Hit Any Speed Bumps Lately?

Speed bumpsThe other day my wife and I were driving to a gathering in a neighborhood we had not been to before. The homes were all unique with stone facing and a variety of styles. The landscaping at each home was meticulous.

As the driver what really caught my attention were the speed bumps. Every single street had two or three of these spaced out based on the length of the street. There was not one single street in this area which did not have multiple speed bumps. Yes there were signs to warn you and to note the exact location for each speed bump.

It turns out the speed bumps were placed there for a few reasons.

The first one, which is the most obvious, is to slow down the speed of any vehicles driving through this neighborhood. The second reason was to protect the children in the area who might be either crossing the road or playing in or near to the road. The third reason, which may not be so obvious, is to reduce the road traffic as people who know the speed bumps are there would avoid these roads unless they had to drive into the area for a specific reason or to visit someone.

Isn’t this how it is in our business and our lives? Don’t we hit speed bumps at various times? Now we are not talking about a dead end, we are talking about a speed bump.

So people might just say – “well I know there are speed bumps if I go that way so I am not going that way.”

Sometimes we take note of the warning signs and other times we are totally taken off guard. Yes, of course there are others who will not slow down at all and just plow right through. We all know what that will do to your car if you try that out on the road. Maybe speed bumps in our business, career and our lives are meant for us to slow down and think about what it is that we are doing?

What are we trying to achieve? What are we really focused on?

The road with the speed bumps may be the road less traveled. The road to success in life and in business may be a road like that as well. It seems clear to me we need to recognize the speed bumps when they are present, take note, slow down and consider what are we doing and why are we doing it?

Mitch Tublin runs a boutique consulting firm with a main focus on leadership development, strategic initiatives and executive coaching. Based in Stamford, CT. he has clients all over the world.

You Cannot Control Everything

You Cannot Control Everything“It’s not like I let people do things for me, so I guess you can call me a control freak, or you can call me passionate.” ~Courteney Cox  

In our lives we cannot control everything. Those who try to control everything around them will ultimately live a miserable life. Imagine in your own personal life if you were able to control every single thing. What would that list look like against the reality list of how everything actually works? Why not list this out right now? Try something like this:

IN MY LIFE I WANT TO CONTROL:         

1.

2.

3.

IN REALITY IT WORKS LIKE THIS:

1.

2.

3.

The key now is to own this list. Be okay with not being able to control each of these items in the reality column. Look over the items you want to control and determine if this really must be the case?

How about our lives in the business world? What if we were going to be able to control everything. What would be on this list now after comparing it to the original list? Would anyone else continue to work with you? 

IN MY BUSINESS (OR CAREER) I NEED TO CONTROL:

1.

2.

3.

 

IN REALITY THESE ITEMS ARE NOT UNDER MY CONTROL:

1.

2.

3. 

In the business world how much of a problem are the items not under your control? 

“Why worry about things you can’t control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?” ~Unknown

This is especially dangerous behavior for an entrepreneur or anyone in a start up company. In a perfect scenario each person has their area(s) of expertise and they need to be given enough freedom to complete their mission.

If you are an entrepreneur or working in a start-up company try filling in this list:

TODAY I AM ABLE TO CONTROL:

1.

2.

3.

I AM OKAY WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL:

1.

2.

3. 

Is it productive to be a total control freak at work? Is it okay in the business to share ownership across various people? 

“Steve Jobs had his critics. Some saw him as an egomaniac, and others, as a control freak.” ~Kevin O’Leary

For us to stand a chance don’t we have to be comfortable with ourselves and our own beliefs. The flip side of that is to listen to what others have to say as anyone of us would be able to fall back into the ‘control this’ model. 

Are you ready to start working with a coach? Contact Mitch here.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

 

Even a Control Freak Cannot Control Everything

stressed-control-freak“It’s not like I let people do things for me, so I guess you can call me a control freak, or you can call me passionate.” ~Courteney Cox 

In our lives we cannot control everything. Those who try to control everything around them will ultimately live a miserable life. Imagine in your own personal life if you were able to control every single thing. What would that list look like against the reality list of how everything actually works? Why not list this out right now? Try something like this:

IN MY LIFE I WANT TO CONTROL:         

1.

