionable quality.

Now you might ask, why does the coach shop at Supermarket 'B' and not all the time at Supermarket 'A'? Proximity and convenience. 'A' is far away and takes 30 minutes of drive time. 'B' is five minutes away.

There are a number of lessons to learn here today:

1. Availability and convenience do play a major part in consumer's choice. Time sometimes trumps quality, service, and price.
2. The way you treat your customers, with even the simplest of transactions, impacts their shopping experience. Bad employees do hurt you.
3. Even though people want choice and change, they also like consistency. They don't want to be inundated with 100's of items. Make it easy and simple.
4. Making customers wait should be avoided, not embraced by your organization. Even DisneyWorld makes waiting fun.

What's the moral of the story? The coach should (and will) plan out his shopping each week and endeavor to hit Supermarket 'A' on a regular basis.

The Real Amazon — Everything You Want To Know About Jeff Bezos.

Bloomberg had a great article a few weeks ago and I just finished it - check it out! Image provided by Craig Garner at Unsplash.

3 Clues You're About To Be Fired.

You go to work every day. You put in long hours. You get your tasks done. Everyone is happy. You think you're doing a great job — your position is safe — your expecting that promotion or raise.

You're WRONG.

A lot of people are in this mindset right now. Just keep your head down, do your work, don't make waves, and good things will be coming your way. It's the mistake many people are making.

All is well and good until there's a knock on your door or you're asked to a conference room at 7 AM. Oh look! It's your boss with someone from HR!

What happened? What did I do? OMG — I'm let go?

Here are the three most prevalent clues one received when things start to get "hinky" at work:

1. Communication is severely restricted.

Suddenly, the people you rely on the most are suddenly not available. You set up meetings, they cancel. That crucial status update meeting you scheduled? Postponed. It seems many things around you are starting to circle and enclose you.

What to do: Start prodding and poking the communication bubble. Look for a way to 'pop' it. Sometimes people find they just need to alter the way they communicate and instantly everyone notices your message or concerns. Maybe other people are yelling and screaming — so they get the attention. You need to get it back.

2. Projects and initiatives you are spearheading are suddenly downgraded.

You're at the top — everything is going fine and then, over a period of weeks or months, some of your projects are cancelled, you might lose a key resource, or the regular interest paid towards your work is moved from critical to on-hold.

What to do: Step back and take a broad view of your situation. Are all projects and initiative on hold? Maybe it's just not you. But if it is, try to understand the WHY of the downgrade — maybe it was too expensive, moving too slow, or your project was too strategic, too out there. Maybe you really didn't get the right buy-in from the important people at the top. Make that happen . . . today.

3. You get a 'different' vibe or tonality from your superiors.

Your great relationship with your boss suddenly changes. He/She speaks and directs you from email rather than meetings. Everything suddenly is in writing. His or her peers are standoffish or act weird around you.

What to do: I always start out by turning the mirror on myself. Is there anything I'm doing differently? Did I change anything? Sometimes, it could be as simple as a clothes-change or style modification. Second, check out if something personal is happening to your boss. Ask around or more importantly, ask them politely. You might find out their spouse is ill or their child was just diagnosed. Sometimes it's not you.

Then again — It's YOU.

If these things are happening and some of the suggestions don't work, your name might be on a short list somewhere. If two or all three of these things are happening — start taking steps to secure possible new digs somewhere else. Get your resume in order, start reaching out to key influencers, and start getting out and meeting recruiters.

You've received a message — take action!

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. The alarm bells are ringing at work — and you don't know what to do next. Don't worry - you and I can work on it together so you instantly develop a plan of attack - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Image provided by fczuardi at Flickr.

Your Presentations Stink! Part One: Pie Charts.

This series is an offshoot from my nationwide corporate workshop on "You Will Own The Room".  Powerpoint (PC) and Keynote (Mac) force the average user to use many of their various tools to supposedly make their presentations 'better'. Unfortunately, they make them more colorful, complex, and hard to understand. Mix in the barrage of bad slides and presentations out there — and you get a real mess on your hands.

More colorful, more complex, and more stuff do not make a great presentation. Actually, just the opposite.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to present various elements I frequently run into when working with C-Level executives and their support staffs.

First up . . . Pie Charts. You know how bad they look.

