One difficult hour should not have the power to ruin an entire day. Yet somehow, we give it that power all the time. Something goes wrong in the morning, and we spend the rest of the day trying to recover. A commitment gets missed, and instead of simply returning to it at the next opportunity, … [Read more...]
The Space We Give Away: The Quiet Way Leaders Lose Authority
There is a quiet way leaders lose influence that rarely shows up in performance reviews, strategy sessions, or leadership books. It happens one conversation at a time. I have been thinking about this lately because I keep seeing the same pattern in meetings, coaching conversations, board … [Read more...]
The Arithmetic of Attention: Why the Life We Want Often Costs the Life We Already Have
This past Tuesday, I found myself sitting down with two remarkable young men. Both are immensely talented. Both are in the formative years of their lives. Both are standing at an important crossroads, thinking deeply about what comes next. I have always enjoyed conversations like these. There is … [Read more...]
What (Trust Based) Philanthropy Taught Me About Coaching
Some of the most meaningful lessons I have gained about leadership did not come from leadership books. They came from philanthropy. To some, that may sound unexpected. After all, philanthropy is often primarily associated with fundraising, grantmaking, and charitable giving. Yet the longer I … [Read more...]
The Introvert Advantage: Why Quiet Is a Strength
This article has been sitting somewhere in the back of my mind for quite some time. The final nudge came this morning after I came across a LinkedIn post that sparked a thoughtful exchange, including a comment from my dear friend Robert. It also reminded me of a question someone had asked me … [Read more...]
The Quiet Courage of Believing Well
Distrust is often mistaken for intelligence. We reward it in subtle ways. The quick skepticism, the raised eyebrow, the instinct to question motive before action. It feels sharp, even responsible. As if we are protecting ourselves from being misled, from being taken advantage of, from looking … [Read more...]
Where Your Hands Can Still Move
There is a quiet kind of exhaustion that does not come from effort, but from resisting what will not yield. It shows up in subtle ways. A conversation replayed long after it has ended. A decision you wish had gone differently. A situation that refuses to bend despite your best thinking. The mind … [Read more...]
The Only Person You Trust With Your Home
Most people will spend more time researching a restaurant than they do choosing the person who will guide them through the largest financial decision of their lives. I have always found that curious. Before we spend fifty dollars on dinner, we read reviews, compare menus, ask friends what they … [Read more...]
You Have to Read the Book
We say it all the time. Don’t judge a book by its cover. And yet most of us still do. Not always out of arrogance. Often out of efficiency. Life moves quickly, decisions pile up, and our minds try to protect our time by forming impressions early. A quick glance. A short conversation. A first … [Read more...]