Are you like me? I am very impatient. When I want something, I usually want it yesterday. My wife often makes fun of me when I get hungry because I can turn into someone else, someone unrecognizable. She loved when the Snickers® bar commercials came out with the actor Joe Pesci, who turned back into a young man when he ate a Snickers® bar.

Well, that can be me when I have gone about one minute too long without eating. I hope I never get lost without food. This is another reason why I don’t practice the long-recommended fast in my Christian faith. I don’t think God was talking about people like me when He said to fast. Personally, in my case, I think He was really saying, “Run fast and get some food!”

What...

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” – John Wooden

I’m faced with two candidates for a position.

One is highly skilled, graduated top of the class, and was voted “most likely to succeed” – one of those people with enviable gifts that everyone wishes they had, but few naturally possess.

The other is good, but less skilled. This person graduated more toward the middle of the class, but has managed to succeed in every previous position by exhibiting a high level of dedication, proactive learning, and tenacity.

Which would you hire?

Now what if I told you that the first...

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou

This being February, it seems befitting that we talk about relationships. Every person has relationships – with God, spouse, family, friends, co-workers, and if no one else, we each have a relationship with ourselves.

Whether those relationships are good and strong, well, that’s another story. In fact, that IS the story. We all need strong, healthy relationships in life. In a world where texting is rapidly replacing conversation amongst members of a whole generation, this is of great concern. When you couple that with the fact that parent-to-parent...

“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...