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# Clear and Open | Businesses Grow When People Do

Structural Diagnosis & Change for Business Leaders 

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## Posts

- [We've Been Here Before](https://clearandopen.com/been-here-before/) - "Just because it looks like we're going in the wrong direction doesn't mean that's the direction we are going." – U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, April 14, 2026 Now there's a quote all leaders ought to keep in their back pocket for moments where institutionalized gaslighting is called for. You can't make this kind of
- [Learning From Mistakes](https://clearandopen.com/learn-from-mistakes/) - My next course, Learning From Mistakes, begins 9/25/25! If you have a few minutes… I’ve never told anyone this story. This memory from my childhood has returned to me, unbeckoned, and more often than I’d like. It’s usually accompanied by a surge of embarrassment. But recently, it came to me I think for a different reason:
- [Why We Self-Sabotage](https://clearandopen.com/why-we-self-sabotage/) - Self-sabotage is in the news these days and it raises the perennially asked but rarely well-answered question: “Why?” What follows will be deeply covered in my upcoming course The Art of Open Connection. Specifically, I’ll teach you how to see the track people are on and what they’re dead-ending, so you can help or steer clear,
- [New Shiny Object Coming Soon!](https://clearandopen.com/new-shiny-object/) - Let’s get the dull part out of the way: my next course, The Art of Open Connection begins Thursday April 17. You can sign up for this course or become a dojo member and get access to everything. It’ll be good. You’ll grow a lot. Blah blah blah. Now, the fun part: I’m excited to announce an innovation in
- ["It feels like" vs. "I feel"](https://clearandopen.com/it-feels-like/) - What’s the difference between, “It feels like…” and “I feel…”? A lot, it turns out. “It feels like…” is one of those phrases that bothered me for years until I finally figured out why. The following may seem like nitpicking semantics, but stay with me and I’ll demonstrate how important this is. Never before in
- [Vales Mean Nothing Without Action](https://clearandopen.com/values-without-action/) - “Yes, sir, your insurance plan is no longer being offered,” the faceless voice said with a vague approximation of care, but no substance. Me: “Yes, I gathered that from the poorly written email I received just thirty days before it was supposed to renew." “I understand you wanted to know why the plan was being
- [Why We Play Victim To Leaders](https://clearandopen.com/why-we-play-victim-to-leaders/) - Warning: This piece will likely challenge your existing views of reality...if you let it. In my September piece, Why Democracy Fails, I reminded you that the sharpest minds of ancient Greece didn’t like democracy. They correctly predicted that the persuasive, the charismatic, and the greedy would exploit the system and turn democracy toward autocracy. Sound familiar? It’s
- ["I'm sorry" Isn't an Apology](https://clearandopen.com/sorry-isnt-an-apology/) - If you try to accomplish something big, you’ll need other people. This is one of the many reasons why relationships are so important. Sooner or later, you will hurt another person. It doesn’t matter how good a person you are, or how good your intentions were, we hurt others. That’s life. We’re wounded. We hurt,
- [Why Democracy Fails](https://clearandopen.com/why-democracy-fails/) - First, I’d like to announce my fall course: Zen & the Art of Meta which begins Thursday September 12 at 11:30-1:30 pm PT. We’re doing two, two-hour sessions per month now instead of four single-hour ones to allow for deeper explorations. Click the link and/or reply to this email to learn more. In the spirit of
- [An Open Letter to Millennials](https://clearandopen.com/letter-to-millennials/) - Dear Millennials, You’re amazing. You shine with a light humanity has not seen before. Your energy is boundless, your passion inspiring, and your sense of freedom and possibility may very well be what saves humanity from its own shadow. But you’ve got a shadow, too, and I’m concerned. I’ve coached many of you and seen
- [The Customer is Always Right: An Exciting New Direction](https://clearandopen.com/exciting-new-direction/) - Greetings and Aloha! I’m excited to announce an innovative change in the direction of Clear and Open. For 21 years now, I’ve dedicated my practice to offering cutting edge business development and inner work guidance, techniques, and methodologies. What I’ve discovered, however, is that while my clients clearly enjoy learning about these new approaches, the
- [Are You a Good Student?](https://clearandopen.com/are-you-a-good-student/) - Being an effective student is one of the more important attributes you can have, because it’s upstream of your ability to gain the knowledge, skill, and awareness you need for any challenge whatsoever. When you stop learning, you start dying. There was a single event in my childhood that changed my life as a student forever.
