Welcome back, Brew Nation! I am thrilled to announce that this week marks a significant milestone for me: the 100th consecutive Friday edition of the Champions Brew! It is an honor to have you as a part of our community, and I am grateful for your continued support. I take pride in providing carefully curated content selected from my own reading, listening, watching, and reflection. As I reflect on the journey thus far, I am filled with joy, and it is my sincerest hope that the next 100 editions will bring you just as much pleasure as they have brought me. And so, I turn to you, Brew Nation, to help me make the Champions Brew even better. I have created a survey to gather your feedback on how I can provide even greater value to you. Your participation would be greatly appreciated, and I promise to share the results and incorporate your suggestions in future editions. Thanks for being a part of this journey! After reading today’s Brew, would you please take just two more minutes and complete the survey by clicking HERE
Now, sit back, relax, and get ready to sip on some enriching and thought-provoking content that will equip you to thrive in all areas of your life:
- Have Fun – Baseball season is in full ‘swing’. As a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, I have not had a great deal to cheer about over the past 20 -30 years or so. Shoot, our last world series championship was in 1979 when “We Are Family” was the team song. I think I can still name the starting lineup of that team around the horn. Dave Parker and Willie Stargell were two of my favorites.
Baseball has often been used as a metaphor for life because it involves so much failure. The hall of famers fail more often than they succeed. A batter who gets a hit in 30% of their at-bats is considered an All-Star! That means that players must learn to deal with failure about 70% of the time and not let it define them. In life we all experience setbacks and failures as well, but it’s how we deal with them that defines us.
I recently listened to a podcast with retired professional baseball player, Sean Casey. Casy was a 3-time All-Star first baseman, played 12 years, and batted .302 for his career with 1,531 hits including 130 home runs and 735 runs batter in. Casey INTENSELY shared several life tips with host Ed Mylett. I would encourage you to listen in when you get a chance. Here were a few of my takeaways:
1) Positive Mindset – When hitters go a few games without getting a base hit, they might be considered as being in a batting ‘slump’. Casey discussed his mental approach to at bats and how positive self-talk often helped him get out of that slump. He would repeatedly say to himself “A storm is comin’ – I’m comin’.”
2) Intense Focus – Casey talked about what he learned from Hall-of-famer Albert Pujols when he said that no matter what the score was, Pujols “never wasted a pitch”. My interpretation of this is that excellence isn’t something Uncommon players/leaders do some of the time, it’s something they do ALL the time.
3) The power is in the GAPS – The game of baseball is a metaphor for life. As a hitter, the great hitters know that they must be able to hit the ball in the gap. Casey compared this with life as he said the power in life was in the G.A.P.S – Gratitude, Accountability, Perspective, and Service. Love this!
- Work Hard – A quick thought from author James Clear on Patience:
Patience only works if you do.
Doing the work + patience = results.
Planning to work + patience = you’re just waiting.
My interpretation: A plan without action is just a dream. If you are going to succeed, at some point, you gotta stop planning and you gotta start doing!
- Read More – Last week I started the review of John Maxwell’s newest book, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication – Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message. Each week, I will travel with you through a new chapter of this book. I hope that you have purchased a copy of this book and are following along with me! This week we review Law # 2:
The Law of Observation
Good Communicators Learn from Great Communicators
My consulting model is based on the Toyota Production System, or Lean Manufacturing, where one of the key tenets is the power of observation. We have to go to the workplace or “gemba” to learn what is actually happening versus what we think is happening.
Observations skills are also critical to becoming a good communicator. Each of us will have a unique perspective after observing and learning from others.
In chapter 2, John Maxwell emphasizes the importance of practicing and emulating great techniques to refine our skills. I often use the acronym SWIPE– Steal With Integrity Practically Everything- to describe this technique. To grow as a speaker/communicator, we need to learn from as many different communicators as we can AND, do it intentionally.
John Maxwell is one person whom I have learned from and emulated. Since seeing him speak live for the first time in 1999 in Dallas, TX, I have been inspired to become a better leader and communicator. I admire his stage presence, voice, and ability to take the broad topic of leadership and put the good stuff on the lower shelf for me to learn. I continue to learn from others through listening to podcasts and watching preachers on Sunday mornings at church. However, I realize that I need to be even more intentional in this space and make studying great speeches a part of my leadership development. I am fascinated by the eloquence that some speakers have in telling stories, their use of metaphors, and the body language in connecting with their audiences.
The author finished the chapter with some great advice: “If you want to become a good communicator, you need to learn from those who’ve gone ahead of you. Good communicators learn from great communicators. That’s the Law of Observation.”
Quote
“Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith, and where there is despair, may we bring hope.” – Margaret Thatcher
What You Need to Do:
Call to Action: Two things: 1) Please consider completing the brief survey about the Champions Brew to assist in improving the next 100 editions. 2) Who do you emulate to become a better communicator? Are you intentional in learning from other communicators?
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time, Have Fun, Work Hard, Read More, and Grow Champions!
P.S. – Are you a podcast fan? Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you. Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!
