Misjudged

Posted in Motivational, Relationships, Spiritual

Misjudged dan skognes leadership development trainer speaker motivation bloggerHave you ever misjudged someone or had someone misjudge you?  Well, if you are human, both have happened.

There is a true story of a man who got onto a crowded subway train in New York at rush hour.  At the end of the car sat a man who sat silently just looking off into space.  He had two small kids that were doing what little kids do.  They were running up and down the aisle, making a lot of noise, and running into people as they went.

As the traveler watched this unfold, he became more and more indignant.  Finally, he went down the aisle and loudly said to the man, “Sir!  Would you PLEASE control your children?  They are disrupting the whole train!”  The man snapped out of his trance and tears welled up into his eyes.  He said, “I am so sorry.  We just came from hospital and my wife just passed away.  I was sitting here thinking how I was going to break the news to my children.”

Talk about changing the hearts of everyone instantly.  The mood immediately changed from one of judgment and condemnation to one of great empathy and sorrow.  The question for all of us is, “Why are we so quick to judge other people?  Why can’t we cut each other some slack?”

Next time you start to pre-judge someone, stop for a moment and ask yourself this question, “What could possibly be going on in their life to make them act that way?”  The truth is, if I were to sit down and ask you what is going on in your life that you are concerned about, you would probably be able to come up with a number of things that are bothering you:  Your finances, your health, your family, your friends, your job, your boss, your co-workers, your employees, etc., etc.  The list goes on and on.

Everyone on this planet has issues, so let’s give each other something they may not expect…grace.  Don’t you want people to do that for you?  There is enough judgment in this world already.  We have to remember that we will be judged by the standard to which we judge others.  What goes around comes around, as they say.

Let’s give grace and forgiveness instead of judgment, love instead of hatred, hope instead of hopelessness. Life is short and we will be held accountable for how we treat each other.  May we reflect God’s grace and mercy to others.  That just may make the difference in whether they ever come to know God personally.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

Favorite Quotes

Posted in Business, Motivational, Relationships

Favorite Quotes.jpg dan skognes leadership development motivation blogger speaker

 

These are just a few of my favorite quotes:

“It may not be my fault, but it is still my responsibility.”  Dan Skognes

“Work on your strengths.  Too much time is wasted on developing weaknesses instead of capitalizing on what we are naturally good at.”  Dan Skognes

“Vision without provision is a nightmare.”  Dan Skognes

“Leading without delegating is not leading.  It’s lecturing.”  Dan Skognes

“A leader understands that the buck stops with them.”  Dan Skognes

“Trials and storms come to everyone.  Don’t be surprised when your storm comes.  Have the raft and provisions ready.”  Dan Skognes

“When what others are going through is as traumatic to you as what you are going through, you are learning the first step in building a relationship….empathy.”  Dan Skognes

“If you are controlled by fear and insecurity you will make stupid decisions or no decisions at all…and even that is stupid.”  Dan Skognes

“Who you are today is a result of the decisions you made yesterday.  The good news is that if you don’t like who you are, there is still time to change tomorrow.”  Dan Skognes

“If people don’t follow your vision, perhaps it is you who needs new glasses.”  Dan Skognes

“If nobody sees the big picture, perhaps it needs more paint.”  Dan Skognes

“Those who refuse to change are destined to mediocrity at best.” Dan Skognes

“Building a successful team is simple.  You just have to know how to juggle numerous people and projects simultaneously and keep everyone engaged in the process. It is a lot like being a good Mom.”  Dan Skognes

“We have a tendency to fear what we can’t control.  The sooner we realize we control very little, the better off everyone is.”  Dan Skognes

“You can choose to be right all the time, or you can choose to have relationship.  You just can’t have both.”  Dan Skognes

“Opportunity is not lost.  It just moves on to the person who recognizes it and seizes it.”  Dan Skognes

“It is not who you say you are that matters.  It is who others know you to be that matters in the end. Hopefully both line up.”  Dan Skognes

“You can’t change other people.  They have to change themselves. The most unhappy people I know are always trying to change other people.”  Dan Skognes

“When you look at everyone as a diamond…something of great value, you treat them differently than you would a lump of coal.”  Dan Skognes

“Our action shouts over the whisper of our words.”  Dan Skognes

“Critical decisions made at critical times need to be made without criticism.”  Dan Skognes

“Hurt people hurt people, but free people free people.”  Dan Skognes

“In the game of life, nothing is less important than the score at halftime.  The tragedy of life is not that a man loses, but that he almost wins.”  Andy Andrews

“Most people quit when exhaustion sets in.  I am not most people.”  Andy Andrews

“Average people compare themselves with other people.  That is why they are average.  I compare myself to my potential.  I am not average.  I see exhaustion as a precursor to victory.”  Andy Andrews

“Too much of my life has been spent doubting my beliefs, and believing my doubts.”  Andy Andrews

“One decision you make CAN change the world.”  Andy Andrews

“Conflict brings clarity.”  Lupe Gamez

“Expect great things.  Attempt great things.”  William Carey

“Trusting you with time is the first fundamental of trust.  If I can’t trust you to be on time, I can’t trust you with my business.”  Joey Bonifacio

