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Alex Hoffer

South Elgin, Illinois

Interests: I love spending time with my beautiful wife, Sarah, and two (soon to be three!) kids. I'm also into working out, playing golf, being outdoors, wine, and deep conversations with motivated people!

Recent Activity

Relationships trump the to-do

Next summer thousands of golf fans will make the trek to Hartford, Wisconsin, for the U.S. Open golf tournament. Hartford, which is 37 miles northwest of Milwaukee, is one of those small towns that you know still exists, but always surprises you when you come upon it. It is small,... Continue reading

Posted Sep 26, 2016 at Life Matters

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One of the best podcasts I have been listening to lately is Don Miller's Storybrand podcast. It is can't miss material for business leaders. So when I saw that Don was interviewing PGA Tour professional Ben Crane on a recent episode, I was very excited because I have been known... Continue reading

Posted Sep 23, 2016 at Life Matters

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Investing vs. Spending

I have a saying that I used frequently in the past: "You have to pay the price..." In order to get healthy, you have to pay the price with exercise. In order to master your craft, you have to pay the price by working hard. You get the idea. This... Continue reading

Posted Sep 19, 2016 at Life Matters

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"We can make that for you"

Earlier this year a few of our sales people sold me on changing my hotel loyalty from the Hilton brand to Marriott brand. It was sort of like “the decision” with Lebron James taking his talents to South Beach. Well hardly, but hotel loyalty is still a big deal when... Continue reading

Posted Sep 16, 2016 at Life Matters

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Reframing the Mundane

Which of the following scenarios sound better to two boys aged five and two? Scenario 1: "It is time to get ready for the bath, guys. Please get your pajamas and your towel. We need to stay quiet so that we don't wake up your sister." Scenario 2: (In a... Continue reading

Posted Sep 12, 2016 at Life Matters

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I am currently staying at a Marriott property that is literally across the Thames from Big Ben and Parliament in London. The views are stunning. I do a lot of quick jaunts to Europe, which usually means I am here only 48 hours. In other words, there is no time... Continue reading

Posted Sep 8, 2016 at Life Matters

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Crazy made its way back into our building last week. With a very large new project launching and many labor-intensive projects in the pipeline, crazy has taken over. What's crazy? It is the feeling that everyone is crazy busy... Overwhelmed... Stretched too-thin... And in need of a vacation. The funny... Continue reading

Posted Sep 6, 2016 at Life Matters

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Armchair Quarterbacking

Since welcoming our baby girl, Sarah and I have had some fun moments with our two boys. Our five year old has become the resident parenting expert. In fact, just the other day, he gave me a lecture about how to best settle down a baby. "She DOES NOT want... Continue reading

Posted Sep 1, 2016 at Life Matters

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Leaders say they're sorry...

Anyone with young children can relate to the craziness that ensues with bedtime. Suddenly, your sweet children turn into man-eating zombies ready for the apocalypse, and if you are not careful, so do you. It is hard to explain to those who don't have children, but just trust me on... Continue reading

Posted Aug 29, 2016 at Life Matters

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What if the litmus test for deciding which path to take was whether or not you were choosing the more risky one? What if you chose the less paying career, but the one you were more passionate about? What if you chose to send your kids to the less-prestigious, but... Continue reading

Posted Aug 26, 2016 at Life Matters

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Last week was a marathon of sorts. Adjusting to a newborn's sleep schedule, chasing two rambunctious boys, working, and attending a two-day leadership conference had me tired by 5 p.m. Friday evening. I decided to go running nonetheless. Why not? I thought back to the motto I first heard a... Continue reading

Posted Aug 22, 2016 at Life Matters

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Uphill all the way

I heard John Maxwell say last week that many people have "uphill hopes, but downhill habits." The ten-thousand people in the audience collectively gasped when he said it because we all knew how true the observation was. Life is, as Maxwell continued, uphill all the way. There is no accidental... Continue reading

Posted Aug 19, 2016 at Life Matters

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Are you open to feedback?

