Keeping Things Simple Isnā€™t Easy

Just like the work required for laying a foundation to any building to stand the test of time, establishing routines that model the core values that will ultimately serve as the foundation our organization is built on can be incredibly difficult. Before moving on, I’ve gotta ask.. Is it...

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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 Leaders who prioritize strategic growth tend to embrace change rather than cling to outdated practices, better positioning themselves to navigate the complexities of modern challenges.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...

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Strong Habits Create Capacity for Adjustments

I was able to observe most of the practices while our son wrestled. It was interesting to watch how the best coaches had those kids go through new moves again and again slowly until each movement was almost natural. During the few times I’ve dropped by my friend’s mixed martial arts...

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Flashy May Get Attention but Simple Sticks

For the first several years Cindy and I provided our Emerging Leader Development course for individuals and organizations, I was adamant that I DID NOT want to market any type of “coaching” tied to that course or anything else we offered. I had seen so many charlatans embed themselves...

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Starting Off Simple Isnā€™t Very Exciting

In the fifth lesson of our Emerging Leader Development course, I share a story detailing how a friend once introduced me and Cindy to some of his business partners. With a somewhat puzzled look on his face after a few seconds of trying to come up with a reasonable description, he simply said...

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A Foundation Gets Little Attention Until Thereā€™s an Issue

I’d just about bet that unless you were involved in some aspect of the building process or can actually see your home’s foundation, you don’t know if it consists of 8” cinder blocks, 12” cinder blocks, poured concrete walls, or built directly on a concrete slab. And...

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Laying a Foundation is Hard Work!

My first full time gig in construction started about a month after I turned fifteen. Earlier that spring, my dad asked if I planned to get a car when I was old enough to drive. “Of course I do!” was my immediate response, and he went on to let me know that I’d probably want to...

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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,...

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A Reputation Built on Consistency, Over Timeā€¦

To build a reputation that drives results, one that each person who ever hears about us will connect with our core values, being intentional in our approach to providing world-class service and being sure to detail why we’re willing to do it is part of our responsibility as leaders. But...

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A Reputation for Serving, Based on Our Values

Make no mistake, there’s a huge difference between touting how amazing we are and in explaining how or why our actions tie back to our values. We’ve all been around folks who have a title that carries some level of authority, and seen them pound their chest about how important they...

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Modeling Our Values, and Explaining Why

Even when we’ve done everything in our power to model the core values our business is built on, we can’t just assume that everyone who cares about those values will automatically connect our behaviors to the reputation we’re working to establish (or maintain). It’s up to...

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A Clear-Eyed Look

During a conversation Cindy and I had with Carly Fiorina several years ago, she emphasized the importance of taking a “clear-eyed look at our existing state” if we wanted to have any hope of achieving our desired future state - personally, professionally, and with the entire team...

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