- [Take the Red Lozenge](https://clearandopen.com/take-the-red-lozenge/) - The journey inward is the most difficult and also most rewarding path there is. During these darkest times of year, most people fill the darkness with food, drink, and various forms of merriment. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. So while I wish you a Happy All-the-Days, I also invite you to take some time
- [Are You in Reality With Money?](https://clearandopen.com/are-you-in-reality-with-money/) - Before we dive in, I offer some context. I break a lot of marketing rules by having a complex service offering. I combine business, psychological and spiritual perspectives to solve problems. In the domain of money, economic realities and dynamics must be understood, but they are not enough. Because money is a symbol of value,
- [Trigger Warning](https://clearandopen.com/trigger-warning/) - Trigger warning, The following may elicit feelings You don’t want to feel, It may remind you of things You don’t want to think about, It may call for you to examine Uncomfortable aspects of yourself That you work hard to ignore, Trigger warning, You may experience vulnerable emotions like Hurt, anxiety, anguish, and shame, Emotions
- [How Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) Destroy Civilization?](https://clearandopen.com/how-will-artificial-intelligence-ai-destroy-civilization/) - The same way we’re already destroying it. With flawed assumptions about reality: That we are mind, will, or energy at essence. That critical thinking isn’t important. That getting the maximum return with the least amount of effort is best. That doing the minimum to get by is a productive work ethic. That emotions are pesky
- [How Do You Protect Yourself From Change?](https://clearandopen.com/protect-yourself-from-change/) - We all have unconscious protectors and they resist change, so it’s useful to track the expression of that resistance to follow it back to the fear at its root. I use the term “coaching” here, but this applies to all forms of inner work that threaten the unconscious’ grip on the status quo: therapy, spiritual
- [What I Learned From Kissing Men](https://clearandopen.com/what-i-learned-from-kissing-men/) - By my third year in college, I was severely depressed. I had dead-ended academia. It was no longer a challenge, because I figured out how to play the game, and I realized none of what I learned would help me in life. I'd also dead-ended Ju-Jujitsu, which turned me into a more of a jerk,
- [Your Feelings Don't Matter...and They Matter](https://clearandopen.com/feelings-dont-matter/) - Before I dive into an explanation for this hopefully provocative headline, I want to let you know my next live course, The Art of Asking Questions, begins March 31, 2022. The individual's experience used to not matter so much, especially their feelings. Psychology is only about 120 years old and, prior to the late Renaissance, what the
- [Real Change Isn't On Your Terms](https://clearandopen.com/real-change-terms/) - First, my next live course, Light and Shadow Themes begins this Thursday June 23 and runs an hour per week for eleven weeks. I’d love to have you join us. Also, recently released on my podcast is a series on the root of responsibility issues that pairs nicely with this article. After coaching for twenty years, I am struck
- [Why Adults Aren’t Victims, Especially in Relationships Part 3/3](https://clearandopen.com/adults-arent-victims-3/) - Part 3/3: Just Feel It First, a reminder that my next live course, Intuitive Leadership & Living begins June 22. You will complete the course with a stronger intuition than you start. That’s an asset for anyone. For leaders, it’s required. Dojo membership prices go up from $129/mo to $159/mo on 6/22, so now is
- [Why Adults Aren’t Victims, Especially in Relationships Part 2/3](https://clearandopen.com/why-adults-arent-victims-part-two/) - Part 2/3: How Triggers Are Gifts You Want To Unwrap Trigger Warning: I’m about to deconstruct your ability to play victim to triggers. In part one of this series, we reframed the victim-enabling concept of good versus evil with the relatively new idea of unconscious contributions to behavior. Because the concept of the unconscious is
