Most of us live in a near-constant state of busyness. Between the demands of job and career, home and family, friends and colleagues, church and community—not to mention your own health and sanity—open schedules and zero commitments are a rarity. That constant busyness has become the norm for many of us, and we mostly do …
Former United States president Theodore Roosevelt is credited with having authored this memorable quote: “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” While Roosevelt’s words certainly should make you chuckle, I hope they also make you stop and consider the truth in …
Some people are habitual procrastinators. It doesn’t matter what it is—doing the dinner dishes, paying a bill, or writing a term paper—they put it off until the last minute. But even if you’re not a notorious deadline pusher, it’s likely there are at least a few things you tend to procrastinate about. Maybe it’s starting …
Do you remember getting growing pains as a child? Those mysterious aches in the leg muscles were anything but pleasant! Yet despite the pain and discomfort, something good and important was happening at the same time: we were growing! Whether as a child or as an adult, have you ever had to make a big …
This weekend in the United States we will be celebrating Memorial Day. Memorial Day was established in the 1860s to annually recall and celebrate all American soldiers that have given their lives in service to our country. In honor of this national holiday, I would like to share a short story: There once was a …
In case you haven’t noticed, life doesn’t always go according to plan. Even the most carefully planned strategies and very best intentions get derailed by the unexpected and the unavoidable. It’s not just the big things, like career paths and families, that don’t always turn out the way we’d envisioned; we frequently get derailed in …
One of the chapters in the book I wrote a few years ago, Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, is titled “Be Teachable.” In it I wrote, “No matter their title, position, experience, education, or expertise, inspirational leaders know that they don’t know it all, and they remain open to learning new, different, and …
Six years ago I had the privilege of interviewing Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health (formerly known as North Shore-LIJ Health System), in his office in New York. Dowling has been a part of Northwell Health since 1995, and has been at its helm as president and CEO since 2002. When I interviewed Dowling for …
We all have dreams, goals, and aspirations. Many people hope to have a good-sized retirement fund someday. Others daydream about losing weight and being stronger and healthier. There are people who want nothing more than to get out of debt. Other people aspire to put their experience and expertise into practice and start their own …
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 …