Category: The Working Dad

Are you born a leader, or are you made into a leader? I believe it is a little bit of both. In my time working in sales and business management, I have seen my share of strong leaders. I have also seen those that were in a leadership position when they were more of a follower than a leader. Are Leaders Born or Made? Leaders are Born with the “it” factor. Strong leaders have the “it” factor. They get “it”. They know what it takes to win, and they know how to lead their staff through the peaks and valleys…

Working Dad: RIP Jack Welch: Today the business world is sad to hear the news of former chairman and CEO of GE, Jack Welch’s passing. People know Jack Welch by several different names, Mr. Chairman, CEO, Icon, Neutron Jack and Manager of the Century. I would use a couple of words to describe Jack, Visionary Leader. You may be thinking, uh… “Its Mr. Welch”… or “How would you know that he is a visionary leader?”…But hey, I get it, but let me explain… The Jack Welch Management Institute (JWMI) MBA I received my MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute,…

A Dads Work Trip Survival Guide: I just got back from the west coast for a week-long conference where I was hosting a booth to talk about my business. Call me weird, but I like doing these events. I meet a lot of interesting people. Its a lot of standing, a lot of shaking hands, and A LOT of talking. I walk away from the event with a lot of new contacts, hopefully, some new business, and a very sore back and feet. I didn’t take a lot of time packing, and I regret it; one thing is for sure,…

Getting an MBA with Work, Kids, Wife and a Life: It’s hard for me to believe that it’s already been a couple of years since I got my MBA. No doubt, it was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. When I was deciding if I should go back to school or not, my main concern was how I was going to balance getting an MBA with work, kids, wife, and life. I wanted to go to school locally. There are some great universities near me, but then I got to thinking about online. As I was…

That’s Dad Stuff @thatsdadstuff As I have said many times, I Hate Public Speaking! The question now is… Do I still hate public speaking? Well, its time for an update! So, it’s been a few months since my last post about public speaking. I have done several speaking engagements over these past 4 months or so and I will say it is getting easier. I still don’t like it though! But the anxiety is slowing going away.  I Hate Public Speaking – Is it getting better? It didn’t hit me until my last presentation last month. Even though I still had…

I HATE Public Speaking. A large part of my job is to give presentations. 60-90 mins presentations. Sometimes it could be in front of 10 people, or as many as 60. I accepted the job so I could meet people and do trade shows. The job has changed over time and the presentation part is critical to the success of my job and department. For the first time in a long time, I can say I love my job. I really like the team. Sure, every job has peaks and valleys, and maybe right now, I could be at the…

I hate public speaking… I think 99% of people can relate to this.  Not just presentation but even a heavy meeting or key conversation.  I get knots in my stomach when the subject matter is not in my wheelhouse.  That’s Dad Stuff @thatsdadstuff Public Speaking – Techniques One technique (when possible) is to have an expert with you to either call upon in the back of the room or refer people to when I feel a question is over my head. There’s nothing worse than that 2.4-second hesitation before answering that lets everyone in the room know that I’m guessing!  I…