Month: December 2013

Number two on the list of best things I learned during 2013:

Taking Action – July 4, 9 a.m. I’m trimming shrubs. An SUV slowly circles our cul de sac. The driver searches for something. Perhaps a lost dog. I walk over to his car. “Have you seen a 13-year-old boy in a green shirt on a scooter?” I shake my head. “Our son is autistic. He was in the driveway. This has never happened.” Let me help. I knock on five doors. One neighbor is home. We jump in our cars and start driving streets. I pass four policemen doing the same. One hour later. No sign of the missing child. I head home. In front of our house, the father talks with my wife. The boy is safe with his mother. Found three miles away. At a shopping center. We shake hands. Tears build in the man’s eyes. He leaves. Two days later a Starbucks gift card appears in our mailbox with a note: “David… Thank you for not hesitating to get involved in finding Andrew. ~ Chris”.

The third best lesson I learned last year:

Bright Future – Kyle and I attended the Shell Houston Open in March. We followed a rookie who played at our favorite university. There were 12 people walking with us. The throngs were elsewhere, tracking Phil and Rory. The object of our attention – here on a sponsor exemption since he didn’t have a Tour card – sprayed the ball all over the place, scrambled to a 70 and would eventually finish T-50. A few months later, though, he made history by becoming the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since 1931. For the year, he earned nearly $4 million, finished 10th on the money list and made the Presidents Cup. Keep an eye on this talented 20-year-old in his burnt orange polo. Golf’s next superstar might be Jordan Spieth.

Here is lesson #4 for 2013:

Tough Guys – One of my current projects is shadowing crew leaders for the company that oversees the electric grid in Houston. This allows for ‘in the moment’ feedback on how they interact with direct reports and team members. I have gained tremendous respect for head linemen, journeymen, apprentices and helpers: unsung heroes who work in high-risk situations in all kinds of weather. While you enjoy Christmas morning, some will be away from their homes repairing downed power lines and getting the lights back on. Spare a thought for their safety.

Each December, my newsletter is a count down of the Top 10 Things I learned during the year. Here is #5 for 2013:

Power Surge – Turn on the switch. Your lights come on. Oil prices rise. You pay more for gas. It snows in Cairo. You think about climate change. So that I could better understand the world’s energy challenges, this fall I completed all 30 sessions of the UTx online course “Energy 101.” It was a terrific experience – with videos, interactive tools and reading materials. I captured 22 pages of notes and discovered much about energy. Maybe you should explore a MOOC that interests you.

Number 6 on the best things I learned last year:

Immediate Opportunity – At a tailgater, I was talking college football with a man I hadn’t met before. When I told him what I do, he said, “I have a coach – Marshall Goldsmith.” Wow! That’s the most successful executive coach in the country, and I was curious to find out how he approaches the craft, so I said, “What’s the best question, he ever asked you?” The reply revealed brilliance: “Once he stopped me cold in my tracks by saying, ‘When is the last time you asked your wife how you could be a better husband? Do that tonight, then ask your employees tomorrow how you can be a better boss.'” Afterward, my buddy told me I had been speaking with the CFO of the world’s largest company.