December 12, 2024 • 9 mins
Caught in the chaos of a Twin Cities thunderstorm, I found myself juggling unexpected challenges—from tornado sirens to an unprepared GM unsure of how to react. It's a story that highlights the importance of solid crisis management and the gaps that can appear when leadership isn't proactive. Join me as I share the frustrations and insights that come from navigating such turbulent moments at work, while reflecting on my personal journey through the book of Psalms. These daily readings have become a source of strength and fresh perspectives, bridging the demands of both professional and spiritual growth.
When citywide power outages knock everyone off course, staying connected becomes a strategic game. I've uncovered some surprising places to find reliable Wi-Fi, even when the lights go out. From the sturdy infrastructures of libraries to the less crowded sanctuaries of car dealerships and shopping malls, these spots ensure that the digital world remains at your fingertips. Whether it's rearranging appointments or sticking to a plan amidst chaos, there are always ways to keep things moving. This episode is a blend of real-world solutions and personal reflections, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to tackle life's unpredictable hurdles with optimism and resolve.
When citywide power outages knock everyone off course, staying connected becomes a strategic game. I've uncovered some surprising places to find reliable Wi-Fi, even when the lights go out. From the sturdy infrastructures of libraries to the less crowded sanctuaries of car dealerships and shopping malls, these spots ensure that the digital world remains at your fingertips. Whether it's rearranging appointments or sticking to a plan amidst chaos, there are always ways to keep things moving. This episode is a blend of real-world solutions and personal reflections, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to tackle life's unpredictable hurdles with optimism and resolve.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good morning, good morning.
Well, I'm going to slightlyvent for a minute here, so just
bear with me, and then I'll getspiritual for a minute.
So if you don't like spiritualChristian-y talk, then feel free
to skip.
You don't have to listen if youdon't like that stuff.
But yesterday in the TwinCities we had a big storm like
(00:24):
thunderstorm.
People were saying we're goingto get softball-sized hail and
people were leaving whateverthey were doing early so that
they could get out of wherever,take shelter, get home and stuff
.
And so I'm at my house and thesky is that pukey green color
(00:47):
and everything is just windy,like really strong wind and gust
and just rain, and it's just,it's thunderstorm time.
It's like bunker down thehatches, we're not doing stuff
today, kind of thing.
And I, my gm, calls me.
I'm like oh, maybe, like heneeds help or something.
So I kid you not, this is howit goes.
We use a training platformcalled Trainual.
It basically has like here'swhat to do for jobs,
(01:09):
descriptions, like that's ourtraining manual, and it's just
digital and stuff.
So he calls me and our lastclass of the day starts at 6.30,
goes till 7.15.
He calls me and literally itgoes just like this.
Hey, nathan, so the tornadosirens are going off right now.
I looked up in train you all,and there's not a procedure on
(01:31):
what to do when there's atornado in the area.
What do you want me to do?
And he's just so flat when hesays it.
So I'm like bro, like, ifthere's tornado sirens and
there's brush going all over theplace, get everyone to the
bathrooms, stop class, getpeople to safety, away from the
(01:51):
glass and windows.
Like safety over finishingclass.
Like I was just like perplexed,like I was confused.
I was just like perplexed, like, for I'm, I was confused, like
I didn't.
I didn't.
I couldn't tell if he was beingjoking or if he was just
(02:13):
needing some input or somevalidation that he was making
the right decision.
But I was just surprised.
Like there are tornado sirensgoing off.
What do you want me to do?
Like you should probably makesure you don't die from a
tornado would be a good firststep.
Um, I was just I couldn'tbelieve like is this real?
Is this really happening rightnow?
Like it was just threw me off.
(02:35):
So, um, that was yesterday,that was, uh, what was that?
Tuesday, that was monday.
Monday evening, um, and thenmonday morning, I was just
having our weekly team meetingand I told the staff like my gm
hopped off early because he hada lead to go to and some folks
gave some candid feedback aboutsome stuff the gm is just not
(02:56):
doing.
