New Balance’s Post

Early Saturday morning swim vibes 🏊♂️ Dragging myself out of bed, thinking, "I'm so tired... I really pushed it this week with work, training: a couple of intense sessions and that mid-week race burner." Off to the Weyport Swimmers masters session I go... 🏊♂️ No clue what to expect from the session, but hoping I can draft behind someone's feet... I arrive fashionably late, jump in, and manage to squeak out just two lengths for my warm-up. I had dreams of at least eight easy warm-up lengths... Some pals in my lane fill me in on the next set and gently nudge me to take the lead. My mind goes, "Oh no! Mentally, I'm a bit fried. This is not what I had in mind..." But hey, let's embrace it, let's work together and get it done. 👯 Surprisingly, I start feeling better and actually enjoy leading the pack. We power through about 90% of the set. We all agree, "That was tough." "Great job, everyone." "We really nailed it." Mission accomplished. A satisfying sense of achievement and camaraderie fills the air. 🎖 What's the glue that holds us together? Is it the grueling session? The leader of the pack? Our egos? The number of lengths we swim? The pace? Nah, what truly unites us are our shared values: friendship, dedication, honesty, passion, unity, trust. That's why our crew keeps coming back, giving it their all both in play and hard work. Life is pretty darn good when you're living by your values and sharing them with like-minded folks. 🙌 #valuesmatter #valuesbasedleadership #teamculture #teamcelebration

Today's Spirit@Work value is Integration Last Saturday was my last day of lift-served skiing for this season. Over the past couple of months, I've been focused on some movements and intentions in my skiing to make some changes. It's one thing to think about them, a second to apply them, but it's a deeper and longer process to integrate them. While they aren't fully integrated, I was able to combine them and have a structure for continuing the effort the next time I'm on snow. The same process works for each learning experience we have. It can be tempting to just add new information to old, especially since this was how we are trained in most educational environments. However, the value of learning is in integrating it and allowing it to shift how we live our lives. What are you integrating? “We hear much about the need to achieve greater balance in our lives. But it isn’t balance we need. The very notion of balance infers that there are two solitudes to choose from—work and life. What we are yearning for today is not balance between work and life, but a complete seamlessness of the two—not balance, but integration. Is your life integrated?” — Lance Secretan, Spirit@Work #leadership #integration #spirit@work

Inspiration is squashed by pecking at spreadsheets and cranking out emails. It flourishes when you step away. After a skiing trip, I returned with four bold ideas— Bob, my partner joked, “You should ski more often.” To cultivate inspiration and innovation in your team, encourage stepping away from the machine, unplug from daily tasks to explore new environments, and find moments of relaxation. These moments spark creativity! #innovations #teaminspiration #breakthestigma #creativethinking #innovativethinking #TeamMotivation #inspireyourteam #teamgrowth #creativity #inspiration

Race recap: I ran my third marathon in Valencia in December and finished with a time of 3 hours and 9 minutes, falling short of my goal of 2 hours and 59 minutes. Everything went well until the 35 km mark when I hit "the wall," forcing me to slow down and readjust my plans. Despite encountering muscle cramping and the temptation to discontinue the race, I persevered and even took a moment to interact with spectators, which lifted my spirits. I eventually finished faster than my first marathon in Berlin, but the race took a toll on my body, leaving me feeling unwell afterwards. What I learned: - Adaptability is key: I learned the importance of being agile and adjusting my plans during challenging moments in the race. When plan A didn't work, I switched to plans B and C. - Prioritize enjoyment: I realized the significance of having fun during the race, not just focusing on the time goal. - Resilience and kindness the experience reinforced the value of maintaining a positive mindset and being kind to oneself, both during the race and in life. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about preparing for and running a marathon. I'm here to help with any inquiries you may have about training, race preparation, or the overall marathon experience.

Happy Friday!!! We are back with ‘in the hot seat with…” where we ask one of the Revive Intra team 10 questions so we can get to know them a little better..  This week we are ‘in the hot seat with…’our non-executive director, Mark Richardson, enjoy! Right, 10 questions Mark, are you ready? Yes, lets do it.. 1. What three items would you take with you on a deserted island? Matches, knife and rope 2. What was your first job? Window cleaner 3. What is your favorite family holiday? Skiing 4. What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play? Sailing or skiing to do, to watch rugby 5. Have you ever had a nickname? What is it? Never 6. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life? Brad Pitt 7. Do you cook, if yes, what do you like to cook? Beef Wellington 8. How many languages do you speak? One English 9. What do like most about being an NED? The ability to focus on the key issues and not being dragged down by bureaucracy 10. 5 words to sum you up... Enthusiastic, disciplined, hardworking, reasonably intelligent, resilient So there you have it folks, some insight into the thinking of Mark Richardson (or Brad Pitt as we now call him🤣). Tune in next week for ‘in the hot eat with’…Michael Stenhouse! Have a great weekend! Revive Intra #people #officedesign #energyindustry #scotand

Last week Scott Zoback and I embarked on our 3rd annual “cross country ski and plan” trip up in Bretton Woods, NH. I absolutely love this tradition and honestly, it’s part of what keeps me grounded while dreaming big for the whole year. Here’s why we prioritize our winter (cross country skiing) and summer (hiking or paddle boarding) off-sites: 🌎 OOO: It’s so important to change up your scenery when you are trying to think differently. For me, it’s not just getting out of my office, it’s getting out of any office and away from my usual habits. 🌲 Fresh air: Being outside truly makes me more aware of the world of possibilities that are out there. Not only is fresh air so good for my mental health and mood, it also relaxes my brain. 🎿 Get moving: I find that when I’m moving my body, I can think more creatively. I don’t know if it’s because I’m focusing on my physicality and therefore my brain is allowed to wander or if it’s just that better blood flow leads to more oxygen and energy. Either way, it works. 💭 A moment to reflect: After a day of physical activity, my body is tired but my mind is alive. In that moment, I’m more able to take a moment to reflect on what has gone well, what I’ve learned, and how far we’ve come since last year.

