The mountains of the Tour de France

Practice so you are prepared for the moment

Lance Armstrong did not win the Tour this year, but it will be a long time before any fan forgets the triumph Lance has had during the mountain stages in the years he won. If you never had the chance to see it, just read the stories recapping those stages. They say it all. As his competitors would struggle just to stay in the race, Lance would dominate the inclines and build leads that were insurmountable.

In 2007, I ran the Rose Bowl Half Marathon with my friend Drew. The goal was simple, to run a 9:20 pace and try to come close to a two hour race time. It’s important to note that I run with Drew because he’s faster than me. Up until the day of that race I was lucky to hang with him let alone finish near him. As we reached the three mile mark I wasn’t feeling the same pace as him and let him move ahead, so far at one point I could no longer see him. Eventually, I found my groove and settled down, gaining speed as the course difficulty increased. I caught up to Drew around mile 11. It was then as we ascended on the steepest hill that day, I found my legs had a little something extra to give and I sped off from him.

It’s not just limited to racing, there is some feeling about performing your best at the hardest time. It’s like the five run come back instead of the blowout victory. It’s like the all nighters versus studying the entire semester. It’s the adrenaline in our blood that makes us surge. Not all succeed in these moments. I’d even argue most crumble under the pressure. The key is that when we practice we push ourselves. We surround ourselves with those who challenge us; those who make us question what we are doing. We do this, because when the time comes to thrive we may need to rely solely on ourselves. You have to admit the shame it would be if your moment arrived, but you were not ready for it. Are you ready to work your hardest when the time is tough?

But it’s raining outside

Making the best in any condition

I recently went on a week long cruise through southeastern Alaska and had an amazing time. We explored, went hiking, biking, kayaking, snorkeling, zip lining and plenty of site seeing. I would say it was one of the best vacations of my life. Interestingly enough, we didn’t see the sun until the last day and on what I would say was the best day of the trip, it rained the most. A friend of mine warned us before we left to not let the weather stop us. I’m glad she did, because it gave us a better perspective. I ran into people throughout the cruise complaining about the weather and each time they looked at me to agree I did the exact opposite and told them why.

I think we can all read the writing on the wall and know that as we enter the second half of 2009 the economy will not change overnight. Our companies have more job and budget cuts coming. As I meet more and more people faced with a layoff notice or the impending job loss, I am shocked by what I hear. Sure, we cannot change the weather, but we can change how we prepare for the storm. I have great admiration for those who are saw the storm coming months ago and who took time to gain new skills. Creativity has gone a long way for them. I’ve met one person who found a way to start two new lines of work, doing each part time, but now makes more than he was in his previous one job. One co-worker defied corporate bureaucracy of charge lines and budgets and began to freelance his skill across Boeing. He now has to turn customers away.

It sure is nice when the weather is perfect and you can see everything from the top of the mountain. We don’t get that every day at work, in training, or in other parts of our life. The trick is to prepare accordingly and make the most out it to enjoy the time with people around you.

Find Focus

I spent this weekend volunteering to facilitate at my fraternity's annual leadership workshop. I worked with undergraduates to help them assess themselves, prepare strategic plans and discuss solutions to a variety of challenges they face in their positions. This was my fourth year and one common theme returned. They all feel comfortable now with their plans, but know that three weeks into the semester they’ll be too overwhelmed to know up from down and will have lost the motivation they have right now.

Looking back, I know what goes wrong each semester. The amount of work gradually increases from classes, events on campus pick up and unplanned things happen. This leads to stress, sleeping less and in some cases not doing the job intended. The challenge at that point is trying to get a brief chance to come up for air and sort things out before it gets worse. I feel most never get that chance, but instead hang on to a thread and strive under the pressure.

As I return to blogging after a month long hiatus, I ask that you start finding focus. Are you overwhelmed not completing the professional or personal tasks you want? Or do you feel like you are facing similar challenges that you faced before, but never seemed to address? Maybe fitness or financial goals that you never had a chance to create an action plan. It could also be dealing with a difficult person that never was confronted. Consider that it could be you’ve achieved more than you imagined and never taken a chance to enjoy it all.

Since August is typically filled with vacations, I challenge you to finding time on one of them to do some reflecting. Think about the last few years, not just this year. Celebrate successes. Identify motivation. Determine distractions. Consider opportunities. Even if you do not have a vacation planned, just search out some extra time to give yourself.

How do you feel sir? I feel amazing!

What price do you pay to achieve your goals?

I had just crossed the finish line of the Seattle Rock & Roll half marathon. Adrenaline was pumping given the 12 weeks of training that allowed me to achieve one of my goals for 2009. Running a 5k in a sub 8 minute mile is nothing easy, but I managed to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) at that pace. I got my medal, a bottle of water and a race volunteer asked “how do you feel sir?” Without hesitation and to her surprise, I told her I felt amazing.

