“Just because someone came in on this chapter of your life doesn’t mean they know your whole story.” Today we have a conversation – a personal, intimate conversation – about Lisa’s difficult chapter. It was during this chapter I was first introduced to her. As you’ll discover, it was just a chapter – maybe

  Some weeks ago Lisa texted me this quote… When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is. We’ve been noodling on that quote behind the scenes for a bit. Today we felt it was time to have a deeper conversation about

  Leonard Martin enjoyed a 42-year career in city government. Well, he enjoyed much of it. 😉  His career began with a paid internship in his hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas. Along the way, he worked at Malvern (Arkansas), Rollo (Missouri), Joplin (Missouri), and Edmond (Oklahoma). Leonard finished his career as the City Manager of

Watching a grandson play in a junior high football game can teach many lessons, including whether or not you’re as good as you think. In all fairness, he had been warning me all week that his team likely going to be killed. Turns out, he was right.  Leaders can sometimes suffer delusions thinking we’re better…or

  Bum Phillips was a quotable NFL coach, a good ‘ol boy from Texas. We’re fans of this quote Bum uttered about failure. It speaks to the excuse-making that is so easy to do, and shows how blaming others (or anything really) isn’t the path toward growing great. “You fail all the time, but you

  This quote serves as today’s conversation starter. “Great leaders are not the best at everything. They find people who are best at different things and get them all on the same team!” Keep in mind that Lisa and I define leadership in a few simple terms: • A focus on others • Doing for

  We’re thinking of that scene in Meet The Fockers where Jack (played by Robert De Niro) looks at the wall of fame Greg’s parents have erected and says, “I didn’t know they made 9th place ribbons.” To which Greg’s dad (played by Dustin Hoffman) remarks, “Oh Jack, they got ’em all the way up

  He drives to work calculating all the things on his to-do list. It’s a never-ending stream of activities. His calendar is packed making him wonder when he’s going to get any actual work done. “It is what it is,” he thinks to himself.  Coffee in hand, he enters the building and heads straight to

  Lisa and I discuss this quote by Theodore Roosevelt.  I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.    – Theodore Roosevelt Do you agree with it? How do you see leadership, specifically your own?  Our leadership is dramatically impacted by how we see ourselves

  Leadership challenges persist, but they’re not all created equally. Google the phrase and you’ll get more results than you’ll have time to investigate. Recently, prompted by a client conversation I went snooping around online. For my purposes, I was curious about what Indeed.com – the jobs marketplace – might have to say about the