Have you ever gone into a meeting or presentation feeling totally prepared, rehearsed and ready and had it tank? Have you ever gone into a situation, alive and excited but not overly prepared and had it work out better than expected?

Last Thursday, I had the honor of being the keynote speaker for Microsoft at their East Coast Sales Conference in NYC.  Microsoft has a huge list of great speakers to choose from, so I felt some pressure to deliver. I arrived in the city armed with an awesome deck and my notes, expecting to have hours of time to prep once I got settled at the hotel. A flurry of email and phone calls attacked and before I knew it, I had to crash.

I woke up about 5 am and reviewed the deck. I took a 2-hour walk through Central Park to dial in my thoughts, just feeling the park around me got me centered and focused.  The park inspired some new ideas and themes I wanted to incorporate into the speech so I could fire up their teams. Cleaned up, with my head full of fresh thoughts, I hopped a cab over to Microsoft’s plush Manhattan office.

As I walked onto the stage, I felt charged up to deliver an inspirational message and that is exactly what I did. By not rehearsing too much, I was able to worry less about the precise content I delivered and instead focus on being relatable and catching cues from the audience. That allowed me to calibrate and make the message relevant and engage real time, connecting with the energy and emotion coming from the audience.

Later that night, I joined up for some dancing and fun with the conference attendees and felt welcomed and loved by the people there. I was totally in the moment, dancing with my long time NYC friend Stephanie Lawrence, Holy Grail was rocking out and I looked out onto the dance floor. I could see and feel how deeply we had all connected in just 45 minutes! I was filled with a rush of emotion and that just reaffirmed that when you do what you love: you don’t work, you LIVE.

The key takeaway for you on the hunt ahead is to stress less over preparation, but rather be ready and confident and aware in the big moments. Watch for the cues and connect with the people. When you are relatable and make people feel it, the rest will take care of itself.

Every beginning comes from an ending; it is the circle of life, the cycle of nature. All hunters know that without death there is no new life, and while I will remain Chairman of Carbon Media Group, it’s time to make a change. To start another chapter that will galvanize HealthRise.

This week, I have given up my CMG office, and will miss my friends, the faces I’ve seen every day for years. But it is time for something new. Over the past 18 months, I’ve been building a company, one that gets me up and moving, excited for the hunt ahead, challenges I’ve yet to meet, trophies I’ve yet to take. And today is the day this company moves into new office space, into a fresh arena that is exactly right for the company we are becoming.

As a hunter, my scouting and strategy is shaped by the seasons and cycles of nature. Because I began using that seasonal approach to strategy when I was just a kid, it is natural for me to apply the same approach to scouting and strategizing in business. HealthRise is the next hunt for me, with the right people and the right pieces coming together in a flow seemingly orchestrated by fate.

Watch for the cycles in your life! Look for the doors that are opening and the opportunities that come to you, simply by embracing that change is going to happen. Know that timing could be the key. Act on your instincts, pay attention to the signals. And do not be afraid of endings, they simply signal new beginnings.

As I set my sights down this new path, I am hopeful, excited and pumped up for what lies ahead. The hunt is on!

When you find yourself getting emotional or defensive, there is a reason behind it. The key is to dig into the WHY.

Things were nearing the closing in a recent contract negotiation. The other party said something that questioned my good faith in the transaction. I became heated up…and fast. Just when I was about to say something that would be nearly impossible to take back, I fortunately had the clarity of mind (and a deep breath helped too) to pull back.  It was a moment where the words were tough to swallow but my head overruled my fight response and I was able to walk away with my dignity and the deal (the deal being the more important part).

Later when I reflected on the situation, I saw the logic in what was said and realized its validity. When you hear something absurd that has no truth whatsoever, you can laugh it off, but there won’t be a snap. When you heat up and go on defense, it is because there is a truth you are not ready to see and acknowledge, something that really strikes a nerve. These are the moments where you need to take a chill pill, a deep breath and reflect.

It is only when we can see our true selves in the mirror that our best Hunter emerges. Be mindful of defensive moments, they are opportunities to grow into your authentic self. Great moments of discomfort can be as enlightening and empowering as great moments of comfort. They help reveal the true you: the real reflection.

Have you ever walked into a meeting and communicated an idea or a proposal, only to be met with a wall of blank stares? Or perhaps you have intended to motivate someone or even indirectly compliment him or her and the opposite reaction occurs. Do you ever reflect on why this happens?

It can be humbling to realize that your intent has little to do with what an audience actually hears and takes away from it.

This week, I was consulting with a company and discussing the possibility of hiring someone everyone loves, but who is missing a couple minor credentials. One of the senior execs pointed out that had they stuck to only hiring based on precise guidelines, one of the other leaders present at the meeting would not be with the company today. As he has been instrumental in the growth of the company, it would have been a huge loss. Unfortunately, what the COO intended as an indirect compliment was interpreted as an insult.

We all have filters and triggers and words that speak to us…or don’t. The key to being a great communicator is navigating the obstacles of your audience (whether it’s one person or 100) and making sure it is 100% clear to them. If you do not communicate your message in a way that is understood as intended, this is 100% on you.

When you are able to frame a question or a statement in the language it will best be received; that is when you can call your communication a success.

Here are some suggestions for delivering your message to your audience of any size:

• Before you talk, consider your desired outcome. Then think about it from the perspective of the person with whom you’ll be speaking.

• Now think about the outcome for the other party. What will this mean to them?

• Now for the message: share your desired outcome clearly. Let the other person respond. Listen carefully; think about what you are hearing. Does the response correspond with your desired outcome?

• Ask for feedback! Have the person reiterate to you the question in his or her own words. Listen to what they say and how they say it. Words have power and meaning beyond the dictionary. The feedback you receive is the only REAL MEANING of your communication.

You won’t always be right in your decisions; people won’t always hear what you intend to say. But when you are communicating with authenticity and positive intent and the willingness to accept the responsibility that your delivery is only as good as the message received, you will be a stronger communicator and a better hunter, using all the skills you learn on The Hunt to hit your targets!