One of my favorite Father's Day gifts is my 1906 Underwood typewriter. As a storyteller, I can appreciate the number of stories told on this mechanical work of art. What does not escape me is the exciting fact that nearly 120 years later, we are still, for the most part, typing our stories.
Read MoreThe origin of the statement is unclear. The best guess is sometime during the mid 20th century. Most of us have heard the phrase before. The pointed jab from an adversary, used to disarm the opponent, leaving them defenseless in their response. Often used to bring someone’s ideas or perceived lack of ideas to their knees, the words, when weaponized, have a neutralizing effect on all it encounters. The phrase: “Hope is not a strategy.”
Read MoreOne of the key learning points in my book, The Newsmaker is, Forgive Frequently, The power of the second chance. “Forgiveness is not about forgetting, but about letting go. When we extend second chances, we enhance our ability to influence others, which only increases our leadership potential.”
Read MoreOne of the greatest gifts I’ve received I would not wish upon anyone. As one of approximately 10% of the population I have a learning disability, dyslexia. Just the word dyslexia is agonizing. What cruel person creates a word, so incredibility difficult to spell, to label a disability of people who struggle with spelling. Even Noah Webster, I believe, would ask for a do over on this one.
Read MoreToday, there appears to be a subtle drift as to how people, in general, understand leadership. The confusion stems from two opposing points of view regarding a foundational tenet of what it means to be a leader. On one side is the idea of “Forced-Authority”; on the other, “Authentic-Influence.”
Read MoreIn a world obsessed with being heard we find ourselves surrounded by multiple streams of communication every waking moment. The bombardment of words into our mind is nonstop. Written, spoken, or sung we are encircled by words. They express our thoughts and feelings and impact our behavior.
Read MoreDear younger me,
In my last letter to the younger me I reminded myself of the importance of leading with love. Life as a father is more enjoyable when you keep in mind the simple insights I left in my last note: Give the benefit of the doubt, balance your counsel, and vulnerability builds character.
Read MoreSpeaking in front of people is not always easy for me. Even with two decades of experience and a deep joy once I get started, speaking publicly still takes my breath away at times. Anyone who has given multiple presentations can tell stories of horror from a public speaking moment.
Read MoreIn an effort to dig deeper on the idea of making common sense more common, I enlisted the assistance of my friend, Carol Jenkins, PhD, to help bring some sense to the mystery behind the lack of common sense. When I first approached her with the question, “Why is common sense so difficult for people?” I received the classic affirming smile, which reassured me I asked an important, yet intriguing, question.
Read MoreIs it just me or has common sense become less common? For some unknown reason, we are losing our ability to think and act with good judgment. Have we entered into a disastrous spiral of social apathy? Have we become so self-centered we have lost our ability to consider others? It seems we have allowed our selflessness muscles along with our good judgement to atrophy.
Read MoreIn the hard driving world of business a person would be hard pressed to find an organization not focus on growth. Many a wise sage have quoted the maxim, “If you are not growing you are dying.”For some leaders the idea of growth, most commonly measured in terms of year-over-year progress, is an all-consuming ambition. The very heartbeat of an entrepreneur is to undertake an idea and grow it to its fullest potential.
Once in the air in route to a three-day weekend getaway my bride asked the all too familiar question, “What are we going to do this weekend?” to which I replied, “Nothing.” With a gleeful tone in her voice she replied, “Awesome, what are doing first?”
Putting down the book I was reading I responded with a bit of curiosity, “What did you have in mind?” Then it happened, the do-nothing list was presented creating an overpowering sensation in my currently overworked mind.
Read MoreEach day we awake to a new chapter in our life’s journey. How we chose to write our story is truly up to us. There are days along the way which feel out of sorts, disjointed, and at times hopeless. To minimize these days you should check in on your journey along the way. Here are a few simple insights to consider.
Personally I have experienced days where my wellbeing is low. The daily ebb and flow of life can create moments of wellbeing deficiency. What I have learned is this; to protect myself from extended periods of anemic wellbeing I need a two-step approach to energizing my life.
Dear younger me,
In my first letter to the younger me I reminded myself of three very simple principles of life; I am here for a purpose, life is complex find the simple, and I can direct my destiny. With Father’s Day approaching I felt compelled to provide some additional wisdom to the younger father version of me.
Below are my study notes for a talk I had the honor to give at the Irving Bible Church Big Man Conference. I wanted the notes to be available for the 100 men who attended as a take away. So, I began preparing a handout to give the group. Then I was asked an interesting question.
Read MoreDear Younger Me,
Since the classic movie Back To The Future first appeared we have been obsessed with time travel. The fact Doc Brown may have been on to something has been a true fascination. Given the demographics of the vast, every expanding readership of this platform, it is within reason one of its many readers has in fact had a Doc Brown moment.
Read MoreIn the world of leadership, the principle of connection ranks close to the top of the list. The basic idea of leadership is about influence. The effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of our influence rises and falls on our ability to connect with others. Our ability to successfully communicate with others is directly related to our ability to connect with our audience. Yes, connection is vital.
Read MoreBurnout. At some point in our life we will all face periods of burnout. The sad reality is we rarely recognize when we are in burnout mode until it is too late. By then the damage has been done. An extended period of burnout creates “purpose creep”, which is the slow drift away from our center to a place of frustration and disengagement.