Every writer needs a good editor, which is why I chose the best editor I know in my wife, Sarah, for this blog. Not only was she a 4.0 student in college (total nerd), but she also was a high school English teacher before deciding to focus primarily on raising... Continue reading

Posted Aug 15, 2016 at Life Matters

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"I'm just a delivery guy..."

No you are not. You are a human being with a brain. You can choose to delight the customer. You can choose to be exceptional. "I can only do what the paper says." Really? Are you a cog? I told the gentleman telling me these things (and he was acting... Continue reading

Posted Aug 12, 2016 at Life Matters

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Sadie Jean Hoffer was born at 2:58 p.m. on August 2, 2016. She is beautiful, peaceful, and a blessing from God. The following evening I stared intently at her while she slept. The room was quiet and my thoughts were on her life. Who will she become? What roads will... Continue reading

Posted Aug 8, 2016 at Life Matters

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Send Some Encouragment

I vividly remember standing alone on the pitching mound. I was eleven years old, new to pitching, and struggling. Struggling might be too generous. I simply could not throw strikes. The reason this memory stands out more than two decades later is because of the verbal taunting I took that... Continue reading

Posted Aug 5, 2016 at Life Matters

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Negative Self-Talk

I was flying back from Montreal a couple months ago in the middle of one of the stormiest seasons of my professional life. It felt like the proverbial stuff was hitting the fan. Personnel changes, lagging sales, and various other challenges that all added up to a big pile of... Continue reading

Posted Aug 2, 2016 at Life Matters

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Working at a family business means that nothing from your childhood is out of bounds. So there it was in all its glory... My senior picture. Believe it or not I used to have hair. Really. My two boys don't believe me either, but I did. Not only did I... Continue reading

Posted Jul 29, 2016 at Life Matters

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One of the lasting memories I have of the 1990s are some of the cool T-shirts available to wear. Hypercolor shirts led the decade off, brand name shirts - like the plain GAP shirt - became icons, and who can forget the black D.A.R.E. T-shirt that you got when you... Continue reading

Posted Jul 26, 2016 at Life Matters

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The War on Email

Email can be a great communication tool, and we rely heavily on it in the modern workplace. If you are like me, your inbox never rests and is continually updating with new messages. So what's the problem? Email can put us in an entirely reactive posture. It tempts us to... Continue reading

Posted Jul 22, 2016 at Life Matters

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Giving is a precarious function of human existence. At least it should be. For every time giving is done with the expectation of receiving in return, it really isn't giving but manipulation. Giving gifts can often seem obligatory. Too often we attend a wedding or buy a birthday gift and... Continue reading

Posted Jul 18, 2016 at Life Matters

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Sharks, Alligators, and Dogs.

Our family just got back from another vacation on the beach in South Carolina. There are virtually never any shark attacks there, yet the further I walk out into the ocean, the more my mind wonders if sharks are nearby. The walk to the beach encompasses a walk by a... Continue reading

Posted Jul 14, 2016 at Life Matters

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The Economy, Election, and other Excuses

What's your favorite excuse? "They (our customers) are really slow right now. The economy isn't really that good." "There is so much anxiety about the election. That's probably why things are slow." These are the attitudes of "losers." Losers are victims. Outside forces are always against them, thus any lackluster... Continue reading

Posted Jul 12, 2016 at Life Matters

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"The resistance will help you find the thing you most need to do because it is the thing the resistance most wants to stop." Seth Godin - Linchpin page 131. I have been reading the aforementioned book by Seth Godin and it is really making me mad at myself. I... Continue reading

Posted Jul 7, 2016 at Life Matters

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The words below have not only stood the test of time, but arguably, are the most consequential words of the last 1000 years. They deserve to be read and reflected upon, hence I am reposting below. Back to our normally scheduled programming Thursday. IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous... Continue reading

Posted Jul 4, 2016 at Life Matters

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