Tag Archive

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

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

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

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

This episode almost didn’t happen. Technology conspired against me, but the show must go on, so I pressed some buttons, turned some dials, and figured it out. Stephen J Kohler  is the author of The Leadership Anthem and founder of Audira Labs, where he helps leaders unlock their potential through the lens of music. In our conversation, we explored how … Read More

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

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

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

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

I was two minutes into this interview when I knew it had completely gone off the rails. I want to introduce you to Steve Pratt. Steve’s response to my opening question, “what makes you weird,” was so good that I basically scrapped the rest of my questions and just enjoyed the ride. From producing offbeat kids’ shows to co-founding Pacific … Read More

I was on the verge of a long night of peaceful sleep when this realization yanked me from my slumber and refused to let go of me. Every Major League Baseball player works on the fundamentals of baseball every day. They hit, they throw, and they catch. Before every single game. They are the best of the best. The top … Read More

This conversation is so full of leadership gold. You wouldn’t believe how much didn’t make it into the final cut. Today I’m joined by Meadow Riedel, External Affairs Manager for Kinross Alaska, whose 25+ year communications career has intersected with some of Alaska’s most vital industries.  From leading crisis response during the 2018 Anchorage earthquake to fostering trust-based partnerships in … Read More

“You’re the first person to say ‘please’ today.” It was after 6PM and the guy behind the meat counter at my local grocery store hadn’t heard the word “please” yet during his nearly completed shift. “That’s a rough streak,” I replied. “I mean, I can’t say ‘no’ if they don’t say ‘please’, but, you know…” I translated his incomplete sentence … Read More

Amanda Langhorst didn’t just find her career. She built a career around helping others find theirs. In this conversation, I talk with Amanda Langhorst, Program Director of the Applied Management program and Instructor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Business and Security Management.  We talk about the power of self-advocacy, why listening is the most underrated management skill, … Read More

What she said was so backwards. And yet I couldn’t believe I had never heard it before. I was walking through Costco on a particularly rainy Saturday morning when I heard a worker conclude an interaction with a customer by saying, “enjoy the rain!” The person was being wholly genuine and my attention was immediately captured because I don’t think … Read More

When Nicole Welch first began her career in HR, she never imagined she’d one day be representing healthcare before legislators, leading in an organization with nearly 2,000 employees, or serving as Chief Human Resources Officer of Foundation Health Partners, an independent health system that didn’t yet exist. In this conversation, Nicole – who also happens to be my wife – opens … Read More