Thursday, November 26, 2009

A Game Plan For Life

The topic of mentorship has always been important to me. While working with the federal government, I was a project manager of a student recruitment program that hired post secondary students for the summer to help them gain valuable work experience.

I was in role for approximately five years and took it very seriously. With a large number of the students hired never having worked before, it was important to me to ensure that their first experience was a positive one.

It may not have been included as part of my job description but I knew that I was their mentor.



Several months back I was contacted by a writer who was doing a piece on mentorship and was asked for my thoughts on the topic.

In my view, the role of a mentor is very similar to that of a teacher but with a slight wrinkle.

The traditional model of a mentorship relationship has a more experienced and perhaps wiser individual imparting knowledge to a less experienced person.

The thing with mentoring that many don`t realize is that it can happen anytime or anyplace and isn`t designated to a monthly time slot or a discussion over lunch.

Our actions or how we live our lives can serve as mentors to others.

As we learn in John Wooden`s book, A Game Plan for Life, it`s even possible for us to have mentors who we`ve never met.

The book is broken down into two parts. Coach Wooden identifies the seven mentors who had a profound impact on his life in the first half.

In the second half, he then shares stories about seven people whose lives he helped shaped. One of those seven is Bob Vigars, an elementary school teacher from Canada who life was profoundly impacted by Coach Wooden.



Oh yeah, they`ve never met before.

My good friend, Don Yaeger co-authored A Game Plan for Life and joins me on the next episode of HCL Radio to talk about this very special project.

Listen as Don describes how this book came to be.

In addition, I`ll also be joined by Bob Vigars who shares exactly what Coach Wooden has meant to him.

Here part of what Bob had to say.


Thanks for reading!








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Friday, November 20, 2009

Making Conversations Fierce & Real

Helping individuals and organizations understand the importance of having real conversations is at the heart of what Fierce Inc. does.

It's a training and development provider, with a focus on communication and conversations as drivers of individual and organizational success.

Fierce Inc.
CEO, Susan Scott Susan is a best-selling author, leadership development architect, and a recognized thought leader in the global business community.



Susan helps organizations achieve success through recognizing the value of Fierce Conversations.

Listen to Susan`s explanation of what a fierce conversation is.

Her latest book, `Fierce Leadership:A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today focuses on how leaders can connect with their customers and employees at a deep level.



Being careful about the things said prevents that deep connection from taking place and as Susan puts it, `a careful conversation is a failed conversation.`

Susan joins the next episode of HCL Radio to chat about the book and the work of Fierce Inc.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Thanks for reading!








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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Being The Boss

Whether you have the title of manager, supervisor, CEO or chief bottle washer - you're in a challenging role.



Our society looks to leaders to lead and isn't overly forgiving when they don't succeed.

Author, trainer and keynote speaker Wally Bock joins the next episode of HCL Radio to discuss his work and the kinds of things he can teach individuals to be better leaders.

Listen Wally's explanation of work life balance.

Wally is a savvy businessperson, decorated Marine vet and a successful business owner who brings extensive knowledge of leadership, business, and society together.



He provides some great insights on how individuals can be better supervisors and managers in the workplace.

Plus he also encourages leaders to be conscious about their development by trying things because as Wally puts it, "You're going to make mistakes".

Tune in to HCL Radio to hear more from Wally about how leaders can perform better in the workplace.

Thanks for reading!








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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Toughen Up

Have you ever wondered what mental toughness is?

It's that thing we all have inside that helps us work through life's adversities and challenges and helps us to achieve our goals.

I recently asked mental toughness guru, author and public speaker, Steve Siebold to provide a definition.



Click here to listen to what he said.

Mental toughness could be used in virtually any situation from the basketball court to the office or out shopping in a crowded mall.



Steve joins HCL Radio to discuss mental toughness and its importance in our lives.

Plus he'll share why anyone can use mental toughness to get the things they really want.

Tune in to HCL Radio to hear more from Steve on harnessing the power of mental toughness.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Thanks for reading!






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