“Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life.
Failure comes when we shrink from them.”
– John C. Maxwell

Have you ever gotten a little weary in the rat race of life and wondered, “Where’s that EASY button?” At what point do you get to rest on your laurels? Though there are times in life where you have to slow the pace a bit to restore your energy, you can’t just get off the path completely and sit on the sidelines.

The fact is, what got us to where we are will not get us where we want to go. In other words, we must be continually growing and improving, learning…and tweaking according to what we have learned. To do otherwise would be like riding a horse on the interstate....

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” ~Napoleon Hill

A lot of folks like the show The Biggest Loser. Here you have people who have lost their way physically and who are very often in dangerous physical condition with seemingly no way out. But they have one thing going for them – DESIRE. They DESIRE to be healthy. They DESIRE to make a change. They DESIRE to be able to run and play with their kids. They don’t know how to make it happen – it seems overwhelming – but they want it badly.

For the few who dare to take that first step, DESIRE meets OPPORTUNITY. Now that opportunity comes with a whole lot of...

Does your leadership have IMPACT

No matter which segment of society/industry you serve, the cause of an organization and leader is related to one thing:  making an impact.

It is easy to get super involved in the regulations and day-to-day operations that an organization could begin to lose focus on the importance of this foundational cornerstone. Impact is often measured in financial terms, and though financial viability is key for any organization, the real measure of impact boils down to making a difference in the lives of people.

Wise is the leader who looks up from the balance sheet occasionally to consider the IMPACT factor.

Individuals – Are individuals being helped? Is the mission being carried out in such a way that...

5 Leadership Decisions to Make This Your Best Year of Leadership 

This time of year, there is a great deal of focus on business/leadership and organizational planning for the new year.  In 2020, this planning is not only important, it is critical.  2020 could bring unprecedented challenges for leaders and organizations, both in an increased need for services but also in a fight for the best available talent to build your team.  Leaders must be prepared for this scenario and have a plan in place to succeed where others may fail. 

A few years ago, there was a Fortune 500 company with 16,000 employees and locations all over the world.  Today, it does not exist.  The one thing that caused its demise is also...

4 Keys to the New Year Greatness You Deserve

The clock struck midnight and the calendar rolled forward into a new year.

I would argue we also rolled into a new decade, but the purist like to say it’s another year away before the next decade starts. Since I like to think of a decade as 10 years and even numbers are easier for me to work with, I am saying today begins a new decade.

Are you with me?

20 years ago, I partied like it is 1999 (because it was), but last night I partied like I was ninety-nine. Twenty years has taken a lot of the party out of me. What about you?

As we begin this New Year called 2020, I want to share some thoughts with you on how this can be your best year ever as you lead yourself and others and set you up...

The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of reality. ~ Napoleon Hill

 What is the dream you have tucked away in your heart for the team you are leading? Maybe it is the team at home, at church or in the workplace. It doesn’t really matter where the team is, what matters is where you lead them. 

I am going to share 4 Steps to help you begin to create the type of performance you dream about, or at least I hope you are dreaming about. 

Many leaders, coaches, entrepreneurs often think about holding up that championship trophy at the end of a long year, but only a few ever realize this dream. How can you set your team...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”  ~ Mark Twain

The language of leadership

I have often heard language creates culture. Do you believe this is true? If so, look around in your areas of leadership. Is the culture a reflection that you like seeing?

In the greatest book ever authored on leadership it says, “As a face is reflected in the water, so the heart reflects the real person.” Culture is the heart of our leadership. Culture reflects the heart and language of the leader. It goes on to say in this same chapter; “know the state of your flocks and put your heart into caring for your herds.”

The Calling

Leadership is a...

I always wanted to be “the” leader. I wanted to be the one in charge. I worked hard to get in the position of leadership. I was always going to out hustle everyone else, even to the risk of injury because I wanted to lead by example.

On the sports field, I was not the biggest or strongest, but I was often the loudest; especially when it came to losing versus winning. I would often let others know how important I was to the win and how important they were to the loss.

I’m not proud of some of my actions or behaviors from those days. I can say I have made some apologies along the way. What I have come to learn is leadership is a profession- not a position, a title or anything else.

When I was in the U.S. Army and promoted...

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~Viktor E Frankl

I wish I could tell you how many times I have heard a leader tell me they just need more help. This is probably one of the number one thing I hear from leaders. So, I have heard it more than I can count.

Delegate…what?

When I was first leading, I learned the term delegation. And I thought yeah that is what I need to learn. I need to learn to give others some of my work so I can get more done. I would give it to them, but I would not give them the authority to make it their own.

I want to share with you the topic of equipping others. What is the difference between delegation and equipping?

Delegation means I hand...

In my home, there was a lack of leadership; or least what I would describe today as effective leadership. My parents and their relationship was quite dysfunctional and filled with violence and abuse toward one another and the kids they were charged with leading.

Looking back on mine and my sibling’s childhood today has made me realize just how blessed I was to learn some of the lessons from my parents and to have some good grandparents and particularly my grandmother. I called her Mamaw.

My grandmother had grown up during the depression and was forced to drop out of school in the 8^th grade to help take care of her family. This was a responsibility in those days that we often do not see or appreciate today. Mamaw was a strong...