I Believe In You

Being adaptable is a skill set I needed to learn to level up in many aspects of my life. When I was a young professional, any changes to my “plan” would enrage me and often derail me from the goal I was trying to achieve. This was 100% on me. Through time I learned how to be adaptable to change (even though it’s still frustrating). A few things contributed to this: - Understanding that my ego was...

Are you on the same page or are you aligned? Getting people on the same page isn't as hard as you think. It's just the acknowledgement of the direction you want to head as a group. Being aligned however is a totally different level. Being aligned is the buy in from every member on the team to be accountable to their role in accomplishing the group's goal. Anyone can nod "yes&qu...

There are levels of accountability. You cannot just expect an unaccountable person or team to become fully accountable in a day. Understanding these levels and helping the group and individuals navigate them is a leadership role. It requires awareness, empathy, and patience. Unfortunately, most organizations spend little to no time working on or even speaking about the roles of accountability.  Ta...

20 minutes a week is all it takes. Time is our most valuable commodity at work, home and everywhere in between. Even though the prospect of carving time out of your workplace’s busy schedule for team building may be uncomfortable, the results for the teams that we work with in BOTH business and sports is clear – more revenue, better retention, better teamwork, better morale, and more winning Busin...

When was the last time someone thanked you for working hard today? Sometimes the smallest gestures of gratitude can lift up someones day, even if they don’t show it. Now here’s the trick, do it without any need or expectation that you will get acknowledgment back (always bonus if you do!) Think about what they tell us at the holidays about giving gifts being better than receiving gifts (although t...

Do you have an ego? (We all do 😬) Ego is not always what you think it is. Sometimes it can be the typical, “I think I’m better than everyone else.”, but sometimes it can be more subtle. If you’ve every thought, “that must be nice.” sarcastically at someones success or had super road rage - that’s your ego coming out. Ego is any thought that deals with your self-esteem or self-importance. It’s not...

Burn the boats! At all major junctures in life, whether it be in sports, work or family, there is a moment you have to take massive risk in order to succeed. Putting yourself in the best position to take that risk is important! I challenge you to take a look at the mental safety nets that’s you may have created for yourself, and then review if they are holding you back. If they are, burn them down...

Searching for that creative spark? You're not alone. It's all about finding what fuels your fire, just like a good cup of coffee ignited Tom Petty's musical genius.  It's not about age or the "right" time; it's about finding your rhythm. A shower, a run, or that aromatic cup might just be your key to unlock a world of ideas.  I find my creativity peaks in the mor...

Be around young people and you’ll stay young. This isn’t about trying to “fit in” or impress people younger than you. It’s about being able to meet people where they’re at, listen, and exist in the same environment (which goes both ways).  Age is not a prerequisite to be mentored or inspired. I have learned from people older and younger than me!  While bodies may grow older, your mind doesn’t have...

I was really inspired by the women at this years World Cup.  They demonstrated what is best about sport AFTER the game had concluded. They also demonstrated something we should all aspire to (if you have the courage).  There is a higher level you can ascend to with opponents where we appreciate them over having only animosity against them.  Opponents, regardless of outcome, will always teach us so...

Most people misunderstand what team building is. A group dinner is always nice, but its never enough. Team building is the dedication from leadership to create an environment and culture in which their people can thrive both as individuals but more importantly as a team. Team building creates, better performance, better motivation, better mindset and most important, better outcomes. Developing all...

Establishing a definition of trust is my starting point for every team I work with. It is the foundational element that every team needs to succeed. But it’s just the start of the power that trust holds.  Once defined, trust evolves into a tool for the entire team, especially when adversity arrives.  Knowing that you can trust the person next to you and that they can trust you eliminates a lot of...

ControLabeling your emotions helps you control them, so they don’t control you. We’ve all been hijacked by anger, sadness and happiness and excitement - this tends to be when we make poor or brash decisions. Learning to be in tune with your feelings and identifying them is a great exercise to practice being present. A present person tends to make good decisions ;-)  Be patient with the process, it...

Successful teams invest in their culture.  Team building is often mistaken as a group meal or a one off event in which people are all but forced to participate.  True team building or team performance enhancement is implemented often and accepted by everyone as part of the equation to help the team and individuals succeed.  Winning teams invest a lot of time and resources into cultivating and main...

We MAKE time, we don’t find time. If you are truly passionate about something, you will always make the time to dedicate resources to it. When I hear people ask, “How do you/I find the time”, I always say back, “If its important, I/you will make the time.”  Do an audit of your day and how you spend your time. - sleep - eating - work/school - family time - extracurricular  - social media Most of th...

What do you identify as? Did you pick one thing? You don’t have too. As humans we have the unique ability to be able to identify ourselves many different ways. For example, on here I am a coach, but I am also a Father, Husband, Son, Friend, writer, hockey player, speaker and much more. The list goes on. I don’t singularly identity as just one thing - I am OK being complex and having many aspects t...

I have a complicated relationship with technology. I love the connectivity and community and see the potential for it to be an incredibly good force in our lives. Adversely I also see the addiction and divisiveness that it can create with irresponsible reporting and doom shares.  There is clear research that when we started to bring the internet outside with us wherever we went, happiness levels s...

Hope is death for an athlete. I never want my athletes to rely on hope to win a game. If they are “hoping”, they are focused on things we cannot control. With that said, as the leader, I can be a dealer in hope to the team, meaning I can create an environment where they believe anything is possible. It’s a clear distinction - the responsibility to hope is on me, and the responsibility to take acti...

I never felt that I was owed anything, I only felt that I needed to earn things I wanted. I always took a “turn over every rock” mentality when I was a young professional. I was willing to put myself out there and call and email anyone I thought would be a good contact to help me accomplish my goals (also known as networking), and I was extremely genuine in my passion for my goals when I met them....

Learning to break a negative (saboteur) mind set is hard. But it can be accomplished through practice and telling yourself positive (sage) messages.  For me, this manifests itself in getting up, changing my scenery, and going for a 10-15 minute walk. It helps me reset. It doesn’t always happen right away either. Sometimes it can take most of the walk for me to get centered and present - other time...

The most common mistake I see when it comes to team bonding is that it’s treated as a “once in a while” kind of thing. Team building should be a well thought out, well planned, and constant part of your workflow whether you are on a sports team, business team or ANY team. The main fear in doing this is always the “time” that you have to invest to do so. There is an irrational fear that investing t...

In one of my recent Ted Lasso inspired videos (which you can see on my social media), we discussed how Ted gave Greyhounds owner Rebecca forgiveness and blamed eloquently after she came clean about trying to sabotage the season. One of our viewers mentioned the bravery she showed in that moment in admitting her faults. I agreed with that comment. Knowing that you have done something wrong and havi...

What do you believe in? Having faith, in any form, is extremely important if you want to find meaning in your life.  It’s not so much in what you believe (as long as its not rooted in hate), but THAT you believe. Understanding that you are part of something much larger than yourself can be scary at first for some, but my belief is that the more you dive into that mindset, the more freeing It becom...

Helping other people can extend your life…read that again. Seriously, research has shown very conclusively that those who make an effort to help others see almost a 25% chance of living longer.  With that said, I’ll be the first to admit that practicing this mentality is often easier said than done - but - thats why it pays off to practice it. - Focus on what you can control. - Live in the present...

Writing out your goals is important. Writing down the habits needed to accomplish your goals is probably more important. Dreams and goals are very important to keep us grounded and on track - but they are never enough. Exhibiting the behaviors and actions needed to help you reach them on a day to day basis are the power that moves you there. Learning to identify those habits is a worthy practice,...