Okay, so I’m a little, actually, very late to the whole #sharktanknation. Shark Tank first aired in 2009, and I am almost ashamed to say I had never watched an episode until last year. Interestingly enough, after watching just one episode, it got me hooked!

In case you aren’t familiar with this “structured” reality show, here’s how it works, according to the ABC website: The sharks — tough, self-made millionaires and billionaire tycoons — are looking to invest in America’s best businesses and products. The sharks will give people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream, and potentially secure business deals that could make them millions. In short, you make a pitch, and if they “bite” (i.e. choose to invest), you have a chance of a lifetime

I’ve been thinking a lot about delegation lately. This past weekend I had the opportunity to see effective delegation in action when my family and I went on a fly-fishing trip. “Tony” was an incredible guide who demonstrated to me that whether you are teaching someone how to fly fish or trying to help them understand a complex task in your organization, there are 5 key elements to remember.

In my 29 years of working with leaders and managers, I have rarely heard any of them say, “I’m so excited about doing the performance reviews for my team.” They see it as another “elephant” in their schedule. 🐘

Performance reviews ARE important. Some of the benefits include:

Picture this: You’ve had a long day at work and looking forward to a relaxing evening. You start streaming an episode of your favorite series. Two hours later you’re still there, and now you’re frustrated that you didn’t use that time more effectively. It’s not that you wanted to do work tasks or take care of personal stuff... you just wanted more out of that precious time that would renew your body, mind, and soul.

If you’ve followed my work for awhile, you know I am a BIG Seth Godin fan. His ability to pack so much thought into just a few words is incredible.

While reflecting on some of Godin’s older posts, I came across one that really rattled me as I read it. Three Ways To Add Value focuses on three words that can quickly expose how little time we daily dedicate to moving ourselves, our team, or our organization forward by acting on change.

I’m currently reading the book, Die With Zero, by Bill Perkins. This book is a revolutionary game changer that upend our traditional ideas of retirement, later years in life, and even the choices we make right now. He argues that it isn’t necessary to accumulate wealth or save for retirement; instead, we should focus on creating a life of meaning and purpose. The big idea in the book is that we need to die with as close to zero monies as possible at the end of our life.

If you're a plant parent, you know the heartbreak of seeing your once-thriving plant just… kind of sitting there. You remember the early days, when it was shiny and the growth was steady, but now it seems like it's just taking up space. This describes my Fiddle Leaf Fig. After a couple of months, it just stopped thriving. And then the real decline started - it started losing its leaves, and I couldn't help but think it was disengaged or unmotivated to grow.

Sleep is your physical, mental, and emotional reset button. It allows you to wake up to a blank canvas upon which you will create your day. Like any great painting, however, where you choose to start defines the entire piece.

This past Sunday I had the honor of attending a special event for the two people you see in the picture. Frank and Dorcus were commemorating 60 years of marriage. Frank was also celebrating his 80th birthday at the event given by their children. While I could write much about their marriage, I’ll focus my comments on Frank since he has become one of my informal life coaches (he just doesn’t know it).

When I think of professional athletes, "humility" isn't often the word that comes to mind. I think of self-absorbed individuals who want two things more than anyone else... to win and to make exorbitant amounts of money. I know that's an unfair perspective. It's just been fueled by my casual reading of sports headlines and what I allow news outlets to feed to me. I'll also remember NBA great Charles Barkley saying, "I'm not a role model."

I live and die by being prepared to deliver effective presentations. A few years ago I found an organization that routinely gives me fresh ideas on how to more strongly connect with my audiences... and I've been speaking professionally for over 20 years! Ovation Communication is a communication skills consulting firm that enables clients to deliver their message more effectively. Their  consultants combine their experience as professional actors with their knowledge of the business world to create complete communicators. You can learn more about Ovation at their website. Today's guest post is by one of their fabulous team members, Bridget Bierne.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, USA rifle shooter Matt Emmons was poised to win his second gold medal. He had one shot left, and only needed a score of 7.3. The lowest score on his last nine shots was 9.3, so the gold was certainly to be in his hands soon. Sure enough, Emmons took the shot, and hit a bullseye... on the wrong target. He was awarded 0 points and finished fourth in this particular competition.