Career and Leadership
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Work Life Balance Tips For Men
One of my favourite rom-com tropes usually comes out around Christmas. All the Hallmark films are about the big city girl who has to move back home or to the countryside to find her next big project or deal with something difficult. She is a workaholic, of course, with no time for anything, not even love. But all that changes when she meets a strapping man. He is loved by locals, the animals, and just about anything that can breathe. He shows her the true meaning of life, that there is more to life than working. She lets her tightly held ponytail down and finds parts of herself that she…
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I Can’t Forget This One Conversation
It was a simple conversation. One that I’ve had many times, and one I’ve heard other people have. However, this one was different. It was brief, fleeting in fact, but I still remember it. It was a conversation I witnessed between two elderly gentlemen as I made a routine run to the grocery store. It’s interesting to me how oblivious we can be to the impact of our conversations. They didn’t know I heard them, likely will never know I’m writing this now. It was one in a million conversations they had that week. The gentlemen were obviously acquaintances, perhaps even dear friends. However, the first gentlemen spoke with a…
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Everyday Strategies to Lead by Example at Work
I cannot tell you how many times I heard the phrase ‘lead by example’ from my teachers, family, and friends growing up. It would always come in a teaching moment, I think when I would go along with what others said. I was never sure if they told me this to inspire me to be a leader or to reduce the number of kids getting into trouble. Even now, whenever I hear ‘lead by example at work, too,’ I’m still not sure if it’s inspiration to lead or keep the peace at work. Despite this, I’m going to focus on this phrase from the leadership perspective. Leading by example at…
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How to Volunteer for Charity Work: Servant Leadership in the Community
In a world where kindness and compassion seem to be lacking, volunteering for charity is a great way to spread some hope. Whether it’s coaching youth sports, organizing a church event, or aiding in disaster relief efforts, the act of giving back enriches not only the lives of those being helped but also the hearts of those doing the helping. At the core of this noble endeavor lies the principle of servant leadership – a philosophy that emphasizes serving others as a core tenant of a good leader. In this article, we’ll explore how you can uplift those around you and serve your community with some tips on how to…
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The Ultimate Guide to Leadership Skills Smart Goals
I’ve always admired the name ‘Alex.’ I don’t know why, considering I dont even know an Alex. Realizing my bias, I decided to research the name. It stems from ‘Alexander,’ of ancient Greek origins, and means “defender of men.” It is probably why many leaders in Ancient Greece had this name. And let’s remember one of the founding fathers is an Alexander. Is there something in the name that makes one a great leader? That’s pushing it because your name does not have to be Alexander for you to be a respected and visionary leader. No, for that, you need leadership skills SMART goals. What are the Biggest Challenges Leaders…
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Stress Management Techniques for Men in High-Pressure Work Environments
High-pressure situations are challenging, especially at work. It can cause the strongest of men to break down. Take the story of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster in 1986. I’ve heard this story thousands of times, sometimes from motivational speakers, other times from friends and family. Seems the story has many lessons. So, I’ll share one of my own! On January 28, 1986, the Challenger came apart. It happened just 73 seconds into its flight…horrible; even the Titanic managed to sail 4 days before disaster hit. When the Challenger broke apart, it resulted in the tragic deaths of all seven team members. The disaster was caused by the failure of something…
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Balancing Work and Well-being: A Guide for Men
Men should work, or at least that’s what society has been pushing since the male species first went out hunting. People often expect men to be strong, provide for their families, and work hard. Unfortunately, what people expect of men can lead to stress, which is bad for their overall well-being. Think about Vincent van Gogh, a guy who spent his whole life making beautiful art. He made lots of unique paintings, but at what cost? His commitment to work, no matter how inspiring and passionate, affected his mental health. Why? Well, because he could not master work-life balance. And many modern men are like Van Gogh, focusing so profoundly…
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Burnout to Bounty: Confessions of a De-Motivated Dad Struggling Amid Chaos
Motivation after overcoming burnout has been a real struggle for me this past year, and that’s not something I normally struggle with. Let me explain why. During the past year, COVID has affected my wife and seven children on two separate occasions, just as I was about to launch a new coaching course and scale my marketing business. We were hit with wave upon wave of illness for over five months. After recovering from COVID twice, my elder daughters brought a new chest infection into the house from university, followed by a stomach bug, and then another round of chest infections. January through June was a blur of boiling kettles…
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5 Strategies for Men to Conquer Self-Doubt and Thrive
I have to ask, are you the type of guy who wakes up in the morning with a long list of goals to achieve that day? Do you love hitting your time goals so much that even if you miss one target, it feels like hell is freezing over? Maybe you have a yearly calendar on your phone and every time you check something off, there seems to be another four items to tackle? Getting things done by “x” day of the month, it’s overwhelming right? Yes? Inner criticism: it’s a weakness of mine too. The Inner Critic is that that nagging voice inside your head, the one that constantly…
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How Betting on Myself Changed My Life Forever
Settle. Settle is defined by Merriam-Webster as “to place so as to stay,” “to establish as in residence,” or “to establish or secure permanently.” When a rock settles in a river, for example, it falls permanently to the bottom and sinks into the mud in the river bed. It’s then stuck for all of eternity unless someone comes along and pulls it out. Yes, I know this isn’t the most cheery way to start an article about pursuing your dreams, but it paints a picture of what happens to us when we settle for second-best. We become complacent and settle, causing us not to get better at whatever we’re doing,…
