Category Archive

Once upon a time I had lunch with a CEO who wanted to reinforce the importance of taking a lunch break to his executive team. Over time it had become more and more common for these leaders to grab a quick bite at their desk or skip lunch altogether and he felt it was important they prioritized shutting their laptops … Read More

If my guess is correct, you were probably a kid when you were growing up. If so, there’s a decent chance you did what most kids do and found yourself running UP the DOWN escalator at some point. It seems like such a good idea as a kid, but as an adult I don’t need that kind of wasted effort … Read More

My wife’s family is absolutely nuts. But to be fair, so is my family. (Sorry mom) And to be fairer still, in ways that I can’t quite put my finger on, my household is nuts too.  Here’s why: Most people inherit traditions and preferences about things from their families. Which is great. But problems arise when we start interacting (or … Read More

You’ve seen it happen in front of you, like a trainwreck in slow motion, but are you doing it too? Most of us face a choice from time to time.  A choice that directly impacts our ability to lead well, but can be blinding in the moment and prevent us from seeing clearly. It’s the choice between being RIGHT and … Read More

If you share food with my dog you will find he has absolutely no chill. Whatever you give him goes in his mouth and down his throat with nary a millisecond in between.  It’s like he’s in a race to get as much food as he can get from you, but never takes a second to enjoy what you give … Read More

If you’re looking for a reason to quit, you’ll find it.  If you are looking for a reason to keep going, you’ll find it.  If you are looking for a reason to maintain the status quo, you’ll find it.  If you are looking for a reason to blow the whole thing up and start over, you’ll find it.  If you … Read More

If you want things to be different than they are, change something today.  The time it takes to span the gap between where you are to where you want to be is predicated on how quickly you change your behavior. Those who are willing to experiment with new habits today will enjoy progress today.  Some habits will stick, others will … Read More

This isn’t a post about baseball, it’s about leaders who are emotional terrorists. Yankees star right fielder Aaron Judge is one of the least visibly emotional players in the league. Whereas one of his predecessors (and current Yankee broadcaster), Paul O’Neill, used to kick water coolers and yell at umpires when he was frustrated by a substandard performance — a … Read More

When Marilyn Romano was building her career, she had no idea how many pivotal moments would shape a life defined by service, community, and helping others succeed. In this conversation, I sat down with Marilyn Romano, Regional Vice President at Alaska Airlines, to talk about the choices that changed her life and the lessons she’s learned from decades of leadership … Read More

I knew it was all going to fall apart as soon as help arrived. I’ll spare you about 3 paragraphs of scene setting and unnecessary context and get right to the point. With the game on the line in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Yankees moved one of their outfielders to the infield to increase the likelihood of … Read More

Nothing will make a high performer resent you faster than when you ignore the impacts of underperformers. Full stop. You can’t expect your most capable employees to respect you when you won’t address the employee who can’t (or won’t) meet the shared standard. The clearest definition of what you value as a leader is not in the mission statement on … Read More

For the record: I didn’t set out to make the Mayor get emotional. In this episode, I share a rapid-fire conversation with Grier Hopkins, the Mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough to talk about what it actually means to him to lead people well.  Grier shares how growing up in Fairbanks shaped his perspective, why understanding people’s backgrounds matters … Read More

I’m thinking about giving up on leadership consulting and becoming a Meeting Czar. I mean, if I really want to help organizations thrive, this is the lever to pull. You’ve probably never heard of a Meeting Czar, likely because it’s a role I made up, but hear me out.  The Meeting Czar exists to prevent people from having dumb meetings … Read More

When Dan Pontefract started thinking about the future of work, he realized we weren’t just getting older, we were getting it wrong. And that changes everything. In this conversation, I sit down with author and speaker Dan Pontefract to explore a powerful idea: the future of work isn’t young or old, it’s gray. And most organizations are wildly unprepared. Dan … Read More

Earlier this year my beloved Yankees made their first trip of 2026 to Fenway Park to play the rival Boston Red Sox. And while the Yankees swept that 3-game series, the Boston fans provided an incredible example of The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams as they irrationally and erroneously chanted “YANKEES SUCK!” throughout the weekend set. Clarity is Non-NegotiableAbsolutely … Read More

It’s not often you find two leaders who care as much about how their teams feel as what their teams achieve, but that’s exactly what stood out in this conversation. In this episode, I sit down with Billy Jenkins and Brandon Hughes, Directors of Branch Operations at Credit Union 1, to explore what it really looks like to build strong, … Read More