Category: Curiousity

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365 Coaching Tips: 151st, 152nd and 153rd

May 31st Coaching Tip: Introduce Yourself.

We joined our friends yesterday for dinner at a private club that they recently joined. As we were seated, I noticed that one of the restaurant greeters at the club had injured her right arm. After we were seated and ordered drinks and appetizers, I got up to go back and introduce myself to her. Why? Because I felt bad for her arm injury and wanted to learn more about her. She told me what happened and what are the next steps; she impressed me with her positive outlook and that she’s getting a pink cast for the summertime. We then discussed my 2007 injury when I broke both wrists on a fall; shared with her how important the three people who cared for me. We had much in common with our wrist/arm injuries, and yet I could have simply ignored her and walked on.

Then this morning on a short walk, I met a college guy that is staying in a condo for a couple month’s while he completes an internship. He was curious about the area, where to go to meet people, and real estate. He asked me what I did for work, and I told him alot, i.e. Caterpillar then to Merrill Lynch, and now also real estate investing. I’m so glad that I met Mo today; he’s from Toledo and this is his first time away from Toledo. We’ll keep an eye out for him now that we both introduced ourselves. Be intentional, kind and introduce yourself.

June 1st Coaching Tip: 529’s.

If you don’t understand 529’s, join the crowd. I’m NOT a financial advisor and I’m not giving you 529 advice and investment advice. I am encouraging you to understand what a 529 is, how it might help someone with education costs, or how it might help someone in the future with their retirement. Get informed on what is available for people that are important to you. 529’s are worth understanding.

June 2nd Coaching Tip: Returning From Vacation.

On Sunday evening before I returned to work on Monday (after taking a week off), I quickly checked my work calendar and quickly checked my inbox. This helped me get into the proper mindset to ease back in to work on Monday. Plus, in reviewing my emails, I could tell that one of the most important items that needed to be completed while I was out, welp, it didn’t get done. It sat idle for 4 workdays. Thank goodness I spotted this on Sunday evening, as it allowed me to prioritize this first thing Monday morning. I also blocked my calendar to take time to get caught up, connect with some colleagues, and remind/confirm others of upcoming appointments that are happening this and next week. How do you return from vacation? Do you have a process? My Sunday, intentional, quick check-in sure works for me.

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365 Coaching Tips: 148th, 149th and 150th

May 28th Coaching Tip: Six Questions for Your Budget.

Talked to my godson recently and he mentioned how important it was that I taught him how to budget in minutes. It was one of those moments for me that I actually don’t recall; however, for him it was a moment that mattered to him, and he’s shared the budgeting tips with his friends for years now.

Let’s get the ball rolling here by answering these questions about your income and expenses to help you establish your budget. 1) What is your total income? 2) What is your net income (after taxes, 401K, health insurance and social security are deducted from your paycheck, if applicable), 3) What do you want to save for and why? i.e. $5,000 emergency savings account or $40,000 for a home downpayment or $15,000 for a few months off to study or travel. 4) What are your monthly mandatory bills, i.e. food, housing, utilities, cell phone, and car or transportation expenses. 5) What are your discretionary monthly bills, i.e. health insurance, dining out, clothing, entertainment, gifts/parties, etc. 6) What is your monthly debt that is NOT housing, i.e. Visa, Mastercard, loan payback to parents and friends, etc.

Once you understand these six questions, take 5-10 minutes to answer them. Your MONTHTLY net income needs to be MORE than all of your MONTHLY mandatory, discretionary and debt. If you are positive, then you have the ability to save even more. If your expenses are higher than your net income, then you must a) find ways to increase your income (work a second job, have a side hustle, etc.) and also find ways to reduce your expenses. For example, during my 25 years at Caterpillar, I made my lunch in the morning and took it to work most days that I was in the office. Let’s assume that I saved $7/lunch during the 25 years, working in the office those days that I brought my lunch of 180 days equates to a $31,500 savings just by bringing my own lunch. Another cost saver that we still implement is that we go out to eat one evening a week. And, since I’ve been 21 years old, I contributed to my company’s 401K and the companies matched my contribution. Experts call this, “pay yourself first” by having it automatically deducted from your paycheck, and you won’t notice it since it never becomes a part of your discretionary budget. Know how to answer these six questions on your budget.

May 29th Coaching Tip: Get Yourself A Mentor.

