Three Keys to Great Leadership

January 3, 2011 by 3 Comments

There is much written about leadership.  What makes a great leader and what doesn’t.  Whether or not they are born or created.  On and on.  And being an avid reader (See my Reading List) and one who is always seeking to learn and grow, I’ve read my good share of them.  The more I read, the more I believe that we complicate things.  Really, good (and bad) leadership comes down to success (or failure) in three areas:

  1. Clearly Defined Expectations
  2. Tools for Success
  3. Means for Reinforcement

Let me explain further. Read more of this post

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Algebra Again?!?

January 2, 2011 by Leave a comment

I have a loan that I totally forgot about.  The lender, although very understanding, just called and asked when we’d be making the next payment.  Unfortunately, I can’t locate the original paperwork, if we ever had any.  All I have is record of one payment made for the interest accrued to that point.  How do I figure out what the interest rate on the loan is, then book and track (create amortization table) it so this doesn’t happen to us again?

Once again, my high school Algebra teacher is yelling in my ear. Read more of this post

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Fantastic Treadmill Sprint Workout

January 1, 2011 by Leave a comment

In the spirit of goals (or I mean self-promises), make it a goal to do this treadmill workout in 2011.

  1. 2 mile warm-up (start level 6.0 (6 mph or 10 min. mile), increasing by 0.1 every minute; takes about 17 minutes, ending on level 7.6 (7:53 pace)
  2. Half mile intermediate run- 8.5 (7:30 pace)
  3. 1/4 Mile – 9.5 (6:18 pace)
  4. 1/4 Mile – 10.0 (6:00 pace)
  5. 1/4 Mile – 10.5 (5:42 pace)
  6. 1/4 Mile – 11.0 (5:27 pace)
  7. 1/4 Mile – 11.5 (5:13 pace)
  8. 1/4 Mile – 12.0 (5:00 pace)

Let me know how it goes and please feel free to share any crazy workouts you might have with me.

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Get Back in Shape (at home) Workout

December 31, 2010 by Leave a comment

Okay, it’s almost 2011.  And you’re gung ho about working out.  But you’re not going to tell or promise anybody that you are getting back in shape right?  Here’s a great workout when you’re just getting back in the swing of things.  It’s also great for those of you who work out regularly when you don’t have time to get to the gym or need to get something done quickly or in between loads of laundry.

Perform the following 3 Exercises back to back with as little rest as possible:

  1. Push Ups (start with a number that is about 75% of the most you can do at one time)
  2. Situps (15-30; start with a number that is moderately difficult)
  3. Body Weight Squats (10-20; start with a number that is moderately difficult)

Perform exercises for 30 minutes.  Keep track of how many total supersets (performing one set of each is one superset) you are able to do.  Once you’re able to do 10 sets (not easy, believe me; that’s an average of 3 minutes per set, including any rest periods you take), check back with me.  If this doesn’t get you ready for intermediate or advanced fitness training, just in time for Spring 2011, nothing will. Just kidding.  Best of luck and let me know if you have questions.

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Dont’ tell me what you’re gonna do..

December 30, 2010 by 2 Comments

My friends and former teammates from college know how to finish this sentence:

“Tell me what you did!”

What does that mean?  Well, this is the perfect time of year to explain.  A little more than one more day before 2011.  Another year gone by.  Another year to look forward to.  And alas those dreaded New Year’s Resolutions.  “I will lose ten pounds this year.”  “I’m going to stop smoking.” “I’m going to stop procrastinating and start working out.”  What’s yours?  More importantly, what was yours last year?  Do you remember it?

Well, try the approach that I adopted long ago.  Don’t tell people what you’re going to do.  Just do it.  (This sometimes gets me in trouble with my wife, but she’s come to understand that I like to surprise her with positive stuff ) Because quite frankly, they don’t want to hear you SAY you’re going to do it.  It’s likely, if you’re telling them, that you’ve told them before.  They want to see you actually DO it.  And what I’ve found is this:  If you have an internal promise, one you make to yourself, it will drive you and motivate you more than any external expression of that goal can.  Read more of this post

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