1 day agoLeaders: These are top three (maybe four) problems with being normalMost leaders have a complicated relationship with normality. Usually, they want to lead something special. Many want to stand out, outperform, and be recognized as leaders in their field. Many include language that affects their vision statements. And…many of my clients are special in those ways. But…even though they want…5 min read5 min read
Sep 26Succeeding Success: How to Lead Boldly When Replacing a Respected LeaderHow do you honor a predecessor’s legacy while leading boldly? Very few new executives would be excited to take the helm of a sinking ship. But there is an advantage to stepping into a troubled situation: There tends to be openness to change. Contrast this with following a respected, beloved…4 min read4 min read
Sep 19The 6 Ingredients for Building Freedom: How to get out of the day-to-day“I feel maxed out. I can’t breathe.” “I hate looking at my phone. It’s always packed full of messages asking for something.” “I want to be free from the day-to-day.” I hear these statements all of the time. Often from successful leaders who have become chained by their success. They’ve built a product or service everyone wants…5 min read5 min read
Sep 12Guitar Licks and Leadership Tricks: Mastery ExploredThey say that the guitar is the easiest instrument to learn but the most difficult to master. I recently picked up the guitar again. Years ago (decades really — but who is counting?) when I first started playing, many of my friends were in bands. Many were (and still are)…4 min read4 min read
Sep 5Succession Success: Priming the Next Executive LeaderBad news first: Most executive successions fail. The research tends to peg failure rates around 66% for small and medium-sized organizations. Success rates improve for larger companies but still aren’t comfort-inducing. Failure is a squishy term and can mean different things. …3 min read3 min read
Aug 29Dead Mice, My Garage, and Your Business: Things that Should be Cleaned upI recently cleaned and organized a corner of my garage. The level of pride and satisfaction that this generates is ridiculously unjustified. But I’m embracing it. I feel so good because my garage was so awful. Four years ago, just before COVID, we bought our new home. Our previous garage…4 min read4 min read
Aug 22The Truth Will Set You Free. But Before it Will, You Have to do ThisThe truth will set you free. But you have to accept it first. The best leaders look reality straight in the eyes. The first business that I started was a coffee shop. Bonhoeffer’s Espresso. One evening, a woman came in. She didn’t have enough money to pay for the frilly…5 min read5 min read
Aug 15How to Get an Extra 20% in Performance with No New Staff, Customers, or ToolsHave you ever pulled a garden hose around your house to find it doesn’t reach as far as you thought? You know you ought to be able to reach that one bush on the other side of the yard — but you can’t. So, perhaps you pull a little harder…4 min read4 min read
Aug 8Why DEI and ESG aren’t Worth the Attention Paid to ThemIn elementary school, I learned to be nice to others. Name-calling and bullying weren’t allowed. We were expected to include others in our games, and play nice and cheating wasn’t permitted. We had to wash our hands, clean our desks and pick up garbage and throw it away. There were…5 min read5 min read
Aug 1Why I Care About LeadershipLeadership Motivation When I was young, I had ideas about changing the world. So, I set out to do that. Directly out of high school, I moved to Mexico to volunteer and learn about the “world-changing” business. I had an opportunity to volunteer and travel in a network of organizations within Mexico…3 min read3 min read
