Ice Breaker – Thanks

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

This week’s question is inspired by a Thanksgiving tradition in our house.  Each year, we put a tablecloth on the Thanksgiving table.  Each person in attendance traces their hand-print onto the tablecloth.  Then they write down five things for which they are thankful – one for each finger.

Over the years, our tablecloth has filled up with hand-prints of many sizes and shapes.  There are hand-prints for loved ones who have passed away.  Each hand-print represents a year of thanksgiving.  We’re on our second tablecloth as we’ve been doing this for many years.  I’m looking forward to reading your responses to today’s Thanksgiving Ice Breaker!

Question:  Name five things for which you are thankful this year.

My Answer:

1. My family – I’m thankful for my wife.  I’m thankful for my kids.  I’m thankful for my extended family.
2. My job – I’m thankful for my co-workers.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to lead.  I’m thankful for the recent opportunity to present an idea at the annual management meeting.  I’m thankful for new opportunities ahead.  I’m thankful for the support I’ve been given to be involved in Toastmasters.
3. DIBs – Every Friday morning at 6 AM, I meet with 13 other men in someone’s basement.  DIBs stands for Dudes In the Basement.  We recently celebrated our one year anniversary.  It’s our goal to meet together for 20 years.  This group of men has become a place to encourage and to be encouraged.  And it has become a place to solidify my foundation.
4. Catalyst Mastermind – I joined a mastermind group in September, and this has become a significant part of my life.  Every two weeks, I meet via Zoom with a few people from Texas, Georgia, and Washington.  Together, the four of us work together to push us each forward in our own pursuits.  This group has personally helped me with some of my writing and speaking endeavors, and it has helped me as I’ve worked with Leanne on her life coaching business.  I treasure our bi-weekly video calls.
5. Stretched – My blog and The Stretched Community continue to be major sources of encouragement and growth for me.  I’m so thankful for you!

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

Stretch Quote – Long STRETCH Of Road

A long STRETCH of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet.

Patrick Rothfuss

We are meant to be stretched.  If we’re not stretching, we’re not growing.  And we are probably not living the life we were meant to live.

I write about life’s stretch marks, because I want to learn from my experiences.  And I hope my own personal education will benefit others who read along.

Are you on a long stretch of road?  Or are you in the middle of quiet?

Refuge

Made For This

Watching Rio, it was clear he liked what he was doing, and he was doing his job well.  He kept his trainer safe when oncoming traffic or uneven sidewalks presented a hazard.  When we last saw Rio in June, he was still a “crazy” puppy.  Over the past few months, he has gone through a transformation.  Our volunteer escort commented “Rio is doing what he was made to do, and he loves it.”

Have you ever had this feeling?

Have you ever felt like you were doing what you were made to do?

The past two or three weeks, I have had this feeling several times.  This feeling came each time I had the chance to speak to people.

First, I spoke at my Toastmasters club at our Open House event a few weeks ago.  It wasn’t my favorite speech, but I definitely felt charged up by the experience.

Next, I spoke four times at my company’s annual management meeting.  The opportunity to speak in front of the top managers of my company was a little scary, and it was a lot of work to prepare and to present.  But I left the experience very encouraged.  I felt nervous, but I also felt comfortable presenting in front of this group.

Finally, I had the privilege and honor of presenting last week for a public speaking class at Penn State University – Abington Campus.  In addition to the presentation, I had the opportunity to share encouragement and tips about public speaking to the students.  When I arrived home at 10 PM, it took me a while to settle down.  I loved speaking and helping the students.

These experiences have confirmed I was made to speak.  I still have a lot of work to do to train and grow.  And that’s okay!  In the meantime, I will keep looking for opportunities to speak and to do what I was made to do!

Have you discovered your calling?  What were you made to do?  What are you doing about it?

Ice Breaker – Business Trip

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question:  When was the last time you took a business trip?  Where did you go?

My Answer:  Last week, I took a business trip to Phoenix, Arizona.  I traveled there to present an idea at the annual management meeting for my company.  I had never been to Phoenix, so it was an adventure.  Most of the time I was at the hotel, but I took advantage of a few hour break to go on a hike up.  On my hike, I climbed to the top of Piestewa Peak (formerly known as Squaw Peak).  The view from the top was amazing!

