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 acres…

Guacamole and Customer Value

For years, Julie and I had a date night each Wednesday night while our children were young. We would often go to dinner at a local Tex-Mex restaurant. An experience during one of our visits helped me see the direct, positive business impact of passionately performing employees. An energetic waiter came charging up to our table…

Are You a Boss or a Leader?

Being the boss does not necessarily mean you are leading. Here are 10 characteristics that will help you determine if you are having a positive impact on your employees. A boss knows it all; a leader is always learning. A boss gives answers; a leader seeks solutions. A boss talks more than listens; a leader…

Builder or Wrecker?

Healthy leaders are great builders. This poem by Charles Franklin Benvegar offers a powerful perspective... As I watched them tear a building down,A gang of men in a busy town.With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell,They swung a beam, and the sidewall fell. I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,The men you’d hire if you…

Connecting Work and Personal Values

With the current war for talent in full blaze, your organizational culture has become a critical retention tool.  We have worked on hundreds of organizational culture projects for 20+ years and observed the strongest cultures directly connect work and personal values. This enables employees to align with both sets of values without having to be…

3 Words to Change the World

I love you

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…

Thank You!

This week marks 27 years of service, so we want to thank you for your support and encouragement. It has been a blessing to serve over 100,000 leaders since 1999. Please accept these two small gestures of gratitude: FREE manifestos that address the five factors of Healthy Growth. FREE self-assessments with real-time feedback reports to help you elevate your…

Your Leadership Legacy: Live it Now

Inheritance is what we leave to others. Legacy is what we leave in them. Here is my favorite true story of living and leaving a legacy. In the early 1900s, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for entangling the Windy City in everything from bootlegged booze and…

5 C’s of Communication

Communication is typically the lowest-scoring topic on any climate or culture survey. It has been that way for decades. During times of crisis or disruptive change, leaders are required to elevate their communication game to keep their teams focused, connected, and productive.  These 5 C's of communication serve as a checklist for leaders: Calm Confident Clear Compassionate  Consistent.…