Most great stories of victory are, in actuality, great stories of overcoming adversity. Virtually every team and organization experiences adversity of some type: economic hardships, loss of a major customer, lack of funding, failed partnerships, natural disaster, the death of a team member, etc. To help move through adversity and onto victory, take stock of what…
Category: Motivation
Appreciate Progress
Enjoy this excerpt from our new book, Healthy Leadership. We often hear leaders say that they will appreciate their teams once a certain goal is achieved. These leaders do not understand the power of appreciating progress. Healthy leaders appreciate results and progress. They understand that employees want to feel connected to their leader, their organization, and…
Choice, not Chance
Excellence is never an accident.It is the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution. It represents the wisest option among many alternatives. Choice, not chance, determines your destiny, dreams, and values.– Aristotle
Unbreakable Ties
I am blessed to enjoy this view each day in my office. It is a reminder of generational gifts. My father and my son are both artistically gifted. They never met. Growing up, we used my father’s Dove of Peace painting as our family Christmas card for years. It simply read, “PEACE from the Colans.”…
The Seasons of Leadership
With a milder-than-usual winter (here in Dallas at least), Spring is starting to rear her head. It heightens my awareness of the natural laws that govern our physical lives. The "Law of the Harvest" is easiest to see at work in agriculture. If you plant 40 acres of corn, you will not reap 40…
What Really Matters
As a young basketball player back in the day, I loved to watch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play. I admired his sky hook and his elegant playing style that we had not seen before, particularly from a seven-foot player. Today, I appreciate Kareem for the man he is more than the player he was. Here is just…
My Very Best Friend
In Healthy Leadership, the chapter on Positivity addresses talking yourself up. That section starts with: “You talk more to yourself than to anyone else in the world. You are the only one who is with you 100 percent of the time. The conversations you have with yourself have an overwhelmingly high impact on your mindset compared to…
3 Words to Change the World
Although it’s an ambitious goal to change the world, we often underestimate our singular power to change the world of those around us. We don’t have to be a billionaire giving away cars or houses to positively change someone’s world. We each have that same power. We don’t even have to do anything! We only have…
4 Holiday Stress-Busters
The holiday season rush, year-end crunch, New Year's expectations - they all place heavy demands on our minds and bodies. This acronym can help proactively manage your stress during the holidays or any other time: H.A.L.T. Avoid getting too: Hungry. This might sound goofy around the holidays, when you make good use of the extra hole in your belt, but…
Labor Day, Labor Daily
As I anticipated cooking on my outdoor grill for a traditional Labor Day barbeque, I also pondered why Labor Day was, well, Labor Day. I love living during a time when any answer is just a Google and a click away. Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United…