Every parent wonders if the instruction and advice we gave our children when they were growing up will actually stick or be eventually discarded or ignored completely. I always did a silent, internal fist pump when I would see one of my sons put a napkin in their lap, hold the door for someone, or pull up in a car …
Growing Leaders
Meet Aishol-pan. She is 13 years old. She’s strong. She’s brave. And, she’s a total natural. But, when the competition ends, the real test begins. It’s about the courage it takes to soar. That’s a quote from the movie trailer for “The Eagle Huntress.” This gorgeously-photographed documentary film is about a young Kazakh girl from Mongolia who attempts to become …
Foundations of Leadership
If you walk around New York City, Chicago, or San Diego, it’s a given that you’re going to see a lot of tall buildings. But the only ones which qualify as skyscrapers must be at least 50 stories and over 330 feet tall. Otherwise, you’re just a “super tall” building. The largest building on the planet today is the Burj …
DON’T Start with “Why?”
If you’ve been on the planet in the last decade, you’ve no doubt been exposed to Simon Sinek’s video and book, Start with Why. Simon makes a tremendous case for the power of asking ourselves “What’s my ‘why’?” in an effort to communicate with clients, patients, and team members the emotional reason behind what we do rather than the more …
The Root of All Things
In preparation for writing my new book, Lead Yourself, Lead Your Team, which launches June 1, 2027, I did a lot of research and re-read some old classics on communicating effectively in challenging situations. I was reminded on all fronts about how easily we can get derailed when emotions take over for logic. There is a raft of research to …
The Great Sales Match
“Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch…” For some reason, I’m on a weird kick lately to re-watch all my old favorite musicals. Those famous lyrics from, Fiddler on the Roof, haunt my head as I write this week’s Monday Morning Stretch and think about how often we complicate the communication process with …
It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
A few years ago, on a 5-hour return flight from Honolulu, I watched the film, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, which is a thoughtful documentary about the life and work of Fred Rogers. The film showcased the deep dedication he had for reaching children through television to help build their sense of self-esteem and worthiness as well as convincing them …
The Standards We Set
Someone once told me, “The standard you walk past is the standard you set.” Think about that. We’ve all done it. I know I have. I’ve walked right by, or somehow ignored, a standard that wasn’t being upheld. It was a conversation I knew I should have, but I didn’t want to. Why? Because I thought it would be hard, …
The Choice is Clear
It’s only occasionally that I’m truly impressed with the level of client service extended to me by an individual. Even more rare is that level of extraordinary service delivered by an entire group of people. But, I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve had consistently excellent service delivered by an entire company nationwide over a five-year …
Moving Forward
My friend, Mary Fox, is a licensed counselor and certified coach with a sense of humor that rivals any other person I know. Having her around is always an experience full of rich conversations and side-splitting belly laughs—a perfect combo in my book! You cannot change the past. You can only accept it and learn from it. Focus on moving …