- [Why Adults Aren’t Victims, Especially in Relationships Part 1/3](https://clearandopen.com/adults-are-not-victims-part-one/) - Part 1/3: How the Outdated Frame of Good Versus Evil Enables Victimhood Relationships are hard, right? It’s true, but they’re harder than they need to be. The inherent challenge of intimate relating is exacerbated by unconscious, flawed perspectives. What follows, most people in our world would find deeply offensive and impossible to swallow. It’s commonly
- [Zen And The Matrix Part 2: Cypher As Ego-Mind](https://clearandopen.com/you-are-not-your-thoughts-part-2/) - In part one of this series, I deconstructed the infamous, “There is no spoon” scene from The Matrix to begin our celebration of the film’s twenty year anniversary. Next, I want to examine two important, and opposite choices in the movie that represent aspects of the human psyche: the choice Neo makes to leave the
- [Zen And The Matrix Part 1: You Are Not Your Thoughts](https://clearandopen.com/you-are-not-your-thoughts-part-1/) - This spring marks the 20th anniversary of the release of The Matrix, one of the most spiritually significant mainstream films of our time. It’s a movie about waking up, and it brilliantly uses some ancient zen wisdom that I thought I’d unpack in a series of articles. Part of the genius of The Matrix is
- [Where Your Values Came From and Why You Should Care Part 2/2](https://clearandopen.com/where-your-values-came-from-2/) - Objectivism & Subjectivism: How You Relate to Relating First, last chance to join my next live course, Revealing Your Unconscious, which begins September 7, 2023. If you have any long-standing issues, business or otherwise, that you haven't been able to change, this course is for you. --- Which is more important, facts or feelings? Have you
- [The Unconscious Roots of Conspiracy Theory](https://clearandopen.com/unconscious-roots-conspiracy-theory/) - Recently, I wrote about some of the deepest root causes of the Lahaina fires. But opinions vary, have you noticed? I have to admit, I was surprised when I heard the conspiracy theories, and then I was surprised that I was surprised. I’ve always had a kind of naive optimism that I’m sure was necessary to stop
- [The Price of Incompetence: The Real Cause of the Lahaina Tragedy](https://clearandopen.com/price-of-incompetence/) - First, a quick announcement: my next course, Revealing Your Unconscious begins 9/7/23. This will be a powerful workshop mapping how your unconscious is running your life and what you can do about it. I’m heartbroken about what happened in Lahaina. Many of you who know I live on Maui reached out and I appreciate that. Fortunately, I
- [Where Your Values Came From and Why You Should Care Part 1/2](https://clearandopen.com/where-your-values-came-from/) - Do you live an examined life? More people think so than actually do. If some of your deeply held values, views, and approaches to life were dead-ended by millions before you, would you want to know? If so, keep reading. If not, I wish you all the best! As a doorway into this subject, let’s
- [Essential Evil or Unconscious Wounds: You decide](https://clearandopen.com/essential-evil-unconscious-wounds/) - This is a story about human tragedy. That's the content. But the context is far more important: it's about how our childhood wounds cause suffering in ourselves and others if we don’t address them. Andrew was born to a financially comfortable but emotionally troubled family. While he was the fourth child, he was the first
- [The Epidemic of Niceness](https://clearandopen.com/epidemic-niceness/) - Is there such a thing as being too nice? I once coached five members of an executive team in an online retail business. The CEO complained of "communication issues" and some people not pulling their weight. Three of the members were co-founders of the company and long-time friends. To sit in a room with them,
- [Inquiry For Awakening](https://clearandopen.com/inquiry-for-awakening-blog/) - When I was a child, I had a recurring nightmare. Some terrifying force came to get me by moving further away. It attacked me somehow by moving away, which makes no sense, I know. And there was no “something,” that was what was so disturbing. It couldn’t be known, which made it even scarier. Nothing
- [Why We Fatally Over-Estimate Ourselves](https://clearandopen.com/fatally-over-estimate-ourselves/) - Before I address this important issue, a quick reminder that my next live course, Inquiry For Awakening begins this Thursday, March 30. Are you good at what you do? There are many managers in the world. In my experience, very few know what they’re doing. And for good reason, because leadership is so rarely taught that we’re