Yes, I’m 60 and I found my mentor for my next couple decades. We met back in 2012 when he hired me to be the VP of Marketing for a tech startup. Fast forward to 2025, he has been working with a number of tech startup companies, helping 20-30 year old entrepreneurs build up their company and grow it, to ultimately sell. He’s 10 years older than me and I look forward to learning what he did from 60 to 70 years old, and then implementing many of his tips and tactics. He’s family oriented, enjoys makes memories, very health and sports focused, lives in the same areas (Naples, FL and Carmel, IN) as me, etc. I look forward to learning from my mentor, as we both agree, our best chapters in our life’s book are ahead of us. Get yourself a mentor.

May 30th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Your Wins.

After selling two homes recently, it was time to celebrate. One of the homes in Westfield, IN, was sold to a couple who was well prepared, and we closed on a price $6,000 over list price (we had 4 offers in 48 hours of the listing) in just two weeks. The other home in Delray Beach, FL, also sold to a young couple at list; although they were not as prepared, my realtor helped them actually get their financing completed to finalize the closing before the end of May.

Why celebrate? Because I challenged myself to buy both of these homes during COVID when times were a bit weird and unknown. Fast forward to 5 years later, selling these two homes is allowing me to do another project closer to my college home of Indiana University. We are in the midst of remodeling a 95 year old farmhouse with a green metal roof; the nearly 10 acres has a couple barns, a “she-shed”, and a chicken coup. We will celebrate there soon with a house and barn warming party, complete with a DJ playing music, and having fun with the indoor pickleball and basketball courts. Celebrate Your Wins!

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365 Coaching Tips: 124th, 125th and 126th

May 4th Coaching Tip: Read The Fine Print.

Since 2013, I’ve owned 33 properties in my real estate companies. I’ve rented many of these homes multiple times and sold a number of them. Today, my realtor hosted an open house for a home we listed for sale just two days ago. In receiving four offers quickly, my realtor and I ready thru the offers closely, i.e. the fine print. In three of the four offers, the realtor was trying to increase their fee amount from 2% to 3%. In one of the offers, the escrow amount wasn’t even 1%. We asked them to increase it, and they did quickly. Another offer had just 5% down, with 95% mortgage. I’m not interested in that. The first offer we got a couple days ago was asking for a home warranty, the 3% realtor fee, and then a $4,000 closing credit. That was a no way, absolutely no way.

Take time to read the details and truly understand the impact on the contract. The fine print matters; don’t peruse over it. It matters.

May 5th Coaching Tip: Follow Up After In-Person Meetings.

In my coaching work, some of the teams and businesses will host events. They might spend months planning the event, fine tuning the speakers, invite list, and messages. And yet, follow up is typically not thought of thoroughly. Recently we had an international meeting with 15 teams who manage a significant amount of business. At the end of both days of the conference and also the first day upon their return home, the leader summarized 3-4 items as next steps. Then, he asked his admin team to develop a matrix to track who is making progress on the next steps.

This was an elite case of ensuring follow up will most likely happen. Following up after these valuable (and expensive) in-person encounters in life or with business meetings can really show others that you care and are paying attention. Follow up!

May 6th Coaching Tip: Weather Changes.

As we wrap up this week in our Florida home to head north to enjoy the Indiana and Midwest summer and fall weather, we are prepping for the weather changes. It’s not IF a hurricane will come close to our Naples, FL home in the next few months, it’s WHEN a hurricane / severe storm will come. Thus, we are planning ahead for the warmer and stormier weather in Florida. The outdoor furniture is inside the home. The water will be shut off along with things like the water heater, bidets, Tesla charger, and washer & dryer. Many of the electrical plugs will be unplugged. The thermostat will be on 78 degrees most of the time. We have thoughtfully utilized almost everything in our refrigerator over the last 2-3 weeks, to enjoy it now and reduce waste.

As we head north, the weather is changing up there, too. The month of May can be tornadic, so we will always be charged up and have shoes on if tornadoes arise. We also plan to be on the lake regularly this summer to enjoy the sunsets. We will ensure we have proper lighting on the boat to return to the dock safely. My hope is that you, too, prepare ahead for the changes in weather. Don’t be caught off guard!

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365 Coaching Tips: 115th, 116th and 117th

April 25th Coaching Tip: Flat Stanley Taught Us.