Another cool thing about my trip…I had the chance to eat breakfast with fellow blogger, Chad Jones.  We’ve been friends for years thanks to the blog world, but this was the first time we actually met face to face.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

Stretch Quote – New Dimensions For Your Mind (Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr)

A mind that is STRETCHED by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

If you are like me, you don’t always like new experiences.  This quote reminds me that new experiences are the catalyst for taking us to new dimensions.

What is something new you experienced recently?  How did this experience stretch you?

Marcos Gets His New Eyes TODAY!

Last night, my friend, James Cook, sent me this photo along with the message:  “Tomorrow, Marcos gets his new eyes.”

If you recall, Marcos is a special young man our family met last time we were in Guatemala.  We built his family a new home.  While we were building the home, we learned that Marcos needed new glass eyes.  Some people might call it a coincidence, but I think James Cook and his exploratory team from Liberty University was there for a reason.

Through essential contacts, collaborative prayer, and the grace of God, today is the day (nearly 16 months later) Marcos will get his new eyes.

He will still be blind, but this will give him more freedom to maneuver through the village of Xenacoj without the worry of losing his smaller glass eyes.  Also, James and his team are working to provide a tutor to teach Marcos to read Braille.

Interestingly, today is the day our family is heading to Morristown, NJ to witness the “town walk” (or final exam) of our most recent Seeing Eye Puppy.  Assuming Rio passes, he will be matched with a blind person to help them maneuver through their activities.

God is good.

As I reflect on these happening today, I am reminded of Psalm 121 which talks about placing our focus on the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  Today, I rejoice knowing God has orchestrated such a beautiful story being told in the lives of Marcos and Rio.  May God use them both in a mighty way to bring glory to His name.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

13 Things I Learned Through My Shark Tank Experience

Competing against three other finalists, I was not certain of the outcome.  I’m happy to report, my project won the competition and the investment to move ahead.

My experience in Phoenix was exciting, uplifting, inspiring, and educational.  Specifically, I learned a lot through my shark tank experience.  Here’s what I learned:

13 Things I Learned Through My Shark Tank Experience

1. Be creative.  When I was asked to come with ideas to submit to the Shark Tank contest, I had to put my thinking cap on.  In order to have opportunities, you have to be creative.

2. Be bold.  Dream big, and don’t be afraid to ask for investments.  When I initially submitted my idea, I wasn’t thinking large enough.  After getting feedback and advice from others, I decided to triple my request for investment.  We limit ourselves and the potential to do great things when we fail to be bold in our dreams.

3. Be prepared.  To be ready to face a panel of sharks and an active audience, you have to be prepared.  You must know your idea.  You must understand the math behind your request.  You must consider all the questions you will get.  In my case, I also had to make sure my technology was working properly before my presentations.

4. Be flexible.  Things don’t always go as planned.  You might forget a key point in your presentation.  The technical side of your presentation make not work correctly.  Your demonstration may not function the way you expected.  You have to adapt.  You have to keep going.

5. Be willing to ask for help.  I have been very busy at work, and I had to ask for help from my peers. I tapped into someone to help me with the technical side of my presentation.  I asked someone to watch me rehearse.  I asked a couple of people to help me with the actual presentation.  It takes a village, and we have to be willing to use the village.

6. Be grateful.  This was an amazing opportunity.  I am so thankful for all the people who made it happen.  Over the next few days, I will be writing many thank you notes to express my appreciation.

7. Be friendly.  In the green room, I had the opportunity to talk with the other finalists.  We shared our ideas.  We encouraged each other.  There is a tendency to be hostile when dealing with our competition – especially in the business world.  In the golden rule of business presentations, we should treat others the way we want to be treated.

8. Be humble.  Deflect praise to others.  I appreciated the exposure to top line management, and I want the notoriety that comes with this opportunity.  But I want to make sure others are recognized for their efforts.  It’s possible to be confident and humble at the same time, and humility is an important virtue worth pursuing and practicing in business and in life.

9. Be confident.  During the practices for my presentation, it became clear I was not being direct in my request for funds.  Thanks to some coaching, I shifted by sales pitch.  I was able to be more confident in my presentation when I realized how much I believed in my idea.

10. Be gracious.  I had an opportunity to get positive feedback from so many top line managers as a result of my presentation.  I also had the opportunity to respond to some tough questions from the sharks and the audience.  In all cases, providing a polite and courteous response was the best way to represent my idea, my office, and myself.

11. Be ready to take the next step.  After I received the news that my project won the contest, I was initially very happy.  Then I realized the work was just beginning.  Getting the funding for my project was only the beginning.  Now, I have to fully develop my implementation plan and execute on this plan.  There is a lot of work ahead.

