It has been a wonderful year for our families, Lighthouse Technologies, and The Coach and The Geek. We hope it has been for you too.
From Jeff (The Geek)
I spent this year learning more about myself, my internal paradigm (as Stephen Covey would call it), and getting clarity on how I view the world around me (through my own “rose colored glasses”). I have also been doing a better job than ever before holding myself accountable to my own personal Hustle behaviors – those that help me feel fulfilled. My personal Hustle is grouped into four buckets: Family, Spirituality, Professional Growth, and my Physical well being. My good friend and business partner, Mark Adams, has his own personal Hustle and we meet weekly to review, listen, and offer observations. This has been an invaluable practice for me and I encourage you to explore this approach as an opportunity to grow, and Mark has been instrumental in helping me. Thank you, Mark. I love you and appreciate you!
This year, I came to realize even stronger than before, how important personal relationships are with those we love and work with. One of my biggest accomplishments this year was re-reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with two of our most senior staff, Cindy and Christine. We read a chapter a week, then met for 30-45 minutes to review what resonated with each of us. It has been a wonderful experience and brought us much closer together. As one of them shared recently “If you’d have asked us to read this book, I would have learned a little, but by us doing it together, we invested time in each other and we are able to better understand these concepts and see their practical use in my every day life.” How great is that!!
I am blessed to have the love and support from my family – My wife Sandy (who keeps me balanced), our beautiful family, Catie, Rachel and Pierce, my Mom who is an incredibly strong and supporting woman, and my brothers and their families. Thank you for helping make me better. I love you all.
From Mark (The Coach)
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all our friends!
This time of the year is always a time of reflection for me. Here are five lessons learned from this old coach:
My life is littered with self-inflicted failures. Those failures provide greater context whenever I feel the urge to judge my fellow men and women. When I feel the urge to judge, I search my own soul first.
Loneliness is the enemy of happiness. Everyone needs connections. Hug your wife, children, friends, and appreciate the value they bring to your life. TELL THEM.
We all have a choice as we get older. You can focus on the finish lines or the starting lines. Live life in the starting blocks and run like hell! Finish lines will naturally come in time, run while you can.
Appreciate your job and do it with the purpose of creating value for your internal and external clients. Avoid working just to get your next job, excel at this one first.
Less is more and simple is better.
Jeff and I have spent many hours together rebuilding our company. Covid caused us to change and think differently. That has been a blessing and Jeff is part of that blessing. We built the Focus app together based on our book, The Coach and The Geek – Building a Kick-Butt Culture. Focus measures hustle and it has been well received by many NCAA D1 basketball programs. We are now expanding into baseball and softball.
I’m also grateful for my job with ESPN. This is my 23rd season on the Worldwide Leader. I also appreciate all of you who watch and reach out when you see me on TV. That means a lot! Thank you.
My family continues to be my shining light that drives me to be better. I have a beautiful and loving wife (Judy) now for 32+ years, four great sons (Luke, Patrick, Jimmy, Robby), two wonderful grandchildren (Abby, Jake), two idiot dogs, and two self-absorbed cats.
On this Christmas, I just want to say thanks to Jeff and the entire Lighthouse team. We all thank you for your friendship, and for believing in us!
We have a lot more to explore and look forward to in 2022. Our wish for you this Holiday Season is that you take a few moments for yourself, reflect on 2021, appreciate yourself for what you’ve learned, and appreciate those around you for what they bring into your life. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and may you have a wonder-filled Holiday Season filled with love from your family and friends.
Happy Holidays,
Mark and Jeff (The Coach & The Geek)