It’s impossible to be successful by lying in bed. The best of the best are up early, like they say the early bird gets the worm, it can’t be more true.  Taking action early while the brain is fresh, the coffee is hot and house is quiet is the best time in the world to get anything done. There are no distractions and I am already ahead of the curve.

Also it is hard.  Doing the hard things is what makes the journey of life awesome. No one ever felt proud by doing the easy things.  Doing the hard things is what makes you overcome adversity, makes you feel like you have accomplished great things and doing the hard things is what makes life epic. All the greats of life do the hard things, they make the hard decisions, they use discipline for success.  It has been said that discipline creates freedom, that statement couldn’t be more true.  If you are disciplined in all areas of your life and you live to the standards that you set up for yourself you will be victorious but if you don’t ever set your mind up for victory, you will never win. 

Doing the hard things, like getting up at 5am, being authentic, telling someone you love them, stretching, working out, or picking up the phone to make that hard call are difficult at first, but with time they all become easy, they become easier than ever.  Doing the hard things is what makes the journey so much better.  Doing the hard race, or making the hard call, or standing out, or being willing to go first, or sitting at the front of the room or asking the first question or putting yourself out there is how to get things done.  No one ever became successful by just doing the easy things.  Sweeping the floor is easy, making 7 figures every year is hard.  Embrace the hard! 

Ken

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
[email protected]

"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 [email protected] if you have any questions or comments.