Ride, baby, ride.

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Ahhh...how can you beat this weekend?

Friday night the Riverwest 24 Hour Bicycle Race began. The "Race" for most is really a fun community ride. Riders on $3K bikes saddled aside Dad's pulling baby trailers. There is even a spirit award for costumed riders on decorated bikes.

And of course, there were block parties. Kid's everywhere and you felt out of place without a beer in your hand. It must have been really hard to cheer and party for 24 hours. We didn't try.

We did take several course meanders on foot and Frank even hopped on his bike for several laps. We were there to watch the start and there for the end. There were more than 250 riders. Fun.

On Sunday, it was my speed. A trail ride from Brown Deer to Cedarburg. About 18 miles with a pastry in the middle. (Hey...I just needed to fuel up for endurance.) Two hours? 24 hours? There's a ride for everyone.

Mornin' in Milwaukee

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Milwaukee is misunderstood. Most of the people I know think of Milwaukee as:
1) a city in a flyover state
2) full of farmers
3) in the middle of steamy farmland.

Well folks, that isn't my experience. It's gorgeous here.

Bike rides along the lake are part of the perks of dealing with the urban life as are great museums, galleries,restaurants, theater and beaches. I really think you should come see us.

Stepping up my game

I am a Leadership Coach. 

I help men and women lead their organizations with passion and purpose.  I learn from people like Seth Godin and Tom Peters.  With their help, and books like Passion for Excellence and publications like Fast Company, I am inspired to share. So what is the point of today's post?  If you want to "find your people"  you must read.

People will say all kinds of things but there is no replacement for good writing.  Advice from experts is not a bad idea either and is better in print.

That's my opinion.

I want to be good writer and an expert.  I will go forth...and read.  Today:  The Pursuit of WOW! by Tom Peters, of course.

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• Seth Godin (thegeektalk.com)
• Summary and Review of The Pursuit of WoW by Tom Peters (bookstove.com)

I have been away for awhile...

I confess. I have been having a lot of fun exploring Milwaukee. This is a small city (about 275,000) with big heart and I have been loving it back. I have been enjoying my stay-cation moments very much, thank you.

I think we all need to take breaks. Lots of them. It may be that we can't take that three weeks away from our job or we have used up our time off at our sister's wedding or we are banking it for Christmas. And you may think that vacations are only good when we get away. I have an alternative: Stay.

Live with purpose and for pleasure. Give with joy and satisfaction. Breathe and be calm.

Now that's a good stay-cation.

I love Fast Company Magazine

Friday morning and a cloudy day turned into a sunny cup of coffee. Thank you Fast Company. This is a magazine filled with fascinating news, interviews and company profiles. It's actually exciting for me to read. Here are my highlights from the February edition:

1) How to Change When Change is Hard. This is from the guys that wrote "Switch" and I am sure I will refer to them often in the next few months. (I tend to latch on to a theme and beat the message to death - sorry.) The headline of the article grabbed me "Find a bright spot and clone it." ooooooooo...this is the kind of stuff that makes a leadership coach gasp for air and yell "Yes!"

2)Calatrava Goes Public. Imagine my glee when within this discussion about one of the greatest architects of our time (no kidding) there is a picture of our glorious Milwaukee Art Museum. The museum may be the number one reason to live here - besides Alterra coffee.

3)The History of Volkswagen. This one is for my kids. When they were in high school, we were in Marin in an adorable house with a carport. No garage. For the better part of two years there were dismantled VWs in my driveway, the carport and into the back yard. I had little appreciation for the art form that is the VW bug. I complained incessantly about greasy mufflers strewn about. Let this article serve as my apology, boys. You were right. They are gorgeous.

Now I haven't touched the cover of the big stories about science, sociology, technology and sports that fill it's pages. This is just what I read over coffee this morning.

I can't wait until lunch.

Tuesdays

I think Tuesdays get a bad rap. Tuesdays are the most productive day of the week.

I get organized for the week on Monday without really making headway on real projects. There are the stacks of messages, the emails to answer, the to do list(s!) to revise and the exhaustion from the weekend to overcome.

Wednesday is lovingly referred to as "Humpday" which translates to "it's down hill from here." What happened to "soar to new heights"?

Thursday? Thursday is the day you get ready for Friday.

And Friday is the day we do as little as possible (unless you are in the restaurant business which is a whole other deal) in order to leave early because it's hard to get anything done when everyone else has gone home early.

So, back to Tuesday. It would seem that Tuesday is a good day to actually get things done. The messages are answered, the downward slide hasn't begun, inertia hasn't taken hold, and you can work a whole day.

If everyday was Tuesday, think of what could be accomplished.

Trust Agents

I have been reading Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith lately. The premise is that you can use the web to build influence, improve reputation and earn trust.

One of the strong points in the book is that you should make friends because you can, and not because you are on the lookout to get something back. This reminds me of the golden rule, of course, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and what we used to say in Mary Kay all the time - and I mean all the time - "What you put into the lives of others comes back to you tenfold."

I believe all of that. A bit of altruism goes a long way.

Sometimes all we can do is think of the other guy. We don't necessarily need an action plan, a new widget, or a goal poster. We don't know if he will take our advice, perform at a new and higher level, or go home and forget about us. As Leaders, all we really ever have is hope and all we can do is consistently push the message.

And pray, of course.