Since former US President Theodore Roosevelt delivered his famous speech in Paris on April 23, 1910, sections of it have been repeatedly quoted all over the world. One particular paragraph stands out from all the rest, and more than a century after these words were first spoken they continue to encourage and inspire millions of …
This week I’m honored to have once again served as a moderator for the Becker’s Healthcare Conference in Chicago. I love these events, and always enjoy my time there immensely. This week has been a little different than usual; I had an all-day speaking engagement in Texas last Friday, and thanks to that exertion and …
I am honored to be speaking in San Marcus, Texas this week on the topic of Being An Inspirational Leader. In anticipation of that engagement, I’d like to share this article on the habits of inspirational leaders, which I first wrote and published in February 2018: As I’ve said many times, intentional, positive habits are …
I recently read an excellent article by renowned author and leadership expert Ken Blanchard. In the article Blanchard directly addressed the question, “How does a servant leader effectively give feedback when a direct report’s performance is less than ideal?” Blanchard pulls a few tips from his best-selling book, The One Minute Manager, sharing three secrets …
“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” – Paulo Coelho We all have opinions. And now more than ever, those opinions have the opportunity to be voiced. In this day and age, we can have a thought, form an opinion, and tell it to the digital masses mere seconds later. Whether …
Have you ever heard this saying before? “Don’t blame a clown for acting like a clown. Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.” While it might make you chuckle, it should also make you think. The implied analogy suggests that you should reevaluate and realign your expectations and actions. Obviously, you should expect …
I recently listened to an excellent episode of the Lead to Win podcast by Michael Hyatt and his cohost (and daughter) Megan Hyatt Miller. The topic was achieving your most important goals, and Michael and Megan shared a simple yet brilliant strategy they titled “The 3×3 Goal Achievement Strategy.” I highly recommend you listen to …
I have a question for you. Do you feel more productive and accomplished when you’ve stayed busy all day—checking things of your list, making phone calls, answering texts, sending emails, attending meetings, running errands, etc.—or when you’ve hunkered down, focused, and made significant progress on one particular problem or project? There’s no right or wrong …
Last week we began considering how closely linked are the virtues of Self-Control and Self-Discipline. A very simple explanation of the two is that Self-Control is about controlling reactions and keeping urges in check, while Self-Discipline is about persevering and maintaining positive habits. So how are reactions and habits connected? As I noted in my …
Self-Control. It is an incredibly important and powerful trait, with a very big job description. It is responsible for keeping your temper in check, it’s in charge of holding your tongue, it is required to prevent you from eating all of the Girl Scout cookies at once, and it must be ever vigilant in the …
I do not know with whom the following quote originated, and I believe there are a few different variations floating around the internet, but wherever it came from, it’s a good one: “We cannot force someone to hear a message they are not ready to receive. But we must never underestimate the power of planting …
I recently watched a fascinating TED talk on the secrets of learning a new language. The presenter, Lýdia Machová is a polyglot—meaning she can fluently speak multiple languages. As the talk began and Machová first revealed her ability to speak no less than eight languages, I immediately knew she was a lot smarter than me! …
Last week I shared the above tongue-in-cheek meme on LinkedIn depicting the “comprehensive list of everything you’re entitled to and what the world owes you.” As you can see, it was a blank piece of note paper. I received a lot of responses on the post (thankfully all positive), including a quote shared by one …
You may have heard this Maya Angelou quote before, but I want you to take a few moments right now to read it and really let it sink in: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.“ You …
As Christmas and the New Year approach, my thoughts naturally become more reflective, thinking about the past year and the one to come. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about living a life and leaving a legacy of gratitude. Feeling and expressing gratitude is such a simple yet powerful strategy for achieving greater success—personally, professionally, …
As I drove up the winding road toward the top of the hill, my anticipation mounted with each light post and flag I passed. I was already impressed by the California landscape, with green rolling hills and bright blue sky as far as the eye could see. When I rounded the last corner and reached …
Treading carefully across the frozen ground, the man hurried down the dark street, hunching his shoulders and turning his collar up against the sharp winter wind. Approaching his destination, he could just make out another shadowy figure waiting by the west gate, outlined against the white backdrop of the house. Drawing close to the other …
He had long yearned to serve his country as a soldier, but poor eyesight prevented any possibility of winning appointment to one of the academies. Undeterred, he memorized the eye chart and entered the National Guard, going on to serve in the First World War. Upon arrival in France, he was soon promoted to captain …
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Though the date changes year to year, my entire life Thanksgiving Day has fallen just after my birthday, which makes it an even greater season of reflection for me. Last week I shared on LinkedIn about sitting in a Starbucks and observing an interaction between two men. One was middle-aged and …
Had his peers fully understood the extent of his limitations, few would have expected him to attempt what he did. None would have blamed him if he hadn’t even tried. But he wasn’t a man to back down from a challenge. He realized that the odds were stacked against him and enormous obstacles stood in …