“Facts may not be the truth.”  John Munaretto

“Forgiveness resets the trust button.”  Joey Bonificio

“The foundation of any relationship is trust.”  Joey Bonificio

“The heart of the human problem, is the problem of the human heart.”  J. John

“We are all crazy.  We are just in different stages of recovery.”  John Jenkins

“Your career is what you are paid for.  You calling is what you were made for.”  Howard Hendricks

“If you don’t let your past die, it won’t let you live today.”  Perry Noble

 

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

If You Snooze You Lose

Posted in Business, Motivational, Relationships

If You Snooze You Lose dan skognes motivation blogger speaker leadership development

 

That is usually said to someone who missed out on an opportunity.  The job offer went to another candidate.  The contact went to a competitor.  The guy you were interested in went out with another girl.  What happened?

Sometimes we get blind-sided by that phrase.  We never saw it coming and were totally caught off guard when we realize that what we wanted is gone…sometimes forever.  So how do we prepare ourselves and keep from getting blind-sided?

  • Don’t take things or people for granted.  If you are in a relationship, keep the fire going.  Let them know how much you love them, admire them, and appreciate them.  If you are pursuing a contract, don’t think the deal is done till you have been paid.  Many a contact has gone sideways because someone assumed the deal was done and just got lazy.  If you are pursuing a job, make sure you are continuing to court your employer as you would a future spouse.  Don’t assume your credentials are selling you.  They may open the door for you, but you have to keep it open.  Stay in touch and show continued interest.  You don’t want to be pushy, but you don’t want to come across as complacent either.  It is a fine line and a lot of that will depend on the temperament of your potential employer.
  • Time is a precious commodity for everyone.  Respect that.  Be on Lombardy time.  Be early for appointments and don’t overstay your welcome. Respect the time of everyone you encounter and they will be more likely to respect yours.
  • I personally hate snooze buttons.  It gives you a few minutes more of sleep, but the reality is we don’t necessarily need MORE sleep.  We need better quality sleep.  Most people can get by on a lot less sleep if they just learn how to relax and quit worrying about everything.  If you go to bed fretting about life, guess what?  You probably are going to be VERY tired tomorrow regardless of how much sleep you get.  Learn to manage your stress, or it will manage you.

Some of the greatest regrets people can have is the “What could have been” decisions. Hind sight is 20/20, but there is no reason we can’t learn from the lesson and not make the same mistake over and over.  Don’t live a life of regrets.  I love the Latin term: Carpe Diem.  It means “Seize the Day!”  We have only 24 hours in this day.  How are you going to live it?  Will you hit the snooze button, or will you seize the day?  My hope is that you live today as if it were your last…for after all, we have no promise of tomorrow.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

Decision Making

Posted in Business, Relationships

Decision Making dan skognes motivation blogger speaker leadership training consultantIf you are a decisive person, then it can drive you crazy to be around people who can’t seem to make a decision.  If you are an analytical person, you look at things quite differently.  You typically want to think about it before making a decision.

Me?  I am a quick decision maker.  That is why I don’t go shopping with my wife.  When I go shopping, I know what I want. I go in, shoot it, bag it, and go home.  My wife?  She will pick up something and carry it around the store for an hour, then put it down and walk out without buying it.  Frankly, that drives me crazy, but she just loves to shop.  The difference here is our definition of what shopping is and how to go about shopping effectively.  The funny thing is, both of us are right.  We just look at it differently.

I have come to the same conclusion she has.  We are probably not going to change that about ourselves.  It is in our DNA. If you are dealing with someone who is indecisive, here are some things you might want to do to help the process along:

  • Give the person adequate information to make a decision.  Usually the more information you can provide them the better.
  • Give them time to analyze the data.  Don’t push them, but encourage them to make a decision.
  • Find out if there is more than one decision maker involved.  Make sure all decision makers are present to help come to a conclusion that is satisfactory for everyone.
  • Try to agree upon a timeline that they can agree to in making their decision.

If you are the analytical type of person and you are dealing with a decisive person, here are some things you can do to keep us from running off a cliff:

  • Be to the point.  More information is not always necessary to make a decision.  Put things in perspective.  If you are making a million dollar deal, that is one thing.  Where to go to lunch is quite another.  Make a decision on the little thinks quickly.
  • Put a timeline on what you are doing and stick to it. Quit making excuses for not making a decision one way or another.  If you really don’t want to do something, just say so.  Most people would rather you be honest with them than to be “polite” and not make a decision.
  • Being indecisive can cause you or your company to miss opportunities, so be aware of the potential risk of not doing anything.
  • If you can’t seem to sort through the possibilities, get someone who you trust to help you walk through it.

The reason most people hesitate to make a decision is simply fear.  They fear not being right.  They fear they could have made a better decision, or they fear the possible consequences.  Do yourself a favor and do away with fear in the decision process.  Nothing good comes from being fearful. You will pursue the opposite of what you fear and that can have life-long consequences, most of which are not good for you or anyone in your life.

There is a happy medium between analyzing and deciding.  We just have to find it.  I am not sure if that will ever happen in shopping with my wife.  I may be decisive, but I am a realist too.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes