My brother, Mike, works for Team Fishel, one of the finest utility construction and network installation companies in the United States. A couple of years ago, Team Fishel decided to take a look at the efficiency and effectiveness of its work crews. The report concluded that if at the end of each day the job foreman took 24 minutes to gather with the team, quickly go over the plan for the next day, state the…
I believe our world could use more servant leadership. When you think about your family, your work, your community, or our world, I think a spirit of servant leadership just might be what is needed. But, how do we practice? 10 quick ways to practice today: It starts with reframing our definition of the word leadership. It’s been hijacked in some ways over the years. It’s gotten so big and so broad that oftentimes we can…
I remember seeing a show on TV once about how people caught monkeys somewhere clear on the other side of the globe from where I live. The host of the show detailed how the trappers would find trees that had fallen on the ground, hollow out the middle portion of the tree, and put a little piece of food inside the log. Then, on the top part of the trunk on the outside of the…
We live in a storytelling world. We tell stories all day long by the way we dress, the way we enter a room, our body language during the meeting, the way we speak to those we encounter, and every time we hit send on the next email or social media post. We send messages all day long to those around us and sometimes the messages aren’t telling the story we’d hope for. Are your messages…
In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out to climb Mount Everest. They disappeared near the summit and, ever since, explorers from around the globe have been trying to figure out what happened to them. A few years back, I had the pleasure of meeting Andy Politz. Politz was a member of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition. He was present when Mallory’s body was found in May of 1999. In total, Politz participated…
It is always fun to recognize and celebrate others who are out there doing great work in the world. David Mead is one of those people. It was a pleasure to connect with David and get the chance to talk about so many topics that we both are passionate about—authentic leadership, purpose, and culture. David is the Chief of What’s Next for Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team. David believes that every one of us…
We all have memberships. We are members of teams, of companies, of families, of organizations, and of our communities. The memberships (relationships) to which we give our time, resources, minds, and hearts are what make up our lives. We are a collection of the members we choose to honor. And because of where I am in life right now, I realize that these memberships are not just a one-time commitment, but require a periodic renewal…
Why do most change initiatives fail? We say we want to change. We begin an initiative to lead positive change. We want to improve our culture, but we don’t seem to make much progress. So why do most change initiatives fail? Chances are… your team is moving too quickly and expecting things to change overnight your team might not have a clear vision for how they want the future to be different your team might not…
I’ll never forget walking into my home during my freshman year in high school. My mom came into my room and carefully explained that my grandfather had just committed suicide. I’ll never forget the flood of confusion, sadness, and frustration. Not long after his death, I went to a gathering for high school students. I can’t tell you anything about the program that night. The only thing I can remember is that I stood outside…
