A Whisper to a Scream

The first few drops preceding a summer rain storm in the north east are often times heard before seen or felt. Densely packed leafy trees invite the falling water scouts to perk up our ears as they race to earth pinball style. It's often only upon tuning to our awakened senses of the increased humidity, darkened skies, and textured colors of impacting rain do we scoot to cover or toss on a coat sheltering ourselves from the impending natural shower.

A keen observer, however, open to all their senses knows the army is coming from the shifting winds, darkened skies, sticky skin and scent of moisture even before the clouds above consider tossing down their musicians to tap out a tune on the trees below. The simplest moments stitched together empower awareness to see the whisper become the scream, to enjoy the notes played upon the leaves as those early droplets dance to the ground before they actually begin their song.Simple elements of being in the moment are easy when we are on Walden Pond, but amidst Modern Multitasking Mania how do we retain the ability to connect the whispers that often lead to screams, both good and bad? Instead of hearing, smelling, seeing and maybe even touching indicators of the quickly approaching drench we carry multiple what-if protectors that numb owning the responsibility of moment by moment stitching. A buxom blond, or befuddled comb over city slicker forecasts for rain and without even acknowledging that they are right less than 50% of the time we rush to grab our jackets, umbrellas and plan routes for wet travel.




Some feign surprise when the sun shines all day and we are left shuttling our accoutrement's back to where we could have left them had we done our own evaluation using the tools at our disposal. Yea, it's nice to see Doppler radar on the 42" plasma, but how about reconnecting with the senses that every lesser intelligent beast possesses on our planet when rain is about to come...Dogs know, cats know, cows even change the direction they face when wet weather approaches.

Why have we collectively negated owning those moment by moment evaluations of our chosen environment, our chosen life? Not sure about the societal tendancies for this. Maybe it has to do with the exponential population growth in the past 40 years.
Maybe the disconnect is due to the explosion of information sharing that is mostly incomplete, like the weather persons view of how the day may unfold, or may not. I can only guess.

What I do posess is the ability to own my stitching efforts. Own being in the moment. Own my decisions. Own the impact of those decisions. Own the outcomes whether a whisper or a scream of my stitched together moments. It is through this life long ownership that I will always maintain control, not of the world around me, but rather how I respond to the world and apply myself to any given situation as my own.
A rain drop hits a leaf and I am surprised by the gentle popping sound it makes. Well, if I chose to not pay attention to the darkening sky, and rising stickiness on my skin then the surprise is welcomed, and embraced. If, however, I get irritated that the rain is coming and my preparation is poor, then shame on me for not hearing a whisper to a scream.

Change whispers

First whisper of change comes with a sense of unease, followed by indifference, then resistance, ultimately defiance, which inhibits teamwork and joy in ones work. The whisper that finally becomes a bellow leads to full scale action. A necessity of change not only for the welfare of one, but for the welfare of all within ones impact crater.

Robert Burns wrote,
"The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!"


He wrote those lines as part of a poem that flowed from his powers of observation after destroying a mouse nest while plowing a field. What's this got to do with change? Well, I say bad move on the mouse....It resisted acknowledging the changing environment that it's home was built within and paid the price. Farmer Burns destroyed it, and then the mouse had to move as a result of destruction; unprepared, ill equipped and probably at great cost to it's family.

Not changing for the welfare of a dream is a lesson worth experiencing. The mouse had to of seen the field under construction but obviously enjoyed being so close to the food and the water. Well, young tailed rodent, unheeded risks to live the dream led to your demise.

The metaphor here, on a personal level, is tied to taking the risk of breaking my three quantifiers tied to a dream job or career.

Great product-easy to investigate
Great customer base-one builds within the career one chooses selling the product that was investigated.
Great leadership-is least likely to change just because one loves what one does---high risk when it does not meet the litmus test.



Enter at ones own risk and with eyes wide open when a scheme is laid out that goes against ones instincts. Be ever observant of ones self so when the need for change wafts by in the shadows it is quickly partnered with to preclude the wasted time traveling the path from unease to defiance.

Defiance has passed, change is embraced, and now the litmus test is back in action. Who shall I bring value, passion, loyalty, commitment, sacrifice for the risk of reward to next?

...tbc...

