I had just finished a keynote presentation and was now at the book table set up by the client. Participants were invited to pick up one or more of my books and the company would pay for them.

One excited audience member quickly made their way to the table and was perusing their possible choices. They asked, “Which one should I read first?” “It depends,” I started, “on what problem you most want to solve in your work or life right now.

During a recent cold season here in NC, I decided to wrap cardboard around my bee hives. The cardboard acts as an insulator, helping them hold the heat in the hive.

Do they have to have it?

No. But it helps them not use as much energy in maintaining the heat of the hives so they can focus on what they really need to be doing. In the same way, as a leader, one of your most important roles is to help your team stay focused on what matters most. Just like wrapping cardboard around bee hives to insulate them from the cold, you can insulate your team from distractions to ensure they use their energy efficiently. Here are three strategies to help you achieve this:

I enjoy painting, and I’ll admit that I’m not the neatest painter out there—I get a lot on me. And I’m not the fastest painter either, but I feel like I do a pretty good job.  One of the tools that helps me improve my painting skills is painter’s tape (the blue one is my favorite). It allows me to block out areas I don’t want to get paint on, so I can fully invest my time and energy on the areas where I want to do a good job of painting. One of the key lessons I teach about improving focus is the importance of setting boundaries. Before diving into any task, decide in advance where you want to direct your attention and energy. This is where your mental painter's tape comes into play. Just as painter's tape helps you create smooth lines, mental painter's tape allows you to block out distractions and focus on what truly matters—what I refer to in my new book as, the "honeyflow state."

New year’s resolutions are good, and I’ll admit I do make some along with setting professional and personal goals for the year. I’m also a big believer in the mindset of getting one percent better at lots of things instead of making massive changes in a few areas.

Listed below are some of my favorite small improvements I make from time to time that improve my work and life. I’ve also included a simple question you can ask yourself to take action more quickly. 

If you’re like most, the holidays can be a blur and we don’t make the best choices with our time. We leave the season feeling frustrated and less than fulfilled. But what if this year, you could transform that chaos into a season of joy and connection? I have a 4-C framework to help you make your holidays more meaningful and memorable. It involves: Calories, Conversations, Commitment and Chill.

A recent journal prompt got me to thinking, “What are some of the things in my life that I should be grateful for that aren’t obvious and that I often forget?” 

The obvious ones are, health and family, friendships and career.  But what are those more subtle things that have molded and shaped me that seldom come to the forefront of my mind when I think about gratitude?

As I reflected on it more, three came to mind.

I believe that making the best choices with our time starts with making those choices in alignment with our values.

As I say that, you’re likely to begin compiling a list of the values you hold dear. You probably have a bunch of them. I thought I had a comprehensive set of values too, until I started reading Brené Brown's book, Dare to Lead. (Great book! You need to go and get a copy!)

Recently, while driving through North Dakota on a crisp fall evening, I found myself surrounded by the sights and sounds of harvest. Combines and trucks moved through golden cornfields, reaping the season's bounty. I imagined the farmers, exhausted but satisfied, reflecting on the season’s challenges and triumphs, and maybe already planning for the next year

What would your child say about your work efforts to “get it all done”? 

Ouch! That’s a question that’s hard to confront. In our busy, overloaded lives, we often feel as if we’re doing the right thing by taking on so much, working to get ahead.  We’re doing it for them right?  But what does it look like from your child or your loved one’s perspective?

Several years ago I confronted this in my own life. I was inspired by the story of a man named Mohamed El-Erian.  He was a man who seemed to have it all. As CEO of the investment firm, Pimco, he made millions of dollars per year (100 million actually).

Asking for help. 

Is that something you’re comfortable with or does the thought of it, even just seeing those 3 little words strung together, make you feel uncomfortable or even anxious? What is it that makes it so hard for so many of us to ask?  

Each January I head to the freezer in my basement and pull out a worn cardboard box. There are jars, envelopes, and bags filled with all kinds of seeds. Some are remnants of seeds purchased at a store in the past while others are seeds I have saved from my own plants.

