IS THERE A CORRELATION BETWEEN LEADERSHIP IN SPORTS AND BUSINESS? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES?​

I definitely think so. I also believe it may not just be in sport. It could be in art. It could be in music. It could be in computer programming. It could be in anything that you're passionate about.

I think one of the keys to success in leadership is to be able to be a leader outside of what you just do on a professional level. Is it raising money? Are you a philanthropist? Are you doing not-for-profit work? I think that passion that you have outside of work can always come back to the passions that you do inside of work. You can take many of those character traits - they're really mutually beneficial, both in the professional world and in the sport, or like what I was saying, in art, music, or anything like that that changes your mind. That allows you to be passionate. That allows you to be someone who you really are.

I think those similarities are there. Sometimes sport is an individual sport, or sometimes it's a team sport. Having the ability to throw it out there - to put it all on the line - is key for success both in business, sport, and whatever you're passionate about. So if you can teach someone to get out of their
comfort zone, you'll forever change their lives.

What are your thoughts?

​Fear!

(unless you are willing to embrace it)

That is the number one reason.

When most of us are kids we say we are going to be a Ski Guide, Coach, Teacher, Dr., Lawyer or CEO, but what percentage of the population actually becomes who they dreamt about? Very minimal. We become content, make just enough, and watch too much TV, rather than working to achieve our dreams. Have you ever noticed those that land the dream jobs, spent countless hours going after them; often time works for free or minimum wage, they had the belief that they will reach their goal, they were willing to sacrifice, eat PB&J and put their head down. (most of us won’t do that) They didn’t let others influence them or take the easy way out, they committed, stayed focused and worked their asses off towards the goal.

Did you do that? Or did you become content, mediocre, and just skate by. If you did and enjoy it, good for you, but if you are asking how do I get my dream job, you have to be willing to lay it on the line, become friends with your fear and push through when no one else believes. It is a very simple concept, but not easy. Admit it, you let your fear get in the way, because fear of the unknown if much scarier than comfort in the present. (remember great things don’t come from comfort zones)

So start your podcast, build your site, create your tribe…. Because what you do for work, is not who you are, create you, and create your dream job.

Ken
klubin@zrgpartners.com

"The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!" — Earl Nightingale

This quote was written by Earl Nightingale during the mid part of the 20th century; it sounds like it was written yesterday.  We have this notion that if we show up, do our job, and don’t cause too many problems; that our company will reward us with the pension and the gold watch.  (I don’t know about you, but I don’t know many places that offer pensions anymore or are around long enough to be able to give out a gold watch)

Times have changed!

Job security as we know it is dead.  You are as good as your last project, sale, or accomplishment.  Gone are the days of company loyalty, the only person/company you need to loyal to is you!  In today’s world everyone is expendable and in order to get to the next level in your career you must be willing to step out of the comfort zone “The driving force of a career must come from the individual.” Somehow this has been forgotten.   I can’t tell you how many people that I speak with that have no idea how they got into certain situations; laid off, dead end job, bored and unhappy. When they get to this place it is often to late.

You can no longer have an old stale resume; you need to stand out, differentiate yourself from the pack, be an army of one!  You can do this through personal branding cheap, easy and free.  Below are 5 easy ways to do this.

1.       Have a killer Linked In profile- listing your professional and personal accomplishments.  Make sure you have a professional picture and don’t be afraid to expose your accomplishments. It is also a great place to post relevant topics about your career or passion and be an expert. (It is important to do daily or weekly updates so that you stay top of mind)

2.       Build a Linked In group- This is a great way to get people to join your tribe.  Being connected with similar minded individuals is key for personal and professional success. I have 3 major ones that I run. (Executive Athletes, Boston Banking and Financial Services Professionals, Global Fintech and Specialty Finance)  Feel free to join any of them.

3.       Build your own website with your name as the domain name. This is becoming critical as less and less domain names are available.  Every single professional should own their domain name (You can get them at godaddy.com cheap.) You can make your website as elaborate or as simple as possible, use the following site building tools with relative ease: Wix, Wordpress, and Weebly. You can take a look at mine built on Weebly at www.kenlubin.net

4.       Build a Professional Facebook Group:  This will reach a different demographic and it helps your search engine ranking. https://www.facebook.com/KenLubinExecutiveRecruiter

5.       Do something cool: Don’t just put what you do professionally on your profile or site. Talk about what you are passionate about; art, sports, business, sailing, anything that gets your blood flowing.  There is no better way to connect with others than with those who have similar interests. (Watch Walter Mitty) Check out www.executiveathletes.com

You need a way to be recognized, to be out in the world and if your place of employment  or local news outlet isn't going to recognize you, you need to do it yourself!

