The struggle is not only real…the struggle is necessary. Scratching and clawing to overcome an obstacle that exists between you and something meaningful is part of what makes the end result so…meaningful. If it was easy, your unique skills and expertise wouldn’t be as valuable as they are. If it was easy, we wouldn’t need you. What if you stopped … Read More

You can’t win ’em all…so why do you expect you should? Baseball teams play 162 games a season and no team has ever gone 162-0. The general expectation is that every team will win 50 games, every team will lose 50 games, and it’s what teams do with the remaining 62 games that define them. You are going to face … Read More

I have learned so much from the incredible people I have the good fortune of calling family, friends, and colleagues. To say that my work directly benefit from their wisdom is a huge understatement. I am indebted to each of these wise and generous people and the best way I know to pay them back is to extend their impact … Read More

You don’t need permission to be a leader, you just have to lead. You don’t need to read a book, take a class, or convince someone to give you a microphone in order to lead, you just have to care enough to move first. I call this being the first domino to fall. The very best leadership lessons you will … Read More

Are you living the life you want to live? If not, what do you need to do differently?

I really have to stop asking people if they are okay. Touching base with my friends by asking “are you okay?” is a great way to make them feel (even more) compelled to sugar coat their answer and pretend that things are better than they really are, because the answer is clearly supposed to be “yes.” Except I want the … Read More

Twenty years ago I stopped attending college after about six weeks. Seventeen years ago I married the most amazing woman. Ten years ago I bought half of a printing company. Eight years ago I was blessed with a wonderful little girl. Five years ago I almost ran that printing company into the ground. Three years ago I met a friend … Read More

An assertion: a great way to make enemies is to do meaningful work that is valued by the people you hope to influence. To be loved by some for the unique value you offer the world is to be reviled by others. That’s the deal. But If you are going to have enemies – and you will – I can’t … Read More

The solution is obvious as long as the problem belongs to someone else. How would you solve the problem with which you are currently wrestling if it belonged to someone else?

I don’t know your circumstances but I know you have a choice. You always have a choice. And if you always have a choice then saying you don’t is a cop-out, a way of deflecting responsibility for your choice. Having a choice does not mean you have control over your circumstances, but it does mean you have agency. You may … Read More

I’m worried about my friend. This person is a high performer and is doing really great work, except I’m afraid the pace at which they are running isn’t altogether healthy. This person is working long hours and is constantly buried under an avalanche of e-mail, voice mail, text messages, and increasingly unrealistic expectations. I worry that their days center on … Read More

Tomorrow I get to enjoy a Skype conversation with Simon Sinek. To say I’m geeked about chatting with Simon is a massive understatement and it reminds me that the anticipation of something good can change everything. Looking forward to something wonderful like a first date, a vacation, a holiday, an anniversary, or even the release of a new movie can … Read More

I’m going to guess that you have a lot of obligations. Me too. The demands on our time often seem unending and overwhelming. The relentless pace at which we run makes us prone to spend our time and focus our energy on the urgent instead of the important. We put out brand new fires each day, finalize budgets at the … Read More