Daily World

Disclaimer….nothing in this daily update may even come to reality….or….it may already be reality….or it might become reality with time, more thought, and discussion with the team…Disclaimer

Daily report-1

Communication
Proposition. How do I manage the perception of broken communication regarding updates and team direction? Solution. A daily update of thoughts, possibilities and concepts to create awareness of what has been, currently is, or could become. The potential for a dead end is real, as is the potential for some thoughts that will not become any more than just that, thoughts.
Proposition. How do I manage the routine implosion of emails. Intent, perceptions, and the potential for threads to get way off target before the root of the first email even gets addressed has been very real since early in the birth of our store. Solution. Let’s limit all emails to those that ask a question with only a numerical answer, a yes answer or a no answer. If a sentence involves the ingredients that could lead to misinterpretation then that means a phone call or in person visit is prudent. I think this would lead to more personal interaction resulting in better resolution to all our situations that require problem resolution.
I think if I can facilitate daily updates of observations, directional insights, and other areas that will impact future decisions there might become awareness that I don’t make decisions in the dark, quite opposite actually. I make decisions based on repeated observations tied to the wisdom that is garnered from those around me and my own base of experience.

Teamwork
Teamwork from my perspective relates to the ability of a group to do more collectively than the sum total the individuals efforts. I expect team members to voice opinions but upon doing so acknowledge that once a direction is taken that support is rendered for that direction.
Teamwork only happens with trust, shared responsibility, sacrifice, and acknowledgement that what is best for the team is more important than what is good for the individual.
I am at a loss at the conclusion of today’s session regarding how to better build camaraderie than to put together these observations and thoughts in an effort to show complete desire to make all our interaction better than what it is now.
Proposition. Group interaction will spur group communication, which will invoke trust and ultimately a strong team. Solution. Weekly meetings will be a reality. The time will fall between Monday and Thursday given Friday through Sunday are busiest of times at the store and in the field.

Processes
Proposition. The end result of our journey to a team of booking coordinators and event facilitators will empower all of us to balance life and pursuit of professional development at Sports Basement. Solution. I will keep the direction as clear as possible given the inherent challenging nature of change.
I always take a moment and reflect on day to day efforts with my eye on the long term ball which is to have a team working together for the success of the store by bringing as many new customers through the door from all walks of life within the communities that surround our location.

Personnel
There are changes that have occurred. ML is a coordinator who is hourly compensated covering triathlon and back country. She works parallel with PM. DH is a coordinator who is hourly compensated covering PT/Chiropractic. DH is managed by BB, reports to BB, is rated by BB. BB is overall responsible for success not only in her channels but also those of DH’s , PT and Chiropractic. BR is Event Lead, responsible for developing the concept of event facilitation through the remainder of this quarter so that by 3rd quarter the coordinators have complete confidence in the execution of their booked events without having to attend the events in person.

Supplies
Proposition. Convergence of suppliers will streamline expenses and reduce the burden of supplying events. Solution. Costco is a great option. Tying the employee food order into the event supply order has been a thought on my mind for months, but have not had the opportunity to act upon it. Now that we have Ben in place the process can get engaged for possible execution.

Paperwork
Next round of expense reports are due on the 3rd of May. The deadline for this round was today.

Performance
Proposition. The team is performing well despite the interpersonal havoc that occurs on a daily basis. Solution. Keep working potential solutions to the interpersonal challenges and at the same time keep eye on the performance ball, one and all. This means that everyone needs the opportunity to see daily sales reports, tied to our codes in the system.
Proposition. Awareness of daily sales will allow individual awareness of efforts within channels.
Solution. Every week use the newest, simplified tool to account for our contact lists and our customer tracking to raise awareness of the team status. We will open every weekly meeting with this, and then go into the review of upcoming weeks events followed by an open dialogue about whatever needs to be discussed given the state of the store on that given week.

Disclaimer….nothing in this daily update may even come to reality….or….it may already be reality….or it might become reality with time, more thought, and discussion with the team…Disclaimer

Geez, what a job does to the blogging time...

Well, All of October and November was spent working seven days a week at my new gig. Marketing manager at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek is a hoot, but full of time requirements. Not a hard job, but a time consuming one. More to follow on all fronts, including the completion of my IMC adventure way back in August. I still have the bike and the run to share from a racers perspective, just might have to jog a few memory cells to regurgitate the good with the ugly of the day. Until then, just a little notification that I am hosting two parties at the Basement in the coming weeks.

1-December 9th at the WC Basement, 2pm till ???, complimentary food, drink (alcoholic and non) along with door prizes and plenty of holiday atmosphere. 20% off all purchases!

