All posts filed under: Gratitude

How do you retain top talent

Published by Colin Nanka

25-40% of people are thinking of quitting their job in the next 6-12 months! Are you one of them? In a recent article published in Axios titled the Great Resignation Wave, surveys show anywhere from 25% to upwards of 40% of workers are thinking about quitting their jobs. Similarly, a UK and Ireland survey found that 38% of employees were planning to leave their jobs in the next six months to a year. Why is that? I’ve read and heard from many people:   The pandemic has really spurred people to think deeply about what is important to them and how they prioritize that They want to be aligned to a company or organization that meets their values They want to be inspired on the mission of what their company does The job market is very hot right now and will no longer will tolerate working for a bad boss   If you are a leader of a team or an aspiring leader, here are some things to think about: People want to know where they …

I used to collect stickers…business stickers

Published by Colin Nanka

Passion, joy and something to look forward to is an anecdote to anxiety. When I was 8 years old, a couple friends and I would call up local businesses and ask if they could send us a few of their business stickers. We got a lot of – what? Pardon? You want what? When I think of it now, it sounds a little absurd. On the other hand, we were very committed. We repeated exactly what we were up to and why we wanted the stickers with no apologies. “We collect business stickers. We have a big album. We have them from all over Alberta.” (My home province in Canada). Shiny ones were the best. Often long haul trucking companies had sparkly ones, even better. Some people would take our address and pop them in the mail. Others would ask us to send them an envelope with return postage. Either was good.  We ended up getting a surprise in the mail and split the stickers. Maybe I am thinking about it more as Tess starts …

Rock Tumbler

Published by Colin Nanka

I had a rock tumbler when I was younger. For those who have not heard of it, it’s a small cylinder that spins or tumbles. You put stones in it with some small pebbles that wear down and smooth your stones.   You leave it running for a few days. When it’s done you have some beautiful smooth stones and you add to your rock collection. I was thinking of this lately and why I enjoyed it. Taking something from rough form Investing in it over time The anxiety and excitement of what will result The reveal and pride in what you produced   It made me think of how people invested in me and now transitioning to how I invest in other people. You have a valuable rough young resource you are responsible for You listen, you coach, you advise  You ride the emotional coaster of some success, failure and growth You graduate someone you manage or mentor into the next state of their career   The stone continues to tumble, get smoother and shine. …

I’m back from PTO and I slowed down!

Published by Colin Nanka

“Pay attention in the present moment. Drink your tea slowly and revelry, as if it’s the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly without rushing towards the future. Live the actual moment, only this moment is life.” – Thich Nhat Hanh   It took me three days on a week-long vacation to SLOW down, rest and restore.  I had naps in the afternoon instead of writing. I meditated longer in the morning instead of rushing to get a workout in. I played in the ocean longer with my daughter Tess, instead of heading to the beach and chunking through the book I was reading. I was less achievement oriented and I feel like I am coming back more rested! I lived more in the moment. I did less, and went deeper.   In the end, what’s it all for? This is one of my daily questions I answer. I spent some time documenting good moments during the days. Something I can refer back to. Hopefully I can bring at least 2%+ more …

Here’s the rarest type of employee—and why they outperform everyone else

Published by Colin Nanka

It was after two years of really great success for me and then two years of failure that had me look in the mirror and reevaluate how I approached business. My secret sauce of being a great hardware seller hit a wall in 2008 when every purchase by customers was scrutinized to the nth degree. I realized I need to learn more…myself, from my peers and other people in the industry. I had some solid skills and was not sharing what I knew freely with other people. One day I decided I was going to give away my best ideas to my peers (and who I somewhat saw as competitors), pay it forward, and ask for help in the process. What I quickly realized is my two hot pieces of secret sauce were dwarfed in a good way by the 10 nuggets of wisdom I quickly got back. From that day forward #growthmindset was my number one focus. I believe we are at this inflection point again. The world is too complex and companies are …

My Stressful thoughts overtake my ability to focus

Published by Colin Nanka

I was listening to a podcast last weekend as the guest was answering a passage stuck out. When I am overloaded, “my stressful thoughts overtake my ability to focus” and I thought yes, that is how I feel some days! The good news is those days are infrequent and I find it’s helpful to watch for the queues and have a plan Queues: When I feel like I have so much to do and don’t know where to start When the same single keeps playing in my head about things I can’t control Negative thoughts in general Antidote: Go for a walk outside and get fresh air Take a breathing or meditative pause and break Write down all the things I have to do, get them out of my head. Circle the Top 3 and work on the first one first.   Defeating Average through stress.   Colin

Are you missing out on opportunity?

Published by Colin Nanka

Pull your toes on the way up, push through your quads on the way down and widen the circle.   Good advice from Peloton instructor Sam Yo last week on one of my regular spin classes. He was focusing on potential range of motion, power, and output. It made me think about how that applies to life.   You can look at it like 7 pieces of a pie in the wheel of life.  Spirituality Career Finance Family Learning Health and Wellness Friend and Community   If you are not getting your full range of motion, power and output in each area, you are missing out on opportunities.   None of us will be hitting 10/10 in all areas and not even close.   When we think about how much of the pie and landscape we are covering we can put a spotlight on the areas we would like to focus on…and perhaps pull our toes up a little more.   Where are you doing well? Where can you expand that circle?   Defeating Average. …

Are you an imposter?

Published by Colin Nanka

I think we all are at some point. This discussion has been coming up more and more recently. Are you handling the pandemic ok? Yes, I mean nooo! How are you handling the scope of your new role? Great, I mean, ugg flailing! You seem to be onboarding your new team well and meeting customer expectations. Yes, I am! Noooo, I am struggling to keep up! Does this sound like you at all? We all have a lot on our plate right now and may feel like an imposter balancing our job, our pandemic life, and our family. It’s ok to say, woe, it’s a lot right now and sometimes I am on the struggle bus. People appreciate honesty. Personally, some days I feel like I have it nailed and the next day, I don’t at all! What is important during these times? Be gentle with yourself, it’s ok to admit…even to others. Partner with other people who can help you get over the hump. Remember each day is a new day and with good …

Are you outnumbered against fear?

Published by Colin Nanka

“If you face just one opponent, and you doubt yourself, you’re out-numbered.” – Dan Millman We all have fear. Fear of failure, fear of not being enough, fear of other people’s opinions, fear of covid. In his book Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman talks about doubt and fear, it’s an awesome read. After recently reading more on the fear of fear itself, I found myself preparing for a recent presentation realizing I was not being fearful of not presenting well…I was fearful of fear itself. Trippy right. Once we realize that fear is a part of being able to perform and it will always be there, you can notice it, like a cloud passing, name it and move on. We can all face one opponent. If we can harness and leverage fear, we will be less likely to be outnumbered. In fact, if you can talk openly about your fear with others, you can outnumber fear. Defeating Average. Colin.

My Nutrition was out of wack

Published by Colin Nanka

I have been trying to get back into shape. I am getting in a good amount of outside time, riding the peloton a couple of times and a week, and slowly easing back into running. It really hit me after a run 6 weeks ago and I felt completely out of shape when I was done.  Is this it, I was thinking? Maybe the good running days are done. I called a friend who has been accelerating in his 50+ year age for some advice. He said: Stretching and a lot of it Nutrition – Are you being honest with yourself? East back into it   I have been on a stretching binge, my wife can attest to it. Lying on the floor all over the apartment. What has really helped is focusing on it with my trainer. Instead of stretching for time, stretching for deep breaths (that are a similar amount of time). I can report making big strides in my standing stretch and things are progressing. Nutrition. I started following a program with …