I’m a driven person and at time set some ridiculous goals (e.g. trying to finish ‘08 NYC marathon in under 4 hours), both at home and at work. As I reflect on the first half of 2009, I sit here in shock. I’m in shock because of all the goals I’ve cross off my list and for all the ones I’ve made tremendous progress on. Last year at this time, I was just getting started with my personal goals. I let my work consume me and sacrificed my personal goals to meet my professional/business goals. I’ve heard disappointment in so many people’s voices this week that half the year is gone. I hate to break it to everyone, but time has been moving at the same pace for billions of years. Abraham Lincoln said it best: “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Well I know looking back over just the past six months there was a lot of life in them.

As I continue my encouragement that you should each of goals in writing with action plans, I want you to remember to be realistic. Push yourself, but not so much that in achieving your goal you miss the fun in it. Also, take the biggest challenge and try to balance both personal and professional goals. In 2002, I canceled on a hike to climb Mt. Whitney (highest peak in the lower 48 states) so that I could work 32 hours over the weekend to fix a problem with one of our airplanes. At the end of the year, it was disappointing to not be able to cross off one of my top goals because I had a few extra dollars in my bank account.

Some say you must have balance, others say it is BS. I believe it’s a constant journey in readjusting ourselves to stay on course. Are you happy with what you’ve accomplished the first six months of 2009? If not, take time from the extra day this weekend to create a six month plan for the rest of this year. You’re not alone and if you want help let me know. I promise, in all that I’ve accomplished in the last six months I did not do it alone.

One person has already asked me for help. I’d like to ask you to check out the Leadership is a Verb blog. It’s authored by retired Boeing employee and friend of mine, John Bishop. If you like what you read, please vote for John’s blog in the Best of Leadership Blogs 2009.

All the excuses in the world…

This weekend I ran the Seattle Rock & Roll half marathon, taking me one step closer to my running goal for the year. My goal was to finish in an hour and 45 minutes, which would be 8 minute miles for 13.1 miles. I made the journey up to Seattle Friday morning getting the chance to meet up with some co-workers and friends so I would distract myself as the race approached. Learning from past races where I stayed at someone else’s house the night before a race, I went so far as to bring my own cereal and even ear plugs. Laugh as you’d like, but I have a pre-race routine that settles the nerves. Heck, I even had a plan on how we could drive to the starting line instead of relying on the race shuttles (which are crowded unless you get there really early).

I woke up Saturday morning excited to run. We made our way down to the starting area and found parking just as I thought. Then came the trouble. We waited what seemed like forever in a bathroom line. I didn’t get a chance to do a few light sprints before the race. As we made our way to the starting line we couldn’t get up front to my coral. As the race began I was feeling stiff, it seemed I stretched so long ago. We crossed the starting line and all of about 90 seconds into the race my iPod froze. Dam you Apple. 13.1 miles without music would be a death sentence. I live by my playlists in long races. At mile two I went to grab water, but instead got the sport drink which I hate during the race unless it’s a specific flavor. At mile 5 my world seemed to go into pure chaos. I found out that I had incorrectly programmed my watch and it was pausing every 8 minutes. By that point it was 5 minutes off from my actual race time. At mile 6 I grabbed water to toss over my head, but when I removed my hat I forgot my Oakley’s were there and they fell to the ground. As thousands of racers rushed toward me, I had to stop to pick them up. I’m sure there were a few other things that didn’t go my way, but finally I crossed the finish line with the race clock showing an hour and 49 minutes and a smile from ear to ear was all you could see on my face.

A few weeks back I said if our day is real bad sometimes we just need to get up and leave instead of enduring any more. I’m not trying to contradict myself here. Sometimes it’s not just one day. It’s a week or a month. Everything seems to not go our way or there seem to be too many obstacles from us achieving our goals. I’ve been in that rut and during this race, I realized I was getting too absorbed with the excuses that I could make.

You see that smile was so big, because I didn’t let those excuses get to me. I reset my iPod and figured out how it wouldn’t freeze again. Since my watch was off, I had my friend give me the correct time in correlation to the race clocks posted at each mile marker. My friend ran with me for six miles and just after that mile marker she screamed for me to start running my race. The weather was perfect, the course was spectacular and the decent at the end was priceless. As I reached mile 11 I knew I had more than enough time to finish the race and enjoyed 2.1 miles of time free running. If something is not making sense with my story, I apologize for teasing you. The race clock was just under six minutes off from my time since they had staggered starts, so I cleared my goal by a full minute and finished in an hour and 44 minutes. Success!.

