Tag: volunteering

The Easiest Way To Have A Positive Impact On The World.

I got an email yesterday from Matt Wolf. Matt is the Academic & Career Planning Coordinator at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin, where I live. And Wolf, in case you hadn’t noticed, is a rock star kind of last name. So, for the rest of this story, I will refer to Matt simply as The Wolf.

The Wolf was putting together a Career Day extravaganza at Homestead. I knew this was happening, because he reached out to me to ask if I knew anyone that would be a great speaker on sports marketing. The Wolf share that students frequently list sports marketing as a career area they are highly interested in. I blame Jake Paul.

So I connected The Wolf with my friend and former coworker Leslie Stachowiak, who, in addition to having a name that would trip up a Spelling Bee champion, works for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Major League Baseball team.

The Request

But now The Wolf was apologetically asking me at the last hour if I could also fill a slot in the career day lineup. He wrote this apologetically because he asks me multiple times a year to come speak to the middle schools in The Quon about my career as the Founder and CEO of the advertising and ideas agency, The Weaponry. And since I volunteer for that job multiple times each year, he was trying to avoid asking me to also volunteer to speak at the high school.

My Most Important Work

What The Wolf doesn’t know is that I think the most important and impactful work I do is having a positive influence on the youth in my community. That’s why I always raise my hand to speak to the middle schools. (I also raise my hand because I use Sure Deodorant.) It is why I speak each year at Career Day at our neighboring Whitefish Bay High School.

It is why I volunteer to guest lecture at The University of Wisconsin, Madison (the most fun university in the history of universities), Marquette University, Concordia University, and basically any school that invites me to come speak.

My interest in having a positive influence on youth is also why I coach track and field at Homestead. It is why I also volunteered to coach track and field at Steffen Middle School this year. And it is why I have coached youth football in Mequon for the past 7 years. Which means I have proudly passed a lot of background checks. (The hardest part of those tests is remembering my address from 7 years ago.)

I love teaching life lessons and character development through athletics. Because the life lessons I learned through athletics have benefited me for a lifetime. Plus, there were never any Scantron sheets or number 2 pencils required on the track or football fields.

Not only have I coached these boys on the football field, I have shared my educational and career path with them. I also showed them how to grow hair. It looks like my work here is done.

Helping future generations is why I volunteer to speak with student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin whenever I can. Which is why my great friend Nicholas Pasquarello, Executive Director of the W Club and Strategic Partnerships, invites me to so many events and activities with current and former Badger athletes.

Helping kids is also why I wrote the book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? I wanted my kids and the rest of the next generation to have quick access to valuable life and career lessons it took me decades and a lot of mistakes to learn.

The Answer

So I told The Wolf that I would happily come speak at Career Day next week. Because this type of work is a priority. I can’t think of more important or more impactful work.

Key Takeaway

Please consider sharing what you know with the next generation. And the generations after that. Whether you take time to share your knowledge and experience with the youth in your community, college students, recent graduates, or those navigating careers in your field of expertise, your wisdom and guidance is extremely valuable. You help provide a model and a path for others to follow. You have the ability to inspire others to follow your lead, to develop their skills, and to lean into their interests, passions and strengths. It is the easiest and most rewarding way to have a positive impact on the world.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

If you want to start a successful business, start getting involved in your community. 

You’ve heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, the same principle applies to creating a business. Because you need customers, suppliers, employees, partners, contractors, references and promoters to make a business sing. Even if you’re not in the singing business. In other words, even as a solo entrepreneur, you can’t do it alone.

That’s why it is so important to get involved in your community. As a community member, there are countless ways to show your community they can count on you, like an abacus. You can get involved as a volunteer, member, attendee, leader, or sponsor. You can teach, coach or create. You can donate your time, talent, treasure or tasty treats. And all of this helps create fertile ground to grow your business.

This happens in several different ways.

First, the more people you know, the more people will know about your business. Think of this as word-of-mouth advertising about the existence of your business. This is extremely beneficial. Because the first thing a business needs to be successful is for people to know it exists. It’s hard to hire or buy from a business that you don’t know exists. Because if you are invisible or autonomous, you are wicked hard to google.

Speaking to high school students about my career path and why I get to wear flip-flops to work.

Second, being actively involved in your community helps people connect the dots for you. (In some communities, the dots are actually women named Dot. Especially in the senior community.) The more people know about you and your business, the more likely they are to share their relevant connections to businesses, suppliers, distributors and other experts and resources that may benefit you.

Me and some of the amazing ladies I have coached on the girl’s track team at Homestead High School.

But what may be even more important is that there is a great reciprocity factor at play. When you support your community, the people of your community are more likely to support you. It’s a thing. This happens as community members buy from you, refer potential customers to you, or include you on valuable lists, or in media or social opportunities. Community members look out for their own. And the more valuable you are to your community, the more they will look out for you. Which means the more time you spend in the dunk tank at the community fundraiser the less likely your business is to get dunked or tank in real life.

