Leadership

Invest yourself fully and honestly in both your career and your family. Give yourself a test. Are you ever too busy to return a phone call from a family member, an employee, a customer, a vendor? Do you delay answering e-mails as long as you possibly can or maybe forever? Do you habitually put off…

The “work/life balance” is one of the saddest, most corrosive buzz-phrases of our time. To me, that phrase seems to come down to this: when you’re working, you’re supposed to feel guilty that you’re taking time away from  your “life,” by which most people mean their family; but when you’re spending time with your family…

No matter what you or I have been told, business isn’t just business. Business can be just as personal as other aspects of our life. This is especially true for entrepreneurs, whose entire livelihood is dependent on their business succeeding. And when business is personal, things can get emotional. Inevitably, if you’re in business long…

So many leadership lessons can be found in watching a single football (or soccer, as we know it in the United States) match in the FIFA World Cup. If you’re an entrepreneur who hasn’t made it a point to stream the World Cup, then use one of the tournament’s remaining days (until July 15th) to…

There I was, standing in aisle three of the grocery store, staring blankly at the endless selection of coffee. Suddenly, I was startled out of my stupor by the voice of a nearby clerk. “Sir, I really like your shirt,” the young man said. Startled by the unexpected compliment—especially since it pertained to my fashion…

Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. And when you’re running a business, there are so many things you’re responsible for, so many decisions you have to make every day, big and small. Watch out for some of the most common mistakes business owners make, including understaffing, a failure to delegate, and a lack of appreciation…

According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, 2 in 5 CEOs fail within their first 18 months of leading an organization. Even 1 in 3 chief executives from Fortune 500 companies don’t make it past three years. What’s going on? I believe many of these failures in leadership positions can be traced…

Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a lecture delivered by the “Father of the American Nuclear Navy,” Admiral H. G. Rickover. The lecture, delivered in September 1982, was titled “Thoughts on Man’s Purpose in Life.” In its entirety, the Admiral’s views on life, and the guiding principles he lived by, really struck a chord with…

I’ve always admired the men and women of our military, those who are with us today and those who have come before us. I’m humbled by their service and sacrifice. I admire their bravery. I’m inspired by their grit and determination. And when an accomplished military leader speaks, I listen. May 17, 2014, marked one…

We’ve all been there. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, slowly inching your way forward, when you notice a car at a stop sign with their blinker on, patiently trying to turn in to traffic. One by one, the drivers in front of you do everything they can to block that car from entering their lane. When…