Now let's take a look at a MY slide:

Okay . . . it's not as colorful. And it's not 3D. But it presents a number of elements that make the information clearer and easier to find:

• You are not inundated with a barrage of colors and shapes. It's simple and allows you to SEE the information quickly.
• You don't need the proverbial info bars at the top and bottom of the slide (I will go into this in successive posts - just trust me for now).
• You don't need a legend — legends force you to search for the information and turn it into a 'treasure hunt'.
• The data labels and percentages are placed right onto the pie chart — no searching.
• Why use colors? You don't really need them. Yes, they look nice - but they muddle the message.
• 3D? This isn't Star Wars — the more simple the image, the easier it is to absorb the information.
• The best part? This slide can easily be printed — and the viewer can also take notes on it.

Now you might say "I like the colorful slide". And that's fine. But here's a little test I want you to take:

Look at both slides and see how hard it is to compare the total percentages between North America and the lowest five areas on the pie chart. You'll find yourself easily adding up the red numbers on my slide AND visually aggregating the slices. On the blue slide you'll be zipping back and forth between the legend and the image to make your calculations.

Just imagine what your audience is thinking. Are they bedazzled by the colors or absorbing your information?

Next up . . . Bar Charts!

600 Articles . . . How Am I Doing?

Just hit 600 posts on my blog. Hooray. I NEVER thought I would be here - when I first re-launched my site back in 2009, I decided to include a blog to let viewers, prospects, and clients know what's inside of Rich Gee's crazy mind.

Four years later, I have 600 small peeks into the wacky world of Rich Gee. If you subtract weekends, you get approximately 261 working days each year (this doesn't include holidays or my 4-6 weeks vacation time). So if you take 600 and apply it over almost four years — I've been posting over 75% of the time.

WOW. I hope you've liked the ride. I sure have. I think it's time to find out if I've been hitting the mark. How am I doing?

I WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK. Please let me know below this post.

Tell me if you like the direction my blog is going — if you like the topics, or if I hit the mark (or I don't). I want constructive criticism — please tell me what I can do to make this even BETTER. Oh . . . also tell me your favorite posts — I will write more.

I'm just catching my breath and beginning to start another marathon. Anyone have any water?

Thank you! Rich 

How To Miss Work The Right Way When An Emergency Strikes.

As we batten down the hatches here on the east coast for Hurricane Sandy, I thought I would write a quick post on how to handle interruptions to your work schedule without it affecting your workflow and your relationship with your boss.

1. Get a feel how your boss and company reacts.

When you first start at a company, in your HR packet you'll find basic rules and regulations for missing work, closures, etc. Take these with a grain of salt — nothing is ever 'locked in stone' in business.

Get a better idea by watching your boss and see what they do (and say) when someone else is absent or when something happens (snowstorm, inclement weather, emergency). If they're normal, they are usually lenient and let the person (or persons) off the hook pretty quickly. But sometimes you have one of two types of bosses:

a. Workaholic - will never miss work, work ridiculous hours, and constantly compares their work performance with their people. They're the only one at work during a blizzard, a hurricane or a blackout. It seems they like work more than life — they do. If you speak reasonably to them, they usually understand (they are not unreasonable people - like B below).

b. Killjoy - someone who takes pleasure in making other people's lives hell when they need an accommodation. If your kid is sick and you have to stay home that one day out of 365 — they give you grief — you get the idea. Usually standing firm with these jerks tend to scare them away (recite the HR rules), but you're never going to win the war. If it becomes a problem, you need to change bosses or your company.

2. Pre-plan by communicating.

Let your boss (after speaking with them), your peers, your team and your clients know each eventuality and what will happen.

Especially your team. The better you communicate EXACTLY what to do, the less calls and confusion you'll receive during a storm or event. If you're going to be sick, pre-plan it with your boss that you'll leave a voicemail on their cell and follow up with an email. It's that simple. For your team, ensure by communicating for them to bring home their laptops and any work they might need.

3. Let key people know about your plans.

During the event, let people know what you're doing and what is expected of them.

Keep the communication flowing, expectations regularly committed, and deadlines met (or extended). A daily 15 minute follow-up via phone can ensure most items are accounted for and moving. Conference calls are  the norm — it allows people to feel that they are still connected.

Let your customers know via email and if there is a problem or deadline missed, pick up the phone (also - ask them for direct cell lines prior to the emergency — I have it built into my welcome packet).

4. Back up your absence the best that you can.

If you have a team and you're sick or taking care of an emergency, specify who will handle your workload when you are absent. A little pre-planning here will go a LONG way.

Pick the person or persons who will ensure your work flows without interruption and will keep you in the loop in case something happens.

If you take a little time and observe, pre-plan, communicate, and act — any absence — long or short — will not be a big deal.

How The Boomers Screwed Up OR We Can All Do Better.

