I work with a lot of young people getting started in their careers. Those who chase the highest possible starting salary, most prestigious title, or sexiest-sounding company do worse than those who ignore all of that and focus on value creation, no matter how humble. You are your best investment. There is no IRA, real […]
Archive for Personal Development
Why Hopeful Realism Beats Mandatory Optimism
The Downside of Positivity and What It Means for Your Business
One unavoidable piece of advice today is be positive. We’re supposed to filter out supposed negativity in meetings, reports, and general conversation because we think positivity produces the results we want. Optimism is almost mandatory in some environments. As Dan Lovallo and Daniel Kahneman point out, critical feedback is discouraged and treated like disloyalty. “The […]
How to Say No When it Counts
3 Strategies for Setting Healthy Personal Boundaries
Sometimes you just have to say no. That isn’t always easy. But there are strategies that can help say no when you need to—and save your time, energy, and sanity in the process. Motivational speaker Byron V. Garrett, my former boss at National PTA, often says that you only have twelve hours a day to […]
Better Things Come to Those Who Wait
We live in an instant culture. But if we limit ourselves to fast and easy, we miss out on any wins that require patience or persistence. Honestly, most big wins fall into that second category. In this episode, we’ll share three practices to heighten your frustration tolerance and boost your stamina for long-term success.
How to Avoid Career Stagnation
Effective leadership involves a commitment to personal development. Unless you continue to grow alongside your business, it will eventually outstrip you. Or worse, stagnate behind you. Join us to explore the three behaviors of high-growth leaders so that doesn’t happen to you.
5 Reasons Why I Read So Many Books
How Leaders Can Reap the Benefits of Serious Reading
I have always been an avid reader, but over the last few years, I’ve become much more intentional and ambitious in my reading. In 2015, I set my first challenging reading goal: to read fifty-two books in one year. By the time the year was done, the total was seventy-six. I still read at least […]