Flight Lessons: Preparing Your Leaders for Success
Are you giving your teammates flight lessons? As leaders, the best indicator of our success is the success of those we are responsible for. Whether it is a child, a teammate, or co-worker, when you invest time and energy in preparing them to succeed on their own, you are fulfilling one of the highest callings of […]
Why You Might be Turning Your Wolves into Sheep
Are you teaching your people to be sheep or wolves? Many of us are spending too much time corralling our co-workers instead of pointing them in the direction we want them to go. Today we’ll take a lesson from nature about positive reinforcement, and give you three tips to help get your pack moving in […]
No Car, No Phone, No Clue: 10 Life Lessons from a Treasure Hunt
It was anything but a normal way to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. But despite many unexpected trials, it was also one of the best days we’d had together in a while. Here’s the very unusual way we spent our anniversary, and ten Life Lessons we’ll be sure to keep mind for the next 25 […]
Signing Your Work: How the Last Details Make a Lasting Difference
He and his crew labored for months high in the Colorado Rockies last summer. They hiked through snow and dodged rattlesnakes in the desert while working with the Southwest Conservation Corps to preserve America’s wildest places. I asked him what he had learned about teamwork and leadership from that experience. What he shared with me about […]
Goal Setting: Crash Test Dummy Edition
With the turn of the New Year come new resolutions. But too often these goals fall by the wayside before the snow has had a chance to melt. With all the writing I’ve been doing recently on goals, I thought it might be fun to put my money where my mouth is, set a New […]
Grandma’s Law: How to Put the Power of Incentive to Work for You
There’s a simple law you can apply to your goal setting that will definitely help improve the amount of things you’re able to get done. It’s called Grandma’s Law. Today we’ll talk about how you can put Grandma’s Law to work for you and your team.
Leadership Secrets of Buddy the Elf
Spoiler Alert – There’s a happy ending. Even if you haven’t seen the movie “Elf,” you kind of know that’s how things will turn out. And since the movie stars Will Ferrell, you know you can count on plenty to laugh about along the way to that happy ending. But during our annual re-watching of […]
The Simple Secret to the Best PowerPoint Presentation I Ever Saw
It was the best PowerPoint presentation I had ever seen. It happened over 10 years ago, but even now I can remember specifics. What made it so memorable? So effective? In this post, I’ll tell you the simple presentation secret, and how you can use it to add power to your presentations.
5 Simple Steps to Lead Successfully
On a chilly Sunday evening recently I watched a young man take his first successful steps as a leader. It reminded me that leadership doesn’t need to be complicated or hard. And if you follow the same five simple steps to lead that he did, your chances of success are pretty good, too. Here’s what […]
From Disaster to Master: Five Presentation Tips to Cut Through the Static
There are two parts to a presentation: your message, and how you transmit that message to your audience. Too often a good message can get lost in the static of a bad transmission. Not long ago I was on the receiving end of this unfortunate combination. To help us all be better communicators, here is […]
8 Gratitude Practices to Improve Your Sleep, Smarts, and Sanity
Two old friends met each other on the street one day. One looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has the world done to you, my old friend?” The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you: three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.” “That’s a […]
Leadership Lessons Learned from Lost Luggage
Sometimes the simplest of actions can have far-reaching impact. When the unexpected happened during our fall camp out, one Scout was left without the clothing he needed to keep warm. But with the help of friends and the kind act of a stranger, not only did he make it through the weekend, we all learned […]