As I shuffle through the various containers, I ask myself, “What do I want to grow this year?”

The same is true for leaders...

As a leadership keynote speaker, I've encountered countless professionals struggling with procrastination. We've all been there – staring at a mountain of "should-do" tasks while our minds wander to more enticing activities. But what if I told you there's a way to turn those dreaded tasks into something you actually look forward to? Enter the world of temptation bundling, a clever productivity hack that might just revolutionize your to-do list.

I recently finished a coaching session and at the end I asked the client, “What was most helpful about today?”  Their response was, “I got to talk about it.” 

So often when we’re experiencing work life overload, the last thing we want to do is to talk about it.  We tend to internalize our struggles, believing we must find all the solutions within ourselves. This approach is not only unhealthy but also counterproductive. Holding in feelings of being overwhelmed or stressed can exacerbate the situation, preventing us from discovering potential solutions or gaining new perspectives from others.

In my last post, I discussed the concept of "stress bragging" - that tendency to boast about our stress levels as a way to highlight our productivity and importance. I touched on ways to curb this habit in ourselves, but what about when others do it? Here are some effective strategies for handling stress bragging from friends, colleagues, or acquaintances.

Have you made any of these statements lately?

“I have so much going on. I hardly have time to breathe.”

“I’m working on just a few hours of sleep. I just have so much going on.”

“I haven’t had anything to eat all day. My schedule is just so packed.”

“I haven’t had a day off in, I don’t know when. It’s just nonstop.”

“I have so many projects I’m juggling right now. It’s just crazy how busy I am.”

If so, you might be engaging in what’s known as "stress bragging." But what exactly is stress bragging?

I was driving along listening to an audio book called Trust, by Dr. Henry Cloud. When the person reading the book made the comment, "Trustworthy leaders make their teams care Less," I about had to pull over. Hearing that made me question exactly what they were talking about. As I got to listen more to the person talk about the key ideas, the more I got to thinking about my own experiences and thought, "They're exactly right!" This counterintuitive notion of caring Less started to make sense when I considered the ways that trustworthy leaders enable their teams to focus on what truly matters.

I love gardening and growing fresh vegetables. Recently I had checked in on my Brussel sprout seedlings and well...they looked AWFUL! The reason quickly became obvious to me...I had overwatered them. I was so excited about growing Brussel sprouts this year, I didn't want anything to happen to the seedlings so I tended to micromanage and overwater them. It didn't help

I think the same is true when we try to micromanage our team members.

On a recent business trip, I was talking with a commercial pilot about the stresses they face and what they do to manage it. When I specifically asked about “mental wellness” they immediately said, “Oh you don’t talk about anything related to mental health. That will get you grounded in a heartbeat.” When I inquired further, they said, “You just tell them everything is good.”

As an airline passenger, I certainly want my pilot and co-pilot to be in a state of good mental health. I also know that they are human, and subject to good days and bad days. Thankfully, having two people in the cockpit minimizes the dangers if one of them is indeed NOT in a mental “good place.”

While the focus was the work of pilots, I believe it could have just as easily have been a conversation about almost any workplace. Don’t talk about anything related to mental health. Tell them everything is good.

Have you ever tried to motivate someone to change, like a coworker, team member, or family member? I’m willing to wager that your go-to strategy was to throw information at them, facts, knowledge, etc, because once they see the facts, you know they’ll see the need to change.

Didn’t turn out so well, did it?

Note: I received no help from AI in writing this blog. I didn’t want you to wonder…

I’m afraid of change. I’ll be the first to admit it. It’s been a speed bump for me in every area of my life. Relationships, work, my health. Pick something. It wasn’t until 2000 when my friend David Buck handed me a copy of Who Moved My Cheese? that I finally realized how my resistance to change, and to a larger degree, unwillingness to explore the unknown, was limiting my business success and personal happiness.