Crazy Enough to Win (For Those Who Love the Game of Business)

Send us Fan Mail Every industrial facility has a few Miserable Mikes. They're the operators, mechanics, technicians, and supervisors who once cared deeply but slowly became frustrated, disappointed, and cynical. The surprising part? Most didn't start that way. In this episode, I unpack Chapter 3 of The Saga of Miserable Mike and explore one of the most important leadership lessons I&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Bringing in a new executive sounds like a strategic win on paper. But inside the organization, it often creates something far more complicated. Disappointment. Jealousy. Quiet resistance. In this episode, we unpack what really happens when you hire someone over internal candidates and disrupt existing expectations around advancement, influence, and status. This isn’t about onboard...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, John challenges common approaches to workplace culture and engagement. Instead of focusing on perks, surveys, and branding efforts, he introduces Adler’s triad: belonging, significance, and contribution. Key points include: Belonging as the foundation of psychological safety and discretionary effort. Significance as the link between daily tasks and meaningful impa...

Send us Fan Mail Most leaders say they want top talent.  So why do so few actually hire it? In this episode, we explore the uncomfortable psychology behind why many B and C level leaders struggle to bring A-players onto their teams. Not because of budget. Not because of timing. But because hiring exceptional people quietly threatens identity, status, and control. We break down the hidden mental bl...

Send us Fan Mail In business, not all problems wear warning labels—some sneak in wearing smiles, enthusiasm, and the appearance of hustle. I’m talking about the most seductive trap for leaders: highly motivated mediocre talent. These employees are energetic, loyal, and endlessly willing to “do.” They raise their hands, stay late, and volunteer for projects. On the surface, they seem like a dream....

Send us Fan Mail My name isn’t really Mike.  But if you work in the petrochemical industry on the Gulf Coast, you might have seen me. Maybe you’ve passed me in the control room, at the safety meeting, or in the break trailer. Maybe you already know me and don’t even realize it. I thought this job would be the dream. I went to school, studied hard, listened when people told me that being an operato...

Send us Fan Mail Let's say it plainly, because we've all seen it: leaders who default to telling, fixing, controlling, or judging—far more often than they default to asking. Why? Because this one thing is slow, it's uncertain. It doesn't give you that satisfying feeling of control or the rush of authority. It feels like a detour when you're paid to make decisions and drive...

Send us Fan Mail If you're a leader operating from a mindset soaked in pessimism, constant anxiety, or a chronic negativity bias, you might be doing more harm than you think. Not just emotionally but neurologically. And not just to yourself—but to the entire team you lead. Sound dramatic? Maybe. But science is backing it up. Let's check it out...

Send us Fan Mail Let’s get one thing straight: most organizations are not wired to win. They’re wired to survive. To get through the quarter. To avoid disruption. To keep the machine running just enough to not get fired. To wire a winning organization, you need to confront some hard truths. You need to pull apart the architecture, expose the weak circuits, and rebuild something stronger, faster, a...

Send us Fan Mail The need to be liked is one of business leaders' biggest psychological hurdles. While it's natural to want to be respected and appreciated, an excessive desire for approval can lead to weak decision-making, poor boundaries, and an inability to hold others accountable. From an Adlerian psychology perspective, this struggle stems from mistaken beliefs about self-worth and...

Send us Fan Mail Success begins in the mind. Before any outstanding achievement can materialize, it must take root as an idea, a vision of what is possible. Imagining yourself successful is not merely daydreaming; it is a deliberate and powerful tool used by athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and leaders throughout history. When harnessed effectively, visualization can help align your thoughts, act...

Send us Fan Mail Discover a cognitive bias where people adopt behaviors or beliefs simply because others do, can significantly influence workplace dynamics. Leaders often struggle to manage team morale, perceptions, and reactions in environments where opinions can shift rapidly. A cautionary tale of this effect was the viral response to Karen Templar's blog post about India. This case illustr...

