Mind the Gap

If you’ve ever ridden the London Underground, you’ve heard this phrase over and over – mind the gap – which relates to the gap between the train doors and the station floor. The message is repeated over and over and over on the trains – right before every stop, at the stop […]

Now Is the Time for Feedback

Hopefully, we all know the value of feedback – whether we’re gifting others with honest feedback or receiving it ourselves. The trouble with feedback is not a failure to see its value, but a failure to express that value through our actions—for example, failing to care enough to make time […]

Where Are You?

As I was riding to the airport last Friday morning, my Uber driver received a phone call and I saw the displayed name of the caller: MOM. It reminded me that that name no longer pops up on my phone – not since Mom passed away in January. Rather than […]

What If We’re Not That Far?

This past week I had a driving experience that’s not that rare – another driver vigorously flipped me off. Rather than be provoked, I smiled and waved. Apparently, he didn’t like that response. As I pulled away, he sped up, pulled up beside me, lowered his window and began screaming […]

Leaders Storyize

If you’re confused by the new word in the title (storyize), there’s a reason – I made it up. Actually, it turns out that others have used this word, but it popped into my mind during a recent training session when we were talking about the importance of stories in […]

The Power of One Word

Recently, I heard the following communication thought: “Don’t offer blah, blah, blah when blah is enough.” It was a simple message about the ways we are imprecise in our communication, resulting in us saying more than we need to. Thus, one leadership lesson for all of us is to simplify […]

The Nature of Impactful Teams

I regularly read a handful of blogs and daily newsletters, including the following: Seth Godin, Notes from the Universe, Ransomed Heart and Richard Rohr. I also have a spiritual practice that involves reading various daily devotionals on my YouVersion app. While I typically look to my YouVersion devotionals to fill […]

Trust Starts With You

Here’s a truth that I’ve learned in business and in life – it’s all about trust. Trust is the problem. Trust is the opportunity. Trust is the gap. Trust is the answer. No matter how you label your issues or challenges (e.g. communication, feedback, accountability, teamwork, etc.), it always comes […]

Mercy … Please

While there’s certainly plenty of room for mercy for others, today I’m talking about mercy towards yourself. More specifically, the need to stop beating yourself up over every little thing. I’ve written on this topic before, but I hear people doing it to themselves every day. What I’m talking about […]