The race woke me up to the problems I’ve been having with work. I’ve been letting the excuses be my focus instead of all the things that are going right and leveraging them instead.

All the excuses in the world ... should never stop you from achieving your goals!
Are you leveraging the good things or letting excuses get the best of you?

Just go, do it, live life!

Aerosmith says “life’s a journey not a destination”, Ferris Bueller tells us to “stop and look around once in a while”, and another reminds us that “most people miss life while making grand plans for it.”

I talk a lot about planning in setting goals, finding the right mentors, searching for the right job and thinking about how to confront or recognize. Sometimes the only thing left is to just do it. Stop thinking. Stop planning. Stop worrying. Stop preparing. This is it. You are the one that got yourself to this moment, so just go, do it, live your life. Today as I rest from all my training for tomorrow's race, I know in the morning all I need to do is just go run.

Today’s post is dedicated to the memory of a long time friend and fraternity brother of mine, Drew Hunter. He passed away in Colorado during a kayaking accident, but in doing so he proved the point above. He fought a good fight. He lived with no regrets. He attacked the world and soaked in all its beauty. Drew allowed me to reconnect with him this winter after losing touch and we had a great time in the mountains. He showed that you can worry and doubt many things, but that life would just be much more fun if you road, climbed, skied, ran and loved whatever came in your path.

When all else fails, walk out and go home

How to recover from the 12 hour attitude virus

If any of you follow Dr. Zimmerman’s Tuesday tips, you’ll know this week was about the 24 hour attitude make over. I think most of us don’t need it. We just need to cool off or re-focus. Talking to a friend on Tuesday by lunch time she wanted June 2, 2009 removed from history. The days started on the wrong note and she could not find anything going her way. I should add this is a remarkable positive and outgoing person on any given day. By lunch it was so bad she canceled the rest of the day and conceded it was not going to turn around. Yesterday, I had my turn. A little different, my day was going great until mid-day. Only one thing went wrong, but after that I was completely frustrated and couldn’t get over it.

I talk a lot about people with long term issues/attitudes that need to be confronted. Well all of us are human and even those who are the fun Bobby in the crowd can lose their cool. Sometimes you can’t “just let it go” or “take a few deep breaths” or “find your happy place.” Since you can’t have the day removed from history, I say concede the day. If you have the level of self awareness to find your frustration at its max, then avoid all others. I’ll even admit I thought I had my self awareness was good enough yesterday, but my frustration was so great it created an illusion. I sent off an email to the wrong person that was just plain rude. They called me and confronted me on it. I took the time to talk to them and apologize, but it could have been avoided. If you must communicate, write emails expressing how you really feel, but send them to yourself.

I still believe we control our attitudes and we have the choice of whether or not it’s a good day or a bad day. However, on some days we just don’t have the energy or focus to turn it around. If those days are often (few times a month), then I’d suggest the problem is bigger than you think, but if they occur once every few months, then cancel the meetings, put up the out of office and reboot again the next day. Some might suggest a strong happy hour, but realize that what you’ve been thinking while you have been sober may come out while you are drunk at the bar and find its way to your Facebook status.

If you couldn’t turn it around and had a somewhat full schedule would you call it a day?

The Race I Didn’t Finish

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes” – Oscar Wilde

It’s been eight months since the NY Road Runners marathon tune up race in Central Park. Not a day goes by that I don’t remember it. I’m reminded every day I run w/ the blue shirt, which has a tear in it from me ripping the race number off. The reminders in medical bills from the trip to the hospital (which could have been much worse w/o the great insurance Boeing provides me). I’m reminded every time I look at the medal from the NYC Marathon that hangs in my room, because I know it almost didn’t happen.

On the morning of Sunday September 28, 2008 I woke up after a night of barely sleeping. It was noisier than usual for the city that night. I was convinced every cab stopped in front of my friend’s building and laid on their horn for at least 5 minutes. I thought for a moment, what if I skipped the race. No, I told myself. I needed to run 18 miles today otherwise I wouldn’t reach my goal for the marathon (just over a month away). I skipped a good breakfast because I didn’t check if the milk was fresh the night before.

After the race I was going to head to Shea Stadium for the last game there. I was so focused on that game I didn’t scout the race course. Central Park has more hills than most realize. Three laps around those hills are painful. Add to that an unusually humid day in late September and you can see this was no going to be some walk in the park.

My goal was 9:30 miles. However, before the first lap was done I knew that was out the reach. By mile seven I was feeling the hills and the humidity. I was drinking too much water and Gatorade. Each mile that went by I couldn’t see how I was going to get to run 18 miles. At mile 10 I was walking more and as I finished my second lap, I started thinking about where I would stop. It was there just beyond the 13 mile marker I made my way to the ambulance.

