When it comes to politics, my brother-in-law Loren and I are on totally different planets. On his annual visits to our home, I count on our high-spirited debates. The surprising thing about our discourse is that it’s actually … civil. Could your family say the same? Loren has taught me a lot about discussing sensitive […]

Most people think intensity is the key to accomplishing huge goals, but Jerry Seinfeld would disagree. When this stand-up comic, co-creator of Seinfeld, and actor worth $950 million considers the reason for his success, he credits one word: consistency. Early on in his career, Jerry started writing at least one joke per day. He hung […]

With the rise of industrialization, a false belief spread like wildfire. In the pursuit of efficiency, we started viewing humans like machines. We assumed we could consistently operate at maximum capacity so long as we managed our time appropriately. This is short-sighted. Yet, somehow, this belief persists today. It’s time to confront reality. Productivity isn’t […]

While fighting in the Korean War, my dad’s tank was hit by a missile. Shrapnel knocked him out, and he lay in a coma for months. When he finally stood up from his hospital bed, he learned he would limp for the rest of his life.  As a young boy, I didn’t know about his […]

Science proves it: decision fatigue is a real thing. By the end of your workday, your emotional and intellectual horsepower is depleted. When leaders invest precious energy in low-impact decisions, everyone pays a price. Hoarding decisions undervalues employees. It also keeps you from making bigger decisions that really matter. You can’t escape decision-making, but you […]

When I was CEO at Thomas Nelson Publishers, we spent half a million dollars to attend an annual trade show. For several years, we invested in this event without stopping to ask whether or not it was the best use of our resources. Everyone assumed it was an essential expenditure. After all, our competitors would […]

“Someday I’m going to climb Everest.” In the early 1940s, professional beekeeper Edmund Hillary shared his seemingly insurmountable goal with the world. At this point, no climber had successfully reached the Everest peak. The mountain’s difficulty level echoed loudly through 30 frozen bodies lying on its route. Louder still was the public criticism for Hillary’s […]

In 2013, the Romanian hacker Marcel Lazar cracked open email accounts belonging to the members of George W. Bush’s family. Lazar found paintings by the former president of animals, still life, even some self-portraits. Lazar released the images to the media, many people were surprised to discover Bush’s hobby. They need not have been. Presidents […]

In 2000, I got one of the greatest opportunities in my career. I was appointed publisher over the Nelson Books division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, which was one of the top English language publishers in the world. I knew our team had experienced some financial troubles, but I was thrilled for the chance to lead. […]

Under-communication is a consistent problem in nearly every business. You can solve that by taking ownership of the communication happening around you. I’ve worked with more than my share of poor communicators over the years. One was a boss who rarely shared information and never in a timely way. My office happened to be in […]

If you’ve recently made the switch to remote work, you’re not alone. At least a quarter of U.S. employees worked from home at least part of the time before the Covid-19 crisis. An estimated 16 million U.S. knowledge workers started working remotely due to Covid-19 as of March 2020. That number has likely continued to […]

I recently had lunch with a young entrepreneur. His business had grown quickly, and, as a result, he was facing challenges he’d never encountered before. He said, “I think I need a business coach—someone who can help me navigate the road ahead. Can you recommend someone?” I get asked this question a lot. Running a […]

I once worked for a boss who lacked vision. I should say he lacked a single vision because he changed direction frequently. The team never knew what flavor-of-the-month program was coming next. It was frustrating! Ever the activator, I was determined to build momentum in my department even if my division was stuck in neutral. […]

During a crisis, leaders tend to hyperfocus on managing the threat and neglect long-range thinking. That’s a mistake because vision is critical both for evaluating short-term decisions and for creating a better future. The coronavirus pandemic has been a major disruption to the world economy. Some believe it will dwarf the effects of the 2008 […]

Business leaders are asking one question right now: How can my business survive the economic upheaval generated by the COVID-19 crisis? The way to do that is to help the economy keep moving. And the way to do that is to keep providing value that customers are willing to pay for.  To be frank, not […]

When the COVID-19 crisis made it necessary for our team to work from home, the transition was seamless. We began as a completely remote company six years ago. And when we did add an office two years ago, it was as a place for collaboration and communication. To this day, no one has a traditional […]

You can be successful externally and still deeply dissatisfied. To be satisfied in your work, you must posses three components.

You can be successful externally and still deeply dissatisfied. To be satisfied in your work, you must posses three components.

Some leaders believe that customers are their most important priority. Others believe their boss, their board, or their investors are their most important priority. I’ve worked in companies where these philosophies were the cultural norm. But I don’t agree with them. I believe your teammates are your most important priority. If you take care of […]

The “law of replication” says that like begets like. This applies especially to leadership. Like it or not, you will replicate yourself. Your followers will adopt your behaviors, habits, and mannerisms.

Have you had this experience? You’re traveling in a new city, using your GPS to find your destination. But the route doesn’t seem to match reality. Suddenly, you’re in a strange place with cars buzzing by and no clarity about where to turn next. How do you get where you want to go? Maybe you’re unsure […]

The turn of the year is always a good time to evaluate what’s working in our lives, what’s not, and make any changes that will start us down a better path. As we pause and reflect on where we’ve been and where we want to go, we normally have a sense of what to do. […]

Pollsters say reading is in decline. As an author and former publishing executive, the statistics make me wince. But I’m optimistic for another reason. Why? A readership crisis is really a leadership crisis. And for people who know how to respond, crisis is just another way of saying opportunity.

Sometimes it’s hard to see something, even when you’re looking right at it. That’s partly because of the way our brains work, according to psychology professor Wendy Wood. “Our minds are designed to miss the forest for the trees,” she says in her book, Good Habits, Bad Habits “We are primed by cues [stimuli in our […]