3 Actions for “Following Down the Chain of Command”
One of my core beliefs is that leaders can learn from anyone. To that end, one of my most highly recommended leadership books is Extreme Ownership, specifically its chapter on “leading up and down the chain of command.” It has largely impacted my views and challenged me to handle a recent situation differently—and better—than I […]
#TheoThursday: Leading by Listening
The book of James was written by Jesus’ half-brother, James. The book of John (7:2-5) shares that James did not at first believe in Jesus’ divinity, but after witnessing the resurrection he did. He then became a leader in the messianic mother church in Jerusalem (Acts 12,15). This was one of, if not the very […]
The “Family” Core Value Makes Us Hoffer Plastics
One of the most clarifying moments of 2019 was when I received criticism for leading the business with “family values.” The critic believed that running the business with a value of “family” weakened our position, and that caring for people first will eventually be our demise. To this, they may be right. Most businesses eventually […]
The Leader (should) Look Up.
I often write about looking down. I’m a believer that the leader of an organization needs to understand what is happening on the production floor, inside the business, and understand all the inner-dynamics of the organization. But the leader also needs to look up. In March, I was at our kids’ school gala. It was […]
4 Meeting Enhancements
Much has been written on meetings in the past several years. Are they good? Bad? Productive? Or just frustrating interruptions to the flow of the day? My position is that meetings are becoming MORE essential than at any other time in corporate history. With digital technology at a premium, meetings serve to bring people together […]
#TheoThursday: Wishing things were like Yesterday
I don’t know about you, but I seem to have an innate ability to remember how good things used to be. My golf game was incredible in 1999, and so was my hair. While I am continuing to work hard on the former, I got rid of the latter before Bill Clinton left office! But […]
Every Leader Should Have a “Do Not Send” File
Emails were bouncing around despite it being a Friday night. One report, one response, the downward spiral had begun. Selfishly, I was both annoyed and angry. I was ready for the week to be over, and frankly speaking, I was ticked off that this couldn’t wait till Monday. Instead of throwing gasoline on the fire, […]
Be Yourself
Recently, a direct report confronted me on items pertaining to my leadership since the beginning of the year. Ending 2018 with a 360 review of myself, and sort of the same thing for the company in general, I began 2019 with increased intensity. “You are not being yourself,” this person said. They went on to […]
3 reasons I am embracing a “Digital Declutter”
As I admitted in last week’s post, I am living a distracted life. The question then is what I am going to do about it? Before going further, I need to state that the most helpful resource on this subject matter has been Cal Newport’s, Digital Minimalism, that came out a few months ago. Between […]
How the Masters Exposed My Distracted Life
The Masters golf tournament has always held a special place in my heart because my dad played in it as an amateur in 1984. Augusta National Golf Club is historic, beautiful, and arguably the most peaceful golfing landscape in the world – although Pine Valley would give it a run for its money! I’ve been […]