Like, hey, I know he's probablyoverwhelmed and overworked, but
hey, nathan, can this be partof his responsibility?
Like he prints off the classplans for the week so that the
instructors don't have to printthem off at home and bring them
in?
Can the gm just print them offat the studio?
It's like, well, yeah,absolutely, is that not
happening?
Like no, people are usuallyscrambling because the gm is is
(03:19):
not doing that.
And so I told the staff hey, ifpeople have referrals or
whatever, with their recent waveof hiring and interviews, I was
hoping for instructors levelone or level two to be
interested in a more management,legit management type role.
It's been a struggle forcurrent GM and I'd like to have
(03:44):
more options available.
I've talked with them, workedwith them.
They realize it's been a toughfit.
I was hoping there'd be moreactual management type people
stepping up or interviewing orapplying, and so there's kind of
like this oh okay, and I nevertold him like, hey, I'm
replacing my GM.
I did not ever say that my GMand I know like, hey, this is
(04:08):
the studio is not embracing theGM, it's been pushed back.
It's been like pulling teethand that the GM and I have
already talked about like atransition and what the studio
needs.
And so he knows that it's aninterim role and it's not a
multi-year thing that we're in.
(04:30):
And so the rest of the squadfigured out or I think they're
realizing that, okay, nathan isentertaining more permanent
options, entertaining morepermanent options because it's
it's been like trying to what'sthe term?
Putting a square peg into around hole, something like that?
(04:50):
Um, and so they said, hey, wehave some like people that could
be a fit Like, do you wantreferrals?
How do you want to do this?
Yeah, absolutely, I will.
If you have a referral, someonethat you think can do this, I
will absolutely have aconversation and I will, I will
embrace opportunities like that.
And so it's, it's just tough.
(05:12):
And so yesterday, when, like,hey, there's a tornado and there
are sirens going off, whatshould I do?
What if my phone wasn't working?
What should I do?
What if my phone wasn't working?
Would he have still, like, hadclass like normal and allowed,
like a, an unsafe customerexperience to occur?
I hope not.
What if I wasn't available andI was on vacation?
Like, do I call him while he'son vacation?
(05:34):
No, like, why is he calling mewhen there's a safety concern?
I hope, I hope he's able to runwith it and realize it's a
safety concern.
We got to do something.
So, anyhow, that was all that.
And then what else?
What else?
What else?
I think that's about it for now.
(06:01):
Oh, finally, on the spiritualstuff.
So my church is going throughthe book of Psalms and we're
just reading Psalms, like threeor four Psalms a day, maybe five
.
And it was surprising to bereminded that in Psalms the guy
that wrote Psalms is King, kingdavid.
You know the king david injewish history, super famous guy
(06:22):
, and people always think, oh,he defeated goliath, he did this
great thing, he did this reallybad thing.
And people think that, like,life is pretty stable.
But from one one psalm to thenext, it's like again one song.
It'll literally be like deargod, you're amazing, you're
wonderful, I will praise you.
And then literally the nextone's like dear god, oh, my god,
(06:44):
where are you?
Ah, life is terrible, I'm beingpursued, crush my enemies and
like the end is near.
And then the next one's likedear god, you're amazing how
solid of a rock you are, andlike just reading it back to
back.
It's like my goodness, thisguy's life is volatile, it's not
consistent, but that was arefreshing reminder that life is
(07:08):
not always flat and consistentfor me either.
And so when it feels like I'mthe only one who's having these
ups and downs, good days, baddays, even like midday good day,
bad day that it's not just me,that it's across human history,
that you feel like you're on topof the world, you feel like
you're at the bottom of the pile.
(07:29):
So that was a refreshingreminder.
Today power is out throughoutthe Twin Cities, so I will be
looking for power businesseswith power just bumming on their
wi-fi.
