Be Yourself
Recently, a direct report confronted me on items pertaining to my leadership since the beginning of the year. Ending 2018 with a 360 review of myself, and sort of the same thing for the company in general, I began 2019 with increased intensity. “You are not being yourself,” this person said. They went on to […]
3 reasons I am embracing a “Digital Declutter”
As I admitted in last week’s post, I am living a distracted life. The question then is what I am going to do about it? Before going further, I need to state that the most helpful resource on this subject matter has been Cal Newport’s, Digital Minimalism, that came out a few months ago. Between […]
How the Masters Exposed My Distracted Life
The Masters golf tournament has always held a special place in my heart because my dad played in it as an amateur in 1984. Augusta National Golf Club is historic, beautiful, and arguably the most peaceful golfing landscape in the world – although Pine Valley would give it a run for its money! I’ve been […]
Calm Down. It is only a bad day.
Sometimes I use this blog to journal and put challenging days into perspective. The following is an example from a couple months ago. Yesterday was a doozy. It felt like one of those days where everyone pointed out everything wrong with Hoffer Plastics, without offering much in terms of solutions. To be fair, I write […]
4 Spring Sports Rules for the Field…and the Office
This winter, Will’s baseball coach held extra indoor hitting practices to get the team prepared for spring ball. Admittedly, I was always a little skittish for him to be practicing in the winter. But he was having fun and demanding to go. But at the last session a few weeks ago, Will was struggling. He […]
You can’t simulate real-life experience
When I was playing competitive golf in high school, my dad would advise that I needed to get off the practice tee and play. While “practicing” had its place, his view was that playing was what mattered most. You can’t simulate real-life experience. I have thought about that lesson a lot so far this year. […]
Everything Can Go Wrong. You Can Still be Thankful!
I suppose the breaking point could have been when the TSA agent pulled Sarah out of line and required additional information to prove she wasn’t taking a child on a plane against their will, which apparently is standard policy whenever they see a “child in distress.” Indeed, Sadie was pitching quite a fit, protesting the […]
Waiting on the World to Change?
I have noticed an alarming trend in society, and even in our business, that can be summed up by what a recent retiree said to me in their exit interview: “It seems like a lot people are waiting for everyone else to do THEIR job.” I can relate to this comment, and unfortunately at times […]
Why it is important to show up!
I begin this post with the reality that I haven’t felt well the last few days. Multiple canker sores, a cold, and sinus issues had me tempted to rest and “work from home” today. But we had a 30th anniversary for one of our Plant Managers, so this was not really an option. I decided […]
