Pursue What Matters

As a leader, you have the responsibility to identify what the work is and why it matters. Clear process frameworks go a long way in establishing accountability for team members and keeping leaders out of micromanagement.  Responsibility as the first pillar of accountability was the topic of last week's podcast. Click here to listen if you missed it.  But accountability is a two-way street. The sec...

Accountability is one of the least fun, yet most important things that leaders and teams need to collaborate on. A team without strong communication and accountability will struggle to work through difficulties together. But what makes up accountability? There are two very important pillars of accountability. First, the responsibility of the leader to structure the accountability process. Second,...

It’s summer! It’s time to wind down, go on some vacations, and enjoy the beautiful weather. If you’ve listened to the podcast at all, you’ll know that one of my favorite ways to wind down is by reading a good book.  For this month’s book review, I’m doing things a little different. Because it’s summer, I’m going to take a break from reviewing a business book and instead I have some great summer re...

Most of us agree that trust is vital for the success of any team. On the last episode of the podcast I broke down two of the biggest issues that so many struggle with when it comes to trust. These issues are all or nothing trust, and believing trust is won in big moments and grand gestures. Hopefully after last week's episode you can see how these trust issues get in the way of us being able to bu...

It’s safe to say that trust is one of the most important things. You know intuitively that trust is vital in your relationships, whether at home or work. Despite the near universal agreement that trust is important, you and I so often struggle to build trust at work. Why is that? Like most things in life, our issues with trust most often come from misunderstandings. Misunderstandings about what tr...

  It’s time my friend. You’ve assessed where you’re at with your business, looked at your market, and you are ready to scale your business. So now what?  Deciding to grow in the face of uncertainty is a big decision, and if you’re anything like me, this decision can be long and painful. There are so many unknowns, there are so many risks. But, once you’ve made the decision, it’s time to take actio...

Leading a team or business can be so challenging. There are so many details to figure out, factors to consider, and as soon as you find something that works, the landscape changes. Learning the fine line between managing but not micromanaging, of being creative without driving clients and customers away, and thousands of other issues that make up a day in the life of a leader, it’s a lot! But what...

Grow or die. This common adage in the world of business is true now more than ever as we come back from the pandemic. Last week’s podcast was focused on helping you see how vital growth is to not only your success, but also your survival as a business.  This week I want to help you simplify the process of growth with three simple questions that will help you focus on your needs and next steps for...

Did you know that 70% of businesses fail before ever reaching 10 years? 20% of these businesses don't even make it through the first year. Starting a business is difficult, but who knew it was that difficult? In a world full of hard workers, great resources, and opportunity, why are so many businesses failing? There are certainly a multitude of reasons for each business failing from poor finances...

Are you a giver? In your efforts to be a good friend and team member, do you often find others relying on your perspective, problem-solving, and compassion? When you and I give like this, we are often highly valued by those around us, but how is all that giving working out for you personally? It turns out that givers are at greater risk for burnout, unbalanced relationships, and resentment. But it...

A lot of different people will tell you a lot of different keys to success in life. The focus is very often on how to be successful. You may be encouraged to be disciplined, get an education, make your bed, and on and on. The how to success is no doubt very important. You and I need to work hard and do the things in our own lives that will make us successful. But this focus on how often leads you...

For every military special operator in the field, they require six additional personnel to support their missions. These are the most highly trained individuals in the world, and yet they can’t succeed without the people around them. It’s the same for us! We cannot do our jobs, fulfill our roles, or live up to our potential without the people around us. Research has shown time and again that “you...

This week I'm diving even deeper into the topic of stress. If you listened last week, you’ll know that I discussed how stress is not the problem. This week I’m looking into how stress shows up at work.  You've probably dealt with leaders in stressful situations before. How did they act? Maybe some got angry, upset, or blamed others. Perhaps you’ve seen other leaders get quiet or stop communicating...

Stress is a part of life, and it affects us all differently. Some people get quiet and reserved, some get loud, some get anxious, and others get angry. With a wide variety of possible reactions, it's vital that you as a leader understand how your people handle stress and how that affects their work.  Before you can understand the stress in others, it's important that you understand it in yourself....

Are you ambitious? Or were you taught that ambition is a dirty word, something to be avoided? For a lot of us growing up, ambition has been something that was really encouraged in men, but not so much for women. Well I’m here to tell you that you need to embrace ambition, regardless of your gender.  Today’s episode is focused on embracing ambition, the messages that make that challenging, and how...

This last year has been a firestorm of opinions. Whether it was right vs. left, mask vs. anti-mask, lockdown vs non-lockdown, or a whole host of other issues that polarized and divided us as a nation and even as a world. While this year has been especially polarized, it is not an outlier, polarization has increased dramatically over the previous decade. We are so divided on so many topics that it...

I've been a psychologist for quite awhile, but I've never heard more about narcissism until lately. So what's the deal? Are there suddenly more narcissists? With today’s podcast I’m taking a deep dive into narcissism, because it turns out that not only is narcissism very common, but some aspects of narcissism are in all of us. Not only that, but some of those aspects of narcissism are actually ver...

If you're like me, your mother always taught you to work hard and be competent. She taught you to understand how to do things, and to do them as well as you possibly could. You, like me, have probably done some good things in your life because of this competence. But did you know that being competent also has some curses?  Today I'm talking about three curses that can undermine the effectiveness o...

This week I am excited to bring you a fantastic interview. It's been awhile since I've done one and I couldn't be more excited to bring them back. This week I'm excited to share with you a fantastic conversation I had with Sunny Lawrence, someone I’ve known and adored for a long time, and the wife of James Lawrence, the Iron Cowboy.  If you are familiar with adventure racing or endurance sports at...

We're nearly two months into 2021, but that doesn't mean that you and I aren't still feeling the effects of 2020. You may be feeling overwhelmed, filled with stress, or even completely burned out. This week I have the book that might just be what you need. This week I'm reviewing Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. This book is our answer to the stresses of the past year. This book...

Your mother probably taught you to mind your p's and q's, but did she teach you to mind your C's? This week I'm talking about 4 C's surrounding effective communication. I've spent the last two weeks discussing communication because it is one of the most important things you and I need to master in order to strengthen our relationships and get things done at both work and home. There will always be...

  Relationships are often sticky. Whether it be with friends, relatives, or co-workers, these relationships thrive on good communication, and this "stickiness" you and I experience usually comes because of some lack of communication.  Today I want to help you better communicate your concerns at work. These conversations are difficult, but they are crucial to building an effective, high-achieving t...

Trust. It is vital to any team's ability to succeed. Whether that team is your family, recreational basketball team, or your co-workers, trust is important if your team is going to succeed. But you know this already. As anyone who's been part of a team where trust is missing can attest to, trust can make or break the effectiveness of a team. This week’s podcast is focused on helping you understand...

It's time to launch!  The past two weeks on the podcast I've focused on helping you to prepare for your moonshot goal through careful planning, and becoming aware of the things that hold you back. This week is all about going for the gold. At this point, I hope you've got a plan for how you're going to achieve your goal (if not, make sure to check out the last two weeks of the podcast), but whethe...

I hope you're ready to get real about what stalls your progress on your biggest dreams in Part 2 in my 3-Part Series on Moonshot Goals. Today's podcast is focused on what keeps you stuck on the couch. I'll invite you to get honest about your fears, justifications and excuses. Unfortunately, too many of us are our own worst enemies. Can you relate? You convince yourself that you're not good enough,...