“Play Gloria!” 10 Life Lessons from the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues

June 27, 2019 by Chris Luecke in Business, Career, Just For Fun, Personal Development, St. Louis

Earlier this month, my hometown St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup in their 52-year franchise history. In true St. Louis sports fashion, their road to the Cup was nothing short of magical. On January 2, 2019 – halfway through the season – the Blues were dead last in the league. Their head coach had been fired in November. The team lacked a cohesive identity and looked more competitive when they were fighting each other at practice than when facing their opponents on the ice. The idea of the Blues even making the playoffs was simply laughable.

Then on January 7, a rookie goaltender named Jordan Binnington stepped in front of the net for his first NHL start and recorded a shutout…

Why I Started "Manufacturing Happy Hour"

Rockwell Automation

January 30, 2018 by Chris Luecke in Business, Career, Social Media, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Happy Hour

It was a random Saturday afternoon in October 2016. I was sitting in my home office in San Francisco, on my computer catching up on a recent company video newsletter. Yeah, I know…that’s a pretty lame way to spend a Saturday, but I promise you that’s not the norm. Regardless, it was the start of a new fiscal year, and as an Account Executive in the manufacturing technology space, that’s always when I’m thinking most creatively about how to grow my business, and better serve my customers.

I’d been toying with the idea of starting a video series for a while. I knew I needed a more frequent, personal way of reaching my clients, and that a standard HTML newsletter would likely get lost in the mix of my customers’ inboxes. Thanks to that internal video newsletter, the idea finally synergized that afternoon: Why not start a video series for the manufacturing sector that also made this “old school” industry more fun an approachable?

12 Ounces of Coffee & Punk Rock: Picking a Morning Routine that Works for You

March 20, 2017 by Chris Luecke in Productivity, Health, Just For Fun, Punk Rock

I have a lot of energy. Too much energy if you ask me. My never-ending, often arbitrary enthusiasm is pretty much a hallmark of who I am. I often get the question “Do you ever sleep?” And the answer to that is yes. I sleep roughly 7 hours a night, which – compared to some go-getters – is a pretty good amount. Even in the morning, I’m jacked with energy, and it’s not because I’m overly-caffeinated. It’s because I subscribe to a slightly different morning routine:

I describe it as “12 ounces of Bulletproof Coffee paired with punk rock.”

Let me explain…