Leadership Is Always on Stage
Leadership Is Always on Stage Every morning when a leader walks into the workplace, something important happens—whether they realize it or not. People watch. They watch how the leader greets people. They notice…
Your Actions Resources
Leadership actions should be both consistent and effective. It’s much harder to get things done if you are focused on the wrong things and executing sporadically. Your employees need to believe that you know what you are doing and the best way to demonstrate that is through your actions.
Blog Posts
Presidents’ Day Leadership Lessons: What George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Teach Us About Grit, Resilience, and Courage
Presidents’ Day is more than a long weekend or a retail event. At its core, it is a moment to reflect on leadership at its highest stakes. It is a day to ask…
Standing Up to Bullies: Leadership, Courage, and the Cost of Silence
You Have to Stand Up to a Bully You have to stand up to a bully. It doesn’t matter whether it shows up in your personal life, your business, or public leadership—you have…
Sometimes the Things You Don’t Want to Do Matter the Most
Sometimes the Things You Don’t Want to Do Matter the Most Sometimes it’s important to do the things you don’t want to do—but know you need to do. We all feel fatigue. We…
How CEOs Turn January Energy into Year-Long Execution Momentum
What Happens to Execution Momentum? Every January, I see the same pattern play out. Leaders come back from the holidays energized. Plans feel crisp. Whiteboards are full. Offsites are optimistic. And for a…
The CEO’s Playbook for 2026: From Ambition to Achievement
The CEO’s Playbook for 2026 Most CEOs I work with aren’t short on ideas, intelligence, or ambition. What they’re short on is clarity, focus, and execution capacity in an environment that keeps getting…
Wisdom From a Master: Pat Murray’s Five Leadership Truths
Pat Murray’s legacy, and why he still matters Pat Murray left behind a profound legacy. He served as a President of TEC (Now Vistage) before I became a Chair and, for decades, was…
How to Build a High-Performance Small Business
High performance is achievable You don’t need jargon to run a tighter, faster shop. You need a simple way to set priorities, make decisions quickly, and keep work moving without drama. I think…
Are You a Steak Knife or a Butter Knife Leader?
Are You a Steak Knife or a Butter Knife Leader? A few weeks ago, I watched a business leader wrestle with a decision he already knew he needed to make. Every week, he’d…
The Conqueror Who Chose Peace – A Leadership Conversation with Ashoka the Great
My fictitious leadership interview with Ashoka the Great: Background He is one of the most fascinating figures from ancient India’s past. His empire encompassed a vast portion of the Indian subcontinent, and he…
The Price of Victory – A Fireside Conversation with Winston Churchill
Another installment in my series of fictional interviews with historical leadership figures. This time it is Winston Churchill. “To each, there comes in their lifetime that special moment when they are figuratively tapped…
Creativity Regained Article: Lessons from Robert Redford and Sundance
“Do you think the world was created by an accountant? No! The universe was created by the combustion of a creative explosion.” — Robert Redford I decided to revisit this article after hearing about…
Leading Through Uncertainty: Turning Turbulence Into Strength
Uncertainty Is Reality “The storm doesn’t build your skills; it reveals them.” Uncertainty isn’t a visitor—it’s the neighborhood we work in. Every leader, whether running a start-up, a family business, or a large…
Where Have Our Leaders Gone?
Leaders: Something Feels Deeply Unsettled in Our Society Today. You can hear it in conversations at work, see it in headlines, and feel it in the quiet worries people carry home. We’re bombarded…
Civility Isn’t Dead—But It Needs a Revival
This isn’t about being old-fashioned. Civility never goes out of style. It’s about how we treat each other when nobody’s keeping score. With that in mind, here are some practical reminders—simple habits and…
The Reformer’s Discipline – A Leadership Conversation with Tokugawa Yoshimune
"Leadership meant restoring balance without breaking the vessel...I did not come to revolutionise—I came to repair. The treasury was strained. Officials were complacent. The people were burdened by outdated practices. But change must…
Leadership Fatigue Is Real — But So Is the Opportunity
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of conversations with fellow business owners and leaders who are just flat-out tired. Burned out. Numb from the endless waves of uncertainty and pressure. We don’t always…
A Midday Conversation with Marcus Aurelius
Lead with principle, not popularity. Govern your emotions before governing others. Seek truth, even when it humbles you. And remember: this role, this power, this body—it is all rented. Use it wisely. Return…
Business Contingency Planning Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
Contingency planning isn’t about living in fear. It’s about being smart. It’s about protecting what you’ve worked so hard to build—your people, your reputation, your financial stability—so that when the wind shifts, you…
The Weight of Words – A Late-Night Conversation with Abraham Lincoln
What can modern leaders learn from Abraham Lincoln? I thought that Memorial Day was a fitting time to write this blog. More than a century after his death, Lincoln's approach to leadership continues…
Recommended Reading
Why Can’t We Be Good?
