The first job of a leader is to define reality for their team. This doesn’t mean a leader redefines actual existence, though. It means that a leader defines the parameters within which we pursue success. From the models of work, to the profitability models, to the culture itself, leaders create the ...

“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.” Epictetus

I have a group of guys with whom I lead a retreat that are all either in upper leadership positions or own businesses. Each year, we come together to help invest in the rest of the group, bringing lessons fr...

I sometimes use an opening in my speeches where I ask someone if they have a $20 bill and if they would come to the front with the money. I then wave a $20 bill of my own. I ask the person if we could exchange the money. Then, I exchange my $20 for their $20. I thank them, and they head back to thei...

As the generations change, so does the approach to managing performance in the workplace. A couple of generations ago, performance was managed in an annual conversation and written evaluation. The annual performance review proved to provide very little developmental value over and over again, but we...

Think about the habits you have formed that lead directly to your success. Then, think about the habits you have that keep you from succeeding at the level you should. Each of our good or bad habits gives us a reward for their implementation. Procrastination gives us relief right now from thinking a...

When I started my business in 1999, I was less than organized in my approach to success. I tried to keep my calendar organized through a combination of notepads and memory. It was not a winning combination. I started my business in September of 1999, so my 4th Quarter came quickly. I missed an appoi...

Each of us operates under a certain rhythm we have developed throughout our lives. Everyone is driven by this rhythm, but most never know what it is. The rhythm has been called a habit loop, daily patterns, preconscious thought, and a host of other labels. No matter what it is called, it is what dri...

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, he talked about the 10,000-hour rule as the basis for a person becoming an expert in a given area. I was fascinated with the book and have always loved his writing. He told a number of stories demonstrating that experts in various areas gave 10,000 hours of effo...

One of the great fallacies of our thinking is looking at those who do the same thing as us and believe they are the competition. Things changed significantly in my life when I realized the only real competition that existed was who I used to be. This realization shifted me from making decisions base...

I believe we overcomplicate our lives through indecision. We try to imagine every possibility of how things can turn out. We imagine what others will think of us, what we will think of ourselves, and even worry at times that others won’t think of us. But none of that really matters. What matters is ...

As employers, we often think we are selling a paycheck and discipline to potential employees. I just don’t think they want to buy those things with their time. This is likely why most employers immediately think they are short-staffed because they don’t pay enough. But what is it that employees real...

We are in a place where the real talent war begins with leaders who can attract and keep great talent. We have organizations that are struggling to let go of some of the old ways of leading and others struggling to get over some of the new ways of messing up a work culture. We must go back to the be...