In this edition:
- Thursday Thoughts – Can Your Life Change in 48 Hours?
- Weekly Top 5 – Do the Right Work, The $400,000 Chief of Staff, How to Spot Problems, Stop Overthinking, & Your Zone of Genius
- Language of Business Series – Customer Service & Sales
- Reading Recommendations – Fanatical Prospecting, The Nordstrom Way, & Sales Management. Simplified.
THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Right about now I should be arriving at a small “resort” on Lake Champlain. 45 minutes from my house. 24 hours on the clock. 1 husband. Zero dogs.
There won’t be a strict agenda. No productivity goals. No “while I’m here I should probably…” Just a little space to think and be.
But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have some sort of idea of what we’d be doing.
Plans include lobster rolls and house made chips, reading, a minimum of 2 cocktails (I’m thinking a Hugo Spritz and a Whiskey Sour), sunrise coffee, kayaking, and maybe a little French toast before we hit the road. Oh… and not checking LinkedIn every fifteen minutes.
Christina Galbato is a proponent of the 48-hour solo retreat, which she does twice a year.
Sure, she was in Bali. I’m at the lake. And one of my clients did a full weekend reset – no phone or work. No negotiations.
I understand that it’s not always possible to break away from our responsibilities for an entire weekend or even a full-day. But, what is possible?
I think we underestimate how much clarity can come from creating just a little breathing room. Can you take a few hours to journal or take a walk without your phone? Could you carve out a little time every morning before the rest of your house wakes up to stretch, read, or sip your coffee in silence?
Is 24 or 48 hours enough to do a full reset and change your life? I’m not sure… But, what I do know is that it may set me on the path of change. And for that, I’m willing to give it a shot. As always, I will report back!
Have you done an intentional solo retreat or reset weekend? What did you do? Would you do it again? Where can you make a small shift in your days or weeks to slow down?
WEEKLY TOP 5
- Healthy boundaries matter, but this article argues that treating your job description like a fence instead of a starting point can quietly cap your career. The best Founders and Force Multipliers know when to step beyond their lane in order to gain the experience, trust, and influence that lead to bigger opportunities. The key takeaway? Don’t do more work. Do the right work that moves your career forward. Boundaries can be a hot topic… so I would love to hear what you think!
- “The $400,000 Chief of Staff Is the CEO’s Secret Weapon in the AI Age” I mean, that title alone is just begging for a click. This Bloomberg article explores the rapid rise of the Chief of Staff and highlights something we’ve been talking about for years: the Chief of Staff role is on the rise, and it’s more important than ever. As AI takes over more routine tasks, the ability to think critically, build trust, influence decisions, and create clarity becomes an even bigger competitive advantage. Also check out this article by the Chief of Staff Network for their take on what Bloomberg’s saying.
- Anticipating the needs of your Executive is one thing. Totally valuable. Want to take it to the next level? Try spotting problems before they become your Executive’s problems. This article is a great reminder that your real value comes from noticing patterns, asking questions, and catching the small signals everyone else overlooks. In a world where AI can handle more of the busywork, human judgment, discernment, and proactive thinking are becoming your biggest competitive advantage.
- Overthinking keeping you stuck or keeping you up at night? Yeah… overthinking is my specialty. So I was very excited to see this simple graphic to help us stop overthinking. The secret is to focus on what we can control and it’s usually more (and more impactful) than you think!
- As AI reshapes the workplace, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the future belongs to people who know what only they can do. You, and your career, could benefit from identifying your Zone of Genius, which is the intersection of what you’re exceptionally good at and what energizes you. This article makes a compelling case for spending less time proving you’re competent at everything and more time doubling down on the work that makes you indispensable. Also check outThe Big Leap by Gay Hendricks for more info!
LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS SERIES – CUSTOMER SERVICE & SALES
- The Ultimate Sales Training for 2026 – In this training Alex Hormozi breaks down the 6 elements of The Ultimate Sales Blueprint – Sales Multipliers, Sales Training, Pre-Sale, Opening, Closing, and Mindset.
- Top 30 Sales Movies You Should Watch – Looking for something inspirational, motivational, and entertaining this weekend? Check out some of these gems. Glengarry Glen Ross is an absolutely classic and a must-watch if you’re in real estate. But The Pursuit of Happyess, Boiler Room, and Joy are all good options too. Coffee’s for closers!
- ZenDesk Insights Podcast – As the pace of change accelerates, ZenDesk Insights sits down with the leaders, disruptors, and innovators reshaping customer experience. From emerging tech to the latest trends transforming the industry, this podcast brings you the insights that will keep your business moving forward.
- Live social shopping is the biggest opportunity in the world right now. – According to Gary Vaynerchuk anyway. And, well, he does have a track record for predicting trends and the next big thing. Check out what he has to say and consider how you could integrate a live social shopping experience into your company.
- Net Promoter Score 101 – You may have seen a NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey as a customer, but has your company considered implementing this tool? And is it actually useful? The NPS score is a way to measure customer loyalty, identify benchmarks, and refine the customer experience. There are lots of NPS tools available. But first, check out this article to see if it’s the right system for you.
READING RECOMMENDATIONS
- Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount | Break free from the fear and frustration that is holding you and your team back from effective and consistent prospecting. Fanatical Prospecting gives salespeople, sales leaders, entrepreneurs, and executives a practical, eye-opening guide that clearly explains the why and how behind the most important activity in sales and business development―prospecting.
- The Nordstrom Way to Customer Experience Excellence (3rd Edition): Creating a Values-Driven Service Culture by Robert Spector and BreAnne O. Reeves | Nordstrom believes that the employee experience determines the customer experience, and that when you attract and reward people who are comfortable in a service-oriented culture, then everyone succeeds―both individually and collectively. In this new edition of the management classic, the authors explore in-depth the core values of the culture that have made Nordstrom synonymous with legendary customer service.
- Sales Management. Simplified: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team by Mike Weinberg | Why do sales organizations fall short? Typically, the issue lies not with the sales team but with how it is being led. Through their attitude and actions, senior executives and sales managers can unknowingly undermine performance. Weinberg tells it straight by calling out the problems plaguing sales forces and the costly mistakes made by even the best-intentioned sales managers. The good news is that with the right guidance, results can be transformed.
“We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.”
Harrison Ford
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