Build Resilience daily tip #15, "𝐃𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮." - Eleanor Roosevelt Reflecting on my ski trip to Lake Tahoe with my daughter brings back memories of my first downhill skiing experience in my 20s. That day I accidentally hopped on the lift that belonged to the advanced skiers. When arrived on the top of the mountain, fear gripped me. Looking down at the vast expanse of slopes and tiny figures below, I felt paralyzed. Summoning courage, I sought help by waving frantically at a staff member on a snowmobile, and my rescue arrived. I never regretted trying downhill skiing and stepping out of my comfort zone. Joining a group lesson, I learned to ski that day. Later on, I took multiple lessons and practiced each time. Then, I taught my daughters to ski. Fast forward, today, I proudly consider myself a proficient skier—a testament to the rewards of trying and never looking back. A lot of times we are hesitant to take a leap to try new things. We get too comfortable to move around. It’s the fear. It’s not the things that scare us, but it’s the thought of trying seems daunting. Are you trying anything that scares you today or will you in 2024? May you jump out of the comfort zone and grow more. Let’s remind each other. Lucy Chen, award-winning author and human potential coach (I specialize in guiding individuals to build resilience and achieve success—reach out through DMs to explore collaborative opportunities on your transformative journey.) (To order my book, https://lnkd.in/gmb4_WrA) #BuildResilience #BookWriting #GiftedCoaching #SkiingJourney #StepOutOfComfortZone

⭐️ Start with the finish in mind ⭐️ Trust in the process ⭐️ You get the medal at the finish, not after the first mile 3 lessons I’ve learned from the last 25 years of running that I also apply when coaching my clients and very well today at the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in Glasgow today. My plan was simple, focus on how I felt, feel like I could speed up later in the race and save something in the tank to sprint to the finish 👍 It can be easy to get carried away and go off a bit too quick and pay the price later on. While the first mile was quicker, I settled down into a comfortable pace. Trusting in the process became my superpower later in the race as after my 2 slowest miles in 7 and 8, the drink from the water station seemed to ignite the caffeine from the gel I’d taken a mile or so before and I ran my fastest miles of the race between 9 and 12, by a considerable margin 😀 Sadly, mile 13 wasn’t quite as quick but as soon as I had the finish line in sight, I stepped up another gear and passed a few people on my way to the line 😀 Not my fastest half marathon but the way I ran it is very pleasing and gives me something to build on 👍 I plan to take a week off running to allow my body to recover and then back to training so I can run even quicker 😀 Never be afraid to set really high goals, even ones you think are beyond you. The only limit is your imagination. You don’t have to dive straight in at the deep end at the start of your journey either. It IS a journey, it will take some time but get the journey and your approach to get there, right and it will potentially change your life and achieving the goal is something that happens naturally along the way 😊 Forget focusing on getting fit, set the bar much higher, get out of your comfort zone, find the journey that works for you and you’ll accomplish much more than you can anticipate. I’m here to guide you, encourage you and push you to discover what IS possible for you 😀 All you need to do is DM me, we have a chat and then get to work 😀

Time management. Planning. Communication. Execution. Follow up. Sounds like an ordinary day for me at the office. This time I applied some of my skills to a skiing vacation with my son. 🎿Time management: Planning extra time for potential tantrums during the skiing vacation. 🎿Planning: Booking the vacation, deciding slopes, lunch, and calculating return time. 🎿Communication: Adapting communication skills to execute the plan. 🎿Follow-up: Discussing the day and expressing excitement for the next one during Storytime. Vacationing with kids requires a strong plan and flexibility. 🏔️❄️🎿 Didn't worry about the work, I did all that was in my power to delegate and to prepare key people while I was away. Much needed vacation to clean my mind and prepare for the multiple go-lives🙌 #timemanagement #Planning #communicationisthekey

Happiness is …. —what energizes us —something we all seek —what we make it —a great way to measure success “Happiness is skiing ⛷️ down a mountain ending up on the beach🏖️.” This is what I wrote in my senior high school yearbook, and, while certainly not a comprehensive list written at that stage of life, these are two things that still make me happy, especially when enjoyed with family or friends. Scientists say there are three things that make us happy: 1️⃣ PLEASURE (doing things we enjoy) 2️⃣ ENGAGEMENT (feeling interested in our activities and connected to others) 3️⃣ MEANING (feeling like what we do matters) Happiness 🙂✨ matters and is not only the simplest measure of success, but the ultimate measure of life. What makes you happy inside and outside of work? #skiing #career #beach #happiness #happinessatwork #happinessmatters #success #findyourpassion