When Breakout Kings first came on I was intrigued. I love crime shows and this seemed to be one that was a little off the beaten path, so I was watched. Great first season. And I was excited about the second season too. But, as with many of my shows, I rely a great deal on replay because I rarely get to watch the original episodes. Lo and behold, by the time I tuned in this season Charlie DuChamp – one of the lead characters – was dead (and, unfortunately, I was done). Why did they kill off Charlie? Why did they mess with a formula that seemed to be working so well, I wondered? Well, it seems the show felt the need to shake things up in a major way. They wanted to shake up the characters and the plot (and shock viewers) by making an impactful change that would, for a year or two, permanently alter the direction of the show. Well, they succeeded. I’m not sure what’s in store for Breakout Kings but it did get me thinking about what was in store for me. Have you ever had that nagging feeling that the pace and direction of your life was getting just a tad bit predictable? Have you ever had the nagging feeling that things in your life needed to be “different” without knowing exactly what you meant by different? If so, maybe it is time for you to drive your plotline in another direction. And there’s really only one way to accomplish that. You gotta shake things up. I’m not talking about moving-the-plotline-ahead-five-years or natural-disaster shake things up. I’m talking kill-off-Charlie-DuChamp shake things up.

When it comes to making purchases I’m the type of person who will research ad nauseum in an effort to find out every little detail about whatever it is I’m about to invest in. Whether it’s a new cellphone, cable service, or a Friday night meal out on the town I love to scrutinize the details regarding my future investment to make sure I get the best. And then today, I thought… I wonder if anyone has ever done that to me – sized me up and scrutinized me. And if so… oh my! In reality people are always sizing you up and deciding whether or not to invest in you – they decide whether or not to be friends with you, marry you, or hire you. They want to know if you’re the type of person they want to spend time with, listen to, or partner with in an endeavor. So, in many ways, you are a business. And each and every day you’re displaying your product to the world, and that product is you. Question is: Do people want to invest in you? When I teach leadership and advocate that leadership skills are not exclusive to the work environment, many people are perplexed because they never think about being leaders of their own lives or leaders of their families as requiring actual leadership skills. But every business has a leader. And every business, among other things, has to think about its vision, marketing, and its finances. So, if you were to venture a guess, what do you think people are saying about your business?