Looking back, I think the biggest assumption I made when I was getting started was that eventually, as I got better, the people I worked with and for would also get better. That was an assumption. It has made an ass out of more me than you. It’s sort of like the movie Groundhog Day in that

Sitting Bull, the famed Lakota leader, was revered throughout his life.  Both when fighting for his home and while surviving after conquest. Even before the height of his notoriety, prior to his widespread fame at The Greasy Grass, he was a member of the Lakota Strong Hearts, a warrior class within the Lakota Sioux who

What they don’t tell you when you start creating is that an F isn’t Failing. An A is. The 95% of almost done doesn’t bring an idea to life. But in every other aspect of life, 95% is pretty good…right? Isn’t good enough…good enough? If you stop just before the finish line, the work you

 don’t know what took us so long…let’s talk about Rome. One brick at a time, Emperor Hadrian is credited with saying something along the lines of, “brick by brick my citizens, brick by brick.”  The direct quote actually comes from the film Seabiscuit, but by most accounts, Hadrian said something of the sort in the

As an independent, structure is what you make of it. when you’re grinding, you are essentially on call for work…usually at the most inconvenient times, trying to make it all work. There’s not a road map for that. They don’t teach mania in curriculum. You have to develop your own guidelines and learn what your

In Nordic Lore, Thor has a hammer named Mjölnir that comes to his beck and call. It is worn as a pendant, and a sign of worthy-ness to wield the hammer of the god Thor. It isn’t the only hammer of lore though. In fact, in American folklore John Henry heaved a hammer in contest

When it comes to leadership, what is it that attracts you to it? Is it the title? The dividends? The power? The idea that someone is a “natural born leader” is an advertising moniker. It’s an easy quip for pundits to pull out of their bag of low-hanging fruits. What it comes down to is

There’s always an epidemic. Constant.  Unrelenting. And we are all at risk. This illness? Complacency.  The problem? People aren’t showing up for the showdown.  They know how to talk.  But not how to deliver.  No one ever promised any of us Easy Street. It’s a lore.  Nothing more than a tagline.  Some people think others

The lowest common denominator has been a guiding force in business. The biggest bang for your buck. In the space race it was the lowest bid accepted, with the expectation of not only winning the distance, but (preferably) not losing anyone in the process.  In the gig economy, it’s how you can get the most

There’s a quote that’s been rattling around in my brain lately: “Any idiot can make something complicated. True genius is making something simple.” Those words aren’t just clever they’re a roadmap for leadership. And the longer I lead, the more convinced I am that simplicity is one of the most underrated, under‑practiced, and critically important