Clarity and Confidence I was reminded of why I focus on clarity and confidence in a couple of different instances this week. My coaching and advisory services focus on these two words because I have found they are most often what hold people back from accomplishing the goals they've set out to accomplish. In one situation, I was helping a client work through identifying clear next steps to reach his goals. Most people know they need to have a clear vision and measurable goals, but often get...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Back to School and Back to Rhythms Schools across Oklahoma started back this week and with it comes a change in rhythms. Not just for students and teachers, but for their families as well, which means many of us professionals and entrepreneurs too. My family bookended our summer with family trips. We started in Utah to visit the Mighty 5 National Parks in Southern Utah. It was a breathtaking week. I didn't take a laptop and disconnected fully. I decided to continue a bit of summer break - so...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Last week, I brought attention to the speed at which a new Pope was named. It took less than 36 hours to name the new Pope, which is not the fastest but certainly up there in the top 5. I also shared James Clear's framework for categorizing decisions. Be sure to check out last week's email if you missed it. Here's the link How do you go from the idea of making faster decisions to actually doing it in real leadership situations? Let's review a few practical tips on how to make that happen....
4 months ago • 3 min read
Here’s a bet I’m willing to take: You are too slow at making decisions. Stay with me… this isn’t an accusation. It’s a call to be more effective and better prepared. We just watched one of the largest and oldest organizations on the planet make its most important decision. And most headlines will tell you they made it in less than 36 hours. Yes, I’m talking about the Catholic Church, which just named a new Pope. It was less than 2 days from when the Conclave began to when there was white...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Last Friday was not an efficient day for me. I drove over 25 unnecessary miles, wasting almost an hour just sitting in the truck driving back and forth from Edmond to OKC, back to Edmond, then back across town to another appointment. This extra time and effort bothered me as I was getting ready for the day. I want things to be efficient. That's part of my personality and it has also been trained in me. Systems thinking, production management, and Lean Six Sigma have all been foundational to...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Good Morning, My reflections today have me focused on both the darkest moment in history and the moments that wrecked OKC 30 years ago. 9:02am, April 19th, 1995. I remember feeling the shake and moments later seeing the black plume of smoke rising in the air. I was at home in Edmond. 12 miles away seems like so far, especially as a 12-year-old, but the impact of that blast was felt much further away. Maybe you don’t remember or have lost some specifics of that morning and the days to follow....
4 months ago • 1 min read
The best strategies are simple. This doesn't mean they are easy to implement. But simple means a strategy can be understood and put into practice. Business turnarounds are some of my favorite projects to work on. I enjoy diving into the business and finding ways to improve, increase revenue, reduce expenses, and restructure for effectiveness. These can be incredibly tough jobs but very rewarding. Often I begin with simple approaches for moderate gains. I was reminded of a simple framework for...
6 months ago • 1 min read
There are countless reasons to worry. The Economy. Tariffs. Oil Price. The Weather. Layoffs. Inflation. Sickness. Upset Clients. Car Repairs... I could go on, but I won't. Each of the items above has come up in my conversations this week. And some of them were from me! I get it, we see the negative all the time. We can't escape it but we can choose how we respond to it. As a leader, you have to choose to lean into the positive. Let me encourage you to acknowledge the negative and then turn...
6 months ago • 1 min read
A Framework and Example of Great Leadership It is rare to get an inside, intimate view of great leadership in action. Last night, however, I witnessed a leader offer a near-perfect example of concrete leadership skills. I was sitting in a small audience of parents and siblings at my son's karate belt test. We watched as Master Lewis showed high levels of empathy, challenge, and support to his students. It is not natural for most leaders to be both challenging and supportive. Usually, we are...
6 months ago • 2 min read