I’ve been blessed beyond measure by the mentors in my life who have made themselves available. Had each of them not been genuinely focused on seeing people’s worth, there’s no way I would have had so many of the opportunities I’ve experienced. Following those amazing examples, I’ve worked to pay it ...

In all the years I worked in behavior-based safety, much of our work was based on the premise that we can’t see someone’s attitude or emotions except through the action they take. That applies equally (if not more) when it comes to valuing others. I can say it over and over again, but there's little...

While it wasn’t necessarily a direct lesson I asked for at the time, the availability Terry has provided me with for close to three decades shows my just how much value he’s seen in me - as well as everyone else he’s mentored over the years. The humility he’s modeled through the process has taught m...

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Harrisonburg, VA – January 7, 2026 — Real Leaders®, the global authority on impact leadership, is proud to announce its official 2026 Top Impact Speakers ranking, honoring visionary communicators who are shaping business, culture, and social progress through high-impact public...

As we worked through steps for how developing others serves as a path to leadership, I shared how a reluctance to pass along knowledge, often out of a misplaced fear that it could diminish our own value, prevents us from providing a successor (or even a direct report) with all the guidance we possib...

When we see others’ worth and we’re humbly willing to make ourselves available to them, the time we invest supports their growth in ways we may never fully comprehend. We can easily count the seeds in an apple, but we can’t count the number of apples that come from one seed. By valuing others and be...

Seeing value in and being available for the people around us is critical; not just in a leadership role, but in every aspect of our lives. But just clearing time on our calendar may not be enough to earn trust and get the most possible value from diverse contributions, especially if we don’t display...

We wrap up the first half day session of our Recruitment, Retention, & Culture course with a lesson called “An Ethical Culture with Real Diversity & Inclusion.” The terms diversity, equity, & inclusion have been smeared through the headlines over the last several years, with both praise and condemna...

Even when we see people’s worth, being available isn’t (and shouldn’t be) a blank check. Valuing someone is wildly different than providing them with unlimited time at the drop of a hat. Whether it was Terry, Chris, or any other mentor who’s been a blessing in my life over the years, getting time fr...

The highest calling of leadership is developing people—and it starts with you.

John Maxwell reminds us: “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” But real growth doesn’t just happen. It demands intention, discipline, and support. As James Allen wrote over a centur...

In a Facebook post dated August 1, 2025, Mark Divine, author of Staring Down the Wolf, shared the following:

Leadership is not a title.

It’s a burden of responsibility.

When you step into leadership, you’re saying:

• “I will go first.”
• “I will own the results—good or bad.”
• “I will make the h...

For most of the last fifteen years I worked in manufacturing, I had interaction with each group of new team members on their first day of orientation. When I moved into a full time human resources role, I was responsible for covering the key points in the company policy manual, detailing the attenda...