Thoughts on mortality, bulalo on my rice and my unhappy liver

"I've been in denial that I am already over 40 by eating like I was 14 years old."

That's what I answered my friend, EJ, when he asked me what happened to me. Today was my first official visit to a work site (a seminar we were holding at the Linden Suites called "Developing Customer Service Superstars" with EJ McKnight. No, he's not the brother of the singer, Brian MKnight....).

I am actually just 42. But I have been quite remiss in taking care of my own health. I've been taking care of business, taking care of my wife, writing books, taking care of our new baby, Joshua, taking care of other stuff.... But when it comes to my health it's really a simple formula for me. Eat what you want in moderation. So far, that has been good in keeping my weight in check, but not for my liver and stomach. When I go out with my Godsons -- Matt, Bam, Bruce -- and my Goddaughter, Chava -- I eat what they eat. Pepperoni Pizza, Sisig, Lechon, Crispy Pata.... When I go out with my Dgroup boys, we pig out on Bulalo. Sometimes, I ask the waitress for an extra serving of bone marrow fat to spread out on my rice.

My simple remedy would be to double up on my supplements to "burn" the extra fat. But that seemingly doesn't work. Duh....(But wait. My wife takes care of me and doesn't have any pork in the house. We eat just fish and chicken and veggies. The only thing is that we have nasty-to-the-liver sleeping habits. It's lights off usually by 1am or 2am.)

My antibiotic-pill-popping days have also come to haunt me. When I was in Ateneo, living in the dorm, I would just pop my stash of antibiotics when the first threat of a cough or cold would come. Never mind if it were just viral. (And you know you are not supposed to take antibiotics for the flu. But I did it all the time.) My liver, I imagine, wasn't very happy with that.

Now, I've been sick and trying to recover for the past two weeks. I have stayed put like a hermit in our condo. I had sleep hyper hydrosis. (That's super sweating it out in the night during my sleep. Think of 5 pajama changes in one night.) I had cough, headaches, LBM, clogged ears... But what worried me were the night sweats because the headaches and cough did come to pass.

My blood analysis shows that my liver is not functioning like it should. My spleen is also affected. And there are other page long details that would bore you.

I changed my diet. Went to a clinic for detoxing. I also went on a fasting and cleansing program for the past 7 days ... and I feel much, much better.

The point is...I am 42 and I have to start practising what I preach and write about in my book, The Heart of Healing. The Lord is continually trying to teach me humility and I am a hard headed student.

Faced with the prospect of getting worse and yes, maybe a shorter life span, thoughts of my lessons to my Tuesday group come back to me...

"What would you do if you had two weeks to live?"

I then ask my group to come up with a list of at least 12 things. Then we study the wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes.

I have my list tacked on the cork board fronting my desk. Time to read it again, just in case. I don't plan to go anywhere, but it's not a bad idea to live your day as if it were going to be your last. Because, as one wise man once said, "someday it is going to be."

Videocast session 3 a success

We just finished the 3rd run of the Maxwell Videocast yesterday, October 27, 2008, and it seems that people want more. Check out www.saltandlightventures.net for announcements.

How to Lead Change

By John Maxwell

How can Ford Motor Company recover from declining sales and a diminished image? How can a troubled financial sector right the ship after an onslaught of home foreclosures? How can airlines escape their perpetual flirtations with bankruptcy?

In his classic text, Leading Change, John Kotter offers timeless insights into the mechanics of change. In particular, he explores the following eight fundamental qualities of successful change leadership.

This week, I give my space to my friend, author of Leading Change, John Kotter.

The 8 Qualities of successful change leadership

by John Kotter

#1 - Establish a sense of urgency

Wise leaders realize that people have an aversion to change. Unless prodded to make adjustments, most people won't budge from business as usual. Since leaders are likely the first ones to sense the need for change, they must convey a sense of urgency by convincingly identifying the threats of staying the same.

#2 - Gather a guiding coalition

Before making the case for change to the entire organization, a leader should persuade fellow influencers of its necessity. In every company, a small group of stakeholders lay claim to a majority of the influence. Unless a change agent rallies these key decision-makers to his side, he will have difficulty garnering enough momentum to shift the organization.