Send us Fan Mail Harold Thorpe had always been a figure of admiration in the business world. With his crisp suits, sharp intellect, and a history of turning struggling companies into industry leaders, he was the epitome of corporate success. Harold's decisions had been almost prophetic for decades, guiding his companies through economic storms with unwavering confidence. But now, as he sat in...

Send us Fan Mail In the complex world of business leadership, the art of communication is one of the most powerful tools a leader can wield. But being a great communicator doesn’t mean simply delivering compelling speeches or motivating your team with inspirational words. At the heart of many organizational issues lies a simple truth: it’s not what was said that causes problems, but what was not s...

Send us Fan Mail In their seminal work, The Art of Possibility , Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander offer a transformative perspective on how individuals can redefine their lives to achieve their true potential. At the core of their philosophy is the idea that life is a construct—a creation of our own, shaped by our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Much like a block of stone, this construct...

Send us Fan Mail As we look toward the future, one of the most profound changes on the horizon is the transformation of personal transportation. For Generation Z, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, driving symbolizes independence and freedom. However, their grandchildren are poised to experience a very different reality. The rapid advancement and proliferation of autonomous vehicles, con...

Send us Fan Mail Let's face reality: yearly reviews should be extinct. Top performers hate them, and most managers are terrible at delivering them. In business management, annual performance appraisals are standard practice for evaluating employee performance, setting goals, and making decisions about promotions, pay raises, and terminations. However, beneath their seemingly systematic struct...

Send us Fan Mail Do you know why employees waste time at work?  One concept called the learning curve profoundly influences how individuals distribute their work throughout the day, often leading to phenomena such as spreading work out to fill the day.  As a leader, you can reduce wasted time by knowing the reasons you are paying for empty labor.  Leadership plays a pivotal role in minimizing empt...

Send us Fan Mail In the complex tapestry of today's multigenerational workplace, understanding leadership goes beyond conventional management principles. It requires a nuanced comprehension of individual differences, motivations, and behaviors. The Enneagram, an ancient personality typing system, offers a profound lens through which we can explore the diverse leadership styles that emerge in...

Send us Fan Mail In the swirling currents of today's business landscape, change isn't just a ripple; it's a tidal wave. From technological breakthroughs to market shifts, organizations constantly navigate uncharted waters to stay afloat. But amidst the turbulence of change, one thing remains constant: the human element. As leaders, we're not just captains of ships but navigator...

Send us Fan Mail Are you the most intelligent person on the team you lead? If so, the team may get held back by your knowledge. By not finding people with more intellectual horsepower, you may be the reason the team will not achieve anything more significant in 2024. When discussing the concept of a leader being the most intelligent person in the room, it's essential to consider both the pote...

Send us Fan Mail At first glance, laziness and excessive busyness appear opposites. But upon closer examination, they often arise from the same root - a lack of discipline and intentionality. Neither busyness nor laziness inherently leads to productivity and meaning. It is the discipline that directs our energies with purpose and structure. Without it, laziness manifests as distraction and avoidan...

Send us Fan Mail If you feel stuck, overwhelmed or unprepared on your path to leadership, This episode will re-energize your personal and professional growth. Let’s climb to the peak of transformational leadership together! As leaders, we often feel pressure to appear competent, authoritative, and perfectly polished. But new research reveals the power of strategic self-disclosure of imperfections,...

Send us Fan Mail The 2020s have ignited a remarkable revolution in the labor landscape, triggering a seismic shift in the status and compensation of blue-collar workers while casting a shadow over white-collar jobs tethered to conventional four-year degrees. This transformative era is occurring due to many factors, including technological innovations, the evolving skill spectrum, and the burgeonin...

Send us Fan Mail Finding your inner voice can be a transformative journey in a world filled with noise and distractions. This journey becomes particularly crucial when we seek to overcome the limitations of small thinking. Small thinking is the self-imposed confinement of our thoughts and aspirations within the boundaries of what seems familiar and comfortable. It's the voice that whispers, &...