Our friend’s daughter sent me a package with the Flat Stanley instructions and a hand-colored Flat Stanley. If you are unfamiliar with Flat Stanley, join the club; I wasn’t either. However, the instructions were simple to understand and on one page. The essence of this game with Flat Stanley is to take him (hand-colored lil Flat Stanley) with you as you visit places, take photos of him, and then fill out a photo book with the photos that we took of Flat Stanley as we spent a couple days with him. Flat Stanley visited the beach, got to see some cool trees, visited where I work, saw a sunset, joined us for dinner, and even met our waiter, Mario. When I pulled out our Flat Stanley, Mario quickly said, “I vividly remember the Flat Stanley exercise in elementary.” Isn’t that amazing that an adult remembers this exercise so vividly over 20 years later?

Guess who else learned a bunch? We did. On the final page of the photo book was a number of questions about the state that Flat Stanley visited. We learned so much about Florida; the state bird is the Northern Mockingbird. The state tree is the cabbage palm. The state song is Suwanee River. The nickname is Sunshine State. The motto is “In God We Trust”. The largest city is Jacksonville, FL, with nearly 1 million people. The state is the 22nd largest (in square miles) in the USA. Flat Stanely helped us learn and it was a joy spending time with him and helping our friend’s daughter complete her school project. It’s all packaged up and ready to be mailed to her tomorrow. Flat Stanley taught us, too.

April 26th Coaching Tip: Play Til The End.

Last night during the Denver Nuggets playoff game at the LA Clippers, the score was tied with a few seconds remaining. The Clippers had mounted an incredible 32-9 run in the fourth quarter, putting Denver on its heels. With the score tied and 5-6 seconds remaining, Denver Nugget’s best player took a “last” shot which ended up being an airball. But, with the clock running down, another Nugget’s teammate, Aaron Gordon, saw that the shot was going to be short and jumped up to grab it and make a dunk…with .01 on the clock. That’s not ONE second; that’s .01 or 1/10th of a second! This was the perfect example of “playing to the very last moment, playing to the end.” How many times in life do we slow down at the end or we don’t do our job expecting others to execute or we think we will just do it tomorrow or we say, “let’s go into overtime.” Aaron Gordon taught us to play to the end!

April 27th Coaching Tip: Prioritize Recovery.

Yesterday was an intense day for my senior games preparation. (My goal is to compete (again) in the Indiana games on June 7, and then the National Senior Games in Des Moines in early August. The events are the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m runs; I’m also going to do the basketball shooting at Nationals.) After shooting baskets for 32 minutes, I headed to the nearby middle school’s track where I ran six-100m’s and two-200m’s, did some leg strengthening and took two walks. Burned nearly 1,000 calories; it was mid-day, about 85 degrees and a light breeze. Hydration and the hot tub were both priorities after that intense workout. As you might imagine, today is all about recovery. We scheduled an hour massage, after a slow morning walk. Now I’m heading to the pool to swim a couple laps…and take a nap by the pool. Our neighbors brought us some homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs, so we don’t even have to do food prep today. Take time to keep your body healthy by prioritizing recovery after intense days. As a 60 year old, being fit and healthy for me is a blend of appropriate strength and cardio HIIT training, proper nutrition (80% of the time), 7+ hours of sleep, enjoying the work and purpose in our life, and allowing the brain and both time to recover. Your body (and mind) deserve it. Prioritize recovery.

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365 Coaching Tips: 64, 65 & 66

March 5th Coaching Tip: Step Up.

In a couple of my coaching conversations today, the advisors that were leading their teams were frustrated with the lack of consistent high-level execution by their teammates. As I listened to them, it was clear to me that it was time to have the discussion, “step up or step out” with these underperforming teammates. However, as I drove home, it got me thinking, “what has the leader done to help them execute better? how are he/she coaching and developing them? what would the teammate say about the leaders and their instructions to complete tasks?” Both the leader and the teammates need to step up. If after all coaching and developing has been done, then it may be time for the teammate to “step out” and find a better role or fit elsewhere.

March 6th Coaching Tip: Remain Curious.

As we were driving to the airport this evening, we looked out the window to the south and there was something we had never seen before. It looked like a drone with lights was falling and spinning a bit out of control. We just couldn’t figure it out. Once I got to the airport, I started reading online to seeing anyone else noticed it or even recorded it. Sure enough, with a few minutes, figured it out: the SpaceX Starship had a fiery breakup, after departing from TX. This is the second explosion in the last two launches. Thank goodness there were no humans on board. For all of us, remain curious if you see something different or out of the ordinary. This applies to darn near everything in your life…including the engineers at SpaceX. I’m sure they are now very curious about why their efforts failed two times in a row. And it applies to your life, your personal safety, your kids, your home. Remain curious.

