365 Coaching Tips: 274th, 275th & 276th

October 1st Coaching Tip: Love me some Yankees.

When I was a kid, we used to watch the Major League Baseball playoffs at elementary and middle school, and then when we got home at night. That’s when I fell in love with the Yankees. A homerun king, Reggie Jackson, caught my attention by hitting three homeruns in one game. I was smitten! And since that evening as an eighth grader, I have been a Yankees fan. (On October 18, 1977, in the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers.)

“Oh The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss reinforces how important it is to go see difference place. My recommendation is to expose your kids to winners, and losers, to new terrain, to new foods and new cities, etc.. Oh the places that you will see as well. I’ve taken friends and family to the new and former Yankee Stadium. I was able to go to two games with my niece Katie and my nephew Kyle; niece Ally and I went to one game. Let’s Go Yankees!

October 2nd Coaching Tip: Get To Your Destination.

Today starts a 5-day vacation. We are making our annual Fall trek to Michigan. We both have family stories from Michigan, so we enjoy wandering thru MI in the Fall, stopping at farm stands, taking in the views of barns, wineries, orchards, farms, lakes, etc. We made the decision to be on the road (with three stops) nearly 6.5 hours to get to Traverse City. On the way, we stopped at a road-side farm stand and I bought one apple, small jar of local jam, local potato chips, and a pint of blueberries for $2. Yes, just $2!

Our goal was to get to our destination, so that we can truly enjoy our short stay up north, visit with some family, and see more sights. We head to a town we’ve never been before today, Charlevoix. Can’t wait. Get to your destination!

October 3rd Coaching Tip: Communicate Clearly.

At 815am this morning, an electrician called me from one of my house projects that was eight hours away. After a quick and thankful greeting, “happy Friday, thanks for calling me first thing in the morning”, we got to work. By communicating clearly what I needed worked on in three locations in the garage, outside, and in a barn, we were able to be on the same page. I then called my contractor, and he indicated he would be there in minutes. Why did I call the contractor? Because I spent a few minutes with him a couple days ago explaining what I needed the electrician to do. We three were all on the same page, because I had taken the time to 1) clearly identify what I wanted, 2) told my contractor in advance, too, and 3) told the electrician and also asked him for feedback.

A few minutes after the electrician and the contractor spoke, the electrician called me back and gave me an idea that would save me money and save him time and be just as effective. Communicate clearly…and let people know that you truly want their ideas and feedback. It works!