2.

3.

IN REALITY IT WORKS LIKE THIS:

1.

2.

3.

The key now is to own this list. Be okay with not being able to control each of these items in the reality column. Look over the items you want to control and determine if this really must be the case?

How about our lives in the business world? What if we were going to be able to control everything. What would be on this list now after comparing it to the original list? Would anyone else continue to work with you? 

IN MY BUSINESS (OR CAREER) I NEED TO CONTROL:

1.

2.

3.

 

IN REALITY THESE ITEMS ARE NOT UNDER MY CONTROL:

1.

2.

3. 

In the business world how much of a problem are the items not under your control? 

“Why worry about things you can’t control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?” ~Unknown

This is especially dangerous behavior for an entrepreneur or anyone in a start up company. In a perfect scenario each person has their area(s) of expertise and they need to be given enough freedom to complete their mission.

If you are an entrepreneur or working in a start-up company try filling in this list:

TODAY I AM ABLE TO CONTROL:

1.

2.

3.

I AM OKAY WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL:

1.

2.

3. 

Is it productive to be a total control freak at work? Is it okay in the business to share ownership across various people? 

“Steve Jobs had his critics. Some saw him as an egomaniac, and others, as a control freak.” ~Kevin O’Leary

For us to stand a chance don’t we have to be comfortable with ourselves and our own beliefs. The flip side of that is to listen to what others have to say as anyone of us would be able to fall back into the ‘control this’ model. 

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Starting soon is the Empowerment Program. Sign up here to learn more about this program.

Are You Ready For Anything?

wasp-on-flowerIt was a gorgeous summer day. Clear blue skies with hardly a cloud. A slight breeze and little humidity. My windows were rolled down, the air conditioning was off, the sound system was off, the cell phone was off and driving along the highway at 55 MPH… it was a gorgeous summer day. The quiet, the smells of summer with a light breeze coming in the car windows. All was good. Really good.

This is how we met. Mother Nature must have wanted us to meet at this time, in this place, in this way. She must have flown in the window. Clearly unannounced and unnoticed.

A pain in my back. WOW! This hurt! It must be a bee, a hornet, a wasp about three quarters of the way up my back right on the spine. Now we are together driving along on the highway at 55 MPH. The stinging hurts – A LOT! To myself – “Okay, have to think as you are not stopping and there is no where to pull over”.

By moving too much, whatever it is might come up to my head, my neck or my face or drop down into the back of my pants.

My only thought is how to stop the stinging! Okay – the solution is to drive, to push my back, as hard as possible, into the seat back, essentially right into the thing. To myself – “If there is something causing you pain – address it – go right after it”. The intention was to trap her and potentially smash her enough to get the stinging to stop.

Finally off of the highway and in the parking lot. Jumping out of the car and looking back at my seat. There she was – still alive! A nice sized wasp.

My initial thought was to swat her out of the car and crush her with my shoe! She bit me and it was really hurting my back!

My workout towel was in the back seat so sliding her out of the car was easy enough to do. She would fend for herself now. It was how we met. Goodbye.

The mirror in the office restroom showed the exact bite spot where now a half golf ball size welt was becoming larger and surrounded by redness. The back of the shirt where the bite took place actually had a hole in it! Was this a wasp or a vampire?

hole-in-shirt

Later in the day there was another appointment to drive to.

It was a gorgeous summer day. Clear blue skies with hardly a cloud. A slight breeze and little humidity. My windows were rolled down, the air conditioning was off, the sound system was off, the cell phone was off and driving along the highway at 55 MPH…it was a gorgeous summer day. The quiet, the smells of summer with a light breeze coming in the car windows. All was good. Really good.

Bottom Line: You can let an incident ruin a second, a minute, an hour, a day or a lifetime. You can buy a new shirt. Will you let the incident change you? Your mindset? Your behavior?

Tell me how you handle incidents that happen to you in your life from the small ones to the big ones?