March 7th Coaching Tip: Keep it close.

You can’t win everything and always be atop the leaderboard on everything. With life comes losses. With life comes challenges. With life comes new or younger talent. If you can’t win, keep it close. My beloved Indiana University women’s basketball team really gave an outstanding team effort against the team from Univ of Southern California in the second round game of the Big Ten tournament. USC had much more talent than IU, but the IU women never ever gave up, kept up their intensity high until the end, and only lost by five points.

With basketball or business, it’s challenging. Be ready, as someone or some other company or team is always after you/your business. It might be developing a better product, at a lower price. It maybe a new, younger and quicker talent on the court; or more mature players who can execute under pressure. Bottom line, it’s hard to win at everything, all the time. If you do lose, do it with class: learn from it, evaluate your next steps, and keep it close. Always.

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Intentional & Curious

In February, we headed to Mayo’s with incredible intentionality. We did not like the uncurious answers by local doctors and experts to our questions about our health. We scheduled, in advance, a two-day appointment. This gave us time to gather our records, which helped Mayo’s with their work in understanding our health situation much better.
  • Was the $1,000 Trip (food, airfare and 2 hotel nights) worth it? Yes.
  • Why? When you find out that at this 4th opinion, not just a 2nd or 3rd opinion, there is “no need for surgical intervention on your heart,” we were relieved and that was a priceless feeling. In common language, the doc said “we don’t think you need open heart surgery.”
  • Are you staying curious enough, when you know the symptoms are NOT there? Are you intentional enough to go get multiple opinions? Are you willing to take the time and energy to do it? Do you do this with your business? Your own health?
My lesson learned is quite simple: remain curious and be intentional. If you settle, sometimes an unnecessary open heart surgery can happen due to the system’s or the doctors’ lack of curiosity, as well as the potential conflict of being paid handsomely for the surgery.
In reading and finishing (billionaire) Ray Dalio’s book, “Principles”, he talks thoughtfully about radical open mindedness and radical transparency. He, too, went through the energy and effort of getting 4-5 medical opinions, only to find out that he NEVER had cancer in the first place.
Remain curious and intentional, my friends.
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Transform Results? The Courage to Change

The only way we really learn how to swim is by jumping in (the swimming pool or off the dock into the lake). The fear we overcome quickly is turned in to courage. This courage quickly translates into new skills and talents. Let’s take a couple recent examples in the sports world that have transformed careers.

Cool hand Luke. As an average George Mason basketball player, Luke Hancock decided to transfer when his George Mason coach ‘jumped’ to take on the head coaching job at University of Miami. Courageously, after considering multiple schools and two of them were in his home state, Hancock agreed that the University of Louisville was his next step. Within just a few months, his teammates named him captain even though he sat out as a ‘redshirt’ during the 2011-2012 season.  Within less than two years of his transfer (change), he was deep in the NCAA tournament assuming a key role after a teammate fell due to a broken leg. And who was the one who calmed Kevin Ware as he laid on the sideline with a broken leg? Luke Hancock was there, fully present during the ‘breaking point’, looking directly in to his teammate’s eyes. Just a week later, Hancock came off the bench and led the Louisville Cardinals in not one, but two comebacks to win the NCAA title. Hancock’s ability to be courageous, calm, and lead are truly unique. The NCAA voters agreed, and awarded him the NCAA Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award.

Come On Aussies. In July 2011, the #1 golfer in the world released his caddie, Steve Williams.  And a younger but highly talented golfer from Australia, Adam Scott, had the amazing courage to quickly hire the best caddie in golf, Williams. At that point, Scott hadn’t won a major championship on the PGA Tour. But most in the sport quickly realized that the elusive major was now within reach. Although Scott was close (he gave up a four-stroke lead in the 2012 British Open), he came back stronger and won the 2013 Masters in fabulous style (sinking a birdie putt in the second playoff hole against a previous Masters winner). Again, in less than two years, Scott has reached the pinnacle of his career in winning The Masters, all because he had the courage to change and transform.

Both of these examples remind us of how some people get ‘stuck’ due to fear of making a change, while others embrace courageous change and achieve heights that appeared to be untouchable. How are you embracing change and your future opportunities? A first few steps might be to identify where you want to go, what you want to achieve, and then identify who can help you reach your pinnacle.