Monthly Archives: August 2014

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How To Properly Assess A Risk

Everyone faces risk. In fact, you face a plethora of risks day in and day out. You probably don’t even realize the risks you face.

There are risks that you can easily assess. Crossing the road, navigating your car, or going into work.

Tiny risks, yes. But risks none the less. And you take them on without a care.

Then there are higher consequence risks. The risks that makes you wonder. The risks you wonder how to properly assess them.

In his book, Take The Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose, and Live with Acceptable Risk, Ben Carson lays out the foundation for making wise choices when it comes to facing risk.

The BWA

Carson uses a system called the BWA, or Best/Worst Assessment. The BWA is a system you can use to decide whether or not to take a risk.  Read more...

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Discover The Positives Of Negative Leadership

Everyone who’s been led well has, more than likely, also been led poorly. Can I get an amen on that?

For every good leader, there seems to be 2 or more leaders who use lead wrong.

These negatives leaders don’t care for their teams. They neglect the responsibilities of great leadership. They kill the spirits of their teams.

But don’t fret. Just because there’s negative leadership doesn’t mean there’s not a positive in there somewhere.

Companies, for years, have known there’s value in the negative space. Take a look at the logos of major brands. You may be surprised at what you can find in the negative spaces of these company logos.

Take Fed Ex for example. Their logo is their name spelled out, right? If that’s what you think, you’d be wrong. Let’s look at their logo  Read more...

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4 Reasons You Need To Stop Asking Why Me?

I’m pretty sure there’s not a person out there who hasn’t asked “Why me?” This question has almost become default for many people today.

Every time something bad happens, they automatically ask why bad things happen.

But asking Why Me won’t really help you. In fact, asking this question hinders you more often than anything else.

You might be asking yourself Why Me?

Image by Anne Hornyak

We’ve got to begin shifting our mindsets and asking better questions. Why me has to be one of the least productive questions to ask yourself.

Why? I’m glad you asked. What you’ll find in this post is the answer to that question and why you need to stop asking Why Me?

1. Asking why me? places the focus on you: We’ve got to get over the thought the world revolves around us. It doesn’t. We’re just one more person on the rock that’s circling the sun.  Read more...

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Make An Opportunity To Meet Someone New

Pam and I recently took a walk along the Muskegon Channel. The plan was to spend a few minutes walking and feeding the mallard ducks that inhabited the channel.

We fed the ducks and a swan. Afterwards, we walked towards the end of the pier and turned around.

As we made our way back to our vehicle, there was an opportunity to meet someone new.

Meeting people isn't scary

Meeting someone new doesn’t have to be this scary / Image by GViciano

He was a fisherman. Throwing his fishing line into the water, trying to catch walleye. He also had a name, Al, and a story to tell.

Passing him by, I decided to throw out the question you ask fishermen, “Have you caught anything today?”

This simple question led us to learn about the life of Al, and that of his father’s. We met someone new and we learned quite a bit.  Read more...