Socrates Says

Alex Kraft

January 25, 2022

TESTIMONIALS

Coaches Corner v.03.16.2023

Right before St. Patrick's Day, we have guest writer John Anderson writing Coaches Corner v.03.16.2023: Put Me In, Coach!

Great players and great teams all have one thing in common: they have a coach. It doesn’t matter if it's a team sport or an individual sport, both are comprised of people who are driven, motivated, and among the very best in their sport or field. They have an energy and skill set that enables them to rise to the top. They also have a self-awareness that leads to continuous improvement. Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, and Michael Jordan each had a coach despite being the best in their respective disciplines. Their coaches were able to see, analyze, and offer a perspective based on expertise, experience, outside knowledge, and without being influenced by being in the game.

The same thing happens in business. Having an experienced and knowledgeable coach will elevate a business to a next-level enterprise. It's easy to look at your own company and say you're successful, but it's more important to look at your business and say, "How do we become the best, or remain the best?" Often judgment and decisions are clouded by ego, job security, or just lack of experience. The complexity of operations is compounded by growth and even simple family dynamics.

Thankfully, finding a good coach today is easy. Between 2010 and 2020, a significant part of the workforce retired either by choice or economics. The very best and brightest were offered packages leading to early departure. Often these high performers were also some of the highest paid executives, and cost-cutting won out over logic. So why the exodus? Most were in their 40s and 50s and looking forward to retirement. They were driven for so many years to the top of the food chain that a chance at regaining a work-life balance had real appeal over their $200K + bonus job. Suddenly we had senior executives, innovators, leaders, true entrepreneurs who were pulled from their respective games and left the field of play. We were left with a void in the one area you can't just fix: experience.

Fast forward to a post-pandemic model where many companies are preparing for the next wave of challenges, be they economic growth or recession-related. Companies are operating without business and spiritual coaches. Teams are being reassembled under a new dynamic but without the experience factor. Middle managers are now expected to be the leaders. Without coaches, they are destined to make big mistakes, micro-manage the less dedicated workforce, stifle creativity, and curb innovation. Why not bring in the experience at a fraction of the cost, as a resource to help navigate without the commitment of a $300K hired gun.

Today you can find a coach who has walked in your shoes for 20 years. They have led multimillion or even billion-dollar businesses. They have connections and wisdom learned from mistakes that you don’t have to make. They do not want your job. They only want to help you succeed. A good coach can offer a completely different viewpoint without the fear of losing a job or political influence. A coach isn't in the game, so don’t expect them to be calling plays or making shots. Their role is to coach people, situations, and decisions to improve your organization. Imagine having a successful entrepreneur with 30 years of experience sitting beside you during your business planning sessions or having a superstar sales exec sitting in on your weekly sales team meetings. What about navigating an acquisition or going public? These are potentially life-changing events that you would never do without counsel or coaches.

Finding a coach is easy these days. People who left the workforce early have played enough golf, traveled when they wanted, caught up on familial responsibilities, and are just waiting for the phone to ring. They relish the idea of working and contributing more than getting a big paycheck. Often times, the cost of a coach is less than an entry-level employee, but having access to that knowledge is priceless. They look forward to working a few days a week or even a few hours every day. Getting a coach is easy. Accepting coaching is harder and what will elevate you to a champion.

In conclusion, having a business coach can be a game-changer for your organization. Great players and teams all have coaches for a reason, and the same applies to businesses. Having an experienced and knowledgeable coach will elevate your business to a next-level enterprise. With the abundance of highly skilled coaches available today, finding one that fits your needs and budget is easier than ever. A coach can provide a fresh perspective, offer guidance and advice, and help navigate challenging situations. Don't let ego, job security, or lack of experience cloud your judgement and decision-making. Embrace coaching and take your business to new heights.

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March 16, 2023

FRIDAY FILOSOPHY v.10.15.2021

In the last two decades with the arrival of social media and their platforms we have started to see various new challenges to one of our most fundamental rights; the Freedom of Speech. These quotations and thoughts should provoke some thinking on this subject. It is very critical to our lives and our future that we protect our rights.

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent, we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. George Washington

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. Albert Camus

It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men. Samuel Adams

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. Peter Marshall

Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen. Warren E. Burger

Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. Pope John Paul II

'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded. Friedrich August von Hayek

It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. Voltaire

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. Ronald Reagan

When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free. Charles Evans Hughes

A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom. Bob Dylan

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect. Eleanor Roosevelt

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. Nelson Mandela

The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. Patrick Henry

Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don't believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others. Coretta Scott King

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist. Salman Rushdie

What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long. Thomas Sowell

The Time is Now.

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October 15, 2021