I wrote about this story because I struggle with the thought of people who estimated they spend 20% of their time following up on people who do not do what they said. I’ve recently encountered this at work and in my personal life more so than usual. I wonder why they are not following through. I wonder if it could be that maybe a piece is missing and they don’t want to return the call or email until it’s all done. Maybe they are waiting on a return call or maybe they didn’t understand the request and they’re afraid to ask.

On a day when I failed to finish the race I was able to still do so much. I ran 13.1 miles (a half marathon) which is never easy. I learned about being better prepared and that sometimes you need to deviate from the plan. I was reminded how much my family cared about me, even if they yelled at me before I went to the hospital. My two points, if not obvious, in failure focus on all you’ve learned. If you don’t meet your goal or others expectations, realize why. Tell them the progress you’ve made. Don’t be afraid to tell them you’re busy and need to renegotiate the deadline. In a world where we judge others by actions and ourselves by our intentions, remember something sounds better than hearing nothing. You’ll find that those who really want to see you succeed are those who are with you when times are tough.

Ready, Aim, Fire, then Aim again

You can’t fear commitment in your goals

One of the workshops I deliver is called “Careers Don’t Happen By Accident.” The session walks participants through the process of identifying likes and abilities in preparation of identifying career or lifetime goals. We conclude with building action plans on how to achieve the ability/skill needed accomplish those goals. I share my career path and the decisions I’ve made to help participants in setting up those action plans.

An interesting thing happens in many of these sessions; people worry about making the wrong decisions. I see the same thing in college students who are seeking a job. The hesitation sounds like this: “I’d really like a job doing structural analysis, but I’m flexible. I can do other types of engineering work. I just don’t want to be tied down to one thing forever.” All this is normal and part of being human, the problem begins when you fail to commit to any plan.

Some act like they are signing their name in blood when setting goals. They fear that once you set a target that it can’t change or that maybe they will change and they’ll want something different. I’ve been in this situation many times. I can assure you that it hurts yourself more by not making a commitment to a goal, rather than changing your mind in pursuit of it. Even if you never change your mind and just fall short of the goal, you’ll still learn so much through the endeavor.

When you choose to not commit you miss opportunities. You make decisions that are independent of each other and find yourself walking in a circle. This also results in losing trust of those around you. They begin to see you as an unpredictable person and they may not offer you opportunities, projects, or job offers since they don’t know where you are going. The other downside is that when we are stagnant we tend to get caught in a rut or hole. I’ve been there it’s not easy to get out and your performance suffers.

If you want make commitments to a goal, but still find yourself fearful, here are a couple of suggestions I’ve seen work with others. First, start with small goals you feel you can accomplish. Identify what would be a stretch for that same goal. You end up with is a range that defines success. Be sure when creating a goal you identify your motivation for each. Think about what the goal will feel like, the rewards or satisfaction. This will help give you inspiration if you have to put in extra work in achieving them.

Next, make sure you surround yourself with the right people. Those people should have similar aspirations as you and be prepared to hold you accountable. I find this key with financial and fitness goals, but it applies to them all. If you have a goal to save up money and you find yourself eating out all the time, then you’re not lining yourself up right. For each of my goals I try to align at least one sponsor or mentor. I’m not saying drop your friends, but you lose a lot of momentum when you are constantly fighting to survive friends bringing you in a different direction. Remember not everyone has to align with all your goals. Sometimes just sharing your goals with friends or co-workers could change the impact they have on you.

Finally, revaluate your goal as time goes along and see if it feels right. Your gut feeling is right 9 out of 10 times, learn to trust it. Also, pulse your goals against the environment around you. People, companies and markets all change. As things change or if things don’t feel right, just do small adjustments to the course you’re taking. Be creative in carving your own road. Don't fall victim to the ready, aim, aim syndrome.

Do you know how to make lemonade?

Making the best out of bad situations

Last weekend I traveled to Alabama to deliver two workshops. On Sunday, my flight to Dallas was delayed causing me to miss my connection to LA. The only flight after was completely full and I faced the situation of getting stuck in Dallas for the night. This would not have been good for a variety of reasons. I happen to post my concern on facebook and a friend replied commenting what happened to her in a similar situation. I acted prompted, calling the airlines, getting placed on standby for a flight into an alternate airport, and made a car reservation so that I would have a way to get home. I got home 30 minutes later than anticipated, but I better than not getting home at all.

Back in 2002, my family was in shock after learning the guy who killed my father in a hit-and-run accident could only spend a maximum of two years in jail under the current NY State law. My brother Chris led a movement that resulted in the law being changed to a minimum of seven years. Even though the law would not be retroactive to our situation, future families could feel better justice if faced with similar situations.