Coaching flag football and teaching the boys which finger is called the index.

Your community could mean your neighborhood, your town, or the larger city you live in or near. (I like to think of this like being an active member of the village people.) But your community could also mean a community of interests at a local, state, or national level. It could mean becoming active within an industry, association, or regular event. The key is to consider where your business is active and get involved there.  

I am involved in my local community in a number of ways. I am a regular speaker within our local school district, where I talk about my career path to middle and high school students. I regularly speak at the university in our town too. (It used to be our town too…) I have coached high school track and field for 4 years. I have coached youth football for 8 years.

My business, The Weaponry, has been a presenting sponsor of our youth football program. Which included signage, announcements at games, company logos on program-issued clothing and mentions on the program website. All of which help get the word out about my business and our interest in being athletic supporters to the local community.

Speaking to my guys at Steffen Middle School, and a partially inflated chicken.

My family and I also attend band and orchestra concerts and sporting events of all types. We go to and participate in parades, festivals and fun runs. (And eat Funyuns.) We volunteer at concession stands and other activities that add value to our community. We are seen at local events regularly. And all of those events, both large and small, create connections and relationships and keep me and my business top of mind within our home base. It’s not the primary reason we do all these things. But I can assure you that your involvement is also good for you, your reputation and your business.

As you are planning or growing your business, make sure to get out and spend time supporting and adding value to your community. The more involved you are in your community, the more you will be connected to others and the valuable opportunities they can introduce you to.

Key Takeaway

As an entrepreneur or business owner, the more involved you are in your community, the more you connect with others and the opportunities they can introduce you to. You want strong ties to the people around you, and this is one of the best ways to get to know as many people as possible. Even better, when you support your community and its interests, you will find that your community supports you and your interests, too. It’s what communities do.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

What role will you play in the coronavirus story?

I love a good story. And right now I am in the early chapters of a really interesting new story. Only it is not a book, movie, or TV show. It’s real life. And you are in the story too.

The Coronavirus

The new reality caused by COVID-19 is turning into one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. And we are just getting warmed up. What began as a health problem in Wuhan, China is now impacting all manner of life on my side of the planet in ways that would have been unimaginable a week ago. Unless, of course, I was watching what was happening in Italy a week ago. But I wasn’t. Because sports were still on TV.

War of The World

Remember hearing the story of Orson Wells’ War of The World radio broadcast when we were younger? This feels a lot like that. Only the Aliens are viruses. And what was a fake newscast is really happening.

Shut’n Er Down

Sports of all sorts are cancelled. Schools are closed. Amusement parks, museums and zoos are shut down. Travel is greatly restricted, and will likely restrict even further. And I am not just talking about the economy class seating.

The Upside

Yet within these unprecedented times are amazing opportunities. Opportunities to connect with those closest to you. To slow down. To go for walks, hikes and bike rides. To play games at home. To cook more. To read more. To create more. And in 9 months, I expect to see a global wave of tiny little coronavirus-inspired Earthlings.

Do Good

Today, there are new opportunities to volunteer and contribute. Support the organizations that support those who are most impacted by this pandemic and the economic repercussions.

Build

There are new business opportunities all around us. The new reality means new unmet needs. And unmet needs are the seeds from which businesses grow.

Lead

There will be opportunities to lead. To take actions that help your community. Both in the prevention of the spread of the virus in your community, and in the recovery and return to normalcy after the threat passes.

Key Takeaway

A significant chapter of global, national and personal history is being written right now. Be thoughtful about the role you will play in the story. Keep washing your hands. And be patient. This too shall pass. And we will all have an interesting story to share.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

How to be a more valuable volunteer.

There is a simple truth about value. It is directly related to contribution. To increase your value you have to increase your contribution. Which means if you want to earn more money, have more friends or increase your influence you have to contribute more. If you don’t contribute your time, talent or treasure to others you have no value to them. And there are nothing but zeros on your reality check.

Tackle Football

My son Johann is in 6th grade and began his first year of tackle football this fall. When your children commit to a fun activity like sports, scouting or full-contact charades, the parents commit to the less fun activities that come with it. Like fundraising, Saturdays in the rain, and required volunteer work. #oxymoron

Volunteering

Typically when we look at the list of volunteer opportunities we seek out the easiest one. We try to take the path of least resistance before anyone else beats us to it. But this fall I decided to take a different approach. I sought out Johann’s head coach after a preseason practice and asked him a simple question:

What job is the hardest to find volunteers to do?