I've been struggling with this generational paradox for the past 5-10 years and have asked a ton of people what they think about it. This theory comes closest to what I feel happened, is happening, and probably will happen. Enjoy! Here's my basic understanding of what went down (this is a long one — so stay with me — it's really important):

The generation that birthed the Baby Boomers suffered like hell. Depression, World War II; they shouldered everything.

So when the US was growing more successful following WWII, they didn't want their children to suffer. And their kids loved this. They lived in relative safety, had a clear boogeyman to fear in the USSR and ideology to love in the US of A. They got opportunities, whether to get jobs straight out of high school, or go to college, or travel the world, or whatever. Not everyone got this, of course, since we still did have poor souls shipped out to Vietnam.

They got awesome music, got to experiment with drugs, and then got jobs alongside their hardworking, nose-to-the-grindstone parents of the "Greatest Generation". And as those parents retired and died, we were left with a overwhelming number of coddled, spoiled children running the show.

And the problem with that is that they haven't grown up. They didn't understand the hardships that drove their parents' decisions. So they made decisions that didn't aim to avoid those hardships, which has saddled us with debt, terrible regulations of tons of industries, and a number of unwanted and unwinnable wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, Drugs), which has led to Gen Xers and Millenials getting the short end of the stick, and being generally bitter about it.

Even a cursory glance at what we call the generations even gives some insight into the Boomers' thoughts toward their children compared to their parents. "Greatest Generation" vs. "Generation X". Past vs. future, and the future gets humped.

Now, that's not to say that every Boomer is like that. Plenty aren't. It's also not to say that this is a 100% correct reading of the situation, but it does seem to reflect what history has shown (so far) the Greatest Generation, Boomers, and Gen Xers to do.

I'm a firm believer in Strauss-Howe generational theory. We've repeated the same cycle of generational 'types' and social climes since the 1700's. Baby boomers are 'idealistic moralists' in favor of wars they themselves don't fight in, and they incite others to make sacrifices. The crisis they are driving us into will have to be dealt with by the scruffy, pragmatic Gen-Xers.

Here's the gist of the theory (from Wikipedia):

To date, Strauss and Howe have identified 25 generations in Anglo-American history, each with a corresponding archetype. The authors describe the archetypes as follows:

Prophet

Born in 1809 and coming of age during the Transcendental Awakening, Abraham Lincoln is identified as a member of a Prophet generation - the Transcendentals.

Prophet generations (dominant) are born after a Crisis, during a time of rejuvenated community life and consensus around a new societal order. Prophets grow up as the increasingly indulged children of this post-Crisis era, come of age as self-absorbed young crusaders of an Awakening, focus on morals and principles in midlife, and emerge as elders guiding another Crisis.

Due to this location in history, such generations tend to be remembered for their coming-of-age fervor and their values-oriented elder leadership. Their main societal contributions are in the area ofvision, values, and religion. Their best-known historical leaders include John Winthrop, William Berkeley, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Polk, Abraham Lincoln, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt. These were principled moralists who waged idealistic wars and incited others to sacrifice. Few of them fought themselves in decisive wars, and they are remembered more for their inspiring words than for great actions. (Examples among today’s living generations: Boomers.)

Nomad

Nomad generations (recessive) are born during an Awakening, a time of social ideals and spiritual agendas, when young adults are passionately attacking the established institutional order. Nomads grow up as under-protected children during this Awakening, come of age as alienated, post-Awakening adults, become pragmatic midlife leaders during a Crisis, and age into resilient post-Crisis elders.

Due to this location in history, such generations tend to be remembered for their adrift, alienated rising-adult years and their midlife years of pragmatic leadership. Their main societal contributions are in the area of liberty, survival and honor. Their best-known historical leaders include Nathaniel Bacon, William Stoughton, George Washington, John Adams, Ulysses Grant, Grover Cleveland, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower. These were shrewd realists who preferred individualistic, pragmatic solutions to problems. (Examples among today’s living generations: Generation X.)

Hero

Young adults fighting in World War II were born in the early part of the 20th century, like PT109 commander LTJG John F. Kennedy (b. 1917). They are part of the G.I. Generation, which follows the Hero archetype.

Hero generations (dominant) are born after an Awakening, during a time of individual pragmatism, self-reliance, and laissez faire. Heroes grow up as increasingly protected post-Awakening children, come of age as team-oriented young optimists during a Crisis, emerge as energetic, overly-confident midlifers, and age into politically powerful elders attacked by another Awakening. 