The key to career success is making yourself unforgettable, doing the hard projects, willingness to be creative, and taking initiative.

Stand out, be different and brand yourself.

I can be reached at klubin@zrgpartners.com if you have any questions or comments.  

Where has the notion gone that hard work is no longer necessary?  Have we created a society that has minimized hard work? Have we created a society of entitlement?


Recently I have witnessed multiple generations of people that think everything should be handed to them; From 14 year olds to 40 year olds, I don’t get it!  Mediocrity is a disease that stems from the lack of hard work, where has the notion gone that we don't have to work hard? 


Work when you competition is sleeping, work when others are partying, and work towards your goals! (assuming you have some, if not get some)


 If you want to be great, you have to work harder, learn more, and be willing to delay instant gratification;  that is what makes the great ones great!  Work your ass off and be the best you can be, don’t stand for status quo!  be the 1% who do, vs the 99% who don’t! ~Ken

Quitting is the easy part.  What comes after is far worse than the pain you were in when you decided to quit.
 
When you quit you are looking for the immediate gratification of the pain stopping, looking for the feeling that you are done and don’t need to keep going on.  And if feels good!  It feels better than anything else; for about 30 min, but what comes next is far worse.
 
Your brain goes into overdrive.  The questions start to come, what could I have done differently, or asked for help on, or just had some more patience. See quitting is often a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The mind or body is saying that you don’t deserve this, or that it is too hard, or why does this only happen to me. When in fact, it happens to everyone.  The comfort zone is a strange thing.  It allows you to exist and  doesn’t want you to push further.  When people get out of their comfort zone the first instinct is to quit; they say this is too hard.  When in fact they haven’t figured out an alternative; many times this is just the beginning to greatness.
 
As a headhunter, coach and athlete I have seen many people, including myself, quit something because it was too hard for the moment.  When in reality it may be too hard for an hour, a day, a month, a year.  But what most people don’t realize is that no matter how bad something is, it will always end.  I can’t tell you how many people I have spoken with that have quit their jobs because their boss wasn’t nice to them, or that they didn’t feel like they were getting compensated enough, or that the work is too hard; but then go through the pain of trying to find another role and can’t.  You know why, because people don’t want to hire quitters.
 
When you go on interview and the hiring manager asks you the reason you aren’t working what do you say?  Think about it.  There is always some excuse, but in reality it is because you didn’t  endure.  You are a quitter and that screws with your psyche.  You no longer have an income, your identity is no longer intact and then you start realize what you had wasn’t that bad.    
 
When you quit, you are no longer in control, you are on defense.  When you are on defense you have lost your power, you become desperate and take a step back, rather than a step forward and settle for something that you wouldn’t normally settle for.  Does it feel good to settle? Does it make you proud to say that you quit?  When you look back on your previous role you begin to realize it wasn’t as bad as you made it out to be. 
 
Think about how good you feel if had endured a hard battle, think about how proud you would feel if you outlasted your boss, your client, or your role.  Right when you are about to quit, realize that many times, that glory is one more step away.  Remember that it is always the darkest before the dawn!  

Ken
​klubin@zrgpartners.com 

​This is a personal accountability and responsibility question.  If you walked out the door for an interview, sales call, or even a date, this is a question you must ask yourself.

How do you look? Is your story dialed in?  How is your attitude? Are you likable? Are you willing to do what it takes, no matter what? Do you make excuses?  Have you done all of your homework on the hiring manager, company, team? Are all the boxes checked off so that you will be remembered as a person they must hire or do a deal with? 
 
I know it is a different way of thinking, but now it is on your shoulders.  I know for me, this is an opportunity to be better prepared to win.  If I look in the mirror on my way out the door and I am not ready to have a definitive yes, it is time to adjust so that I am. 
 
Before your next interview, sales call, yearly review, or date, ask yourself this very important question,

Would You Hire you?

Ken

Do you follow the masses or are you on your own path?

If you follow everyone else, you will be just like everyone else; those statistics are scary:

1.    The average American is overweight 

2.       Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day; only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week

3.    The average American thinks the government's number-one priority should be to help keep and create jobs in America 

4.    The average American watches 2 hours and 49 minutes of television a day.

5.    The average American is Divorced

6.    The average American hasn't finished college

I don’t know about you, but looking at what everyone else does is frightening . In the US we have accepted mediocrity, laziness, and sub par performances as normal; this needs to change.

Everyone says that they want to be rich, beautiful, healthy, and happy but are not willing to work for it!  We have developed a world of instant gratification and laziness and that isn't working. On average our kids will live 5 years less than us, be more broke, and won’t be able to live up to the standard of living they are used to unless we change what average is.  To be better than average we need to work hard, be focused, get off the couch and be role models for the next generation.  

Let’s get the world to see beyond average!

Ken