These two situations are quite different in terms of lasting affect, but both were real crappy and neither was expected. I could still be bitter about either, but I’m not. A few weeks back someone said my experiences sometimes relied on pure luck. Even though I attest that luck plays a factor in some situations, how I chose to deal with them is not luck. It’s not easy each time, but I look for the silver lining on the cloud. My perspective is why should I take the path of misery? I figure enough people are unhappy and too many are already complaining. I realize I cannot change the world, but I do have an immediate effect on those around me.

We are here at a difficult time in our nation’s history. We’ve got a new president who is making decisions with which some may not agree. We’ve got an economy that has us feeling no difference between watching our bank accounts and riding a roller coaster. Certain things are within our control and those are things are the ones we need to focus on making better. My friend Ray always reminds me “if you’re not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” Do you agree? Do you make lemonade or do you complain when forced to deal with lemons?

Reality Bites

Trying to leave a bum job when the market is tanking

I’ve read a few articles lately that talk about how companies are seeing an increase in the retention of employees because of the current job market since there is less available. I’ve worked with many on their career plans and want to stall because they cannot easily get the opportunity they sought. The key is you cannot let the job market stall your progress toward your career plan (even with it this bad). Here are three ways to better position yourself during a downturn in the job market.

Sometimes we get too focused on the title we have in a position. If you cannot get the new job in a full time role seek out a short term assignment or a special project. Regardless of the job I’ve held (and I’ve had many) there always seems to be some extra work that nobody in the group is willing to tackle. It’s not always pretty, but there is a lot to be gained from stepping up and helping the team with a needed task beyond your work scope. If you want something beyond your work group, consider asking your manager about a short term assignment. All the layoffs have created situations where fewer people are doing the same amount of work. Both of these will allow you to gain experience and exposure at time when others may be sitting idle in their current roles.

Ideally we get paid for the work we do, but as I stress in each of my workshops on career planning, the best opportunities come with volunteer work. These can be internal or external to the company. Even during the current job climate I still see plenty of opportunities for which one can volunteer. Often these types of position offer immediate responsibilities. You can gain leadership experience, financial planning or even engineering experience. I urge others that 80% of our development needs to applied. I gained most of my early leadership experience in roles such as student body vice president, leading the expansion of Boeing’s new hire group (Reach) or by creating my own adventure group (Papy’s Adventures). One year my manager increased my performance rating strictly due to my volunteer work within the company.

If you feel like the suggestions thus far is distracting you from what it is you desire, you’re missing a key concept. The benefit of all these opportunities is what you gain in transferable skills. When I interviewed for my first internal transfer within Boeing I was asked for examples of times when I was a team player and I spoke about being a Resident Advisor, an example not even within Engineering. You need to spend time thinking creatively on how what you’re doing now relates to the job you hope to have. My favorite transferable skill was my role as company representative during the summer games (a competition between LA aerospace companies) as experience for coordinating large scale events with many people and complex schedules. The experienced helped me in getting a job as a college recruiter after three years in operations.

Regardless of the current environment there is an opportunity. Some may require you to be more creative. The question you have to answer is how bad do you want to get the next job? It’s not always a matter of being qualified; sometimes it comes down to being the best candidate.

The Company You Keep

This weekend, I did the last thing on my “Cali things to do list”: visit Catalina Island (30 miles off the LA coast). Instead of just taking the ferry boat, I joined 8 friends and sailed there. Took a little bit longer, but it was much more fun and relaxing. My friend, Ilya, is a captain and helped put the trip together for us. I strongly recommend checking out one of his future trips. During my eight plus years in LA I’ve been fortunate enough to go on many weekend trips; I think I can say without hesitation this was in the top 10.

The collection of people ranged from three long time friends, four who I met earlier this year and one who I had never met before. We had about an seven year spread with ages, had mainly engineers and we worked for four different companies. I was the last one who signed up and admitted to the group I only went because they were the ones on the trip. We had an assortment of activities, but for pretty much the entire trip the group stuck together. If you’ve ever been with a group over four people, you know it’s hard to please everyone.

I don’t mean to seem to sound surprised, but I think I forget sometimes how who I associate with greatly impacts the enjoyment of doing things. I’ve organized trips for years and typically bring a lot of random people together rather than planning a trip for just specific people. Sometimes the randomness brings in some “negative Nellie’s.” We had a few different personalities, but a fundamental agreement on what we found fun. That fundamental understand and nine great attitudes was all we needed.

