“The market demands higher returns.” You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve said it. My journey in the C-suite spanned 30 years, and not once did the market come knocking on my door. But you know who did? Private equity firms with term sheets. Activist investors with 2% stakes and PowerPoint decks. But never the stock […]
It’s early Sunday morning. November 2nd. Coffee in hand. Still buzzing. Last night, the World Series ended in heartbreak for the Blue Jays. I’m not even a huge baseball fan, but I watched every pitch of that game. And this morning, I can’t stop thinking about what I saw. Not the stats. Not the plays. […]
Have you ever thought about the underlying reason behind why we get mad? Why that white hot flame explodes? The ONLY reason we ever get mad is because we have lost control of the situation. And the truth is, we humans want, love, and need control. Of course we do. It’s hardwired into us. We’ve […]
I had a friendly dust-up this week with an old colleague about a term that, at least to me, feels like fingernails on chalkboards. Servant Leadership. Y’know that lovely, friendly term that means NO leadership! It’s the catchphrase that gets thrown around as if it’s the gold standard we should all aspire to. Here’s what […]
I’ll admit it. When I first started hearing about the “loneliness epidemic,” I immediately blamed social media. Made perfect sense, right? Kids glued to screens, endless scrolling replacing real conversation, virtual connections substituting for genuine relationships. Case closed. Imagine my utter surprise when a little research revealed the truth. While social media certainly plays a […]
Do you remember the old M&Ms commercial? “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand?” I think of that line every time I mess up. Several years ago, I heard an analogy that stopped me in my tracks. It was so brilliant I immediately claimed it as my own. Now, let’s be honest, this is what […]
I was chatting with a dear friend the other day when our conversation turned to what makes certain people and cultures truly stand out in business and life. Here’s what I’ve always believed: no person is inherently better than another, regardless of their origin or appearance. The loudest voice isn’t always the smartest one. […]
Have you ever found yourself in one of those conversations that stops you in your tracks? The kind where someone shares a perspective so different from yours that you’re left wondering how two people can look at the same world and see such completely different things? I had precisely that moment earlier this month during […]
Sometimes the best tools come into our lives exactly when we need them most. Ten years ago, my world changed in an instant. A brain injury scrambled the part of my mind that had always made writing feel as natural as breathing. Since I was five years old, words had been my friends. Throughout my […]
I want to tell you about my friend Janice. She runs a small bakery, and for years, everyone told her she was doing it wrong. “You need to focus on wedding cakes,” said one expert. “Cupcakes are where the money is,” said another. “You should go online and ship nationwide,” said a third. Janice […]