A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company, organization, or individual. It provides a clear, concise, and inspiring direction for an entity and serves as a guide for decision-making and action. A well-crafted mission statement can be a powerful tool for aligning and inspiring...
We have to start with the premise that the main role of a leader is to create more leaders, not to gather followers. I have wondered what a difference this would make with organizations if they shifted their mindset away from trying to “make” people do what they are supposed to. The...
3 Key changes are coming in 2023 for leaders. I was working with several of my clients in this last quarter and really digging in to analyze what is and isn’t working for them. One particular client, we’ll call them Awesome Company A, or ACA for short, had tremendous success pre-Covid...
Throughout our lives, we go through experience after experience that shapes us into the person we are. Each experience is evaluated for its meaning to us, and then our image of self is adapted to the label. As we evaluate the meaning of an experience, we choose our reactions based on the meaning...
One of the challenges employees faces is in understanding what their supervisors are asking of them. I have yet to meet a person that wants to fail in life. Of the thousands of people I have worked with, every single one of them wanted to succeed. It’s just that many of them weren’t...
I have been teaching conflict resolution for right at a quarter of a century and joke that 1st Jody 1:2 reads… Where two or more are gathered together, conflict shall exist. Humans simply see the world from their own angle instead of another person's angle. I have often referred to this as...
The first job of a leader is to define reality for their team. This doesn’t mean a leader redefines actual existence, though. It means that a leader defines the parameters within which we pursue success. From the models of work, to the profitability models, to the culture itself, leaders...
“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.” Epictetus
I have a group of guys with whom I lead a retreat that are all either in upper leadership positions or own businesses. Each year, we come together to help invest in the rest of the group,...
I sometimes use an opening in my speeches where I ask someone if they have a $20 bill and if they would come to the front with the money. I then wave a $20 bill of my own. I ask the person if we could exchange the money. Then, I exchange my $20 for their $20. I thank them, and they head back to...
As the generations change, so does the approach to managing performance in the workplace. A couple of generations ago, performance was managed in an annual conversation and written evaluation. The annual performance review proved to provide very little developmental value over and over again, but...
Think about the habits you have formed that lead directly to your success. Then, think about the habits you have that keep you from succeeding at the level you should. Each of our good or bad habits gives us a reward for their implementation. Procrastination gives us relief right now from...
When I started my business in 1999, I was less than organized in my approach to success. I tried to keep my calendar organized through a combination of notepads and memory. It was not a winning combination. I started my business in September of 1999, so my 4th Quarter came quickly. I missed an...