“Plant the seeds of greatness in your mind.” – James Clear
Happy Friday, Brew Nation!
Grab your favorite coffee cup and get ready to embark on a transformative journey. The Champions Brew Newsletter is here to invigorate your mornings and ignite your drive for personal growth and impact! Fuel your mornings with motivation and purpose. As you savor your first cup of the day, let the Champions Brew infuse you with the insights and strategies you need to make each day a stepping stone towards your aspirations. Let’s Go!
- Uncommon Leader Insights –In a recent episode of The Uncommon Leader Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Katie McKiever, a social media and communications expert who shared invaluable insights on leveraging social media for thought leadership and personal branding. Here are my three key takeaways from our conversation:
Be focused – Katie shared some great tips to get you started on LinkedIn or other social media platforms if you find it overwhelming:
- Optimize your profile to showcase your expertise
- Engage with others’ content by commenting, liking, and sharing to foster relationships and expand your network.
- Incorporate visuals and strategic tagging to engage your audience and expand your reach.
- Tell YOUR story to create valuable, engaging content that resonates with your followers.
Be Authentic – Social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn, offer immense opportunities for thought leadership and building genuine connections. Katie highlighted the significance of bridging the gap between personal and business branding, encouraging individuals to represent their authentic selves online.
Be disciplined – It’s as simple as 3-2-1 Go!: To effectively leverage social media, Katie recommends a three-part framework for creating impactful posts. First, SHARE something you learned, providing valuable insights and tagging relevant individuals or organizations. Second, TEACH something or offer a service, demystifying aspects of your industry. Finally, showcase your achievements and express pride in your team’s successes. By rotating through these post types and incorporating visuals, you can foster meaningful relationships and unlock growth opportunities all in just 15 minutes a day.
By consistently sharing valuable insights, engaging with others, and showcasing your expertise, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
You can also catch the entire conversation I had with Katie here. While you are there, go ahead and subscribe to my YouTube page so that you can receive new episodes when they come out each week.
Are you aware that The Champions Brew explores various topics that I frequently coach and consult on with other leaders and organizations? If you or someone you know is seeking to elevate their business or personal life from underperforming to uncommon, I would love to connect with you and discuss 1:1 or group coaching, as well as performance consulting. In fact, click the following link to schedule a FREE CALL to explore how coaching could benefit you and your team. Let’s work together to unleash your full potential and achieve your goals
- Relax often & Eat healthy – Football season is here, and that means it’s time to fire up the grill! For me, nothing beats a perfectly smoked brisket on game day. I’ve been a Traeger enthusiast for years, and their charcoal brisket recipe is a crowd-pleaser. It’s simple, flavorful, and always a hit.
Ingredients:
1 whole beef brisket, fat trimmed to 1/4″ thickness
1/3 cup coarse kosher sea salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1/3 cup ground black pepper
Horseradish sauce (optional sauce after you slice the brisket)
Instructions:
Season the brisket: A day before cooking, rub the brisket with a mixture of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
Set up your grill: Preheat your Traeger to 225-250°F. Place the brisket, fatty side up, on the grill grate. I usually start the night before. You can count on about an hour per pound total cook time.
Monitor temperature: Use a stand-alone thermometer to ensure the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 160-165°F.
Wrap and finish: Once the brisket reaches 160-165°F, wrap it in foil and return it to the grill until it reaches an internal temperature of 203°F.
Rest and serve: Let the brisket rest for one hour before slicing and serving. Enjoy with your favorite horseradish sauce.
What’s your go-to BBQ recipe for game day? Share your tips and tricks in the comments! Follow me on Instagram (@coachjohngallagher) and search for #gallaghertraegernation to see some of my past creations.
- Read More – Books have been my constant companions on leadership journey since my mentor, Tom Carmazzi, gifted me the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership in 1998. They’ve shaped my thoughts, influenced my decisions, and sparked countless ideas. From John Maxwell and Craig Groeschel, James Clear to Jim Collins, Andy Andrews to Chris Zook, and to newer discoveries through The Uncommon Leader Podcast, I’ve found inspiration and wisdom in the pages of countless non-fiction works.
In terms of reading preferences, I have a real partiality for physical books. The feel of the paper, the smell of the pages, the satisfying crackle as I turn a corner – it’s a sensory experience I appreciate. I also appreciate how a physical book becomes a decoration. I organize the books I have read by theme and have created a personal library that reflects my evolving interests and passions including faith, sports figures, continuous improvement, and an entire shelf of books I have read from John Maxwell. While I prefer physical books, I also benefit from the convenience of digital books, especially when preparing for a podcast when I am interviewing an author. There are so many ways to consume. I encourage you to experiment to find what works best for you.
My book-reading process is a ritual. I start by immersing myself in the introduction, understanding the author’s intent. Underlining key passages and marking significant sections with dogear bookmarks helps me revisit and reflect. I even read the book in the author’s voice, adding a layer of connection. After finishing, I take dedicate time to review my notes, capturing the essence of the book. These insights become valuable tools in my coaching and consulting work. Sharing these transformative books with others brings me great joy.
Over the past few years, I have set and achieved goals for a specific number of books to read. The 20 page a day rule has been instrumental for me. Most leadership books are around 200 pages. Just 20 pages a day, or 20 minutes a day, result in 2 books per month or 24 books a year.
Books are more than just reading material; they are catalysts for growth and inspiration. They have played a pivotal role in my success, and I believe they can do the same for you.
How do you approach reading? Share your tips and strategies in the comments below.
Quote of the week:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… The man who never reads only lives once.” – George R. R. Martin
What You Need to Do:
Call to Action: Let’s make the next 30 days a reading marathon. Share your leadership reads and insights on social media using #LeadersAreReaders.
It’s an honor to be your trusted “Friday Coffee Guy”. Each week, I’m excited to provide yet another round of curated content that I’ve been reading, listening to, watching, or thinking over. The purpose of the Champions Brew is to inspire, equip and encourage you to become the uncommon leader you were designed to be. I am so grateful for your decision to invest a few moments with me! 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, Go 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!!