#3 - Create vision

Before launching a movement for change, it's essential to formulate a compelling vision to support it. The vision should clearly spell out the rationale for making a change, and it should paint a picture of the preferred future that will arise as a result of the change. On a practical note, the vision should be refined and simplified until it can be shared in five minutes or less.

#4 - Communicate vision

Human emotions tend to be drawn toward the discomfort and inconveniences of change. For this reason, it's critical to make every effort to communicate the value of change. Leaders too readily fear repeating themselves when they should be more afraid of their people misinterpreting the vision or losing sight of it.

#5 - Empower others to act on the vision

First and foremost, build margin for change. People's responsibilities continue in addition to their involvement in major change initiatives. Give them space to internalize the change and readjust their focus. Changing is a difficult endeavor. Be sure ample resources, meetings, and man-hours are being devoted to make it happen.

#6 - Plan for and create short-term wins

Oftentimes, the scale of a needed change can be overwhelming. Whittle it down into bite-sized bits, and be sure to celebrate every milestone accomplished. Build upon small, short-term victories to infuse the team with momentum so that they can carry out the full extent of the desired changes.

#7 - Consolidate improvements to extend change

At first, changes are fragile. They need nourishment and protection in order to take root in the organization. Be vigilant of hard-fought changes, and recognize that many of them will take years to be fully ingrained in the organization.

#8 - Institutionalize new approaches

As the best leaders know, change is not a once-in-awhile proposition. The process of change is ongoing. When leaders manage change effectively, they gain respect and earn the right to craft a culture where change is a regular, even welcome, aspect of the organization.

For more insights from John Kotter, pick up a copy or his book, Leading Change, or stop by http://www.johnkotter.com

For information on John Maxwell's Leadership seminars, please email inspiredalex@gmail.com. Text MAXWELL ON to 4632 (Smart) to get daily SMS leadership insights from John Maxwell.

Patience

This is my quote for the week. Hope you enjoy it.

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." - Margaret Thatcher

Lessons from Basketball's Greatest Coach

(By John Maxwell)

At 97 years of age, John Wooden is a legend in the coaching profession. In 1999, ESPN named him The Greatest Coach of the 20th Century.

The list of honors garnered by Coach Wooden during his coaching career is unrivaled.

• Over the course of twelve years, his UCLA Bruins basketball teams won ten NCAA Championships, including an astonishing seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. For comparison's sake, no other men's coach has won more than 4 NCAA titles.
  
  
• He led his teams to four undefeated seasons; no other coach has had more than one undefeated season.
  
  
• His teams set a record by winning 88 games in a row, including 38 in a row in the NCAA Tournament.

Winning: More than the score

After glancing at Coach Wooden's record, a person may be misled into thinking Coach Wooden was a man preoccupied with winning. However, nothing could be further from the truth. For Coach Wooden, competition was never about comparing his team to the opposing squad. Despite all of the victories, trophies, and championships, Coach Wooden never spoke to his team about winning.

John Wooden was college basketball's greatest coach because he kept score differently than any other coach. Rather than measuring success in terms of wins and losses, he focused relentlessly on potential and improvement. Coach Wooden would grow livid if his players loafed when the team was ahead by 20 points, and he could be thrilled with his team's performance - even when they lost by 20 points.

Leadership Application: When businesses focus exclusively on market share or the bottom line, they run the risk of overlooking or undervaluing the people, processes, and systems that drive results.

Practice: Not perfection, but preparation

When questioned by reporters about missing team practices, current NBA star Allen Iverson gave a disdainful tirade on the pettiness of practice. "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game... how silly is that?"

For many sports fans, Iverson's comments were emblematic of the arrogance and me-first attitude of an athlete in the National Basketball Association. If nothing else, his words revealed his underlying attitude: I'm an NBA superstar; I've arrived; I'm good enough to skip practice; practice doesn't matter, it's my performance on game day that counts.

To John Wooden, such an attitude would have been reprehensible. Coach Wooden's style was best noted for his keen attention to detail and the rigors of his practice regimen. In his words, "If you prepare properly, you may be outscored but you will never lose. You always win when you make the full effort to do the best of which you're capable."

