Latest Posts

Start by hitting it down the fairway

Published by Colin Nanka

Even for one of the best golfers of all time, that was the advice he followed on the first hole. If you can hit it down the center of the fairway to start the final round, it makes everything else easier.

He last won a major golf championship (of the years 4 big tournaments) over 10 years ago! This will go down as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history!

Two things said about his performance:

  • “I did all the small things right today. Small things lead to big things.”
  • He used “controlled aggression in his approach.” Not too risky but leaning on his competitors.

A couple of good lessons useful for all phases of performance.

Defeat Average this week.

Colin

Perform like a champion

Published by Colin Nanka

“Success is often gained by not doing battle, the strategy is as much in knowing what not to do as it is in knowing what to do.”
– Sun-Tzu

Excerpt from the “The Way of the Champion by Jerry Lynch” NCAA Championship Coach and Sports Psychologist.

“An accomplished jazz musician once told me that truly good music is the result of the space between the notes. The pause makes it what it is. Musical pauses are not a lack of action; they are an integral part of the action. So it is with your training and work schedule. Getting in good shape, being at your best regardless of your sport or career, is the result of the rest (pause) or space between the intervals of work. Your cellular structure is fragile and requires periods of rest. Like a champion, you need to learn how to massage your mind and body into shape as opposed to excessively forcing or pushing it there.”

Find your time to battle, not battle and enjoy the pauses between the notes.

Defeating Average Daily.

Colin

Clear is kind, unclear is unkind

Published by Colin Nanka
Tough conversations are critical to your success as a leader. It’s a combination of empathy, aligning on values and being courageous on a conversation.

Brene Brown spoke to our company earlier this month and as she shared “Clear is kind, unclear is unkind.”  We often sugarcoat or give people half truths to make ourselves feel better when giving feedback.

“Not getting clear with a colleague about your expectations because it feels too hard, yet holding them accountable or blaming them for not delivering is unkind.”

Of course, you need to invest in the relationship and build trust to earn the right to give feedback.

Be Clear.

Defeating the Average within.

Colin

When your odds are 42 to 1…you should just go home

Published by Colin Nanka

On Feb 11, 1990, Buster Douglas went to Tokyo, Japan a 42 to 1 underdog against Mike Tyson for the boxing heavyweight championship of the world.

I was a big Tyson fan when I was younger, most of my friends were. There was just something about his awesome power in the ring and the show he put on. I remember where I was and the moment I realized Tyson was in trouble.

Most people don’t know Douglas’ back story and that his father was an ironclad contender in the middleweight division. Buster lived in the shadow of his father’s legend in the ring for much of his life. His mother was his rock. On this night, he lived up and came out of his shadow.

ESPN and the 30 for 30 sports franchise just released the unknown story of Buster Douglas in 42 to 1.

If you have ever felt like you haven’t quite lived up to your potential (spoiler, we all do) or there is a championship sequel that you need to write, this is an hour worth spending.

Defeat the Average within.

Colin

Five things I learned prepping for company kickoff

Published by Colin Nanka

“Does everyone know how to properly use a handheld microphone”, Angela on my team asked? One hour before we were presenting in front of 300 people. The good thing was most of our people had presented in front of large audiences before, but a couple had not!

Presenting in front of hundreds of people with a large team is like coordinating a stage production. You need to know where everyone is going to be at all times, with the right words, singing along to the same theme song and making it a unique experience for each person in the audience.

For those of you in the chorus, behind the scenes or is in your future plans…some considerations:

The Visuals – Get your messaging right and make sure it ties to your theme throughout. Have an objective 3rd party not in the show give you feedback can be helpful.

The Choreography – Know who is coming onto the stage, when and what they are going to perform and who they hand off too. You can never practice too many times or test their readiness!

Sound Check – Have you checked video quality, the handoff to opening speaker, and do people know how to use the microphone? Have you checked in with the team prior?

Sit in the crowd – You know how it feels to sit in a theatre performance that just isn’t clicking. Have you sat in the seat of your audience, tried on their persona and challenged your own performance? What do you want them to leave with, to experience?

The Dress Rehearsal – Everyone practices on their own in front of the mirror, with your partner in the studio, and with the entire group on stage.

As the director, you are responsible for it all!

Break a leg.

Colin

Schedule Your Inspiration

Published by Colin Nanka

If you don’t schedule it, it may not happen.

I find my best days are when I connect with mentors, growth mindset peers or people I am mentoring. I have learned over time that life gets really busy and before you know it, 6 months have passed and you have not connected with some people that really inspire you.

I schedule in bi-weekly and monthly meetings with these type of people so that every week I have inspiring conversations to look forward to.

February Challenge – Schedule your inspiration.

Defeating Average Daily.

Colin

The truly civilized man is marked by empathy

Published by Colin Nanka

“The truly civilized man is marked by empathy.”

– Malcolm Kerr, from a collection of Essays 1967 (and Father of Steve Kerr, NBA Coach)

Whether you are a fan of the Golden State Warriors or not, NBA legendary player and coach has a lot to teach. This is a great conversation where he talks about what he learned from USC and Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carrol about how he learned to be a great coach, after leaving his first NFL job.

Listen to Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors Head Coach from Finding Mastery: Conversations with Michael Gervais in Podcasts.

Also, hear about why having a vision is only the start of the journey. Have a vision, share the vision and allow it to shift from the input. Instilling values, bringing everyone along and reflecting on them daily has been a critical learning for Steve and his team.

More great nuggets, highly recommend.

Have a great week.

Colin

92% of New Years Resolutions Fail and Here is Why

Published by Colin Nanka

92% of New Year Resolutions fail and this is why

Resolution is defined as:
 
a firm decision to do or not to do something.

Synonyms: The intention, resolve, decision, intent, aim, plan; more

Resolution is the inspiration, decision, the intention to make a positive change….and the achievement of that change are in Action, Commitment, Discipline.

 

Commitment is either on or off like an old computer program 1 (True) or 0 (False).

How do you help fulfill a commitment to yourself?

When the goal or habit gets tough, know who and what are in your corner.

What is your why behind the goal? Is it strong enough? 

  • I find thinking through and writing this out is helpful

Who are you accountable to?

  • It needs to be more than yourself. 
  • Your partner? Are their people you can collaborate with that are looking for a similar outcome? 

How are you getting momentum on your goal?

  • What is one small thing you can do today? Email somebody and tell them, or book a meeting.
  • One big thing you can do towards it? Take all the junk out of your cupboard today.

What are the potential obstacles you may encounter?

  • When you think through what could derail you, you have a better chance of overcoming when it actually happens.
  • Think about the satisfaction of sticking to a goal and how it will make you feel.

After a whirlwind tour around the world and much celebrating in the last couple months, I will be taking a break from wine in the month of January…and may be reaching out to a few of you to help hold me accountable!

To your best year ever.

Colin