Why I seek the test

I used to think the point of discomfort was the discomfort. Get in the hot seat, take the heat, earn the growth. That’s the story we tell athletes, and somewhere along the way we started telling it to ourselves in business too. I don’t believe that...

Believing in the wrong voice too long

I’ve caught myself doing it mid-conversation. Someone pays me a compliment, genuine, specific, and I’m already building the rebuttal in my head before they’ve finished the sentence. That’s not humility. I used to think it was. It’s just a...

For thee, not me

We ask for authenticity like it’s free. Show up as yourself, we say. Be real. Bring your whole self to the table. Then someone does it. They disagree in the meeting. They admit the plan is broken. They say the thing everyone was thinking. Suddenly authenticity...

The box we build

We love the Forrest Gump line. Life is like a box of chocolates. We quote it when things go sideways. When the deal falls through. When the hire doesn’t work out. When the meeting turns into something we didn’t see coming. But here’s what we...

A tale of two merchants

In a prosperous valley nestled between two great peaks, there lived two merchants who sold the finest grain in all the land. The first merchant, Aldric, was precise and proud. His storehouse was immaculate. His weights were accurate to the last measure. Every...