For Coach Wooden, winning happened when the stands were empty and the spectators absent. He loved the day-by-day discipline of practice. By convincing his team to give their best effort at practice, he coached them to perform at a higher level than opponents. As a result, he enjoyed unprecedented success when games were played and championships were on the line.

Leadership Application: Challenge your people to give top effort every day, and prepare to the point of excess. If you don't tolerate sloppiness when the team prepares, then they will perform better in pressure situations.

Peak Performers: More than Talent

John Wooden gained an advantage over other coaches because he had a superior method of selecting players. While most recruiters scoured high school gyms solely in search of talent and athleticism, Coach Wooden began his search from a different vantage point.

When selecting players, Coach Wooden's primary consideration was the student's transcript. For him, a student's discipline in the classroom spoke volumes about the young man's priorities. Coach Wooden wanted players who recognized their primary responsibility was to earn a college degree rather than excel on the court.

When evaluating potential recruits, John Wooden's second criterion was the student's family life. Did the student respect his parents or guardians? Did the student treat his siblings kindly? By looking into a potential player's family life, Coach Wooden measured the player's ability to build healthy relationships. He knew relational skills were essential for establishing teamwork and camaraderie.

John Wooden's third consideration when selecting talent was the composite evaluation of six coaches. He was leery of basing his analysis on a single performance. By diligently consulting the opinion of six coaches, Coach Wooden measured consistency. He wanted to avoid selecting players who gave top effort one night only to withhold it on another evening.

Coach Wooden's final criteria for selecting players were quickness and talent. He wasn't naïve. He knew speed and natural ability were uncoachable and irreplaceable. Even so, he refused to select a player until he felt comfortable with the young man's priorities, relationships, and track record of consistent performance.

Leadership Application: By looking blindly at talent, leaders end up with malcontents who place personal gain above team spirit or talent-rich sluggards who rarely give their best effort. When hiring, consider an interviewee's life priorities, relational history, and career accomplishments. Don't discount talent, but never elevate it as the sole quality in a prospective teammate.

For information on John Maxwell's Leadership seminars, please email us at bingericta@gmail.com or call 813-2049/2732 and ask for Bing Ericta. Text MAXWELL ON to 4632 (Smart) to get daily SMS leadership insights from John Maxwell.

Develop Relationships Before Starting Out

(By John Maxwell)

Leaders often make the common mistake of trying to lead others before developing relationships with them. As you prepare to develop other people, take time to get to know each other. Ask them to share their story with you—their journey so far. Find out what makes them tick, their strengths and weaknesses, their temperaments. And spend some time with them outside the environment where you typically see them. If you work together, then play sports together. If you know each other from church, meet with them at their workplace. If you go to school together, then spend some time together at home.

You can even use this principle with your family. For example, if you spend time with your children outside your everyday environment, you'll learn a lot more about them. It will develop your relationship in ways it hasn't before, and it will help you grow.

Get out of your normal environment today with someone you lead.


Taken from Maximize Your Day by John Maxwell. (Published by OMF Literature, Philippines. Available now at Powerbooks and National Bookstore.)

The Law of Sacrifice

(By John Maxwell)

If you desire to become the best leader you can be, then you need to be willing to make sacrifices in order to lead well. If that is your desire, then here are some things you need to know:

1. There Is No Success Without Sacrifice: Leaders must give up to go up. Talk to leaders, and you will find that they have made repeated sacrifices. Effective leaders sacrifice much that is good in order to dedicate themselves to what is best.

2. Leaders Are Often Asked to Give Up More Than Others: The heart of leadership is putting others ahead of yourself. It's doing what is best for the team. For that reason, I believe that leaders have to give up their rights.

3. You Must Keep Giving Up to Stay Up: If leaders have to give up to go up, then they have to give up even more to stay up. What gets a team to the top isn't what keeps it there. The only way to stay up is to give up even more.

4. The Higher the Level of Leadership, the Greater the Sacrifice:
The higher you go, the more it's going to cost you. And it doesn't matter what kind of leadership career you pick. You will have to make sacrifices. You will have to give up to go up.

Are you willing to give up to go up?

Taken from Maximize Your Day by John Maxwell. (Published by OMF Literature, Philippines. Available now at Powerbooks and National Bookstore.)