also want to thank the many people I have met throughout the years that have unknowingly inspired the stories in this book. Without you, the stories would only be fictional tales.
CHAPTER 1 The People-Centric Journey Begins Anew
INTRODUCTION
Dalton finally settles into his seat on American Airlines flight 330, now delayed for three hours due to … who knows what the excuse is today. As a too-frequent traveler (and someone who loves control), he has given up on attempting to comprehend many things he cannot control. Happy to get an upgraded seat, he prepares for takeoff by gulping down a Tito's and soda, not taking the time to savor the flavor (or lack thereof). Regardless of the fact that he travels close to 200,000 miles a year, he never seems to get used to being on a plane—and out of a position of control. He very rarely sleeps in transit, so he plans to use his plane time wisely and goes through his running (and never-ending) task list.
At times, Dalton has overextended himself, even if he controls his own schedule. He fights a constant battle between having quality time and earning the money that enables him to have quality time. Tonight, he is heading from Sacramento to Orlando, but due to delays, he is routing through Miami and not directly to Walt Disney World. Instead of landing at the originally scheduled time of 5:00 am, this gets him in at 10:30 am—definitely a challenge to speaking coherently to an audience of 450 risk professionals at 1:00 pm. He has always viewed problems like these as self-imposed challenges and had fun with the circumstances.
One of the reasons Dalton took on this ambitious schedule is that it will give him the opportunity to meet his kids, Caleb and Liora, in Orlando and take them on a late summer trip to Disney World. The kids flew in with his ex; after a few years of getting a feel for their after-marriage relationship, he and his ex have achieved a very good rapport. In fact, it is reminiscent of the relationship he fell in love with. Revisionist historian—no regrets. Move forward.
Both Caleb and Liora have been accepted into a great middle school after suffering from constant bullying over the previous year. Fingers crossed, but everyone agrees this is the place both can thrive. This trip is a reward for all they have been through over the previous year.
Loving his job/company/profession Is key to Dalton's continued self-motivation. Keeping clients happy, making a difference, giving other like-minded individuals opportunities to be successful—this is what he lives for! Regardless of not sleeping for 32 hours, he known that when it Is his time to own the stage, he will always be successful, but maybe the time has come to avoid these kinds of scenarios! Over the past five years, Dalton's business has grown exponentially. His biggest hurdle—leveraging a business dependent upon one person/one personality—has been overcome by finding like-minded people and on selling clients not on a replacement for Dalton but on a different approach. All the other life coaches/trainers working with Dalton bring exceptional diversity in background and experience to the table. It works, but finding like-minded people was not a simple task.
This in-flight evening was slated to be full of administrative tasks: proposals, billing, client follow-up, and brainstorming strategies for client issues and potential go-to market strategies for some new initiatives. After takeoff (and turning on Avengers: Endgame), Dalton pops out his new rose gold tinted MacBook Air. Everything tech-related that Dalton owns is Apple and rose gold; he enjoys the general theme without explicitly stating that everything his team does turns to gold.
Dalton needs the noise of the movie streaming through his wireless headphones to help him block out distractions and focus more. After handling some of the mindless administrative tasks, Dalton turns to his detailed task list and begins to project-plan his approach to his new and continuing client engagements:
For a new client in San Francisco, SoJo Technologies, Dalton has been called in by the chief financial officer, Kelli Jackson, to assist in interviewing a suspected fraudster, Julianne Cranson. Julianne is a high-level sales executive who has always been one of the company's top producers but is suspected of numerous violations, including kickbacks and undocumented discounts to customers, fraudulent reporting of travel expenses, and threatening employees. Kelli wants to handle this internally with some help. They have not been able to find evidence of fraud and are hoping a discussion with Julianne will resolve this one way or the other. Kelli and Dalton have been professional acquaintances and friends for a few years now. Dalton has also coached Kelli on presenting to her company's audit committee and board, and he is returning for hands-on instruction with her and her executive team. This meeting is scheduled for early next week, after the short jaunt to Disney World.
Dalton is planning a visit to San Jose to meet with Chief Financial Officer Brad Lester of Stanton Electronics, a long time friend and client. During a quick phone chat, Brad mentioned some of the issues he has with his team and that they are not as dedicated as his previous teams. Brad is a workaholic, dedicated primarily to his job and secondarily to his family, and he expects the same from his employees.
Dalton is also working with a new client in his hometown of Dallas on change management and driving cultural change.
If only all the issues on his plate were work-related (and therefore billable) rather than his day-to day life:
Dalton's ex-wife, Leslie, is Caleb's newly appointed soccer team manager and wants to make sure the communication issues the team has suffered from in the past do not continue to occur. Dalton and Leslie are planning to discuss this during this weekend trip.
Dalton is also working on a new project with his kids, highlighting the issues both have experienced through bullying over the past year. These are very difficult lessons for the kids but it's also a great opportunity to learn and, even better, help fight this very serious issue in all schools, specifically private schools.
Dalton's company has grown immensely and he is now just trying to keep up with the many moving pieces. More important, he's trying to be a good dad and role model to his kids.
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