If you're an athlete, there's real value in learning how to "grind it out." However, we should optimize to be at least as equally efficient and measured as we are gritty. I vividly remember a muggy 2002 spring training day in Port Charlotte, Florida. I had come to the realization on that Mid-March morning that my pop (power) was missing in action. The ball wasn't jumping off … [Read more...]

Connecting with others is one of the most critical things we do in life. It makes sense then to be flexible in our approach to accomplish this communion. Generally, in business and and in life, we value those that work hard, are resourceful and committed to persevering through obstacles. These traits provide confidence that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with another. We … [Read more...]

Striving to avoid slipups isn't noble. Striving to take bold action, knowing that you'll inevitably fail and look foolish, is a strong strategy. Recently, an inspiring colleague of mine shared this with me.   Life is a maze and we are mice. We have decisions to make at every fork in the road. We will unquestionably take wrong turns, bump up against walls … [Read more...]

Building better teammates and creating a winning culture are intertwined. In order to build a long-term, winning culture, it takes months and years of continuous, dedicated, deliberate effort. It's a never-ending commitment to sharpening each other at every turn. The New Zealand All Blacks, the national men’s rugby team, were smacked in the face with this undertaking. They … [Read more...]

I want to work with people who flag problems and then offer up solutions. Whistle blowers, tattletale, and rumormongers are a dime a dozen. If you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out… Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we … [Read more...]