My three go-to spots are cardealership here we go, uh.
Car dealerships.
Libraries oh, there's one moreand shopping malls.
(07:51):
Everyone goes to a coffee shop.
It's kind of boring.
Shopping malls, car dealershipsand libraries.
Libraries are government, sothey have decent reliability for
utilities.
Car dealerships are commercial.
They cannot be down for long,so they are usually pretty good.
And shopping malls are massiveand they have solid battery
backup systems.
(08:11):
So those are my three Wi-Figo-to spots that are usually not
so crowded, and I'll bechecking those out today.
So that's the game plan.
That's what we're doing.
Um, I have to shuffle someappointments around, but I mean,
at the end of the day we'll bejust fine, life will carry on.
That's where it, that's wherewe're going.
(08:32):
Let's rock and roll.
Good morning, good morning.
Well, I'm going to slightlyvent for a minute here, so just
bear with me, and then I'll getspiritual for a minute.
So if you don't like spiritualChristian-y talk, then feel free
to skip.
You don't have to listen if youdon't like that stuff.
But yesterday in the TwinCities we had a big storm like
(00:24):
thunderstorm.
People were saying we're goingto get softball-sized hail and
people were leaving whateverthey were doing early so that
they could get out of wherever,take shelter, get home and stuff
.
And so I'm at my house and thesky is that pukey green color
(00:47):
and everything is just windy,like really strong wind and gust
and just rain, and it's just,it's thunderstorm time.
It's like bunker down thehatches, we're not doing stuff
today, kind of thing.
And I, my gm, calls me.
I'm like oh, maybe, like heneeds help or something.
So I kid you not, this is howit goes.
We use a training platformcalled Trainual.
It basically has like here'swhat to do for jobs,
(01:09):
descriptions, like that's ourtraining manual, and it's just
digital and stuff.
So he calls me and our lastclass of the day starts at 6.30,
goes till 7.15.
He calls me and literally itgoes just like this.
Hey, nathan, so the tornadosirens are going off right now.
I looked up in train you all,and there's not a procedure on
(01:31):
what to do when there's atornado in the area.
What do you want me to do?
And he's just so flat when hesays it.
So I'm like bro, like, ifthere's tornado sirens and
there's brush going all over theplace, get everyone to the
bathrooms, stop class, getpeople to safety, away from the
(01:51):
glass and windows.
Like safety over finishingclass.
Like I was just like perplexed,like I was confused.
I was just like perplexed, like, for I'm, I was confused, like
I didn't.
I didn't.
I couldn't tell if he was beingjoking or if he was just
(02:13):
needing some input or somevalidation that he was making
the right decision.
But I was just surprised.
Like there are tornado sirensgoing off.
What do you want me to do?
Like you should probably makesure you don't die from a
tornado would be a good firststep.
Um, I was just I couldn'tbelieve like is this real?
Is this really happening rightnow?
Like it was just threw me off.
(02:35):
So, um, that was yesterday,that was, uh, what was that?
Tuesday, that was monday.
Monday evening, um, and thenmonday morning, I was just
having our weekly team meetingand I told the staff like my gm
hopped off early because he hada lead to go to and some folks
gave some candid feedback aboutsome stuff the gm is just not
(02:56):
doing.
Like, hey, I know he's probablyoverwhelmed and overworked, but
hey, nathan, can this be partof his responsibility?
Like he prints off the classplans for the week so that the
instructors don't have to printthem off at home and bring them
in?
Can the gm just print them offat the studio?
It's like, well, yeah,absolutely, is that not
happening?
Like no, people are usuallyscrambling because the gm is is
(03:19):
not doing that.
And so I told the staff hey, ifpeople have referrals or
whatever, with their recent waveof hiring and interviews, I was
hoping for instructors levelone or level two to be
interested in a more management,legit management type role.
It's been a struggle forcurrent GM and I'd like to have
(03:44):
more options available.
I've talked with them, workedwith them.
