If we want our businesses to thrive in 2026, we have a BIG choice to make now—invest in leadership and management training or risk the consequences of inaction. Employee engagement in companies and practices is on the brink. Why? Because managers’ engagement is on the decline. And when managers struggle, their team struggles. When managers thrive, so do their teams. …
Is Your Workplace Toxic or Cooperative?
The American workplace is deteriorating, and it doesn’t have to be like this. According to a recent poll done by Monster (2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey) of over 1,100 U.S. workers, employees are increasingly reporting toxic work environments, poor well-being, and little faith that their employers are taking action to help improve the situation. In fact, 80% of …
The Happiest Employees
Last week, I shared an article about the number one trait of great leaders. This week, I’d like to focus on another article. This one, from CNBC’s “Make It” blog on October 13, is about what makes employees happy. The CEO of an executive search firm who has interviewed more than 30,000 candidates found 6 keys that create happiness at …
What Makes a Great Manager?
What is the one trait that makes for a great manager—vision, empathy, intelligence, communication skills? According to an article in the Wall Street Journal last week, the answer may surprise you. The journal, citing a 10-year study of a large global firm with 200,000 employees and 30,000 managers in 100 countries, found the number one predictor of an effective manager …
Guests in the Kitchen!
This month marks the 23rd anniversary of our Monday Morning Stretch, and to celebrate we are recycling some our most popular editions over the next four weeks. This Stretch was first published in February of 2007, and I still vividly remember this meal. This experience proves that we can create experiences for our customers and patients that they will remember …
The Mousetrap Maze
One of the most interesting and provocative leadership training exercises I have facilitated over the years is one I call The Mousetrap Maze. You set it up pretty much exactly the way it sounds, loaded mousetraps are set randomly on the floor in a large defined space. On one side of the line are several pairs of teammates who will …
Want It, Own It, Learn It
Each life accomplishment that filled me with pride was first felt as a desire that eventually became a personal quest, and it typically required mastering some new information or skills. Writing a book, getting healthy, managing money, training my dog, delivering a solid corporate keynote—whatever my aspiration, it required me to want it, own it, and learn how to do …
Who’s Your Ronaldo?
You’ve heard it before. One rotten apple spoils the whole bushel. Intellectually ,we get the wisdom in that idiom. Then, why is it so hard to effectively manage disruptive, disgruntled, or underproducing team members? I believe it boils down to fear or, better said, the lack of courage. I recently coached a leader who was struggling with a tough decision …
Raise Them Up
I recently listened to a webinar with Jon Gordon where he said, “Don’t call them out, call them up.” He was referring to the kind of leadership communication that LionSpeak is all about, one based in the belief that there is almost always more greatness to be leveraged within every single one of us than we routinely bring to the …
Lessons from the Trail
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I can’t say I do something that scares me every day, but when I get an opportunity, I like to push myself. This quote from Eleanor Roosevelt reminds me of the time I was invited to join a small group of dental colleagues on a mountain bike adventure …