Introduction Why Can’t We Be Good? by Jacob Needleman takes on one of the most uncomfortable but important questions of human life: if we know what is right, why do we so often…
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Book Introduction Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen is a powerful and eye-opening book that challenges one of our most basic assumptions—that our thoughts are always true. Nguyen explains that much…
The Traveler’s Gift
Life has a way of testing our judgment, grit, and character—especially when you’re responsible for a business and a team. Andy Andrews’ The Traveler’s Gift reads like a parable, but it lands like…
Reading Excerpts
The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews
Join bestselling author Andy Andrews on an extraordinary journey through time in The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success. Blending fiction, self-help, and historical insight, this inspiring story follows David Ponder,…
Principles By Ray Dalio
There is nothing more important than understanding how reality works and how to deal with it. The state of mind you bring to the process makes all the difference. I have found it…
High Performance: Lessons From The Best on Becoming Your Best
In your high-performance journey, you'll need to be courageous too. The road to high performance is daunting. By definition, it involves moving away from the ordinary: that mindset you've been falling back on…
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
Overcoming obstacles is a discipline of three critical steps. It begins with how we look at our specific problems, our attitude or approach; Then the energy and creativity with which we actively break…
Reflections On Life and Leading Book Excerpts – Part 2
Very few of us have a life curve that is only upward-sloping. The difference is that “lucky” people just do not let their periods of adversity define them in unhelpful ways. They just…
Reflections on Life and Leading Book Excerpts – Part 1
You do not have to settle for a life of quiet desperation and hope that one day things will change. The future is now, and the sooner you start living the life you…
On Leadership and Business Book Excerpts Sections 3-5 by Ed Robinson
I believe that business and nonprofit leaders need to think differently about what constitutes success. Besides the quality of their people, what differentiates most high-performing companies is their vision, focus, and discipline. Culturally,…
On Leadership and Business Book Excerpts Sections 1-2 by Ed Robinson
The leadership journey requires you to cogitate constantly on the role you and others should be playing. As you achieve some level of success, your business may challenge your capabilities to lead it.…
How To Lead by David M. Rubenstein
Surrounding yourself with great people. Learning to delegate early on - not trying to do everything yourself. Making sure you've got the kind of people who are praising the team around them, not…
Reading Summaries
The Traveler’s Gift
Seven Decisions That Shape a Life—and a Legacy In your own words: A journey through adversity, personal responsibility, and the kind of leadership that transforms lives. Andy Andrews takes us on a unique…
On Leadership and Business: Parts 3, 4, and 5
By embracing the principles outlined in these sections, leaders can inspire their teams, drive sustainable success, and create a lasting positive impact within their organizations. The path to success involves not just strategic…
Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business
Effective leadership and management practices that prioritize employee satisfaction and engagement are critical for retaining top talent. By addressing the needs and concerns of employees, providing opportunities for growth, and fostering a positive…
How to Be a Great Boss
By focusing on understanding and developing employees, setting clear expectations, and recognizing achievements, managers can create a motivated and high-performing team. Implementing these principles ensures a productive and positive work environment, driving both…
High Performance: Lessons From The Best on Becoming Your Best
High performance is not just about achieving success; it's about enjoying the journey, learning from every experience, and becoming the best version of yourself. By integrating these principles into your personal and professional…
On Leadership and Business: Parts 1 and 2
Leadership is not a passive role; it demands action, decisiveness, and the ability to embrace challenges head-on. The best leaders thrive under pressure and find the most demanding aspects of their roles to…
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