Due to this location in history, such generations tend to be remembered for their collective military triumphs in young adulthood and their political achievements as elders. Their main societal contributions are in the area of community, affluence, and technology. Their best-known historical leaders include Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. These have been vigorous and rational institution builders. In midlife, all have been aggressive advocates of economic prosperity and public optimism, and all have maintained a reputation for civic energy and competence in old age. (Examples among today’s living generations: Millennials.)

Artist

Artist generations (recessive) are born during a Crisis, a time when great dangers cut down social and political complexity in favor of public consensus, aggressive institutions, and an ethic of personal sacrifice. Artists grow up overprotected by adults preoccupied with the Crisis, come of age as the socialized and conformist young adults of a post-Crisis world, break out as process-oriented midlife leaders during an Awakening, and age into thoughtful post-Awakening elders.

Due to this location in history, such generations tend to be remembered for their quiet years of rising adulthood and their midlife years of flexible, consensus-building leadership. Their main societal contributions are in the area of expertise and due process. Their best-known historical leaders include William Shirley, Cadwallader Colden, John Quincy Adams,Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. These have been complex social technicians and advocates for fairness and inclusion. (Examples among today’s living generations: Silent and Homelanders.)

One reason why the cycle of archetypes recurs is that each youth generation tries to correct or compensate for what it perceives as the excesses of the midlife generation in power. For example, Boomers (a Prophet generation, whose strength is individualism, culture and values) raised Millennial children (a Hero generation, whose strength is in collective civic action). Archetypes do not create archetypes like themselves, they create opposing archetypes.

As Strauss and Howe explain, “your generation isn’t like the generation that shaped you, but it has much in common with the generation that shaped the generation that shaped you.” This also occurs because the societal role that feels freshest to each generation of youth is the role being vacated by a generation of elders that is passing away. In other words, a youth generation comes of age and defines its collective persona just as an opposing generational archetype is in its midlife peak of power, and the previous generation of their archetype is passing away.

By the way — I'm a boomer (a late boomer - born in 1962), but still a boomer.

P.S. I'm expecting a lot of hate mail on this one — but I encourage two-way communication — that's what this blog is about!

The Power of Connecting With People.

I finally had breakfast with my new and good friend, Eric Rochow. Eric hosts one of the biggest Podcasts on iTunes, call GardenFork. I invited him a number of weeks ago to breakfast. Now the funny thing is, I don't know Eric. And Eric didn't know me.

When I first started to listen to Eric, I found out he lives in Brooklyn, NY during the week and then makes his way to his farmhouse in Colebrook, CT. I could easily identify with him because I have a rural country house in Oxford, CT.

One day, I ran a quick Google Map to find out the best route for Eric to drive from Brooklyn to Colebrook. And guess what? It went right by where I live, on the Connecticut interstate highway named I-84.

So I reached out to Eric by writing him a email, told him how much I appreciate his podcast, and offered to buy him breakfast on one of his sojourns up to his country home. It took a little while, but he responded back via Twitter — he not only accepted my offer, but was impressed with my site and what I do!

In addition, he invited me onto his show to talk about careers, business, time management, gardens, and generators. Click here.

So we finally had breakfast at the incredible Laurel Diner, located in Southbury, CT. We really enjoyed the conversation, the food, and to top it all off . . . Eric interviewed me again! Click here.

So the moral of this story is . . . if you want to meet someone — reach out and make it happen!

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Having a hard time meeting important people? Let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands to step up their presentation game — call or email me to schedule a free session.

You Have To Keep Your Eye On Goldman Sachs.

We all know Goldman Sachs. Big company. Billions. Influences and touches a large portion of the investment world. Here's the letter (NY Times Op-Ed) from a past GS employee.

Then . . . here's their rebuttal from the CEO and COO.

But then the facts start trickling in from other sources.

Here are some immutable business truths:

• You can't hide bad behavior forever. It will see the light.
• Being bad has short term gains, but in the long run being good wins out.
• Don't work for GS in the near future. I think this is just the start.

Enjoy The Little Things In Life.

This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday. In addition to receiving hundreds of incredible emails (I relished EVERY one and they made me feel so special), my wife hosted a small get-together with family and close friends. And for a few days, I let life FLOW. No direction - no worrying - no decisions - no running around. Just letting it FLOW. And let me tell you — it was GREAT.

It made me realize two things:

1. You need to detach from time-to-time and take it easy. No one is going to die on an operating table — your boss isn't going to fire you — and your clients aren't going to flee. Step back and enjoy the little things (life, health, family, friends) — which are usually more important than the big things (work).

Did you catch what I did? I actually called the most important things in life the little things and your career the big things. Why? Because that's how we usually treat them — we tend to worry, focus and act more on work items and let the more important things take a back seat.

