The Double Win

As a business leader, you want to create a strong team that is highly engaged and functions well. Yet in our increasingly diverse society, that’s not always easy to do. Recent events have revealed once again the difference of opportunity and tensions that exist between races. And those problems exist in the workplace too. Many of us are realizing just how much we don’t know about creating a just a...

You try to get the best out of your players, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if they’re on the same team. Morale is low. Team members seem gossipy and disengaged. Nobody’s willing to collaborate. Why is it so hard to get people to work together? In our experience, a teamwork problem is nearly always a cultural problem. Based on our success in creating one of Inc. magazine’s 2020 Best Places to Wor...

Good leaders want to do the right thing. But sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Have you ever made a really dumb choice that cost you a relationship or an opportunity? It’s so discouraging to realize you’ve made an avoidable mistake. It can even make you question your decision making ability. But you can recover. When we see people who seem to always make the best decision, it’s tempting to...

We know you love Lead to Win. We also know that life is busy, and you don’t always have time to listen to your favorite podcast. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a highlights reel so you could catch up on the big insights from this season? We’ve gathered some of the top takeaways from our most popular episodes of the last few months. Catch up on these actionable insights and practical tips so yo...

As a high achiever, you have the ability to laser focus and put out huge productivity. But it can seem like your life has no boundaries. Good habits slip away and unproductive ones take their place.  It’s time to ditch that feeling that you’re always a step behind. In this episode, Courtney and Blake show you two simple hacks that will get your personal habits under control and set you up for a wi...

You’ve been biding your time until things get back to normal. But this year has brought us one crisis after another, and there seems to be no end in sight. It’s frustrating—and a little scary—to lead your business into an uncertain future. It doesn’t need to be. We’ve seen major cultural shifts before, and we’ve learned this immutable rule: Life is a river, so you must keep moving forward. We’ll s...

When you’re leading through a crisis, it can feel like you’re making it up as you go along. You’re reacting to a new set of circumstances almost every day, and you never have all the facts. Are people following you? Are they doubting your authority? It’s unnerving. Based on leading through crises large and small, we’ve learned one valuable lesson: Your primary leadership capital is not your author...

As a leader, you’re used to being on top of your game. But this crisis has been more draining than any of us expected. As the weeks become months, you become more and more exhausted. Is this thing ever going to end? Here’s what we know: you can develop resiliency as a leader regardless of what’s happening in the world. In this episode, we’ll teach you the three primary traits that will boost your...

You’re an experienced leader, but the current crisis has left us all a bit shaken. Some industries that seemed unassailable just weeks ago are gasping for air. What just happened? And what if it happens again? The best way to prepare for the future is to learn the lessons of the past, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. We’ve learned valuable lessons from the early stages of the pandemic and...

Every so often, a moment presents itself that demands something out of the ordinary from us as leaders. These singular moments define much more than our businesses or organizations. They define us as leaders, and they define our future. In light of the tragic race-events that are taking place now in our country, we believe this to be one of those pivotal moments. On this podcast, we suspend our us...

Today's episode is from a Facebook Live that Michael and Megan did on the topic of communication breakdowns. They took questions from viewers and we've collected some of the best questions and answers so that you can gain important insight into how to manage your own communication breakdowns. Enjoy! Discover how to end workplace confusion and achieve better results with your communication with Mic...

As a leader, you pride yourself on being proactive and in control. But one area feels like a perpetual Dumpster fire—email! It’s all communications, really. Slack messages, texts, voicemail, it’s a constant burn. When will it end? It’ll end when you stop reacting to messages and start taking control of your inbox. You need a personal communication strategy, and we’ll show you how to make one. Foll...

You’ve got a big vision for your business and you’re building a team to get you there. But where two or three people are gathered, there’s bound to be some misunderstanding. No matter how hard you work at it, you wind up having to repeat yourself. That costs time and wastes momentum. Why does communication have to be so hard? Actually, it doesn’t. Nearly every communication breakdown can be traced...