2-December 25 at the WC Basement, 4pm till 7:00, holiday turkey and ham dinner, wine, beer, soda, and an ornament exchange. I close christmas eve so I am throwing a party at the store! Another night of 20% off all purchases.

Slick and in the Groove

Walking alone, down a dark path that happens to cut through a cemetery gives most folks the willies. To do so with a large group of people suppresses the willies with the belief that safety lies in numbers.

Transition to an early morning, 62 degree, open water swim, a mile from shore, with 2500 other people and most would rather be alone! The more the less merry. I have done dozens of group open water swim starts, mostly mixing it up with the front of the pack. For this Ironman, however, my plan was was to be the last person in the water, swim to the right of the buoy's, and take my time. The goal was about a 1:14, which is around 10 minutes slower than my typical efforts. My plan called for me to stay very relaxed on the swim and support the plan for my bike and run.

Here we all go! The canon booms, my lips gently touch Sheila's one last time, and off to the waters edge I trod. The orca size eight wetsuit snuggled from neck to ankleswill yet again comfort me with the familiar benefit of buoyancy keeping me hoisted in the most efficient position as my freestyle stroke propels me from start to finish.

My casual saunter at the back of the swimmers gives me the opportunity to view the pack as each athlete transitions from vertical to horizontal at the start of their 2.4 mile entry ticket for Ironman Canada. I walk until the water encompasses both legs up to my hips where I pause, take a relieving pee, and then with a few more steps I tuck my head between raised arms and dive in to feel the water glide from head to toe. The plan is to stay about 5 meters on the right of the buoy line along the first leg of the swim. Most swimmers stay to the left of the buoy. The rules only specify that swimmers take each turn buoy on the right shoulder, it really does not matter what side of the buoys we swim on between turn buoys.

I start my rotation of 10 breaths, sight for direction, adjust and repeat plan. The rhythm it induces relaxes my mind and reminds my body of the training investment for the task at hand. Each cycle of breath-sight-adjust is smooth and without drama. Within 200 yards of the first turn buoy I begin slightly angling toward the left of the boat that marks the first right hand turn. Like driving up an on-ramp to enter rush hour traffic, I surge into the flow of racers and enforce my will upon the group to ensure the movement around the buoy is as swift as possible. I bump, I stall, I shuck and jibe but the craziness is done in less than a minute and I take up my breath-sight-adjust rhythm towards the next turn buoy a mere 400 yards away that will send us all back towards shore.

The trip back to shore is not much different that the outward bound experience. I release my focus on action and let the stroke and rhythmic breathing lead my mind from buoy to buoy. As I pass the first marker, I notice a kayaker to my right that is pacing my movement back towards the beach. She becomes my sighting marker. Her position is just to the right of the buoy line, and she does not waver. I roll over once with a backstroke to see who is behind me and notice 4 swimmers in tight formation tagging along my clean water path. No worries, my stroke is comfortable and clean of thought so I accept the drafting company tight on my heals. I roll back into my freestyle, take a glance to my right, and feel confident of my course as my nameless kayak guide is right where I knew she would be. I feel great about my progress on Ironman #6.

Each buoy comes and goes at the pace of my plan. I get closer and closer to the hotel skyline where the swim ends and the days true physical effort begins. 1000 yards, 800-600-400-200-100 yards, the bottom of the lake comes into focus and I know the swim is almost over. I pause amidst the effort, thank my silent kayak guide for the company, and then take another dozen or so strokes to bring me arm deep water in Lake Okanagan. I tuck my knees, touch a foot down, pair it with my other, and push up as I lift my head. Scott Bergman, Kris Besley, and I all exit at each others shoulders, which is pretty cool considering we all started at different points along the mass of swimmers over 70 minutes earlier. We share congrats for a well done swim and then head towards the finish archway. Before crossing the swim exit, I look for Sheila, who I know will be somewhere near the exit. I find her smile knowing that a rejuvenating kiss awaits my swim weary mind and body. A quick touch of lips, and I am off the sand, touch the grass and the clock records my time just under 1 hour and fifteen minutes.

I pick two volunteers standing away from the mainstream of the swim exodus to get my wetsuit quickly pulled off. Down to the ground, lift the legs, off comes the suit, and up from the ground I come, and gently pointed in the direction of my swim to bike transition bag. All is well thus far. The weather is cool, the sky partly cloudy, and 112 miles await my spinning legs.