- [COVID-19: Is Fear Necessary To Be Safe?](https://clearandopen.com/make-ourselves-afraid/) - First, I want to say that if you or someone you know are directly affected by the COVID-19 virus, my heart goes out to you. It’s causing a lot of pain in the world and part of that we can’t do anything about. There are precautions we can take, and I’m all for those. What’s
- [The Crisis of Intimacy](https://clearandopen.com/crisis-of-intimacy/) - I’m writing on a subject I’ve not addressed before because there’s a lot of suffering these days in the domain of intimate relationships. In the last few years, I’m working more and more with couples as intimacy issues come to a head. Some believe that a cosmological shift happened in 2012 that is to credit
- [Where Are You Incurious?](https://clearandopen.com/incurious/) - The Art of Asking Questions: Curiosity, Listening, and Intuition course begins live on Zoom this Thursday, March 31 2022 at 11:15 am PT. Most people think they are curious, but as I say so often, it’s not useful to make conclusions about oneself. Instead, be curious about where you’re incurious. The result of incuriousness is stagnation,
- [The Beauty of Failure](https://clearandopen.com/beauty-failure/) - The recognition of failure is a moment of success. What failures-in-progress are we engaged in? Democracy is failing because it’s based on the false assumption that the majority of the electorate is aware and informed, whereas the truth is that the most aware and intelligent people are always a minority. Plato and Aristotle knew this
- [The Power of Dead-Ending](https://clearandopen.com/dead-ending/) - The governing dynamic of change, I assert, is reaching a dead-end. We are all familiar with the concept of “hitting bottom,” but only those who’ve been there truly appreciate its power. Hitting bottom isn’t just for alcoholics, where the term is used widely in AA. It’s for all of us. The reason all of us
- [Why You Can't Find/Retain "Good People"](https://clearandopen.com/why-people-work/) - Why should people want to work for you? At one time in the company’s history, Zappos had a wild feature they used to ensure engagement of new recruits. They called it, "The Offer." Following the four-week training period, they offered new employees a $2,000 check to quit. You read that right. The late Tony Hsieh,
- [Making Sense of Our World](https://clearandopen.com/making-sense-world/) - The mess the United States is in right now began over 500 years ago, with the invention of the printing press. If you let me explain (this is a long one!), you’ll gain a profound metaperspective that makes sense of what appears crazy, but isn’t. I find great peace in that and perhaps you will,
- [How We Stay Small](https://clearandopen.com/acceptance-as-you-are/) - Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were joyous. I’ve got an article today that will help you level up your power. Related, I want to first announce the upcoming live course, Claiming Self-Authority: Access to Authentic Power, which begins January 7, 2021. If you’ve considered becoming a member and want to start 2021 powerfully, this is an opportunity.
- [Are You Backfiring?](https://clearandopen.com/backfire-effect-2/) - A while back I wrote about the Backfire Effect. The effect, in short, is that when we receive information that doesn’t support what we want to believe, we tend to double down on the false belief. Recently about 70 million people in the U.S. voted for Donald Trump and many suffer from the Backfire Effect. It’s
- [Stop Enabling Bullies](https://clearandopen.com/stop-enabling-bullies/) - I was bullied a lot as a kid, and I want to tell you a story about power. Seventh grade had just ended. Even more than the summer sun, freedom and excitement filled the air, but not for me. I quietly sat on the bus home, harassed yet again by who we’ll call Z. Z
- [Are You Addicted To Busyness?](https://clearandopen.com/addicted-to-busyness/) - Bill was the busiest person I ever coached, and his life was cut tragically short. His business thrived, but he was worn thin. Bill loved his work, but he was exhausted by the pressures of the market and his endless people problems. At first, I taught him how to manage, but very little was sticking.
