I don't know much about ice hockey, and rarely watch it. But this past February while on a cross country flight, I was able to catch a few ice hockey games during the winter Olympics. I was fascinated by the game, and loved watching - in part because the US won (sorry to my Canadian friends) - but mainly because of how the teams worked so well together. And in particular, loved how the sport requires so much strength, speed, strategy and balance.

Of all the positions on the ice, the goalkeeper caught my attention. Also known as the goalie (and netminder - a term new to me!), it is considered the hardest and most demanding position in ice hockey, because of the high stakes, physical demands and mental pressure. It seemed the teams success largely depended on the success of this position, which was odd since this role is all defense. No flashy offense here. It also seemed that whoever would take on this role had to be a little crazy - choosing to have pucks and bodies flying at them all the time. They also have a lot of courage. Courage to stand in the goal, as all this trouble is heading their way. Stand and defend.

This reminds me of what many of you do every day in your lives. At work, at home, in your communities. You stand in the gap and keep opponents at bay - swatting away pucks, attacks, distractions, and protecting your goal. And the amount of change I continue to witness and hear about from many of you, is only increasing. In both speed and frequency. From lost jobs, to new promotions. Downsizing and leadership changes. AI advancing and basic coaching decreasing. Parents aging and children boomeranging.

Pucks keep coming, and aren't stopping.

So what's a goalie to do? Here are a few resources to check out as you continue to mind your nets:

1. Change is in the Air magazine was published last month for a major hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. It has a lot of tips/articles on how to deal successfully with change (be sure to check out page 10, as you might recognize that contributing author!) 
2. Consider sponsoring or attending our change workshop, which can be taught both in-person or virtually. This is highly customized to fit your full schedules/shrinking budgets and has successfully impacted all types of businesses, from banks to MLB baseball. 
3. Check out this podcast on How to Thrive through Change from a couple of years ago. Still very relevant to what we are dealing with today. 

Most importantly, to mind your nets, always remember to mind yourself. We have to be the healthiest person in the room (mind/body/spirit) in order to stand in the gap with all the same ice hockey skills of strength, speed, strategy, balance and the mental resilience of a netminder!