Welcome back brew nation! It’s the “Friday Coffee Guy” coming to you with The Champion’s Brew, a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership. I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well. Any of the points especially impact you? Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going! I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’! Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!
Here is your weekly sip of what I have been reading, listening to or watching to equip me to:
- Stay Strong – This week, Roger Federer announced he will be retiring from professional tennis at age 41 after a series of knee operations, closing a career in which he won 20 Grand Slam titles (3rd all time), finished five seasons ranked No. 1, was an Olympic medalist, a Davis Cup winner, and won over 1,000 matches in his career. He helped usher in an incredible era of men’s tennis with his ‘rivals’, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. I was an admirer of Roger’s tennis fluidity but found myself more drawn to his great leadership qualities. A few of the qualities I think we call could emulate would be:
- Fitness – To still be playing at the level he played until age 41, it took a tremendous about of discipline with his fitness. His longevity can be attributed to his rigorous workout routine, his nutrition (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, pasta before every match, and staying hydrated)! A disciplined approach to fitness is a great attribute for all leaders
- Passion – Watching his focus and intensity on the court would easily reveal the passion he had for the game of tennis
- Character – I found this to be one of Federer’s greatest leadership traits. He treated all of his opponents with dignity and respect. He was driven and mature when he won and he was gracious in defeat.
- Competitiveness – You don’t win over 1,000 matches without a fierce competitive spirit.
Congratulations, Roger Federer, on a great career and thank you for the model competitor that you were.
- Work Hard –As a leader, there are disciplines or habits that we have to do daily, weekly and monthly to be successful. There are projects that we are responsible for as individuals that we need focused time to work on that project. So, how to I ensure that I get those items completed? Here are a few ways that I find are helpful for me.
1) Block the time – Make an appointment with yourself and put it on your calendar. If you don’t plan your time, someone else will.
2) Have a checklist – What are the things that must be done in that time block? Create a checklist. Check it off. There is something rewarding about getting those items done
3) Learn to say “NO” – Too often, others will ask to have things done during your time. You know how it happens: Someone knocks on your door, opens it, and asks “do you have a minute?” Generally, that minute turns into 5 or 10 or even 30 minutes. You have got to learn to say No. Or, at a minimum, “Not now, but can we meet at 11:00?”
4) Remove all the distractions – Turn off your social media, your email, and all the other distractions (if you work out of a home office like me, you may need to set boundaries with your family as well!). According to a University of California Irvine study, “it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.”
5) Start and end ON TIME – About 90 minutes is the longest span of time that I find to be effective in focusing. (Even a meeting with yourself!). If you don’t get all the work done in that time, schedule another block of time later in the day to complete the tasks. If you find yourself always running longer than the time allotted, you may need to re-evaluate your list!
6) Reward yourself – If you can complete steps 1 through 5 successfully, reward yourself. Maybe it’s a good cup of coffee, a walk outside, or a healthy snacky!
- Eat Healthy – I subscribe to a newsletter from Dan Go, an online trainer, who shared four of his fat loss “hacks” from his newsletter this week:
- Drink water WITH meals – The easiest way to feel fuller is to drink more water. Drinking 16 oz before and after a meal has been shown to reduce food intake
- Drink protein shakes – This is one of that fastest and most convenient ways to get nutrition into your body
- Set kitchen hours – Make the kitchen off limits at some point. Clean it after dinner, lights out, and don’t go back!
- Use the proximity effect – If a food is reachable AND in sight, you are more likely to indulge even when you’re not hungry. I KNEW I shouldn’t leave that bowl of peanut M & M’s on my desk!!!!
- Quote – “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us either to fortune or failure.” — Jim Rohn”
What you need to do:
Call to Action: How will you schedule your time this week to become more productive? Do you have other hacks you use to ensure you get your daily & weekly disciplines completed?
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 eat healthy, read more, be a light 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!!
