If you’ve ever tried to grow anything, then you’re probably familiar with the uninvited companion: weeds! A weed by definition is, “any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted”. Pulling weeds adds a lot of extra work to gardening. Thankfully though, there are several fantastic products out there to help keep the weeds under control. Once my plants are established in my garden, I can apply my favorite herbicide (such as Preen) and it prevents other weeds from germinating and growing.  It helps to clear the way for healthier growth of every plant that I want in that area. 

In my book, Always Growing, I talk about how leaders need to create the environment that gives people the best chance to grow, just like a gardener wants to give their seeds or plants the best chance to grow.  I’m currently reading, Radical Candor, by Kim Scott and she gives two key actions every leader needs to take in order to create that environment. They need to care personally and challenge directly.

By now, you will have already broken one or more of your resolutions for the new year. You didn't mean to... it was just so hard to keep that major commitment. While I do believe in setting worthwhile and measurable goals for a new year, I prefer identifying small changes I can sustain throughout the year as opposed to vague or emotionally-driven resolutions. For example, using the quote, "Do creative work first, reactive work second" was a small yet powerful change I made in my daily plan a few years ago, and served me much more effectively than saying something like, "I resolve to be happier."

Let me ask you a question…When you start feeling that sense of overload or overwhelm during the day, what do you do about it? Maybe your team is underperforming by missing deadlines or allowing differences of opinions to become their focus? Do you turn a blind eye and hope that the stress of handling these unwelcomed situations will simply go away?

There are a couple of “dad rules” at my house that are challenged each November. Okay… MOST of my dad rules get contested through the year.

The ones I’m referring to in this instance are: No Christmas decorations should be put up or Christmas music played until after Thanksgiving. My official reasoning is …

When I mention the word, “focus” in my time management keynotes, I’m often amazed at how many people start nodding their heads. It’s incredible how many people can instantly relate. We’ve all become so distracted in our workplace and in our lives. We’ve got so much going on that our focal point becomes blurred between the past and the future, technology, the environment, people around us, and so on, that it’s a wonder we ever get anything done.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

I laughed out loud as I saw the request. I had signed up to receive a series of emails to help me achieve my goals. I subscribe to several of these services per year. While I don’t always follow every strategy offered, I usually find at least a few ideas that can help me personally and that I can pass along to others. That morning’s email, however, did not deliver a tip I planned to follow. What was it you ask? To drink half of my body weight in water in one day.

Have you ever wondered why some leaders are able to effortlessly inspire and motivate their teams, while others seem to struggle with gaining the respect and cooperation of their colleagues? The answer might lie in the masks they wear - not literal masks, but the metaphorical ones we all put on to protect ourselves in the professional world.

Think of the most frequent questions you ask yourself in the course of a week. I’ll bet they include:

What’s my password for ______________ (insert name of app or website)?

• What will we have for dinner?

• How will I ever get all this work done?

• When will I NOT be so busy?

Okay, so I’m a little, actually, very late to the whole #sharktanknation. Shark Tank first aired in 2009, and I am almost ashamed to say I had never watched an episode until last year. Interestingly enough, after watching just one episode, it got me hooked!

In case you aren’t familiar with this “structured” reality show, here’s how it works, according to the ABC website: The sharks — tough, self-made millionaires and billionaire tycoons — are looking to invest in America’s best businesses and products. The sharks will give people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream, and potentially secure business deals that could make them millions. In short, you make a pitch, and if they “bite” (i.e. choose to invest), you have a chance of a lifetime

See if this sounds familiar…You're sitting on your favorite chair on a work night, or maybe you're lying on the couch. It's late. You really should be going to bed and you know it. But for some reason you just can't stop yourself from wanting to watch that next episode in the series you've gotten hooked on. Or perhaps you find yourself rereading page 32 of Chapter 2 in your favorite book because you've fallen asleep several times by the 3rd sentence.

I've been dabbling in AI (or ChatGPT as some of you may call it) for about eight months. I've used it to strengthen blog titles, make content more "punchy" and help me get some creative juices flowing.

By far my favorite thing to do with it, however, is to ask it to explain a complex topic to a five year old. From bias to creative avoidance it has given me a stronger foundation from which to share ideas with others.

I will never forget sitting in a movie theatre in 1977 watching Star Wars Episode IV-A New Hope. As a middle schooler looking for adventure, the Star Wars saga was an adventure of a lifetime.The scenes of Darth Vader inviting Luke Skywalker to come to the “dark side” were especially troubling to me because there were so many moments where I believed Luke might actually give up and join his father.

Today, I found myself outside, indulging in one of my absolute favorite activities — picking blueberries. It’s a time when I can truly escape and become immersed in deep thoughts, self-reflection, and the invigorating sensation of breathing in fresh air. However, I must admit, there are moments when I can get carried away and lose track of time, neglecting other important tasks. As a result, I often find myself grappling with a sense of guilt afterwards.

I’ve been thinking a lot about delegation lately. This past weekend I had the opportunity to see effective delegation in action when my family and I went on a fly-fishing trip. “Tony” was an incredible guide who demonstrated to me that whether you are teaching someone how to fly fish or trying to help them understand a complex task in your organization, there are 5 key elements to remember.

In my 29 years of working with leaders and managers, I have rarely heard any of them say, “I’m so excited about doing the performance reviews for my team.” They see it as another “elephant” in their schedule. 🐘

Performance reviews ARE important. Some of the benefits include:

Picture this: You’ve had a long day at work and looking forward to a relaxing evening. You start streaming an episode of your favorite series. Two hours later you’re still there, and now you’re frustrated that you didn’t use that time more effectively. It’s not that you wanted to do work tasks or take care of personal stuff... you just wanted more out of that precious time that would renew your body, mind, and soul.

One of the things I hear from so many people is they want to improve their ability to focus. If they just had a distraction free environment, they could get the right things done. Well, I’m writing this from one of those distraction free environments, from one of the booths they have at the airport where you can use it to make video calls and have privacy.

If you’ve followed my work for awhile, you know I am a BIG Seth Godin fan. His ability to pack so much thought into just a few words is incredible.

While reflecting on some of Godin’s older posts, I came across one that really rattled me as I read it. Three Ways To Add Value focuses on three words that can quickly expose how little time we daily dedicate to moving ourselves, our team, or our organization forward by acting on change.

I hold a picture of an event I attended some time ago which holds great meaning to me. The occasion was Frank and Dorcus' diamond wedding anniversary 💎 celebrating an incredible 60 years of marriage! To add to the celebration, Frank was also marking his 80th birthday 🎂 and the event was hosted by their children. Although there is so much to write about Frank and Dorcus's long-lasting marriage, I'd like to focus my comments on Frank, who has become one of my unknowing life coaches.