12. Be inspired.  Towards the end of the day, I sat in on the presentation for one of the other finalists.  It was exciting to hear their idea.  My shark tank experience reminded me that people have great ideas.  We just need to stop long enough to listen.  As a result of my experience, I’m inspired to promote a local innovation day or experience in my own office.

13. Be inspiring.  I cannot tell you how many people came up to me to comment on my idea.  They are excited to try something like this in their location.  When you put yourself out there, you have the opportunity to inspire.  Don’t waste the opportunity.

Now, it’s time to get busy implementing my shark tank idea.  It’s also time to continue dreaming.  We all have the opportunity to be innovative.

How are you being innovative?  How are you promoting innovation?  What stops you from being innovative?  What keeps you going down the path of innovation?  What have you learned as a result of sharing your innovative ideas with others?

Ice Breaker – Mandatory Reading

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question:  If you could choose one book as a mandatory read for all high school students, which book would you choose?

My Answer:  At first thought, I would say the Bible, but I’m not sure that would be effective.  Many of the books I HAD to read in high school tortured me.  And I don’t want the Bible to be seen in this way.  For this reason, I would select a book with short chapter and stories that kept readers attention.  If I could choose one book as a mandatory read for all high school students, I would choose Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff.  I think Goff does a great job keeping the attention of readers.  His writing is easy to understand, and he motivates readers to do something worthwhile with their lives.

To read my review of Love Does, click here.

Also, I had the opportunity to hear Bob Goff speak earlier this year.  Click here to read my notes.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

How To Connect With Your Team Members

Do you feel connected to your team?

Several months ago, Matt McWilliams encouraged his readers to establish and maintain weekly one-on-one meetings with their direct reports. At the time, I was contemplating what I could do to connect with my team on a deeper level.

As an operations manager in the construction industry, I’m challenged to balance my time as I’m responsible to make sure my group is operating as planned. I meet with my team members monthly on an individual basis to review their projects to review their projects from a financial, resource, risk, and customer perspective. These monthly meetings, which typically last about an hour, provide a pretty good snapshot of things from a business perspective, but they don’t provide a lot of time for diving deeper personally.

I’m also responsible for participating in other department and company meetings. Again, these meetings are important for certain aspects of our business success, but they typically don’t provide opportunity for connecting on a more personal level.

I’ve heard it said that “It’s business, it’s NOT personal.” Well, I disagree. As a Christian leader in the workforce, I have a responsibility (and privilege) to represent Christ well. For me, this means our relationships in the business world are meant to be personal.

How can we take time to connect with our team members with all the different demands on our time?

This is the question that rolled around in my head as I read Matt’s post. I have so many things on my plate already. One-on-one meetings just don’t fit into my already busy schedule.

But Matt challenged me with this question:

How can you NOT take time to connect with your team members?

And so…I took Matt’s challenge and encouragement to heart. I’ll confess, I haven’t followed Matt’s recipe exactly. Instead of weekly one-on-one

We talk about business and the challenges that they are facing on a project or assignment. And we also talk about life outside of work. I’ve learned about their interests, their passions, and their families.meetings, I started with monthly one-on-one meetings. For the most part, these meetings have been 30-40 minutes each. I use a one-page outline to guide our discussion and to take notes which helps me capture details of our discussion. With 12 direct reports, these notes have been essential to helping me remember our conversations.  And it helps with my follow through on any action items that I have taken from our meeting. (NOTE: You can download Matt’s one-on-one meeting template here.)

What difference does it make if you know your team members?

It makes all the difference in the world.

The average working person spends 9-10 hours of their days at work – every day. (That’s two-thirds or more of their waking hours). Most people work over 2100 hours every year. If my math is correct, most people work about 80,000 hours in their life time. However you do the math, we spend a lot of time at work.

We are relational beings. We are made to connect with others and to be in community with others.

We are missing a huge opportunity to connect with others if we go to work, come home, get our paycheck, but fail to connect with our co-workers.

Intentional connections

My one-on-one meetings have helped me be intentional in connecting with my team. It’s helped my team to feel more connected to me. And it’s also helped my team succeed from a business perspective.

I’m so thankful I listened to Matt and started having one-on-one meetings with my team.

Do you have one-on-one meetings with your team?  If so, how have they made a difference?  If not, what are you waiting for? 

(Note:  My article originally appeared at mattmcwilliams.com.)