Business As Unusual

Posted on by Michael Roderick
empty office

It’s been really interesting to watch how people are handling their brands during this particular time. I’ve watched some people act like nothing is happening at all and keep running ads for their latest freebie or checklist with no mention of what’s going on in the world. I’ve also seen some people create groups and communities on the fly and set them up on the Book Of Faces and other platforms. I’ve also watched a bunch of people fire up their phones and shoot videos telling us all what they’re going through during this time and the “three things to […]

Join Pregame: Virtual Membership Now Open!

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
Pregame Virtual Workout

Pregame is all about helping you achieve your goals with the support of a team. We’re excited to open Pregame Membership to players everywhere. [learn more] Virtual membership has always been part of our long term game plan, but thanks to the coronavirus, we stepped up and moved everything online overnight. The silver lining? Now we can welcome you to our team, no matter where you are. For the past four years (plus five years of events before that), we’ve exclusively held our daily workshops in person. Nothing matches the magic of live interaction… or so we thought. It turns […]

The Schrute Room Test

Posted on by Michael Roderick
dwight

I’ve spoken before about the many lessons that can be found in the show The Office, but here is one of my favorites: There’s an episode where Michael and Dwight are both at a hotel and Michael finds out that he doesn’t have a hotel room to stay in. After being turned down, Dwight shows up with his reservation number and gets the material for his room. At this point, Michael is begging Dwight to stay in his room with him and says “I’d do the same for you” at which point Dwight looks quizzically at the paper and says that […]

What If I Have Nothing to Offer?

Posted on by Michael Roderick
empty shelf

In almost every class I’ve ever taught in the relationship-building space, there is a question that comes up more than any other when I talk about reaching out to people at higher levels for things like mentorship, advice, etc. What If I have nothing to offer that person because I’m just a ______________?  Before I get into the weeds with this, let me first say that everyone deals with this on some level. We all have people who we see as doing such great things we imagine anything we could suggest or offer them would pale in comparison to what […]

Maria Grzanka: Getting Organized Using the Principles of Lean

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
sticky notes kanban board

Maria Grzanka is a continuous improvement instructor, facilitator, and coach with 20 years’ experience practicing Lean, primarily focused on business processes. She designs and facilitates custom workshops for organizations and coach leaders in developing a continuous improvement culture. On February 27, Maria will lead a project management workshop at Pregame – here’s a preview! What is Lean? My definition goes like this: Lean is a collection of principles, values, and tools pointing toward a common goal: to create an environment where it is safe to do the work; where we continually learn to solve problems and to progress as a team. […]

My Top 5 Books of 2019

Posted on by Michael Roderick
top 5 books

As we start to head into the last few months of the year (where did the time go?!) I decided to go back through the ol’ archives and see what I haven’t written about in a while and I realized it’s been a minute since I posted a book list. I love sharing books that have been helpful to me, books that have made me think, and books that are simply fascinating, and since we’ll all be hopefully getting a little reading time in now that the holidays are upon us, I thought I’d share with you all some books […]

5 Key Thoughts on Exits

Posted on by Steve August
exit strategy

Exit. The Entrepreneurial Holy Grail For many entrepreneurs, a successful exit that delivers financial independence and an incredible sense of achievement is the ultimate dream. In my entrepreneurial career, I’ve had the good fortune to be part of two successful exits. One with the company I founded and the one with the company that acquired my firm, which was subsequently acquired. I’ve also been able to see a number of exits from the other side of the table as part of the management team of an acquiring company. Along the way I’ve spoken to many entrepreneurs who have had both […]

Performative Reciprocity

Posted on by Michael Roderick
performative reciprocity

I have a friend who really loves to do calls where we get into the weeds of relationship-building methodologies. He enjoys digging deeper into the frameworks I’ve developed and in all our calls he gets me to go even deeper into the work that I do. And before I get into the topic he brought up, I’ll also add that having someone like this in your circle can be incredibly valuable to the rigor of your work. There are those who will take your ideas at face value and then there are those who will challenge your ideas with questions. […]

Own Your Value: Increase Your Perceived Worth [Video + Worksheet]

Posted on by Ciara Pressler
Work_Life_ How to Find and Communicate the Value of Your Work

Like it or not, you are constantly communicating what you’re worth. In any professional environment, you’re constantly giving subtle, unconscious cues on how people should regard your status, work, time, and talent. A lot of this is in our control; it just takes conscious effort to become aware and then refine what we’re putting out into the professional world. Most personal value advice focuses on literal valuation: researching and negotiating salary and compensation. In my popular talk, “Own Your Value,” I break down three major ways to increase your value: owning your voice, owning your work, and owning your time. Here […]

Five Reasons Entrepreneurs Need A Digital Detox 

Posted on by Steve August
forest digital detox

  Entrepreneur. Visionary. Founder. It all sounds glamorous. You wouldn’t trade it for anything. But you also know it’s a hero’s journey filled with ups and downs and stress. And sometimes loneliness.  One of the most challenging aspects of the entrepreneurial journey is getting space from the constant day-to-day demands and stress of the job to think about the longer term, big picture issues of your business.  The never-ending onslaught of emails, calls crowds out the space to think more strategically and get the perspective to make critical business and life decisions.  One way to escape the noise and regain […]