Traditions

A number of years back my wife and I became much more intentional about creating some family traditions, especially around days and seasons that are special to us.

For example, the day after Thanksgiving we always head out to get the Christmas Tree. Watch this short video of my 8 yr old son transporting the tree to the van. My other two younger daughters are with me as well.

As it is Christmas Eve I thought I would take just a few minutes to share some of the ones we have been practicing for a while, related to this special ocassion.

Maggiano's - our favorite restaurant as as family (besides Jason's Deli) is Maggiano's Little Italy in Oak Brook. Each year we get all dressed up and head out for a great meal. We order a couple different appetizers and five or six main dishes (for our family of 10!) and usually finish up with some good dessert. And, we always have leftovers to enjoy later. Yummm.

Movies - we usually try to watch one or two of the old-time favorites together (Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Bells of St. Mary, etc.)

Sleeping out - the children and I always camp out in the living room together in sleeping bags. It is getting harder and harder on this old body, but I still enjoy this aspect of our Christmas Eve.

So, what are some traditions that you and your family engage in? What memories are you creating together with those you love? If this is an area of weakness for you, let me encourage you to start today. Don't worry about the years lost. Look ahead with fresh vision and anticipation.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Seize the day!

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Do You See What I See?

Here is an excerpt from the newsletter that I just sent out this morning. Enjoy!

Creating Hope - This Is Your Time!
PILLAR #4

"You were meant to be here tonight...This is your time!"

Those are just a few of the inspiring words uttered to his team by coach Herb Brooks only minutes before the U.S. Olympic hockey team faced the Russians in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. As most of you know, those "boys" went on to stage one of the greatest upsets in sports history. (Click here to watch the full speech from the movie "Miracle". It's only 2 minutes...and very worth it.)

Many others have inspired great hope in their followers through their words and their deeds. I think of great men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Winston Churchill. One had "a dream" and the other saw "their finest hour..." Read more...

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Building and Maintaining Strong Relationships

Here is another excerpt from a previous newsletter.

Simple Building Blocks
A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR RELATIONSHIP

Maybe you're thinking, “Are you kidding? Building and maintaining relationships is NOT simple." I agree that people and relationships can be dauntingly complicated when looking at the big picture. However, most successful relationships can be built and maintained using relatively simple building blocks...the smaller pictures.

Consider communication as a small picture. The most common reason for "on the rocks" relationships is poor communication. Many factors play into a relationship, but the ability to be heard and understood by one another is the ultimate bottom line. Therefore, your ability to properly engage in the ordinary conversations of everyday life with your followers will be a critical building block in your relationship with them and your success as a leader. Read more...

Seize the day!

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Why is Having an Executive Coach Helpful?

Before I get into the value of executive coaching, here's a quick personal update: Things have been really busy for our family lately. We hosted a Regency Ball on November 13 (check out www.regencyball.blogspot.com for pictures and videos). It was fantastic, and it also consumed us for a week or two beforehand. After a week of recovery we enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving day and weekend. We bought our Christmas tree, started decorating the house, played capture the flag and also went to our local Wheaton parade.

At the beginning of my Thanksgiving week I spent two days on my "Getting Things Done" implementation. I am now officially a GTD'er. If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out my last two blog posts. They are just a sliver of what I have been learning as I have read David Allen's book. I highly encourage you to check it out if you are looking for more stress-free productivity in your life.

On another note, recently one of my sons and I made a brief video clip about the value of having an executive coach. Take a quick look at this video to find out what I had to say.



Feel free to visit my website for more video clips and access to previous webcasts.

Seize the day!
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Increasing Personal Productivity - Part 2

Watch this quick video for part 2 of Increasing Your Personal Productivity. If you haven't read yesterday's post I would encourage you to take a quick peak at that first.

I thope this was valuable. I know this minor shift in thinking has been very helpful to me in the last few weeks. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Seize the day!

http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliantleadership.com/

www.twitter.com/joedenner

Increasing Personal Productivity - Part 1

Have you ever wished you could get more done in the time that you had? Do you have any items on your to-do list that just never seem to go away (i.e. get done)? Unfortunately, I have answered "yes" to both of these questions within the last few months.

In my reading I have stumbled onto something that has already helped me, and I think is going to make a big difference going forward. The beauty of it is that it is so simple.

I am currently reading David Allen's "Getting Things Done" and have grasped onto a simple, yet profound concept he calls "next actions." Let me give you an example.

Last week I came across an item on my to-do list called, "Follow up with ABC Company about potential project." It has been sitting on my list for well over two months. Every time I see it I say to myself, "Oh, yeah, I really need to do that...uh, later." Then I move on to something else. This time when I looked at it , however, I realized something important. I needed to define the next action.

Defining the next action simply means to define precisely the next physical action that is needed to complete the task. Many times our inaction is the result of not making a clear decision about what actually needs to be done. In my example above, "Follow up with ABC Company about potential project" is too vague. Was I going to call my contact? Was I going to send him and email? In either case, what was I going to say/write? So, when I would see that item on my list I subconciously recognized I hadn't made those decisions and, therefore, didn't really know what to do. As a result, I would move on to something else where I did know what to do.

Now that I have clearly defined the next action, the task is off my list. Voila!

In my next post, I will cover another simple, yet profound concept that has helped me improve my personal productivity.

Seize the day!
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Providing Stability - Pillar #3

Here is an excerpt from my newsletter that just went out the other day. It is a continuation of the series on what people are looking for from their leaders. Enjoy!

Providing Stability - An Anchor in the Storm

PILLAR #3

We have been through, and continue to be experiencing some very challenging times. If your leadership has never been severely tested in the past, I am certain that it has been this last year.

People everywhere are looking to their leaders to provide a sense of security and stability. Although this has been particularly true in the recent downturn in our economy, the research done by Gallup shows this to be a consistent desire people have regarding their leaders.

A Solid Foundation
People want strong leadership. They want solid support they can count on. This is true regardless of the economic landscape. Strong does not mean overbearing or domineering, but rather consistent, capable and dependable.

When there is a firm foundation of leadership people are free to focus their energy and talents on the overall vision as well as the tasks at hand. Read more...

Seize the day!
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http://www.alliantleadership.com/
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