Earnest Consulting Group

Sprint to the Finish Line: 8 Ways to End 2024 Strong

December 5, 2024 | Self Help

As we approach the final stretch of the year, it’s time to decide: will you coast to the finish line or sprint your way to success? Let me share a story and some actionable insights to inspire you to make these last weeks count. In 1997, I was part of a massive Christmas Show at Purdue University—a campus tradition since 1933. Over three days, we performed six shows for six different audiences, all while juggling full academic schedules. Rehearsals consumed 30+ hours a week, including "dead week," the week before finals, when most students were focused solely on academics. It…

The Shortest Game Plan Newsletter to Date

March 14, 2024 | Business Development, Self Help

Image made in Canva In this world of government sales, especially in the beginning, we must ensure we cheer others on. We can’t compare our success to others' success. We all have your game plan to win. Your path to winning will be different from others.. Here’s how I generally measure my overall progress. Self-awareness is critical with all of these. Did I do my absolute best? Was I true to myself? Did I lift others up along the way? Am I still an awesome husband and father to my family? The last one is crucial for me. If I…

Why Wait? Kickstart Your Goals This Nov New Year

November 1, 2023 | Self Help

Image taken from Canva I have never liked the concept of New Year's resolutions. Most of them are abandoned by February, and for the most part, they don’t bring about any type of change. The concept of "Nov New Year" revolves around a pre-emptive start to one's resolutions and goals, capitalizing on November 1st rather than waiting until January 1st. Let's delve deeper into this idea. Origin and Philosophy: The "Nov New Year" recognizes that for many, the last two months of the calendar year can become a whirlwind of holidays, events, and end-of-year tasks. Translation: Lots of distractions. Furthermore,…

Treat Everyone as Your Customer: An Organizational Paradigm Shift

October 11, 2023 | Business Development, Communication, Self Help

Image taken from Adobe stock The notion of treating everyone as a customer began with me in 2011. Our organization deployed an employee opinion survey, and the business segment results I led were not good. On a 1-5 scale, with five being excellent, our company (more like me) received a 3.8 for “work environment,” which addressed cleanliness, equipment maintenance, having the proper equipment to do their work, and physical conditions (light, climate, and appearance). Since I was directly responsible for all of these items, it sent me a message that I was not adequately giving our employees the environment needed to…

Lessons From COVID-19

July 1, 2020 | Self Help

[caption id="attachment_934" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Photo by cottonbro from Pexels[/caption] There's a quote I like from the first Indian first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. He said, “Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.” During the past few months, this quote has been on my mind as we’ve all been forced to think a little differently. While my focus has certainly been on all the individuals and families whose lives are being disrupted through the catastrophic health effects of the coronavirus pandemic, I also know it’s affecting even those of us…

I Don’t Do Mondays! Part III – Mondays are a Mindset

May 27, 2020 | Communication, Leadership, Self Help, Time Management

This is the final post in a three-part series–why I don’t buy into all the negatives associated with Mondays. In Part 1, I shared my tips for prior planning: how a little forethought can help us avoid the Monday blues. In Part 2, I talked about setting boundaries--how to take more control so I can start the week more productively. Today, I’ll cover the importance of mindset: what we can do to reframe the way we think about Mondays. WHY WE GET “A CASE OF THE MONDAYS” Changing our mindset about Mondays begins with understanding why they can be such…

I Don’t Do Mondays: Part II -Set Boundaries and Keep Them!

May 12, 2020 | Self Help

This is the second in a three-part series--why I don’t “do” the dread associated with the first day of the week--and how we can make Mondays more productive. If you’ve ever had, to quote a line from Office Space “a case of the Mondays,” this series is meant to be the antidote. In Part 1, I discussed prior planning: how some forethought can help us stay ahead of some of the challenges that seem to plague most people’s Mondays. Today, I’ll focus on setting boundaries. Boundaries Lead to Freedom When it comes to protecting our time, the greatest enemy we…

I Don’t Do Mondays! Part 1

April 28, 2020 | Leadership, Self Help, Time Management

No, this does not mean I don't work on Mondays. What I don't do is the idea of Mondays. Remember the line from Office Space, "Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays." I think that line from the movie speaks more to the person who pines for the weekend and is sad it's over. I don't usually share that sentiment and look forward to my first day back after the weekend. Maybe that's sometimes why I tend to work a bit more on Mondays than other days. Chaos Rules I also have gotten a sense from many that…

BURNT OUT AT WORK? PART 4 OF 4.

April 7, 2020 | Self Help

Late last year, I began a series of posts about workplace burnout. At the time, my goal was to help those in my network enjoy a little more sanity in their work lives. Well, things have changed quite a bit in the past month, and we're facing very different challenges. RECAP We begin to experience workplace burnout when we lose sight of any of these four pillars of workplace wellbeing: Setting Boundaries Gaining Perspective Connecting with my Mission Practicing Self Care. While this is always a challenge, these topics are perhaps more relevant than they’ve ever been in the midst…

Burnt out at Work? Part 3 of 4.

January 8, 2020 | Leadership, Self Help

If you have just joined us, I have been writing down some thoughts that I have shared in-person with groups about workplace burnout. Transforming a presentation into a blog post has also allowed me to expand on some areas and share more experiences. Recap To recap, my experience has shown that I begin to experience workplace burnout when I'm not taking time to take care of my workplace wellbeing. I have also been able to break down four areas, which I call the pillars to workplace wellbeing. They are: Setting Boundaries Gaining Perspective Connecting with my Mission Practicing Self Care.…