Monday Morning Coffee

Monday, May 18, 2015 Good morning, The month of May is college graduation month and this past weekend, the graduating students, now alumni, of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas celebrated the 100 year graduation at the University.  #43, President George W. Bush delivered the commencement speech.  Texans love #43, and let’s face it, most Americans do as well, regardless of their political affiliation. President Bush’s wife, Laura is a graduate of…

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Monday, May 11, 2015 Good morning, I have wanted to share this story for some months now, but have been waiting for the right time. With Mother’s Day yesterday, there is no better time than now. I have a friend named Liz (seriously, this story is not about me!) whose mother’s name was Carol. Ironically, my mother’s name is Carole as well, just spelled different. Liz and I share a friendship that goes back…

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Monday, May 4, 2015 Good morning, In the short 4 months of this year, I have attended 2 funerals of very close friends.  The Celebration of Life  were touching, emotional, memorable, and fitting for each.  The “Celebration” I attended last week, was actually planned and written by the deceased, my dear friend Sherm.  Sherm knew he was dying, and, like the selfless, kind hearted man he was, he wanted to make it…

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Monday, April 27, 2014 Good morning, I had the privilege of attending a standing tradition of Texas A&M University called Muster.   My dear friend Vicki, who is the widow of a friend, confident, coach and mentor of mine invited me and my husband to join her and her son to go to this annual tradition that occurs every year on San Jacinto Day.  If you have ever attended Muster, you understand…

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Monday, April 20, 2015, Good morning, Every now and then you get that opportunity in your life to do something you can’t pass up.  One of those “bucket list” items that you know will be so great.  Last night was one of those times for me. When me friend Karla threw out that initial email that she had tickets to the Academy of Country Music Awards being held in my own…

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Monday, April 6, 2015 Good morning, I have often heard many people confuse Coaching with Mentoring.  If you are one of the many who don’t get the difference, let me share some information with you that will help you separate the two.  “Coaching” is a process, using questions, to help a leader develop new skills or modify behavior.  “Mentoring” is offering advice, when requested, to support a leader’s career goals….

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Monday, March 30, 2015 While reading a recent article in Harvard Business Reivew, I learned a few things about Millennials that I found interesting and worthy of sharing.  Some were obvious, but others were new to me, even though I consider myself pretty hip with several nieces and nephews who keep me “in the know”. Millennials are often maligned for their constant technology use and obsession with the social approval signaled by likes,…

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Monday, March 23, 2016 Good Morning, The power of teamwork wins championships, keeps companies competitive, and raises the effectiveness of a group to more than the sum of its parts. No one said building teamwork was easy, though. Just think about how often we see employees working at cross purposes, draining the strength and cohesiveness of a company. If you lead any kind of team, follow these simple rules to lay the…

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Monday, March 9, 2015 Good morning, I came across an article about Alan Mulally, the former CEO of Ford Motor Co, and thought it deserved sharing.   It is a great example of extraordinary leadership. In 2006  Mulally took over a company that was $12.7 billion in the red and contemplating a federal bailout request.  Only four years later, profits had jumped to $6.6 billion, the most in a decade.  By…

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Monday, February 23, 2015 Good morning, Meetings have long been the butt of jokes in the business world. But they don’t have to be. You can get a lot more done, assuming you follow some basic steps and work with others to get the necessary attention and efforts. Be sure you actually need a meeting.  The biggest problem with meetings is that they have become a default response to many…

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Monday, February 16, 2016 Good morning, Last week we learned that NBC News chief anchor Brian Williams appears to have been stretching the truth. His employer has confirmed that it is investigating Williams’ statement that he was in a helicopter in Iraq in 2003 that was hit by enemy fire and forced out of the air. It seems that, much like a good fish story, Williams’ story about the helicopter…

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Monday, February 9, 2015 Good morning, Where does a winning team get its mojo?  When we think of sports, we often attribute success to wildly inspirational leaders. These are the coaches whose legendary speeches inspire teams to break down doors and win championships. However, while we can all appreciate these high-octane, “this is our moment message, inspirational leadership need not be so over-the-top. In your company, fist pumping and a…

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