I Love Competition

Today was my son Caleb's first all-star basketball game. What a difference this was from his regular season! On his regular season team, he was clearly one of the stronger players and spent most games frustrated that other the other boys weren't as serious or skilled as He. He would occassionally play against another boy that was at his level, or maybe better, and he liked that challenge - it pushed him to up his game. Without that consistent competition though, he didn't have the external push to perform at his full potential - just good enough to get by, which was still better than most.  He had such a great time today because he said he loved the challenge of playing on a team and against a team of equally stronger players.  (His team won by 1 point in overtime!)

I couldn't help but see the parallels to business. It's our competition that pushes us to be the best. Without competition, how would we know we're the best - or not. As an advocate of education in general, I think it is great that students have a lot of choices in their education and as an employee of an actual college I also appreciate the competition. Whether it's the low cost of a community college, the short completion time of another, or the name recognition of a national leader we are forced to up our game in order to stay ahead of the increasing competition.  

We need competition though to keep pushing us to perform at our full potential. For the sake of our students and for our own longevity.  Next time you think of speaking poorly about your competitor, take some time to be thankful for them instead and how they drive you to be better.

First Impressions

I spent the evening tonight observing a group interview that emphasized the importance of great first impressions. It was interesting to see which candidates innately understood what the process was about and made a little extra effort to leave a positive first impression. It was also interesting to see how many didn't.

I've heard/learned on several occassions that it takes eleven positive encounters to counteract one negative. In other words, make a poor first impression and there is little chance of ever changing it.

During a depressed economy when everyone is cautiously entering into business relationships with a hesitation to spend money or invest in something new, we all can be reminded of the importance of first impressions - as individuals and as businesses. Take a moment to ask someone you trust for their honest feedback. What you hear, may be the key to landing that next great job or big sale.

He's Back!

There is something special about being able to watch someone excel at what they do or be so effective  in their work that you can't help but appreciate them and become a fan.  I enjoy excellence and draw inspiration from someone with qualities I work hard to develop in my own person.

It's for this reason that I have my DVR set for the Golf Channel this afternoon when Tiger returns to competitive play.  The man clearly has some freakish skills that we've never seen the likes of on a golf course.  My own golf game has zero comparisons to Tiger's, and if you've golfed with me you will agree.  But I don't even attempt to emulate him, at least on the golf course.

Freakish skills aside, the man has other qualities that we all could learn from and I do try to develop for the sake of both my personal and professional life. 

• Initiative/Drive - I think most would agree that Tiger has more than anyone else in his sport and this helps to separate him from the pack. He wants to be the best.  
  
• Positive Attitude - he expects to win, nothing less.
  
• Passionate - he loves what he does and is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful, without sacrificing his character and integrity.
  
• Embraces Change - he is always looking for ways he can change his swing or his game to become even better.
  
• Hard Worker - success doesn't just happen, it's a round the clock effort to get the results.
  
• Accountable - it's all about his performance. Distractions and obstacles are part of the game, it is entirely up to him to figure out how to overcome them.
  
• Dependable - we expect him to win to the point where it isn't as special anymore.  It's when he doesn't that we're surprised.
  

I am sure there are more, but these are the qualities that immediately come to mind. So, as a golf fan and as someone appreciative of excellence, I am happy Tiger's back.

Kids and Sports

I have been a sports fan my entire life.  I have those teams that I am faithful to through thick and thin (Blazers, Cowboys, Yankees), and as a relatively recent transplant to the Indianapolis area I have come to really enjoy the local teams here as well.

Nothing compares to watching my own kids play though.  I may talk about how busy life is with kids playing sports all over town, but game days are typically my favorite days of the week.  Whether it’s Caeden making a great cross-over dribble, Caleb making a catch in the outfield, or Makela’s volleyball team winning a tournament, seeing my kids having fun and experiencing success on the court/field is awesome.  Even now, I am sitting watching Caleb in his basketball practice and have a stupid perma-grin on my face because I’m having so much fun.  I can’t help it!

At the same time, I am also concerned with the seriousness of sports at such a young age.  It’s great that we live in a community that has such great opportunities for kids, but it also concerns me that there may be a lot of pressure put on these kids.  Are travel teams too much?  Will they burn out and end up hating sports?  I am fearful of these things, but at the same time want to develop a healthy level of competitiveness which can serve them so well even beyond sports.

I just want to make sure I’m doing the right things for my kids for today and tomorrow.  The sports fan in me is thrilled with the kids’ involvement, but the parent in me can’t help but be slightly concerned.

IMUA

Ok, what's with the title of this blog?  

Those who know me are familiar with my use of the word IMUA.  It's a Hawaiian word that means 'to go forward.'  As I have explained to many people though, the concept of moving forward isn't about moving within space, but is about striving for improvement.  Always focusing on making tomorrow better.

This is an attitude that I try very hard to convey each day with my family and certainly at work.  I believe that successes should be celebrated and enjoyed, but I also believe that I am a work in progress in every aspect of my life and I can always push myself to be better.  Whether that is in my parenting, my relationship with my wife, or in my role at work I can always find areas that I could be a little better in and as a result make a greater impact on those around me.

So, as I think about the content of this blog, I expect I'll share those moments, stories, and ideas that apply to my journey to move forward in every aspect of life.  I'll share personal stories of experiences with the kids, lessons learned professionally, and ideas about life in general I find worth thinking about.

Make no mistake though, this blog is a way for me to move forward.  I want to become better at capturing thoughts, ideas, and moments as well as spending time thinking more about life experiences.  What better way than to spend some time blogging?