- [Did You Get The Message About Money?](https://clearandopen.com/message-money/) - Life is teaching us about money right now. Are you getting the message? Perhaps I can help translate. We heard a lot about how many people live “paycheck-to-paycheck” in the news when COVID hit. Statistics range from 40-80% and other data back it up. In 2019, Americans carried an average of $6,124 in revolving credit
- [Exactly How Democracy Is Broken](https://clearandopen.com/democracy-is-broken/) - Trump seems to be the most controversial president in history and I think it’s perfect. Don’t get me wrong, when he was elected, I had a hard time accepting the reality at first. Many people still suffer over this, though, and perhaps this will help if it doesn't offend and outrage you first. The American,
- [Did Jerry Garcia Die For Your Sins?](https://clearandopen.com/jerry-garcia-leadership/) - What do Jesus and Jerry Garcia have in common? Yes, they were both iconic leaders, and died relatively young. They were both deified, too, but the most relevant similarity is going to surprise you. I’m going to be tough on Garcia, so before I go on, I must say he was one of the greatest
- [Leadership, the Long Strange Trip](https://clearandopen.com/leadership-long-strange-trip/) - I just finished watching “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been,” the newish documentary about The Grateful Dead, and I was stunned by what I learned about the life and untimely death of Jerry Garcia. There are lessons here about leadership, success, and facing one’s shadow that can rock your world (pun intended) if you
- [Can You Be Free and Wear a Mask?](https://clearandopen.com/can-you-be-free-and-wear-a-mask/) - In what way is it entirely predictable that the United States would handle the pandemic worse than any other country in the world? If you can think paradigmatically, it makes perfect sense. I’ll explain. The U.S. is the only country in the history of the world to be founded on the rights of the individual.
- [Racism is A Tip of an Iceberg](https://clearandopen.com/racism-is-a-tip-of-an-iceberg/) - This article is about management, racism, and change. I once had a client who complained that his people couldn’t be trusted to perform. “What happens when they make mistakes?” I asked. “We retrain them,” he answered. “What does that mean?” I persisted. “Their manager goes over the process with them,” he said. “But don’t they already
- [Have You Ever Been Offended?](https://clearandopen.com/have-you-ever-been-offended/) - I want to share a point of view with you that you've likely never heard. My last piece about racism was a little scary to share, but well-received, so I thought I'd continue to be bold. I wrote the following for my upcoming course on Paradigmatic Analysis. If unpacking concepts like this is interesting to you, you might enjoy the course.
- [Zen And The Matrix Part 5: The Oracle](https://clearandopen.com/you-are-not-your-thoughts-part-5/) - This is the final installment of my series on The Matrix. Have you seen Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 yet? Neo’s meeting with the Oracle is quite built up, so we share Neo’s disorientation when he walks into a shabby kitchen and meets who looks like a mitten-knitting grandmother when we’re
- [Zen And The Matrix Part 3: Taking The Red Pill](https://clearandopen.com/you-are-not-your-thoughts-part-3/) - This is part three of my series on the Matrix, which was released 20 years ago. If you haven’t already read Parts One and Two, you might want to review those first. Perhaps the most famous scene from The Matrix is when Morpheus asks Neo to choose between the red pill and the blue pill.
- [Zen And The Matrix Part 4: Agent Smith As Ego](https://clearandopen.com/you-are-not-your-thoughts-part-4/) - Last week in part 3, of the series on The Matrix, we discussed how Neo learns he must let go of his sense of control in order to find the truth. We’ve touched on the idea of the mind prison, wherein we trap ourselves by believing our thoughts are us. Inside this prison, we’re compelled
- [5 Obstacles To Meditation](https://clearandopen.com/obstacles-to-meditation/) - My clients who've been meditating report that they are surprised at how well they're handling the pandemic. I'm not. ;-) Because I know meditation, when done right, is the most powerful ally available to you. I’ve talked with many people about my upcoming meditation course (begins 4/16) and encountered some misconceptions about meditation that are
- [Is This An Apocalypse?](https://clearandopen.com/apocalypse-reveals/) - We think the word “apocalypse” means the end of the world, but this isn’t its original meaning. It comes from Greek meaning “uncovering.” That’s what I see happening now: a great revealing of truth. I know these are hard times, harder for some than others. It’s with great compassion and a wide heart that I