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

>>Contact Mitch to work on your mindset today!<<

Rolling On A Highway

car-trafficThe majority of us drive on an interstate or some type of highway a few times a week or more. On a three lane highway, ever notice the impact of someone who is driving a car in the center lane, yet, at a reduced speed of ten to fifteen MPH less than the speed limit which may have them clocked at twenty to twenty five MPH less than the majority of traffic? The impact is almost always an accident waiting to happen. The left lane is constantly flowing past this car in a steady stream of vehicles. The right lane has cars lining up to pass as well only slightly less organized and flowing than the left lane.

Meanwhile the three, four or five cars directly behind the center lane driver are feeling stuck as they came upon this unexpectedly and now feel trapped not able to readily get into the left lane to pass or the right lane to sneak by as well.

All of this is an accident waiting to happen and what makes matters worse is the driver in the center lane taking their time and driving along has absolutely no idea! They have no clue or awareness of the havoc they wreak out on the road behind them.

If the picture is not clear from the example of the driver, consider the crew team rowing in their shell. In a practice session or in a race each stroke must be in synch with everyone else’s stroke. The style and execution of the stroke must be the same. Any disruption to this timed team effort will cost them time and knock speed off their progress.

In many ways this is what happens to a team when there is one person who is not pulling their weight or not choosing to fit in with the team. They begin to become a burden to everyone else on the team. The team may need to sidestep around them and their assigned tasks or roles on a project in order to complete their assigned goals.

Depending upon the severity and the cost to the team and the business, these individuals must be dealt with. There is a possibility working regularly with an Executive Coach may create the change necessary to salvage a team mate. It is a disservice to the rest of the members of the team and to the offending person not to address the issue.

This is a fact which transcends the size of an organization.

The truth as stated by John C. Maxwell: “Team Work, Makes The Dream Work”.

Mitch Tublin is a business consultant and an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Have someone who needs to become a better team player? >> Contact Mitch Tublin Here <<

 

Are You Becoming A Cave Dweller?

Tcave-in-rockshe cave dweller syndrome may be impacting your ability to connect, communicate and socialize. A CEO may have cave dweller syndrome. This is when the CEO has the hidden corner office and rarely comes out to interact with fellow employees. A large publicly traded company CEO may have access to a limo, a protection team and a private jet. Not much interaction going on here with the “regular folks”.

The CEO might answer, “Do you know how many meetings I attend?” … “Okay and how many people there challenge you or in reality bobble head yes to everything you say. This is not interacting. It is closer to dictating.”

A founder of a start up may spend hours or even days locked up working on the idea, the concept, the rollout and easily loses track of time. Often the human interaction in person with other people may fall by the wayside. As cave dweller syndrome sets in there is limited feedback or interaction from the outside world.

The entrepreneur busy running their own business may have cave dweller syndrome. They may find themselves squirreled away for hours on end working on their business and not interacting, not networking, not socializing with other people other than their family and often not doing this too well (a topic to discuss in another article).

Recently in speaking with one of the under thirty generation about daily habits, work and productivity, the topic of staying in touch with the news and current events came up.

Basically the entire idea of staying in touch with what is going on in the world and current news is considered ‘clutter’ of the mind. If a topic of interest happens to come over on twitter or on facebook and the item appears to be of interest, well then it is looked up online. Maybe one or a few newsfeeds are subscribed to or not.

What do you think about this behavior? Would you consider this to be higher productivity and a clear mind to get work done more effectively or another cave dweller syndrome participant?

Here are a few suggestions which will not greatly interrupt the established routine and may actually pull someone out of the cave dweller syndrome.

First – join a round table or a mastermind group. The CEO might participate in an Executive Mastermind Group. Confidentiality is primary and best practices and advice are openly shared. Similar to groups run by me.

Second – work with an Executive Coach, trusted advisor, a person from the outside who is there for you and only for you. Study after study reflect the great performance improvement and impact of working with an Executive Coach. The ICF certification held by me is attained by less than 5% of coaches.

Third – network like your life depends upon it. NSN – Never Stop Networking. Start by approaching this by thinking – “how may I add value to others?”

Want some guidance on networking listen to my networking audio – click here to download my Ninja Networking Secrets audio and be sure to follow me on Facebook.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach, a business consultant and professional speaker who resides in Stamford, CT.