Building Teams That Thrive Without You with Nickole Conley

When I was installing a car stereo in Nickole Conley’s car 25 years ago I had absolutely no clue I’d eventually find myself interviewing her for my leadership podcast. Because what was a podcast? But here we are. Today Nickole is the Interim Chief Human Resources Officer for the University of Alaska System after an eclectic career path at the … Read More

I just can’t do this

A friend recently sent me some songs and asked me to play drums on them.  Along the way he sent a few reference tracks, finished songs from popular artists that could illustrate the mood he wanted me to capture. I listened to one of them and then told him: I can’t do that. I offered alternative approaches I could effectively … Read More

Thanksgiving Leadership Huddle Remix

I have a special treat for you today.   Because this episode premieres on the day before Thanksgiving, I didn’t want to release a brand new interview that might get short shrift as people are heading into the holiday weekend.  So, I’m doing a Leadership Huddle remix episode and sharing clips from 5 interviews from earlier this year.  Maybe you … Read More

Be the same person every day

Here’s a suggestion you never knew you needed: Be the same person every day. You can change and grow over time, but your people need you to lead with a consistent demeanor day-to-day. Don’t be a fun uncle/aunt one day and a strict parent the next. Don’t rally the troops around a great idea only to completely shift gears in … Read More

From Control to Connection with Donnie Hayes

Donnie Hayes thought was going to be a dentist, but his friends knew better. Instead Donnie went on to become a Parks Director, now the Director of Parks and Recreation for Missouri City, Texas, and his whole world changed for the better. In this conversation we explore what leadership looks like when joy and service are at its core.  Donnie … Read More

I do Only Fans every day

I want to tell you a short story about something I do every single morning. I like to take hot showers as soon as I wake up, but doing so pumps a lot of moisture into the air. So I need to run the fan in my bathroom for a while to pull that wet air out of the house. … Read More

The Power of Courage and Connection with Megan Baldino

It started with a cabin in Fairbanks and ended with a corporate boardroom in Houston—but the story in between could fill a book. And some of it actually did. In this episode, I talk with Megan Baldino, now Vice President of Operations Communications at CenterPoint Energy, about her journey from journalist to corporate leader, and how taking bold leaps shaped … Read More

It’s time to make COMPARISON a super power

Comparison gets a bad rap.  And I think it’s because we’re thinking about comparison all wrong. The problem most of us have with comparison isn’t really about comparison at all.  Without comparison we literally can’t know what better looks like.  Our problem with comparison lies in what we compare ourselves to. And why. We’ve convinced ourselves that, “comparison is the … Read More

Engineering Authentic Leadership with Bill Schnabel

How in the world was Bill Schnabel supposed to know that  when he first arrived in Fairbanks with a truck, a dog, and no plan, he would be teaching a class at University of Alaska Fairbanks within 24 hours? As Dean of the UAF College of Engineering and Mines, Bill brings a performer’s energy to leadership, blending humility, humor, and … Read More

The truth was bad, but the lie was worse

So there I am. Minding my own business. Just listening to the new White Reaper album. Bothering absolutely no one. And then it happened… The end of the song “Blink” hits me with the lyric, “the truth was bad, but the lie was worse,” and I had to sit down and write about it. And because I’m feeling generous today, … Read More

Are you a Leadership Frankenstein?

I don’t know why I didn’t see this sooner. I record my podcast using a Shure SM7B microphone. The Shure SM7B is an incredibly popular microphone for podcasters and I think most people use it because most people use it. It looks like a professional broadcast microphone, it sounds great, and, oh by the way, you’re going to see one … Read More

The Power of Asking for Help with Chris Rouw

What happens when a team of software engineers quit their jobs to start a business together without a clue they will have to pivot almost immediately? When Chris Rouw and his colleagues left stable jobs to launch Far Reach, they didn’t have a perfect business model. And within a few months of taking the leap into the world of entrepreneurship, … Read More

Unlocking horizontal leadership

No one told him to do it, but it was such a brilliant expression of leadership. One of my favorite things to see on a baseball field is not something you’d ever expect. If I gave you 162 guesses, I’m absolutely certain you’d never guess it. It’s not a grand slam. It’s not a triple. It’s not a bunt to … Read More

The Power of Trusting Your Experts with Scott McCrea

I couldn’t believe I failed to ask him the most important question on my list. In this episode of Leadership Huddle, Scott McCrea, President and CEO of Explore Fairbanks, joins me to talk about humor, humility, and leading an organization that tells a community’s story, but I completely forgot to ask him about being a 3-time winner of the Chatanika … Read More

No more boring mistakes

I need to clear up some confusion. The goal is not to make more mistakes. That goal is to make more interesting mistakes. Because making the same mistakes over and over again is also known as “incompetence.” Making mistakes can be a valuable pathway to growth, but growth implies that those mistakes teach us something so that we can move … Read More