- [You Can Get Out When You Puke — Achieving Greatness — Part Four](https://clearandopen.com/you-can-get-out-when-you-puke-achieving-greatness-part-four/) - Last week, we talked about the larger lesson and how your relationship to fear and discomfort is the answer to achieving greatness. Let me repeat. Your relationship to fear and discomfort is the answer. In other words, whatever you’re doing, whatever project, initiative, business, partnership, etc. Whatever it is, greatness only happens when you want
- [The Surprising Reason Your Employees Aren't Honest With You—And What To Do About It](https://clearandopen.com/your-employees-arent-honest/) - “Why aren’t my people just honest with me?” my client lamented. “I keep finding out what’s going wrong far too late!” It’s a common and serious issue. The larger the organization, the more important it is for key information to travel quickly from the front line to management. But if that cycle takes too long,
- [Why Management Is So Hard—And What To Do About It](https://clearandopen.com/why-management-is-so-hard/) - What do leaders and lottery winners have in common? Hint: it’s not luck. We’ll get there, I promise, but first, a more relevant question: Why is management so difficult? If you understand the answer to this question, you can become a great leader. If you don’t, you can only become less bad. Management is like
- [Accountability: A Cautionary Tale That Can Happen to You](https://clearandopen.com/accountability-a-cautionary-tale-that-can-happen-to-you/) - Jim was raw, I could tell. He spoke with hesitation, as if he might cry if he wasn’t careful. Something big was up. He had my full attention. “You know I’ve been a rebel for a long time,” he said, “You used to coach me about it. It’s changed a little, but apparently not enough.”
- [One Simple Question that Cuts Through Excuses (And Why You Probably Won’t Ask It)](https://clearandopen.com/one-simple-question/) - Managers hear a lot of excuses. I know because they tell me. I also know the reason is because they make a lot of excuses, only they do it more subtly. One of my martial arts teachers once said to a group of black belts, “Watch the white belts very carefully. They make the same
- [Why Performance Reviews Don't Work and What to Do About it](https://clearandopen.com/why-performance-reviews-dont-work-and-what-to-do-about-it/) - Mary, a manager in a manufacturing company, recently told me about a very stressful performance review she conducted. She gave her employee, John, some challenging feedback about how poorly he did his job. John was aghast. Not only did he think he was doing well, but he had been expecting a raise. He left the
- [Is Your Unconscious Need for Control Getting in Your Way?](https://clearandopen.com/control-is-overrated/) - Control is overrated. Your unconscious need for it could be holding you back. Nate was a CEO and partner in a manufacturing startup who contacted me to help him improve his management team’s communication and help them become more efficient. Poor communication and inefficiency were symptoms, but they weren’t the real problems. The eight-person management team
- [Reductionism vs. Holism: What Type of Outlook is Better to Solve Business Problems?](https://clearandopen.com/reductionism-vs-holism/) - The other day I was having a check-up, and I decided to have a little fun with my doctor. I asked, “What’s the difference between a living body and a dead one, assuming nothing is broken on the dead one and the person died of natural causes?” “Well, their organs aren’t working,” the doctor began,
- [The Hunger for Personal Growth](https://clearandopen.com/hunger-for-personal-growth/) - The business is a reflection of you. Your life is the sum of your choices. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Change and personal growth begins within. Be the change you want to see in the world. When you point a finger, there are three others pointing
- [Solving the Right Problem Helps You Avoid a Lot of Extra Pain](https://clearandopen.com/solving-the-right-problem/) - When you go to a doctor, usually you bring symptoms. You’re looking for a diagnosis—and a solution to fit that diagnosis. Patient: My arm hurts a lot! (symptom) Doctor: When did it start? Patient: Right after I fell out of a tree. Doctor: I see. The x-ray shows it’s broken. (diagnosis) Patient: Well, I did
- [Creating a "Safe Place" so Critical Thinking Can Flourish](https://clearandopen.com/psychological-safety-for-critical-thinking/) - As the 2020 presidential race looms in the not-too-far distance, there will be frequent examples among the candidates in which excuses, deflections, and a general lack of critical thinking will be on display. Unfortunately it isn’t just the politicians that are guilty. If you ask 1,000 people if they can think critically, the majority would
