July 22, 2025

As you think about your business in the second half of the year, it's easy to play add-on-lots of ideas about doing new and different things. It's not irrational to think that if different results are desired, different actions are called for. 

That's the conventional thinking. 

I'll offer a different take. 

If you want to achieve different results in the second half of the year, you may be better off considering deletion. Think about your priorities. Look at your calendar. Where are you spending your time? You always have time for the things you value the most. 

Here's an exercise that I take my clients through from time to time. 

Imagine you were gifted two additional hours every month. You are to use these two "free" hours doing the things that will have the most significant impact on your business. 

What would you do? 

When I'm talking to salespeople, it's typically some form of prospecting. With managers, it often points toward coaching their people. 

These are the things that are important but not urgent. Because of the lack of immediate urgency, it's easy to procrastinate. 

If you had two additional hours each month, how would you spend them? 

The next step is to review your calendar and schedule accordingly. You may need to cancel a meeting, delegate some lower-priority tasks, or adjust your calendar. 

Block the time and do it. 

Deletion, not addition, might be the key to a good second half. 

The Huddle is a weekly newsletter that is designed for leaders. Leaders must be learners. There is never a moment when leaders arrive. It's a never-ending process. I hope this can serve as a resource for you to stay sharp and share with your team.

With that, here are some things I ran across this week. 

Go Slow - I'm coming off about 10 days of travel. I have been in multiple cities in various parts of the country. I've spent a good bit of time at airports and hotels. 

It seemed to me that everyone is in a hurry. Rushing to get on the plane, rushing to get off the plane, and eyeing the baggage carousel and hustling to head off their bag at the earliest possible point. 

And the phones. Zoom calls on the airport train. Calls on the airplane for all to hear. By the way, did people forget about the wonderful invention of headphones? I've never seen so many people with their phones playing audio in public places. We used to have a proper society. 

Everything seems urgent. Fast. 

I read this article while at the airport. It's a message for us all. 

Interview Litmus Tests - One key behavior of great leaders is that they are always recruiting. Even when you don't have an opening.  Employees don't stay forever, and starting a job search with a couple of candidates already in the mix increases the odds of finding a winner. 

Before starting my business, I was in the corporate world, and I did a lot of interviews. It seemed that I always had openings, and finding talent was a part of my day-to-day role. I had my antennae up at all times. 

I found a great, award-winning sales representative on the day the moving vans arrived in our West Virginia subdivision. One of our neighbors, a guy that I knew to be an accomplished professional, was pulling his daughter in a wagon down the street. "Where are you moving?" I told him I was moving to Richmond to lead a sales team in Virginia. "Do you want to live in Winchester? I'm looking for someone." He said, "My sister lives in Winchester. I love it there. Can I call you tomorrow?" Two weeks later, he was on the team. 

I made a habit of renting my cars from Enterprise. At that time, they had a great talent development program (maybe they still do?). One day, I rented a car from a bright, ambitious young guy who I thought would be a great addition to the team. A couple of months later, I was onboarding him. He was a fantastic hire, and today, he's a physician. 

I also had some interview practices that, let's just say, were not approved by our stuffy corporate HR department. 

I'd often walk interviewees to their car. Our HR director advised me to cease this practice, but I took it as a suggestion. I didn't care what kind of car they drove. They were going to get a company car if I hired them. I wanted to see how they kept it up. Was it a mess? Did they keep it clean and organized? Were there McDonald's bags in the floorboard? Maybe not a valid test, but I had conviction around this idea. I figured that most people don't change, and they would be working from their car as a salesperson. If it was a mess, it signaled something important. 

Many of my colleagues rolled their eyes at my litmus test. HR told me to stop. 

I am validated. Finally. 

I was lucky enough to hire some great people. Just sayin'... 

Identity vs. Role - Did you see the interview that Scottie Scheffler gave before the Open Championship in Northern Ireland last week? It was a masterclass in the idea that what we do is not who we are. 

For those of you who have taken any of my sales training sessions, you'll hear an interview filled with I/R Theory concepts. Scheffler knows that his accomplishments as a golfer do not define him as a human being. Roles, like "best golfer in the world", can all be taken away. They are fleeting. And they won't fulfill you. 

He knows that there is more to life than a Claret Jug or a Wannemaker Trophy, or a winner's payday. None of those will fulfill you. He seems to have realized that being a good man, living out his values, working hard, and being OK with whatever the outcomes may be is the real measure of success—and that's a trophy no one can take away.

I've read where several people have criticized Scheffler for these comments. He's leaving himself an out. He's not fully committed. 

Scheffler is the world's greatest golfer because he doesn't equate his identity with his outcomes. It allows him to thrive under pressure. It allows him to be free on the golf course, being OK with whatever the outcome. He cares deeply about his craft—that's obvious—but it doesn't define who he is. 

I encourage you to listen to the interview. It's one of the best pieces of life advice you'll ever hear. It applies to all of us, regardless of our profession. 

Difficult Conversations - Leaders, by virtue of their roles, are often required to engage in difficult conversations. It's just part of the gig. If you aren't having them, you may be sweeping some things under the rug. 

Here's a brief video with a couple of practical tips to help you structure challenging conversations. 

A quote to leave you with 

Have a great week!