The tone you set

Two days of snow. A rare gift of stillness. Time to watch football and witness something profound about leadership. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day to reflect on how we choose to create change. Through conversation or command. Through influence or intimidation. And...

Giving up friends

The Economist reported a sharp drop in wine sales this January. More people are forgoing alcohol, trading it for clearer mornings and better sleep. That’s the story we tell ourselves, anyway. But there’s something more alarming hiding beneath that...

The thinking deficit

Most leaders are drowning in action but starving for thought. Here’s what the research tells us: Harvard Business Review found that CEOs spend less than 3% of their time on strategic thinking. McKinsey reports that executives spend 72% of their time in meetings,...

I’m perfect, imperfect

I’m perfect. Yet imperfect. So true. We deliver imperfect work. Every product ships with known flaws. Every service has gaps we’ve spotted. Every internal process has that one step that makes us wince. And we ship anyway. The founder who waits for...

Your label

You can never label me..? What stands out? While you may be some things—even guilty of others—a few traits rise above the rest. Not a long list. Just a few. That’s what makes you unique. Precious. Understand them. Wear that badge with honor. It resonates. Stop...

It’s just different

We label them lazy. Unmotivated. Entitled. The younger generation on our teams doesn’t work the way we did. They don’t hustle the same hours. They don’t chase the same carrots. So we shake our heads and wonder where the ambition went. But...