We all know one bad apple can spoil the batch, but do we take time to surround ourselves with the right people? I know at work we are somewhat limited, but I think we have more control that we realize. I’m not talking about eliminating diversity in a group, but rather better aligning yourself to be happy. Do you do away or address the people with poor attitudes? Or do you tolerate them and sacrifice your happiness?

To Hans, Ilya, Joan, Laura, Matt, Natalia, Scott, and Trish thanks for a great weekend.

Do you walk your talk?

I was in a team offsite about a year ago where we took part in an activity working with the different personalities of the team. We were asked to identify the probability of us attending an event if we told the organizer one of the listed replies. Options ranged from definitely, sounds fun, maybe, not sure, to can’t make it. The percentages varied for the team across the options. I found it interesting that I was the only one who said that definitely meant 100% chance I would attend. Some doubted me and I shared that when I say I’m going to be somewhere I show. If I have any doubt, then I state it up front. I believe in full transparency.

I’ve been planning events since college. I did a lot as an RA, but even more since moving to LA. My adventure group has hosted over 1,500 in five years. We’ve actually got our system set up that when someone signs up for a trip we see what other trips they’ve attended and what they’ve canceled on. Now to be honest, I have “flaked” three times on weekend trips since my arrival in LA over eight years ago. All turned out to be disasters (for lack of a better description), but that is a relatively low number given how many trips and events I attend.

In the first third of this year I’ve attended numerous events (Happy hours, conferences, etc) and watched an event organizer scramble at the last minute as the number of flakes increases. I’ve seen thousands of dollars wasted in event budget, some by the no-show attendee, some by the hosting organization. I don’t what annoys me more, those who have terrible excuses for bailing out, those who don’t evaluate the commitment they’re making or those who wait to the last minute to finalize they won’t attend.

Where am I going with this? I guess I’m curious if we are failing to set good expectations as a society. I know we are far more advanced in terms of tools to keep us organized, so saying we forgot is a terrible reason to no show. We have events on Evite that allow us to add to our calendar and we have Google that syncs with our iPhone calendars. But maybe there is just too much information coming across and our bandwith isn’t wide enough. Maybe we’re just not organized and don’t know what we’re committing to when we RSVP.

This is also beyond RSVP’ing for events. This extends to calling people back, following through on promises. I am amazed by the stat that employees say they spend 20% of their time following up on people who do not do what they said. Regardless of your reasons, remember that the only sustainable competitive advantage you have is your reputation.

Do you flake? If people flake on you, do you hold them accountable? If so, how?

New Year Resolutions Are Worthless

If you haven’t been watching the calendar, the first quarter of 2009 has come and gone. It was way back in January that we heard those famous words “New Year Resolution” that make me cringe. If you have made some that’s great, but where are they now? When was the last time in December you said “let me pull up my new year resolutions from last year and see how I did?”

The reason you are still trying to answer that last question is because resolutions are these things that you come up with because you feel you have a new year to start fresh. However, the fact remains that counting down to midnight on night of the year does not transform you from the person you were the year before. Additionally, goals should not be tied to the calendar year. You can come up with new goals at any time. This week you are going to set goals for yourself. Please beware; I may have a different definition of goals than you do. For me goals are 1) written down, 2) come with action plans, and 3) are reviewed often.

To get you on your way, I challenge each of you to take out a blank piece of paper, write down what you would like to accomplish this year and I’d also like you to consider three things you would like to stop doing this year (i.e. interrupting people). The goals can be as grand or as small as you choose, but remember “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” I’d ask you to consider setting goals that are slightly beyond your reach and will push you to grow and be challenged more so than you are used to. I have 12 this year in addition to my personal development plan.

As a guideline your goals should follow the S.M.A.R.T. outline.

Specific: Do you know exactly what you want to accomplish with all the details? (For my goal, I’m not Al Gore, I’m just trying to show people simple ways to help the environment).

Measurable: Are you able to assess your progress? (This is where an action plan and baby steps to a big goal are very helpful).

Attainable: Is your goal within your reach given your current situation? (In college I had a goal to improve my GPA, how much I wanted to improve it was less attainable than solving world hunger)

Relevant: Is your goal relevant towards your purpose in life? (This is where you may realize your current job does not fit your passions, be prepared)

Time-Sensitive: What is the deadline for completing your goal? (Don’t get fixated on taking the entire year to accomplish something, I already accomplished one of my goals – ski 20 days).

For each goal identify the action steps you will need to take to achieving them. Saying you are going to “get fit” and not writing down how you plan to get fit is not an effective way of writing a goal. What good is driving to a destination without directions? Write down your directions to getting to your goal. Finally, put reminders on your calendar to review your goals. I do this every Friday morning (and you thought I was just sleeping in when I didn’t answer your phone call). You may also want to write them on an index card and put them in your wallet or purse. You could type them out and laminate them. Don’t let them go out of site or out of mind until December.

