What is the definition of character? Character is our habitual way of operating. HOW we are is WHO we are. Our character is ultimately determined by our habits.  If I am in the habit of doing what is moral and right, I am a person of high character.  If I am in the habit of […]

What if we did not allow early failure to become enduring failure?  We all try.  But do we try long enough?  Do we persevere? What makes some persevere and others quit?  For a lot of us, it is the habit of making excuses.  The willingness to make excuses stops many people from going past Plan […]

Just like any organization, every family needs a set of values. The values in a family may not be on a website or on a poster in the breakroom, but all families would do well to determine what values they hold dear. Values help organizations and families understand what is most important and what they […]

Do you want a “me first” team? Do you want a team filled with politics and positioning? Do you want a team that does the minimum necessary? Few of us want a work culture like this. The word culture is derived from the middle English word cultivation. When I work with teams, I see the […]

Should someone continue to pay me for doing part of my job? I have encountered people who think that doing a good job in parts of their work is enough to expect continued employment and in some cases promotions. Here are some examples: A nurse who is strong clinically, but consistently fails to correctly document […]

“He’s doing the job. In fact, he is meeting every performance goal we have for him. But….” It’s what comes after the “But” that can drive leaders crazy and cause sleepless nights. Unfortunately, many leaders will put up with what comes after the “But” because the performance metrics are being met. It is a tough […]

I am an optimist. If you have read my blogs in the past, you know this. Few people follow pessimists anywhere. Pessimists usually keep themselves and those around them from making any progress or experiencing growth. I understand that past experiences may cause some people to be pessimists. But I do believe being an optimist […]

For a leader, inertia is both a friend and a foe.  In 1687, Isaac Newton published his famous theory on inertia.  Summarized it simply states, “A body at rest tends to stay at rest while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” For a leader, understanding the theory of inertia is critical to […]

I was a wimp for three years.  I was a coach for twelve more after that.  Add it up and I spent fifteen years in sales leadership at a Fortune 50 company.  Not surprisingly, my success as a leader came in those final twelve years.  I realized, with the help of the people I was […]

The Oxymoronic Leader is not one person.  He is all of us.  I have been him and so have you. Merriam-Webster defines an oxymoron as: “a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements” Am I leading if the […]

I have no words.  What can I do?  This does not make any sense.  It is not fair. I agree.  That is what I feel right now, plus so much more.  I have anger and sadness. People have died and there are people in pain in Texas and across the ocean to other countries because […]

“There are plenty of good idea men.  A lot of them are collecting tolls on the thruway as we speak.”  It is a rare individual who can be counted on for ideas and for action. Over time, as I hired and led teams, I realized that while I loved to have people who were both […]

I was caught in the trap of my own making.  I watched my company cut leadership training from its training curriculum in the early 2000’s.  As the years went on, I began to bark about this lack of training for leaders.  I believe that an organization that does not develop its next generation of leaders […]

Julie had her reservations.  She wasn’t sure if this guy was right for the job.  Over my first 18 months on the job, Julie always spoke with candor, and she seemed to be a good judge of people. But, I didn’t listen.  I convinced myself, and then her, that this guy was right for the […]