They realize it's been a toughfit.
I was hoping there'd be moreactual management type people
stepping up or interviewing orapplying, and so there's kind of
like this oh okay, and I nevertold him like, hey, I'm
replacing my GM.
I did not ever say that my GMand I know like, hey, this is
(04:08):
the studio is not embracing theGM, it's been pushed back.
It's been like pulling teethand that the GM and I have
already talked about like atransition and what the studio
needs.
And so he knows that it's aninterim role and it's not a
multi-year thing that we're in.
(04:30):
And so the rest of the squadfigured out or I think they're
realizing that, okay, nathan isentertaining more permanent
options, entertaining morepermanent options because it's
it's been like trying to what'sthe term?
Putting a square peg into around hole, something like that?
(04:50):
Um, and so they said, hey, wehave some like people that could
be a fit Like, do you wantreferrals?
How do you want to do this?
Yeah, absolutely, I will.
If you have a referral, someonethat you think can do this, I
will absolutely have aconversation and I will, I will
embrace opportunities like that.
And so it's, it's just tough.
(05:12):
And so yesterday, when, like,hey, there's a tornado and there
are sirens going off, whatshould I do?
What if my phone wasn't working?
What should I do?
What if my phone wasn't working?
Would he have still, like, hadclass like normal and allowed,
like a, an unsafe customerexperience to occur?
I hope not.
What if I wasn't available andI was on vacation?
Like, do I call him while he'son vacation?
(05:34):
No, like, why is he calling mewhen there's a safety concern?
I hope, I hope he's able to runwith it and realize it's a
safety concern.
We got to do something.
So, anyhow, that was all that.
And then what else?
What else?
What else?
I think that's about it for now.
(06:01):
Oh, finally, on the spiritualstuff.
So my church is going throughthe book of Psalms and we're
just reading Psalms, like threeor four Psalms a day, maybe five
.
And it was surprising to bereminded that in Psalms the guy
that wrote Psalms is King, kingdavid.
You know the king david injewish history, super famous guy
(06:22):
, and people always think, oh,he defeated goliath, he did this
great thing, he did this reallybad thing.
And people think that, like,life is pretty stable.
But from one one psalm to thenext, it's like again one song.
It'll literally be like deargod, you're amazing, you're
wonderful, I will praise you.
And then literally the nextone's like dear god, oh, my god,
(06:44):
where are you?
Ah, life is terrible, I'm beingpursued, crush my enemies and
like the end is near.
And then the next one's likedear god, you're amazing how
solid of a rock you are, andlike just reading it back to
back.
It's like my goodness, thisguy's life is volatile, it's not
consistent, but that was arefreshing reminder that life is
(07:08):
not always flat and consistentfor me either.
And so when it feels like I'mthe only one who's having these
ups and downs, good days, baddays, even like midday good day,
bad day that it's not just me,that it's across human history,
that you feel like you're on topof the world, you feel like
you're at the bottom of the pile.
(07:29):
So that was a refreshingreminder.
Today power is out throughoutthe Twin Cities, so I will be
looking for power businesseswith power just bumming on their
wi-fi.
My three go-to spots are cardealership here we go, uh.
Car dealerships.
Libraries oh, there's one moreand shopping malls.
(07:51):
Everyone goes to a coffee shop.
It's kind of boring.
Shopping malls, car dealershipsand libraries.
Libraries are government, sothey have decent reliability for
utilities.
Car dealerships are commercial.
They cannot be down for long,so they are usually pretty good.
And shopping malls are massiveand they have solid battery
backup systems.
(08:11):
So those are my three Wi-Figo-to spots that are usually not
so crowded, and I'll bechecking those out today.
So that's the game plan.
That's what we're doing.
Um, I have to shuffle someappointments around, but I mean,
at the end of the day we'll bejust fine, life will carry on.
That's where it, that's wherewe're going.
(08:32):
Let's rock and roll.
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