Just like driving, don’t be discouraged if you need to make a few extra turns or even a u-turn. Go get them! If you need help, let me know.

10 Lessons I’ve Learned @ 30 (Part 2 of 2)

As a continuation from Part 1, here are the five other things I've learned in life.

5. Work to be happy not to survive.

If you know me, then you know I LOVE WHAT I DO! I jump out of bed to start working and I’ve even learned to say no to work on weekends. It’s not easy to find a job you love, but I promise it’s worth the search and every bit of the effort to get to it. I know many of us work to pay the bills, but I promise you its magical when you can find yourself in a role that optimizes both your passions and your strengths.

4. Goals – Have them. Write them down. Make a plan to achieve them.

I live on this foundation. “Harvard Study Goals” –Google it! It’s not about the money (read the previous lesson again), it’s about happiness. Goals and action plans help you achieve it, regardless of how you define it.

3. Failure is human. Just don’t quit.

I have to admit I probably screw up once a week. Once a quarter really bad and once a year I mess up in a way that even I can’t believe. We’re human. I’ve learned two things from all my failures. First, when I screw up I admit it and I don’t hide it. Remember that lesson on empathy? People naturally want to empathize with you on failure. Why? Because they’ve probably screwed up once or twice themselves. The second point is that you need learn from your failures and do better. Japanese Proverb says “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”

2. Be grateful and say thank you.

As most of you know, in the past six years I’ve lost both of my parents. My father’s death was unexpected and my mother’s more sudden than unexpected. They did more for me than I could comprehend while they were both alive. I started to realize this after my father passed. He was pulled out of school in second grade to work and earn money for his family. He came to the US at 18 to make money and help the rest of his family get here from Italy. I appreciated this all too late. In the summer of 07 when I got word that my mother’s passing was inevitable; I booked a ticket and was on the next flight to NY. It happened to be the last flight that would get me to NY that same day and it ended up getting canceled. I got myself on a flight eight hours later out of another airport that would get me in the next morning. I’ve often struggled sharing my feeling, but I knew on this occasion what to say without hesitation. I told my mother I loved her and I thanked her for all she did for me. She died an hour later. I heard later on that the doctors said she wouldn’t make it through the night. Today is all you are guaranteed. You’ve got to where you are in life because others helped you get here. Thank them!

1. Believe in yourself and in others

I’ve had my share of ups and downs. I’ve found that to succeed you need to first believe in yourself. You need to understand your motivations. When I was little my parents said I could have anything I wanted as long as I tried my best. I just wish someone stopped me before I believed them. I’ve leveraged the faith I have in myself to achieve my wildest dreams from working at Boeing, to getting on a C-17 test flight, to climbing the highest peak in the lower 48 states, to winning the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right. And as many of you know from reading this blog, I’ve experienced finishing the NYC marathon.
However, it’s not just about me. I believe that everyone is inherently a good person. Yes, everyone. I believe it’s pressure and difficult times that cause some to make decisions that make us doubt our faith in them. Have faith in others and I promise you it will offer more in return than all of the previous nine lessons I listed.

10 Lessons I’ve Learned @ 30 (Part 1 of 2)

On my 29th birthday I gathered with friends and promised that last year in my 20s would be just as exciting as the previous nine, if not, then better. I believe it was the latter. What a year! As I turned 30 a few months ago, I’ve not been overwhelmed by the milestone, but I did reflect on the lessons I’ve learned through the years.

10. Worrying is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.

9. Mom was wrong – it’s ok to talk to strangers

I moved to California and knew a handful of people. Literally, I knew less than five. Today, I’ve been told I’m one of the most connected people around (at least at Boeing). I’m often asked how I do it. It does take a bit of motivation and work, but honestly I just seek out the most interesting thing people have to offer and remember that. I have a list of aspirational contacts and play the Kevin Bacon game to figure a way to meet them.

8. If you want to make friends, empathize

Remember this, the two things people love to hear: their own name and ‘yes’. Additionally, consider putting yourself in others shoes. Don’t give pity, but rather try to relate to people. I’ve moved around a bunch in my career and empathizing with those in a different position than me always gets their attention.

7. The only competitive advantage we have is our reputation

I remember the first year Boeing had a commitment to ethics day. This professor from ASU spoke and she said that our reputation would be the only competitive advantage we could guarantee. Boy was she ever right. I’ve made a point to invest time to damage control. Thankfully I’m not like Brittany or Paris, but I have worked hard at maintaining a positive image and being known as a person who works hard.

