All Eyes on Me

SPORTS HEADLINE-College football standouts are on display this weekend at the Annual NFL Scouting Combine where many NFL prospects perform in workouts in front of NFL coaches, scouts and front office personnel. This is often where players either make or break their eventual draft status. A great showing in your 40 yard sprint time can elevate you from a mid round pick to a first day draftee. A disastrous effort can cost you millions of dollars as a result of a slide for reasons on the field or off.

For example, University of Alabama standout offensive tackle Andre Smith entered the weekend as the premiere prospect at his position and a likely top 3 pick in April's draft. However, on Saturday morning it was announced that he had gone AWOL, did not show up as expected without communicating to anyone why or where he was. It turns out he took an early morning flight back to Atlanta to work out with his personal trainer because he felt he had done all that he needed to do for the teams in attendance. It may have been a simple misunderstanding, as his camp is saying, but to NFL coaches and executives who already had some questions about his effort and passion, that may be the deciding factor between him being drafted #3 or #23.


PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-Understand what's at stake at all times. Things that may seem to be trivial or inconsequential in your mind may hold significant importance to those who are observing or evaluating you. The ultimate outcome of your actions may not have multi-million dollar consequences but the point is YOU NEVER KNOW. Always put forth your best works and efforts, whether they are in a major presentation or a minor homework assignment. Your future opportunities may very well rest on your activities of today.

SHOT IN THE DARK

SPORTS HEADLINE-NY Giants WR Plaxico Burress was suspended for the remainder of the season in the aftermath of an accidental shooting in a New York City nightclub where he shot himself in the thigh. Burress was not seriously injured but was subsequently arrested for having an unregistered, loaded concealed weapon in a public place and faces up to 4.5 years in prison.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-As a business owner, whenever one of your employees does anything in public, good or bad it is a direct reflection of your organization. How you respond to it will go a long way towards public perception of your company and how other professionals who seek to work for or with you will judge you. By making a fully informed, measured response to any situation you position yourself as being fair to your employees while holding them fully accountable for their actions. A strong, stable, well run organization is often a victorious one!

ROOT ROOT ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM

SPORTS HEADLINE-THE JOY OF BEING A FAN
I'm taking a different angle with this post, today's blog is inspired by none other than my mother. She is a Cleveland sports fan thru and thru. She grew up rooting for the Indians and the Browns, graduated from Ohio State and roots for the Buckeyes relentlessly. I received a celebratory e-mail from her after the Browns pulled the upset over the defending Super Bowl Champion NY Giants on Monday Night Football. Congrats on the team's win Mom!

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
Finding something that you are passionate about can make a huge difference in your levels of personal happiness and satisfaction. While fans of certain teams (Cubs, Mets, Clippers) seem to have almost a tortured existence of unfulfilled potential and promising seasons somehow lost, those fans share an identity and an unshakable faith of 'wait til next year.' As a true fan you experience the highs of winning and lows of losing along with the team you follow. Having that passion and being able to share it with like minded fans and enjoying friendly competition with your rivals is what being a fan is all about!

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-
Having a sense of pride and ownership of your business or place of work is proven to be a strong motivating factor for increased workplace satisfaction and productivity. Studies have repeatedly shown that workers that feel that they are not only working for a company, but are valued members of the "team" are often more loyal, more driven to succeed for that company and more willing to make sacrifices neccessary for the company to be successful. By fostering a sense of ownership among your employees or by being able to effectively draw a correlation between your role in the business and it's ultimate viability, you can lead your business towards victory.

PERSONAL FINANCES-
One of the more difficult things with people who are new to investing or managing their finances is they don't really know where to start. It's easy to say, save and invest wisely, but that's so vague it can almost be discouraging to the uneducated investor. Aa suggestion is to pick an investment vehicle like you would a sports team and follow it accordingly. If it's a company stock or a specific industry, follow it as you follow your favorite team. Get to know the key players, research it's history, get a sense of where you think it's going and decide if this is who you want to hitch your wagon to. Part of the excitement of being a fan is riding the ups and downs of a team. When you have some 'skin in the game' it will be that much more exciting!

GAME PLAN-
Fan is short for fanatic. Finding something that you have an undying passion and dedication to is a wholly fulfilling experience. All of us fans, at one point have said-'That's it! I can't do it anymore with this team!' but of course, come next season we are right back where we were before. That's true dedication, true passion and true love.

LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, WALKS LIKE A DUCK, MUST BE A DUCK

SPORTS HEADLINE-ADAM 'PAC-MAN' JONES INVOLVED IN HOTEL FIGHT
Oft troubled Dallas Cowboys defensive back Adam 'Pac Man' Jones was involved in a fight with a team employed bodyguard on Tuesday night at a hotel outside of Dallas. The police were called but no injuries were reported and no charges will be filed.

Jones was recently reinstated to the NFL after serving a one year suspension for conduct unbecoming an NFL player by commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell suspended Jones after a series of arrest involving alcohol, firearms and disorderly conduct spanning 2004-2007.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
Author and motivational speaker Dennis Kimbro has been known to say, 'You are an average of the people you surround yourself with.' This is just a more eloquent way of what you mother always said, 'be careful who you hang around with!' There are just some people who cannot seem to stay out of their own way and trouble finds them. It's vital to your success and your reputation to thoroughly screen the people who you have in your inner circle. Surround yourself with people who share your same goals or better goals, have the same energy and drive for success or more than yours.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-
How many times have you seen talent trump character? We've all experienced people in the professional arena that are just amazing at what they do, but their benefit to the business or organization is offset by the baggage they carry. Sometimes it's a correctable problem but sometimes it's just not. Some people are who they are and will be who they will be. As a business owner or team leader, you have to keep in mind the overall best interest of the organization and sometimes let someone's talent be another teams' headache.

PERSONAL FINANCES-
You've heard the phrase 'throwing good money after bad'. A way to apply that is if you continue to soak money into an investment that has shown you historically that it is not paying off. There is far less shame in walking away from a poor investment than spending untold amounts of time and more money trying to rescue it. There are times when you can salvage a poor decision or investment by allocating more resources to it, but there's also a time to realize that it's not working and let it go.

GAME PLAN-
While we are conditioned to give people the benefit of the doubt and we are unquestionably in a society of giving second and third chances, we also must have the wisdom to realize that some things and people are exactly what they seem to be. Maya Angelou said, 'when someone shows themselves to you, believe them' meaning when someone or something reveals their true character, despite us at times wishing and believing it to be something else, trust what they are showing. You will be stronger, better and more fulfilled by letting those go by the wayside and moving on to more positive influences in your life.