Through the midpoint of my freshman year in high school, I remember very few report cards that so much as a C - and I don’t think I ever got anything lower. While I never did a ton of studying, I did carry books home as needed and completed homework assignments. When the second semester of my freshm...
I opened Leading With A Clear Purpose by sharing how a conversation with a lifelong friend gave me an acute understanding for how even the toughest among us can feel empty or burned out when the work they’re doing no longer provides them with fulfillment. In telling that story, I mentioned how he an...
To this point, I’ve shared intentionally basic high-level scenarios and I’ve purposefully shied away from anything remotely adverse. Not only am I sure you’ve experienced similar situations, I’d bet you’ve been through far worse - and I’ll bet you’ve found yourself back in that headspace as I allude...
Before I go on, I need to be very transparent with you. As I began noodling around the idea of listing and sharing leadership lessons I’ve learned through my adversities, I was more than a little conflicted; I’m nothing special and I’ve certainly seen people face far more difficult circumstances tha...
I’ve often heard the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” in reference to adversities we face. From what I can tell, that’s often tied - at least loosely - to 1 Corinthians 10:13. In fact, there’s apparently even a Christian song based on that. All said, I can’t say that I interpret...
I’ve often heard the phrase, “Life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re stupid.” As harsh as that may be, here’s some context: I could share dozens of difficult situations I fought through in my teens and early twenties, most of which were self-induced, that could have provided me with far more val...
Uncovering our hidden strengths so we can get to a point where we begin to comprehend our true worth can be a grueling process. Without overcoming the self-imposed limits we’ve placed on our own value, often for years or even decades, there’s little chance of genuine modesty being involved in situat...
Every title and position has its limitations; for our investments into relationships to have a lasting impact, the influence we earn will always trump any authority we hold. That influence, especially when balanced with a healthy dose of humble confidence, can produce a ripple effect that reaches fa...
Creating a leadership legacy may seem lofty or unrealistic at first glance but I can assure you it’s not. Since leaving my role in manufacturing in late 2014, I’ve spoken with dozens of long-term employees (many of whom had since retired) who credited Kevin Arnold for his effort in providing them wi...
In What’s KILLING Your Profitability? I referenced how I frequently caught flack from our plant operations manager because employees across his areas routinely bypassed the chain of command by taking issues to behavior-based team members for resolution rather than their immediate supervisors. Throug...
By the time I had accepted the full time role facilitating the behavior-based safety process locally, I had become one of the most effective in the facility at conducting the observations involved and providing the necessary feedback to my peers. I had also developed a reasonable level of competence...
In the first lesson of our Emerging Leader Development course, Cindy and I stress the importance of developing the self-discipline to address issues as soon as they arise, before emotion takes over and we lose control of a situation. All too often, I’ve seen folks in leadership roles opt not to addr...
