The first time I got fired, I was twenty-three. It was 1997 and I’d just completed nine straight lazy summers as a lifeguard and swim instructor, followed by a disastrous attempt at substitute teaching in the Bay Area. Unpredictable, early hours and hardened city kids ate me alive. When it drove me to afternoon drinking,…
First, I want to say I created a new assessment that I would love for you to try. It could radically improve your ability to hire the right people the first time. I’ll tell you what it is, where it came from, and give you the link at the end of this article. The context…
I want to share with you the strange but true tale of how one of my biggest dreams came true. There’s a lot of teaching out there about manifestation—intentionality, goal-setting, and planning for dreams, actively going after them. Often overlooked and underappreciated in that teaching is the art of letting go, which is just as…
Last week in my newsletter, I told a crazy story about egg counting, and it prompted a former client (let’s call him “George”) to get in touch with me. He called me late in the evening, eager to talk about a project he wanted me to work on. “So I started thinking,” he said. “How…
You’ve probably heard of Fight/Flight/Freeze—the catchier nicknames used to describe the Acute Stress Response. Today I want to share with you a story about a fourth response that I see happening in business settings: Appease. It deserves special attention, especially as it relates to employee engagement. Appease is the most subtle and dangerous stress response…
“We’re closing down the location.” The words always make me smile. I’ve heard them dozens of times, and it’s almost always good news. This time it was Frank (let’s call him that), one of my Clear and Open Members. He was sober and pleased. “But why now?” he almost demanded. “Why did I suddenly realize…
Do you want to improve your work-life balance? You’re not alone. Google it, and you’ll get over 600 million results on the phrase. Many people want to help you with it, and I’m one of them. Most of the advice you hear about how to achieve work-life balance—meditate, unplug, let go of perfectionism, exercise, etc—is…
When I was six years old, my father took me to see The Empire Strikes Back. I remember the car ride home more vividly than any part of the film. We argued about whether the jedi were real. I was sure they were, but my father dismissively invited me to look up jedi in the…
As someone who has been obsessed with truth, beliefs, and values since I was about twelve, I feel qualified to tell you: Your values probably stink. Now, if that didn’t raise your hackles, bear with me. Most leaders, including you, don’t have a clue where to start when creating their company values. And without a…
“For how long have you known that having seventeen people reporting directly to you was a bad idea?” I already knew the answer. As a coach, sometimes I purposefully ask questions I already know the answers to. In this case, I wanted to do two things: Turn up the pain on the situation so my…