Influence, Not Authority, Defines Leadership

Here’s where I found myself: riding high and feeling mean, one of just four people selected to lead the implementation of an exciting new process throughout a nearly one million square foot facility with close to a thousand employees. What an incredible opportunity for a kid who barely graduated hig...

Continue Reading...
Why Feedback Fuels Growth (and Leadership)

Shortly after accepting a spot on the behavior-based safety process steering committee, I had the chance to sit in on and help with a small portion of the training for new observers; the same course I had squirmed through less than a year prior. I can’t pretend that I actually offered anything of va...

Continue Reading...
The Role of Mentors in Closing the Gap

If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t like Terry Ward very much when I first met him. The limited interaction I had prior to his portion of the behavior-based safety observer training was adversarial at best and I thought his delivery as a trainer was incredibly annoying. Looking back, I know my ...

Continue Reading...
When Hard Work Hits a Ceiling

I grew up in a rural area, about ten miles outside the town the high school I graduated from was located. I used to joke during the hundreds of new hire orientation sessions I did over the years that my hometown only had two stop signs, and we rarely used those. The majority of the groups I was part...

Continue Reading...
The Hidden Power of Professional Relationships

Just a few months before accepting the position I started immediately after getting married, I interviewed for a role with responsibility for the behavior-based safety process that I had been involved with for a year or so prior on a volunteer basis. In addition to performing the observations that p...

Continue Reading...
There’s No Such Thing as a Self-Made Leader

I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve heard folks reference different individuals - in business, in politicks, or any other walk of life - as natural-born leaders. I think the most humorous anecdote I ever heard around that idea was when John Maxwell mentioned being asked if leaders are born or...

Continue Reading...
Weaving Our Values Everything We Do

Assuming you’ve taken to heart the idea of consistency trumping intensity and the importance of wearing our values on our sleeves, even if you don’t feel like you quite built either completely into your routine yet, we’re at a great place. Each are critical role pieces in the framework for laying a ...

Continue Reading...
What Does Your IMPACT Really Look Like?

As with so many of companies “that more than 80% published an official set of corporate values on their website” having definitions posts - or even detailing a picture of what we want those values to mean - makes little impact if that’s not what we’re actually known for. Wearing a He-Man costume at ...

Continue Reading...
Building Confidence to Lead Effectively

Leadership isn’t just about making decisions or hitting targets—it’s about showing up with the confidence to inspire, influence, and navigate challenges. The truth is, not every leader feels confident all the time. That’s okay. What matters is recognizing where you can grow, taking action to build y...

Continue Reading...
Enhanced Strategic Thinking: A Guide for Leaders

Strategic thinking is a vital skill for managers and supervisors, enabling them to shape the future with purpose and clarity. It’s about thinking ahead, designing a plan, and setting goals today to control tomorrow. For leaders, this means driving success by building a team of strategic navigators—c...

Continue Reading...
Strategic Growth: The Key to Enhanced Adaptability

In today’s fast-paced world, adaptability is an essential trait for effective leadership. Leaders who prioritize strategic growth tend to embrace change rather than cling to outdated practices, better positioning themselves to navigate the complexities of modern challenges.

Leadership growth is a s...

Continue Reading...
Laying a Foundation on Values: Simple Practices

We started this look at how values serve as the foundation for every organization and how things can go wrong when that foundation isn’t in place. From there, we worked through the importance of clearly defining our organizational values, and how doing so can truly rally our team members, earn buy-i...

Continue Reading...