I've always said you juggle a number of balls in the air — family, health, friends, relationship, kids and work. All the balls are made of glass, except for work, which is made of rubber. If you drop one, the glass balls shatter and are incredibly hard to replace. Your work ball bounces right back — because you can always find another job.

2. You need to focus on the little things and try to incorporate that attention every day. How? If you caught one of my previous posts last week (click here), at the end, Shawn Achor mentions five things you should do to make your life a little more special, more powerful, and have more meaning. They are:

a. Three gratitudes - think about 3 things you are grateful for. b. Journal - write down one positive experience in a small book or file. c. Exercise - get out each day - even for a simple walk and move your body. d. Meditation - take 5-10 minutes and meditate - focus inward. e. Random Act of Kindness - send one positive email to one person every day.

If you set aside just a little time every day (I do it and it takes me no more than 15-20 minutes throughout the day), I not only appreciate, but I embrace the 'little things' in life.

Try it.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Having a hard time fitting in these small things? Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of executives and have helped them manage their time — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

The Hartford — Thank YOU!

WOW. I'm speechless.  I've never had more fun speaking to such a professional, focused and responsive group in all my years of public speaking.

My sincere thanks goes out to Karen Senteio and all the people who work with her — she is one dynamite person! I first met Karen at an ICF meeting where I presented and she kept me in her back pocket for the right time to unleash at The Hartford. Thank you Karen!

You made me feel like a rockstar with the attendance figures (771 attendees at last count!), the photographer (thanks Jay!), and the AV crew (thank you AV Solutions!).

Finally, I had an enormous outpouring of support based on my own evaluation forms - all top scores. Now I have the incredible job of wading through the stack of evaluation sheets and emails for the lucky 30 complimentary coaching sessions - wish me luck!

Again — thanks for the support and praise — you've made my birthday an unbelievable event!

MLK's "The Fierce Urgency Of Now."

"We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism."- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I still get chills listening to MLK's speech. It's powerful. 

This line always gets me . . . the fierce urgency of now. What does it mean? What does it mean to you?

You might say, "There's no time like the present." or "Strike while the iron's hot.". But they're too weak in my opinion.

What would happen if you lived your life in the fierce urgency of now? No procrastination. No dabbling. No prevarication. Make it happen.Make it happen NOW.

It's time for you to make a decision in your life or your career or your relationships. What do you want to change? What do you want to make better?

Take hold and embrace The Fierce Urgency of NOW and apply it to your life. You might surprise yourself.

10 Gifts For YOU.

As my holiday gift to you, here are my most read & requested posts from 2011:(it's funny - most of them have steps, tips, or ways)

Set Your 2012 Goals In Two Steps It's December 2011. Many people are scrambling to get their end of the year targets complete. How do you guarantee a great 2012?

5 Tips On How To Treat New Employees Whew! After a phlanx of interviewees and resumes, late nights, early mornings and lost lunches, you've just hired that new team member. Now make sure your new hire is happy, engaged, enthusiastic, and motivated.

Four Powerful Questions To Ask Yourself This Season Most people use New Year's Eve (and Day) to plan forward for what might be in store for 2012. And that's a good thing. During the holidays, I try to look back at what happened over the past 12 months and ask myself a few simple questions.

Top 10 Powerful Pieces Of Advice To Be Successful As a coach, I run into many great pieces of advice from books, clients, workshops, seminars, and instructors. Here is a powerful cross-section of great advice I've used in business and life.

Top 5 Regrets of the Dying I've just finished one of the most powerful books I've read this year. It's by a wonderful woman named Bronnie Ware,and it focuses in on the actual voiced regrets of people she encountered when they were dying. Powerful stuff!

The One Secret To Look More Confident There are hundreds of books out there. Thousands of speakers. And they all talk about confidence. But it's really easy. Here's the secret.

5 Mistakes You Make With Business Cards They bring me business and success everyday. That's why they are ALWAYS in my left pocket. But most people either don't have them (shame on you) or if they do - have terrible designs. Here are some mistakes people make with business cards.

Top 5 Regrets of Struggling Businesses This post is for all business owners - In my 10+ years of coaching around the world, I've seen it happen to many successful businesses. Most people get it, but there are a few who take their eye off the prize and let their house of cards tumble to the ground.

3 Ideas To Bring A Bit More Sanity To Your Life I was sitting in church this Sunday and we had a simple prayer. One part really stood out for me.

How One Powerful Poem Can Change Your Life I love Rudyard Kipling's "If". It's a magnificent poem - it doesn't get too maudlin, but it does have its highs (it's been voted Britain's favorite poem).