Instead of looking for the easiest and most convenient job, I wanted to provide the greatest value to the coach, the program and the other parents. The volunteer coaches are already contributing more to the program than I ever could. The least I could do was make the unrewarding job of asking for volunteers a little easier by taking the least desirable task off the volunteer board.

The game day volunteer opportunities included:

  • Video taping the games  (Although there is no tape involved)
  • Running the scoreboard (Although neither the scoreboard nor the operator do any actual running)
  • Announcer  (You get to tell everyone you have no idea what you are talking about.)
  • Chain Gang#1  (Also known as the Chrissie Hynde role)
  • Chain Gang#2  (Electric Boogaloo)
  • Chain Gang #3 (Which is never as good as the original)
  • Pre-Concession (You do this before you concede)
  • Post- Concession  (You try to sell people posts)

The Answer

I really had no idea which role the coach would say was the most challenging. But I was prepared for the worst. The coach immediately responded, ‘Announcer is always the hardest.’

I immediately volunteered to announce the games. And with that offer I gave him one less thing to worry about. I could see both the relief and the appreciation on his face. And I knew this would not be the last time I used the path-of-most-resistance technique to determine my volunteer activities.

Key Takeaway

Your success in life is directly related to your contribution. So step up and contribute where it is most valued. Take the hard roles to fill, not the easiest or most convenient. Seek more responsibility, not less. Give others less to worry about and more to enjoy. Become someone others can count on. It pays off in rewards too numerous to count.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this story, please share it with them. 

How do you respond when someone asks for a HUGE favor?

I recently received a cryptic text from my good friend Stacy Sollenberger in Atlanta. It simply said, ‘Do you have a few minutes to talk? I have a HUGE favor to ask you.’ My curiosity was piqued. What could Stacy’s huge favor possibly be? Does she need me to take in one of her brainiac kids for a summer to teach them what a non-brainiac parent is like? Does she need a kidney? Does she need bail money? (I figured it was bail money). Either way, huge favors are interesting. Because having to ask someone for a huge favor is an inherently awkward situation.

Which begs the question, how do you respond when someone asks you for a huge favor? Do you lean in and want to help any way you can? Do you open up your excuse case (the buck-passing cousin to the suitcase) and pull out a good excuse because you are not into offering favors? Do you worry that the favor, and therefore your personal sacrifice will be too great? Or does it all depend on who is asking?

Now, back to the story.

Stacy called the next morning and revealed the favor…

Stacy co-chairs a remarkable organization called Emerge Scholarships. They offer academic scholarships to women whose educations have been interrupted, who are doing everything they can to better their lives, despite facing and overcoming some ridiculous obstacles. The kicker: to earn the scholarship you also have to be giving back to your community.

Stacy asked me if I would be willing to MC Emerge Scholarship’s annual celebration luncheon. What The What? This was no HUGE favor. This was a HUGE opportunity for me to help a great organization in its efforts to help others. Not to mention it’s an opportunity to dust off my powder blue bell-bottomed tuxedo.

She said, “We want the event to be fun, and uplifting and a good time for everyone.”  Which was perfect, because I triple majored in those areas in college.  I was all in on this favor. So we began planning.

The more I heard about the women Emerge Scholarships helps the prouder I was to be involved. I heard story after story of inspiring  women who had faced things that would cause others to throw in the proverbial towel on their dreams. Disease, divorce, abuse, poverty, etc. Yet these women were determined to complete their education in order to become the person they had always envisioned, and provide a better future for their families. On top of that, the eligible women were all helping others, despite facing real struggles themselves. This is a special sub-set of human.

The vetting process is so thorough, and the candidates so worthy, that this doesn’t even feel like a charitable organization. It feels like an insider-trading deal.  The type of thing Martha Stewart would want in on.  Betting on these women is a sure thing. They are absolutely determined to make the most of the opportunities they have been given. If you are looking for an idea for an inspirational book or movie, talk to one of these women. And my agent. #FindersFee

Emerge Scholarships is the story of strong women who have had great success in life helping other strong women who know that their success is waiting for them, just on the other side of their college degrees.

So I have a HUGE favor to ask of you.

Find a cause you believe in and dedicate a portion of your time every month to helping others who need it. If you are looking for a great cause, and you are in the Atlanta area, and you are a human between the ages of 2 and 122, check out emergeluncheon.swellgives.com. Consider attending the event on Thursday, February 16th. It’s at the Cherokee Country Club in Buckhead (if they will let me in the place, anyone can get it). If you can’t attend, it would he helpful to donate a couple of dollars or offer a quick share of the event on The Twitter or The Facebook.

We should all remember that the more we give, the more we shall receive. And it is immensely enjoyable to give. Especially to those who deserve it, appreciate it, and do their part to amplify the contributions of others.

Thanks for the opportunity, Stacy.  Oh, and I’m not really wearing a blue tuxedo.  An event like this deserves the orange one.