How do you become a faster, more agile, creative person today? What qualities do many self-actualized people share? How do you determine where to best invest your life? Let me share some of my thoughts to show you what I mean.
It’s great to be back home again. I’ve spent the last 12 months interviewing for senior level executive roles in many great organizations. It was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do in my life. I forget how hard it is to interview for an executive role. Over the last eight years, things really have changed a lot!
I‘ve spent over 30 years helping my clients and employers build faster, flexible, and more agile teams. From helping take a consumer electronics superstore chain public at 24 to being named an IBM IOT Futurist earlier this year. It’s been a thrilling, exciting, and challenging career in emerging technologies.
My clients and employers expect me to adapt, develop, and execute better business strategies faster. Then do it again. Rinse and repeat. I discovered that many organizations are open to discussions on how, but not on execution.
My mistake, like that of a well-known mentor, was not understanding how painful change can be for many people. Facts alone seldom move people to act. They must be moved through pain or gain. Better yet, both!
Where does this leave you? I believe we are on the edge of the world’s next great golden age. Great leaders need to inspire future generations to become masters of lifetime learning, emotional intelligence, and developing new opportunities. Are you up for the challenge?
Almost anything you can conceive, you can achieve. Your imagination is the only limiting factor in your life. You can even borrow other’s ideas and systems to you get started!
Technologies are removing national boundaries and allowing a person anywhere on the planet to have access to unlimited resources. They must only seek to find the right people and partners to make it a reality. Creativity, connection, and collaboration are going to change the way the world works.
The more I’ve interviewed, the more I realize that something was missing from my conversations with the people I’m talking with. Something that my best clients have. It’s energy and passion around what they do and how they live their lives It’s the power of passion to excite and engage other people in causes and ideas. When you talk with them, you just know you want to be part of a shared future and destiny.
I can’t imagine being so tired or unexcited about how I live my life at their age. Many of my best clients have worked well into their eighties and beyond. They still connect with people like they did when they were younger. Some of the people I met during my interviewing journey were, but, sadly, most weren’t. To be fair, they may never have been excited about anything more than the money they earn.
It takes a certain kind of individual to always be on, always exploring new ideas, and always being young at heart. These are the kind of people I excel at working with. After an hour on the phone with them, you feel incredibly blessed to have them in your life. You almost feel like not accepting your coaching fees. Don’t worry, even I’m not that crazy! But the idea did cross my mind!
I find many of these people don’t mind paying for coaching because I help them achieve their own brand of greatness in their own way. I challenge them to reach for the stars. I help them reach their personal and professional goals in record time. They are wonderful role models for people of all ages.
These entrepreneurs see the world as a constantly, expanding place where everyone brings their unique gifts, strengths, and life experiences to the world. It makes the world a very interesting place to live, and pass on to future generations. You may already know this.
At the end of my interviewing journey, I found that I am blessed best by following my own path, helping others along their journey. As of this week, I return to my favorite role in life as executive coach to entrepreneurs and serving leaders. I’m looking forward to helping you grow and prosper over the coming weeks, months, and years.
I can’t wait to share what I learned about engaging in a faster, easier, healthier life.
See you next week.