Get set for an unbelievable new year. It's almost 2012! - Rich

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

It's sad when you see a true visionary leave this mortal coil before it was their time.

Someone who has done so much in so short a time. Someone who had their ups and downs — a person who built inventions for the masses and took his company from a small garage to the most valuable organization in the world. Steve Jobs touched me in many ways.

Not only with his inventions (1 iMac, 3 MacBooks, 6 iPods, 4 iPhones, and 1 iPad), but even with his presentation style and salesmanship. No one else comes close.

I want to impart his words of wisdom to you in some small way — so here's his commencement address to Stanford in 2005:

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Thank you all very much.

Lighten Up.

This has been and still is a hard week for the East Coast. For Connecticut, the hurricane wasn't that bad, but the aftermath slowly became more worse for wear. My power has been out since Sunday and even with a generator, it's been hard. Just taking a shower out of a small tub can be fraught with many incidental steps and procedures. Stepping on extension cords in bare feet is the worst — it hurts!

But you have to keep your sense of humor about you — a lighter side of your personality to help you get through each adversity as it comes along. It's not fun hitting the gas station every day with a trundle of gas cans to spend $60-$70 for the generator to run for 24 hours.

I use this as an example — we all hit some level and type of adversity in our lives. It's not really what happens — it's how we respond to it that matters.

Look on the bright side — instead of focusing on what you've lost — focus on what is now available to you. With cable, wi-fi, and most lights out, my family and I spent the last few days constructing a 2000 piece puzzle, cooking on the grill, reenacting colonial times with candles, and sleeping altogether in our bedroom (we brought in their mattresses — it's like camping).

Now let's turn our lens to WORK. If something goes awry, what other door(s) open up? If you focus on the positive, it will allow you to see all the potential possibilities available to you AND expose your enthusiastic nature to your superiors and clients. Don't think they don't notice — they do.

• If a project is dropped, what did you learn while doing it? Where should you go next?
• If a client leaves, how can you make their departure more elegant and inspiring? With the extra time open, how can you increase your marketing to get new and better clients?

It's how your react to problems that truly defines us as a professional.

What adversity did you encounter and what did you do to lighten up?

Netflix, What Are You Thinking?

One of my most respected and admired businesses, Netflix, unveiled major changes to their pricing structure. If you are a customer, you probably received an email yesterday announcing the price increase. Netflix just asked me to pay a 33% increase in fees for THE SAME SERVICE. My current package (2 CD's and Streaming Movies) used to cost $14.99 per month — now they want me to pay $19.98 per month.

Guess what? Since my family avidly use Netflix's streaming and are frustrated by the lateness of new release DVD's hitting our home, I opted to reduce my monthly subscription to streaming for $7.99.

Netflix just lost almost 50% of my monthly payment in one fell swoop. Hopa!

Now from the face of it, this is a stupid decision. It's not like the cost of providing the services increased dramatically and Netflix had to pass on the increase to their customers.

Something else is at work here. Some facts:

• The DVD industry has been in decline for some years now.
• The studios are squeezing Netflix with their DVD launch. Stores and OnDemand get it months ahead of Netflix.
• The model of mailing DVD's is getting old when technology, broadband, and wireless is exploding exponentially.
• TV is hurting/dying and Netflix sees an opportunity.

I think Netflix has to 'rejigger' their model - move away from DVDs and focus more on streaming. That means big leaps in strategy, operations, and most of all - pricing.

Unfortunately, I've been using Netflix (off and on) since they started (I hated video stores). I wish they had a better deal for us long-time customers.

This is where I think they dropped the ball. Most people will be highly reactionary to the price change and react accordingly. Like me.

What are your thoughts on this? If you use Netflix, what are you going to do?

Pushing Yourself Farther Than Ever Before.

Received this story from one of my oldest and favorite clients, Ward Smith, a senior executive with Stanley/Black & Decker. It's all about taking a dare (we've all been there) and ultimately training and competing in a Triathlon. It all started last year on a dare by my good friend and college buddy Tim Kowalewski.

Since last fall, I have been anticipating a race on Sunday June 12 in Cambridge, MD. I guess you could call me a “Tri Newbie”. It is a sport that has fascinated me for several years. As most of you know, I played competitive sports at an early age, all the way through college. The constant strive to get stronger, faster, and return the next season better than the last has been with me for most of my life. Then as all of us know, a new pattern of life begins after school.