6. Attitude isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

Years ago, one director used to tell me in our meetings that I needed to be more positive. I laugh now, because I can’t even remember being negative. I’ve learned that I have a choice about my attitude and I chose for it to be positive. It took me a while, but the story about Michael the kind of guy you love to hate helped me out.

My Nike's Believe in the Run Entry.

“Earthquakes and Sharks to Start Us Off”

One of my favorite songs on my Ipod is “Earthquakes and Sharks” by Brandtson. The song talks about the warnings of Mexico and California. You know “black bears, heat, polluted air.” Don’t forget about “traffic jams beyond compare.”

Last July the song’s complaints were once again verified with a 5.4 earthquake to the LA area. This was my six or seventh earthquake, but one I would not soon forget. News reports say it lasted a few seconds. Everyone I talked with agreed it felt like a few minutes. The thing about earthquakes is you don’t know how long they will last or how big they will be. I have no shame in admitting that I was scared. Thanks to structural engineering, my house out lasted the quake with no damage.

Immediately after, the news was covered with stories on earthquake safety, dangers and projections for “the big one.” Even so, I still don’t worry much (you'll read more about lessons to learn from Van Wilder ). My main motivation is that I know that I live it up every day. I have no regrets. The earthquake reminded me why I chose the career path I did. I chose three years ago that my career path would not direct me to run the Boeing Company, but instead to develop the future leaders. “All you take with you when you're gone, is what you leave behind.” I spent the majority of last summer speaking with hundreds of Boeing interns on their future careers. I would start with identifying their likes and dislikes, then determine their goals and the motivation for them, before finally setting action plans to achieve those goals. Bill George, author of True North, says that when you work in the area motivates you the most you are operating in the “sweet spot” and perform your best.

Life is short, live your dreams. I do every day. Thanks to everyone who has helped me get ranked at the top of Nike's Believe in the Run Contest. Contest is still on going.

"One Day I Just Started Running"

I wanted to start a blog to help others understand how to find their passion and get as much out of life as I do. It took a series of major events for me to find the focus I have today. I'd hope that through sharing my stories and advice that the world will be a better place for you. Here is where my story begins...

It was a warm June day in New York City in 2007, but unusually dry compared a typical humid summer days. That was the day I began to believe in the run. A few months later my sister’s boyfriend asked if I just got up one morning and decided to run. I laughed and said, that’s exactly what happened.

On the morning of June 5, 2007, my mother succumbed to a seven year battle with lung cancer and I spent the rest of that day beginning to realize my life had changed forever with the loss my second parent. The following morning, I woke up with a ton of emotions: sadness, emptiness, and anger. The anger was from the years that I allowed my mother to smoke and not challenge her decision. I lived 3,000 miles away in LA and decided it was not my place to confront her. On that morning the anger built so much I just decided to run. I couldn’t tell you how far, how fast or for how long I ran, but it felt good. I ran to clear my mind. I ran to rid myself of the anger. I ran through the pain and the tears. I ran to find peace with myself and all my emotions. I spent a month in NYC that summer with my family and I ran more than I ever had in my life.

During the next year I ran some 300 miles. I ran a series of races: 5k, 5mi, 10k, a half marathon and on what would have been my mothers’ 60th Birthday (January 13th) I ran 26.2 miles across the mild Arizona desert in my first marathon. I ran on sand, on pavement, on dirt, on gravel and even through Camp Pendleton’s mud. I rain in the morning, in the rain and one day in chilling 10 degree day. Through each day was a story and those I’ll share with you on this blog.

The pain that was there a few months earlier was gone. Still I didn’t know what the run had done for me, so I put in for the 2008 ING NYC Marathon that spring. The run had grown so much on me that I didn’t see a reason to stop.

Those around didn't seem to understand. Some thought I was crazy. I thought I was crazy. My need and my push to run seemed like a sort of meditation. The anger and sadness don’t last when I run. I consider it spending time with my parents and the goals have given me focus.

(The final paragraph of this posting was part of a Nike contest that says why I believe in the run)

I woke on the morning of June 5 and knew it was the day of NYC Marathon lottery. I knew I’d find myself in the race, because as my brother said it was fate. It had been exactly a year since my life had changed and when I started running. On Nov 2, I returned to NY to run those grueling 26.2 miles across my home town, where my parents raised me, past the hospital I was born, past the yard where I played and the schools where I learned. It had been 500 miles of running since my mother passed, but not until I reached Central Park that I realized it. With millions cheering louder than the volume of my headphones I realized it. Knowing that my brothers & sisters stood at the finish line I realized it. I thought I’d ran a race for them, but I realized I ran for me. I realized they believe in me & that made me who I’ve become in my life. I realized I believe in the run.