Saturday Music Memories – A “Canadian Reinvention”
Dallas Smith is the lead singer for one of my favourite Canadian bands of the last decade – Default. I have had the pleasure of meeting him on at least three occasions, because a good friend of mine worked for the band throughout the years.
Last year, Dallas decided to change it up, and release a country/rock cd. Well he did not miss a beat as he stepped in to a new genre of music! His latest single, “Jumped Right In”, just hit #4 on the Canadian Country charts.
An incredible accomplishment to say the least!
Here is the link to his website as well:
http://www.dallassmithmusic.com/
Have a listen and enjoy your weekend!
The Five Star 5 – “Dinner? Not Again!”
How do you spell sales team dinner? “B.O.R.I.N.G.”
Ok, it is not always boring, but over my career the team dinner concept has been uneventful most of the time. Why not mix it up and plan an event that will be memorable to the team in the future?
If you are having trouble deciding what to do, ask them! Reward the winning creative idea with a gift card.
I can honestly tell you that I barely remember anything that happened at team dinners over the years. But from my list below, I have vivid memories of laughter and fun that will last a life time. You don’t have to make a big splash with an expensive outing for this to be effective. Just try something new to show the team that you are thinking outside the box.
I could blog for a couple of weeks straight sharing stories from participating in these events:
- Weekend retreat at a Sales Manager’s cabin
- Go Cart Racing with the sales team
- Movie Night with the sales team
- Golf outings (many gatherings were at dream locations in the picturesque Rocky Mountains)
- Professional sporting events
Saturday Music Memories – Why Is She So “Mean”?
I love Matchbox Twenty. They were on “constant rotation” on my sony walkman when I travelled to Australia in 1998. Push was my favourite song for a long time back then. Rob Thomas is a real talent, and his solo stuff is pretty cool too. They have always done well, but there is something about their new cd “North” that I am really digging.
The first single “She’s So Mean”, is not only a fantastic song, but the video is awesome too. I am probably going out on a limb by saying this, but the diversity on this album makes it my second favourite from their library behind the debut in 1996.
Enjoy and have a great Saturday!
Have A Laugh Fridays – Yep Need A Really Good One Today!
I had a crazy 38 hours of air travel the past two days due to a snow blizzard in my community.
I thought this would be a good time to pull out an “oldie but a goodie” from the Have A Laugh Friday archives!
Enjoy, keep smiling and have a great weekend!
Goal Achievement Quote – Nov. 6, 2012
Great quote from Paul Mark this morning. We can all learn a little something from this one. Have a great day…
“Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.”
—Mark Twain
__________________________________________________.
Enjoy today.
Achieve today.
Tomorrow is promised to no one!
Wanna See Some Leaders? Meet Craig and Marc Kielburger!
I was at a regional Toastmasters conference over the weekend, and guest speaker Françoise Morissette had a fantastic video that I have been thinking about a lot.
Craig and Marc Kielburger have been making Canada proud since they were 12 years old as they change children’s lives one by one.
Check out this fantastic video that Francoise played during her presentation!
As well, their website is:
Have a great week!
Saturday Music Memories – The Stones Keep “Rollling”
I have had the good fortune of seeing the Rolling Stones play live outdoors twice in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mick is one of my favourites front men of all time. I really like all members of the band, even the ones that barely look alive anymore (you know who you are).
As they embark on a 50th anniversary mini tour, this great tune is on the new compilation.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Four Tips For Introverts Going To Networking Events
I enjoyed this post from Bob McIntosh earlier today. These tips should be very helpful for those “introverts” as their heart races when they enter the room at a networking event.
And how not to arrive to an event unprepared.
I was once given a ticket to a guest-speaker event put on for a group of young professionals in my community. I was excited and grateful for the opportunity because I’d be seeing Erik Qualman speak about social media—Erik wrote Socialnomics and is a great speaker. I would be able to sit comfortably and listen to an expert on social networking entertain me. So I thought.
When I arrived at the event I discovered there would be a networking hour preceding it, and that I was woefully under-dressed. My vision of kicking back and listening to a great speaker was dashed when I entered a hallway full of people dressed to the nines engaged in conversation. I promptly went to the men’s room, looked at my sad self in the mirror, and exited the building.
I needed air. It took me a few…
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Your “Indefinite Unsettledness” Will End – Mine Did!
Do you ever not feel quite right? Things just aren’t as they should be? Maybe it only lasts a day, perhaps a week, month or possibly even years. I had these feeling about my career for a little less than 3 years.
It was October of 2009 that I lost my job, and it sucked. It sucked big time, but I shook it off and was back to work two months later. But that job did not work out, nor did the second, or the third! I had worked for one company for almost eight years before that, and had never categorized myself as a quitter, but I became quite self-conscious with all the changes. But I kept fighting, and believing in myself that I could do whatever I wanted with my career and life.
I stayed in touch over the past three years with a manager at an account during that time period before I was fired. I would stop by, catch up, try to sell him products and services that I was representing at the time. He was never far from my thoughts. We had discussed me coming to work with his company on several occasions, but the timing was never right.
Well that time has finally come and I start my new role on November 1st with that organization. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can look forward to work again every day from the moment my feet hit the floor each morning. When you change jobs every year for three years, you start to feel a little lost and temporarily forget what made you successful in the past.
Whatever “indefinite unsettledness” you may be feeling, it will go away, I promise you that. But only if you work at it. I had some horrible days; weeks for that matter over the past three years, but I never gave up. In fact, the best thing that came out of these past three years was picking up a note pad and pen, and starting to write. Now I have this blog, I am in Toastmasters, and I look forward to writing a book, possibly training, teaching and speaking to others somewhere down the line.
As abrasive as it sounds, you need to have that moment where you say something like “screw it, I know I can do this“. And keep fighting for what you really want.
Good luck and remember, if I can get past my “indefinite unsettledness”, so can you!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 