Wow, I can’t believe the first month of 2016 is history!

As we launch into February, I have been reflecting on some of my highlights from the first month of the new year–I’d like to share five of my favorites with you.

Favorite Podcast Episode: EntreLeadership interview with Good to Great author Jim Collins (January 18th)
One of the most compelling speakers I’ve ever heard, Collins delivers a summary of each of his best selling books with his trademark clarity and passion. My favorite excerpt:

“No truly great company ever had as its purpose principally to make money. Money is like blood, food, oxygen and water: Absolutely essential for life, but it’s not the point of life. The point of life is to do something useful and significant…that will leave an enduring legacy. It’s exactly the same for great and enduring companies.”

Favorite Books:
The Happiness Advantage: Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor: If you kept up with my blog last month, you’ll recall two posts (here and here) based on the fascinating content from this best selling research project. Isolating seven practical, actionable principles that have been tried and tested everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms, stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe, Shawn shows us how we can capitalize on positive psychology to optimize our joy, improve our performance and maximize our potential.
How to Say Anything to Anyone: A Guide to Building Business Relationships that Really Work by Shari Harley: I discovered this book while preparing a training session for our leaders on conducting performance reviews. Written in clear, no-nonsense style, Shari delivers practical solutions to create a “culture of candor” in your workplace. She also has a series of YouTube videos based on the book. Check out the video for her 8-Step Feedback Formula below–she demonstrates how to tell someone they smell. It really works!

Favorite Quote: If you read my post from last September on goals verses habits, this famous quote by personal development icon Earl Nightingale will resonate with you. I first heard this on a well-worn cassette tape of his legendary “Motivational Moments” series more than 25 years ago. Despite its age, Earl’s timeless wisdom is just as applicable to our lives today:

“An hour a day is all it takes; one hour of study in your field every day will put you at the top in three years, five years of learning and improvement will make you a nationally recognized expert, and seven years makes you one of the very best in the world.”

It’s the power of the slight edge: Simple, repeatable disciplines compounded daily–not for a few days or weeks or even months, but over years.

Favorite Experience: Kensington Church Leadership Gathering (January 22nd-23rd)
One of the fastest growing non-denominational churches in the midwest, Kensington assembled over 1,500 leaders from their five campuses for a vision-casting event that inspired and challenged me in a powerful way. The theme of the weekend was Living Strategically… in a way that ignites people’s hearts for Jesus and builds His kingdom. One of the memories I took was a poignant quote from Mark Twain: “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why.” Now that’s Tweetable!

Favorite Community Event: Big Brothers Big Sisters Spelling Bee at Right Brain Brewery (January 29th)
This was our first year fielding a team for the annual BIG Brain Spelling Bee! The “Bill Marsh Spelling Beasts” made it to the ninth round, and we went down on the word, “aerogramme” (which is a self contained fold-over lightweight air mail letter.) I’m proud of our team in their first time around–plus the event helped raise thousands for the BIGS, we enjoyed some fantastic craft beer from our super hosts at Right Brain, and committed to start studying for next year’s event!

What have been the highlights of your 2016 so far? I’d love to hear your feedback!