Triathlon took a major hold on my life when my college roommate and close friend Curt Straub qualified for the 2009 Ironman World Championships in Kona, an unbelievable feat given his short time in the sport. I was determined to see what drove my friend to the insane level of training. Knowing that a full Ironman was not in the cards, Eagleman 70.3 offered a wonderful challenge in a race that attracts age groupers from all of the country.

Tim and I drove down to the Shore on Saturday morning after loading our equipment up. We traded our thoughts of what each of us was expecting for the race, neither one of us had competed in a race of this distance, but we had spent countless hours on the internet reading all kinds of blogs and websites about race strategy and what to anticipate.

Tri Columbia puts on a first class event. There was a pro open forum talk in the afternoon – defending Women’s 2010 Kona Champion Miranda Carfrae and several other top pros were competing in the race – which gave us regular folks a great insight into the world of professional triathlon. It’s always pretty cool to see people in person who you have read about and seen in magazines. It’s a very unique environment – everyone’s nervous for the early morning start, but there is also an understanding between everyone that the real battle tomorrow lays within the individual and the race course.

 

Race packets picked up, final check and adjustments on the bikes, and it was off to the transition area to rack our bikes. I knew that the race was big, but it really hit me when you saw how many rows of bikes there were, it went on and on. Off to the Farm to get some dinner and hopefully some sleep.

3:30am came early, needless to say I was pretty pumped to see what the day was going to bring. I had been training for this day for 6 months, now it was here.

The energy and atmosphere in the transition area was your typical race morning feel – experienced racers going through their checklists, first timers trying to remember where their bike was located, guys with nervous chatter, but mostly competitors anticipating a long rewarding day ahead. Once my bag was unpacked, I started to go through all of my race needs and making sure that my equipment was in the right place. I made sure to take the time and get my running shoes on and get a quick 5 min. run, trying to calm the prerace jitters.

It was now ready to get ready for the swim. I made a feeble attempt to put on sun tan lotion, as some of you saw after the race. Somehow, I missed entire areas on my arms that have resulted in the most unique sun burn I have ever gotten, lesson for my next race. Any way, it was onto the water for a practice warm up swim. The water was extremely warm, over 80 degrees this year, no wetsuits for this race. Usually, the swim warm up area is located in the swim exit, a nice way to get familiar of the exit area and the route to the transition area. One very unique aspect of the Eagleman swim is the fact that the end of the swim is a very shallow area, as I would learn later, very tempting to stand up and finish the last 25 yds standing up.

Now came the next challenge – finding my wife, Karen, in the mayhem of all of the friends and family that had come out to support their racer. Tim and I had been bouncing back and forth taking care of our own pre-race rituals; we linked up and made our way to the swim start area. Luckily, I ran into my beautiful and supportive wife, along with close friends Jim and Jess Lears. It meant a lot that Jim and Jess made the effort to come out so early, Jess is 8 months pregnant! They had signs and smiles, exactly what I needed to remind myself to relax and enjoy the present.

While catching up with Jim about the pre-race craziness, guess who we run into – a high school buddy, Jason Quenzer. It was great to catch up with him briefly about what he has been up to these days, his family, and his anticipation of the day. It is always amazing that at events like these, you run into people who you haven’t seen in a long time.

Swim start was at 7:34 am, a kiss goodbye to my wife, and it was time to enter the water. My goal for this day was stay in the present, focus only in my immediate sphere, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed with the totality of the day and of each discipline. It’s a long day, but you have to break it down into the areas that are immediately in front of you, otherwise, you will get overwhelmed.

Open water swimming is a very different animal than training in a pool for 6 months. The black lines on the bottom of the pool to help you go straight are gone, you can’t see 2 inches in front of you in the Choptank River.  We trended for only a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity. The horn sounded, and off we go. The first leg of a 70.3 is a 1.2 mile swim. The course for Eagleman is a rectangular course, there was minimal chop and very little current.

It took me all the way to the first turn buoy to get my breathing under control. I am not a swimmer, but I kept trying to focus on the present, stay within my sphere. My buddy Curt always reminded me in our phone calls and emails leading up to the race – “just finish the swim.” I figured it was pretty good advice from a guy who competed at Kona, where their swim leg is 2.4 miles.

As I neared the swim exit, I could see other racers starting to stand up – “YES, the swim is almost done.” With only 15 or 20 yards to the shore, I just stood up and walk in the rest of the way, it gave me time to catch my breath. Running up the shore, I saw the signs and heard the familiar voices – Karen, Jess, and Jim cheering and waving the signs. I did my best to acknowledge them, but I tend to more a bit serious when I am competing, but I did crack a smile, and hopefully a little wave – I was already on autopilot…

The Bike course at Eagleman is known to share many characteristics of the Hawaii race, a reason that so many pros come to Cambridge to race. It’s flat, hot, and windy. 56 miles is a long way, but I kept reminding myself the focus of the day – stay in the present, focus on my immediate sphere. A big race like Eagleman attracts talented age-groupers from around the country, and these guys and gals can fly on the bike. I stopped counting on how many people passed me at around 40. It reminded me how much your ego can get you into some trouble, the competitor inside what’s to react and fight. One thing I learned on the bike course – my bladder somehow shrunk to the size of a 10 year old. I made 2 pit stops, which obviously slowed me down, but I knew I need to keep up with my hydration to get ready for the run. The swim and the bike are only preparation for the beginning of the race – the 13.1 run.

My goal for the run – focus on getting to each aid station. The run is a straight out and back with aid stations every mile. It was time to bring you’re A game. Out and back runs are a different breed. For those who are starting the run, you see the guys and gals who are finishing or about to finish. They are more experienced, in better condition, and an immediate reminder of what’s ahead. Nutrition was going to be a big factor in how well the race was going to go. I had maintained my plan on the bike, and now, I was going to keep it simple of the run – Ice, water, and Pepsi. I knew that anything else in stomach could cause problems.

For the first 3 to 4 miles, I did the same thing – ice down the shirt, 2 cups of water, and a half a cup of Pepsi. I was surprised, I was actually feeling pretty good. My pace was slow, about 8:20 to 8:30 pace.

At about mile 5, I saw my good friend Tim up ahead. He is a very strong runner, and I knew the moment I saw him, he was fighting hard. He had been dealing with a hip discomfort and mild foot pain heading into the race. We ran together for several minutes, I asked him how the hip was doing. I could tell he was digging deep. We parted ways, and it was onto the turn around.

There was the infamous snowball stand at the turnaround, very much needed since the entire run is in the open, not shade. The run was half over. More ice, more water and pepsi… It was time to pick the pace up and finish strong. I was determined to have my best run. I have run the Baltimore Half the past 2 years, and I always had a bit of a struggle towards the end of the race.

Mile 10 – the race focus intensified, I was not going to let anyone run past me. It was an emotional journey those last 3 miles. I had set a goal of 5 hrs 30 mins to finish, with around 2 miles to go, my watch read 5:20, it wasn’t going to happen, but that was okay, it was probably more important to just set the goal.

The last 500 ft is quite amazing, lines of people cheering everyone on, there is a slight curve, so the runners never really see the finish line until the very end. I ran as hard I could, voices screaming and cheering, crossing the finish line at 5:35.

I found Karen, my Mom and Bill. It was great to see them and celebrate. It takes some time to gather yourself after such a long race, slow down the heart, cool the body, making sure you don’t cramp up.

Final Results: Swim – 45:24 T1 – 2:18 Bike – 2:55 T2 – 3:29 Run – 1:48

Total – 5:35

Onto the next race and adventure . . .

What dares have you undertaken which delivered this kind of satisfaction?

"What would you think if I sang out of tune?"

"What would you think if I sang out of tune,Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, And I'll try not to sing out of key. Oh I get by with a little help from my friends." - With a Little Help from My Friends - Lennon/McCartney

Yesterday was a powerful day for me. Thursday is my networking day and I met over 100 people starting at 6:00 AM all the way to 8:00 PM. A long day.

But I was energized when I got home.

Here's a quick synopsis:

5-6 AM - Commute (beat the traffic!) 6-7 AM - Blog at Starbucks, meet new people. 7-9 AM - BNI Networking Meeting - My Sales Force. 9-11 AM - Catchup Meeting with an influential force in Finance. 11-2 PM - Lunch and Brainstorming meeting with a future partner. 2-4 PM - Meeting with a new colleague - helping with his job situation. 4-6 PM - Mastermind/Networking Group - a great time was had by all. 6-8 PM - Client's Grand Re-Opening Celebration - lots of networking. 8-9 PM - Commute home (listen to motivational audiobooks).

I made a lot of new friends and deepened relationships with many current ones.

Bottom line — this is the life-blood of my business and career.

An esteemed colleague quoted Michael Gerber last night, "Most entrepreneurs fail because you are working IN your business rather than ON your business." He couldn't be more correct.

I came home last night with a pile of new business cards, a bunch of referral slips, and a small list of to-do's to get out by the end of the day today.

I made new friends. I deepened relationships with current friends. And I hope I helped a few people along the way.

That's the profession I've chosen — and I love it every single day.

What do you do to make new friends during the work-week?