It was probably later in my career than it should have been when I truly came to understand the importance of listening. As a young leader, I think I was more focused on being heard—on proving my...
I’ve come to believe that one of the most overlooked levers in leadership is the use of standards—not as rules, but as shared agreements for how we operate. This came into sharp focus recently while...
There are times when writing these blogs requires digging deep into the archives—lessons learned, stories from long ago. And then there are times when the lesson is right in front of you. Today is...
Years ago, I was helping manage a multi-site rollout of a new quality control system. One plant manager was frustrated: his team wasn’t adjusting, deadlines were slipping, and people were getting...
Before my business career, I spent time as a track coach at the University of West Virginia, coaching decathletes and heptathletes. One thing you learn quickly about those events: they are grueling....
A couple of years ago, I got to check off a bucket-list event: I was invited by one of our largest suppliers to attend the Kentucky Derby. As a longtime fan of horse racing, it felt like I found the...
A while back, I was working with our customer experience team – they were in the weeds. Response times were going the wrong way probably because the team was working with a new software rollout...
It’s easy to get caught up in the daily whirlwind—emails, calls, texts, and unexpected requests constantly demand attention. As a leader, you naturally feel an obligation to respond, and as a...
I once knew a leader who had a knack for making numbers feel real. He didn’t just talk about waste; he made people hear it—literally. One day, he set out to help his team understand the true cost of...
Not too long ago, I worked under a leader who believed that blaming and shaming were effective ways to motivate people. Whenever an error occurred, his immediate response was designed to make you...
Have you ever given direction to your team, only to be met with silence, resistance, or half-hearted compliance? It’s frustrating. You see the value in the decision—why don’t they? But before you...
Early in my career, I was responsible for teaching frontline supervisors how to problem-solve and generate ideas for improvement in their work areas. At many of the companies I worked with,...