Work from home? No problem! As a high achiever, you’ll thrive in any environment. But for those who happen to be parents, there’s another layer. Now you’re not just managing your productivity. You’re managing your kids’ education and activities at the same time. Talk about a productivity challenge! Here’s help. The Full Focus Kids and Full Focus Students will bring the same structure and focus to...

As a leader, you’re committed to transparency in running your business. But that’s not as easy as it sounds. What about introducing a major change or initiative? Or announcing a layoff? How to manage the flow of sensitive information without causing confusion or mistrust. No worries. We’ve spent the last 40 years perfecting the art of communicating important information. In this episode, we’ll giv...

You’re well on the way to achieving your vision, but something unexpected happens. Maybe a cost overrun or a production delay. Vendors are confused. Customers aren’t happy. Employees start complaining as the problems pile up. Is it a sign that your vision is simply out of reach? Now way! We’ve been in the game long enough to know that resistance to your vision—both internal and external—is perfect...

The global pandemic has upended a lot of business plans. You’ve probably thought about getting some coaching to lead more effectively, but is it the right time to make that decision? Frankly, it doesn’t seem right that you can’t get help in dealing with the crisis—because of the crisis! Let’s check that limiting belief. Based on successfully leading a large business through the Great Recession, we...

As a leader, you know vision is important. But what on earth is it? There are many conflicting voices on the subject. It’s enough to make you forget the whole thing and just focus on operations. Why is this so hard? We’ve been refining these concepts for decades. And we’ve distilled them into four distinct documents that form the foundation for any successful business. Forget what you’ve heard bef...

As a leader, you’re eager to develop a vision for your business. You’ve got a copy of The Vision-Driven Leader , and you’re ready to dig in. But how do you put this all together? Is it difficult to create a Vision Script? What can you expect by way of results? We’ve got answers! We’re joined in this episode by one of our coaching clients who has already created a Vision Script and put it to work i...

As a leader, you have a clear vision for the future. But the busyness of life always pulls your attention back to business as usual. You make occasional bursts of effort toward the vision, but there’s no real progress. It’s frustrating to watch your dream for the future collecting cobwebs. Here’s what we’ve learned after more than 40 years in leadership: Vision doesn’t force its way into your busi...

You want to stay productive while working at home, but it’s not easy! There are challenges in team communication, collaboration, conferencing, and document sharing. And? You’ve got to set up an entirely new workspace. It’s challenging. And, especially at first, exhausting. We’ve got help. Based on nearly a decade of working remotely and leading remote teams, we’ve got the tools you need to stay pr...

As a leader, you are your company’s single greatest asset. While you’re guarding your health against the coronavirus, you must also deal with the stress and responsibility of running a business. It’s tough! This crisis threatens the mental and emotional resiliency of you and your team.  Given the stress we’re under, how is it even possible to keep your emotional balance? It is, and we’ve got exper...

As a leader, you’ve thought a lot about where to take your business in the next year. But major disruptions—like the coronavirus crisis—can upend your vision. It’s a disorienting time, and it’s tempting to just hunker down and try to survive. Is it even possible to have a vision for the future right now? Yes, it is. We’ve weathered crises before, including the Great Recession. Based on our experie...

You’ve probably noticed the trend in the last week of businesses offering products or services for free to help out during the COVID-19 crisis. I applaud the impulse, but there’s a fatal flaw in the logic—the economy depends on people creating value and other people recognizing that value and willingly paying for it. Now is the time to pivot, innovate, and leverage every ounce of your creativity t...

The opportunity to work from home sounds great! But the reality of being forced to make that shift on short notice can be stressful. Add to that the school closings, work-from-home spouses, and the general uncertainty of the times. It’s nerve wracking! You may be wondering how to keep your sanity, let alone keep your focus. We’ve got help. Our company started as an all-remote team. And before the...