- [The Problem with Good and Evil](https://clearandopen.com/the-problem-with-good-and-evil/) - Our world of fiction is filled with evil characters who seek to dominate the world, immerse it in darkness, let loose destruction and mayhem, and do other “evil” things. While such stories can be entertaining, they contribute to an already less-than-responsible world and complicate accountability. Here’s how… Most people have good intentions. The majority of
- [Excuses, Excuses: Changing the Frame](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-changing-frame/) - Last week Dropbox raised their prices. Here’s the announcement. As you read it, ask yourself how honest it is: Hi Josef, Dropbox Plus just got an upgrade. And a new price—starting on May 10, 2020 (that’s your next billing cycle), Dropbox Plus will be $119.88 a year (plus any applicable taxes). The all-new Plus plan
- [There IS Such a Thing as Too Much Responsibility](https://clearandopen.com/over-responsibility/) - This is different than you’ve seen from me before. I wanted to share a transcript from one of my more unusual clients. If you enjoy it, please let me know, and I can share more like this. 😉 Peter: Everyone I get close to gets hurt. Josef: Say more. Peter: I constantly have to
- [Revisiting the Responsibility Paradox](https://clearandopen.com/responsibility-paradox-revisited/) - The core of what I teach my clients is that if you want to grow, you have to get used to living with the discomfort of examining how you cause your own problems. It’s easy to find any number of excuses for things that are going wrong in our lives. But once you embrace the reality
- [Own It – Business Leadership, Over-Responsibility, and Under-Responsibility – Part Five](https://clearandopen.com/own-it-business-leadership/) - If you haven’t noticed, the entire Own It series has been about taking a long look in the mirror and claiming ownership of your faults. Good, bad, or indifferent. Business leadership, personal relationships, and all. I know, it’s cliché, but here’s yet another: “There are two kinds of people in the world.” Over-responsible people and
- [Own It – Empowerment and Ownership – Part Three](https://clearandopen.com/own-it-empowerment-and-ownership-part-three/) - In the previous part of the Own It series, we discussed the employee-manager relationship and how the balance of power between the two is crucial for a functional dynamic. Now, let’s go a bit further. There is a lot of talk about “empowerment” in the business world without a deep understanding of what it really
- [Own It – The Manager-Employee Relationship – Part Two](https://clearandopen.com/own-it-part-two-manager-employee-relationship/) - In the first part of the Own It series, we discussed how your business is a reflection of you and the choices that you make. We also talked about how hiring employees with challenges similar to your own can create a conflict. This leads to a very important concept about the manager-employee relationship. The agreement
- [Your Employees Want a Mentor, Not a Supervisor](https://clearandopen.com/mentor-not-supervisor/) - I thought I was done with the series I did on The Matrix, but I’m not. That’s what epilogues are for! It’s like a P.S. for writers, and who doesn’t like a good postscript? If you read the series, which started with Part One, you probably appreciate now more than ever that it’s a film
- [Stop Getting Better at Doing Easy Things](https://clearandopen.com/easy-things/) - I was a springboard diver as a kid. I was good, but I was never great. I understand why now. There are two principles that make the difference between good and great in any endeavor. When you learn to dive, you start with the easy stuff, of course: front dive, back dive, maybe a single
- [Excuses, Excuses: Whataboutism](https://clearandopen.com/whataboutism/) - Today we’re going to talk about Whataboutism, one of the most popular ways people deceive you. Early last year, the Oxford English Dictionary added the word whataboutism to its catalog: “The technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue.” Whataboutism is the perhaps
- [How NOT to be "The Man" in Your Employees' Eyes](https://clearandopen.com/the-man/) - One of my favorite movies is the cult classic, “Office Space” written by Mike Judge, the nefarious creator of Beavis and Butthead. In the film he portrays management as being so incompetent that it’s comedic. But it’s easy to miss the powerful lessons amidst the caricature. Let’s unpack one of the most-loved scenes to learn
- [One Powerful Way to Create Instant Change in Your Life](https://clearandopen.com/instant-change/) - What if there were a way to instantly get the results you want? More money, more time, better employees—whatever you want? I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that the result of hard work?” “Don’t I have to change as a person?” “What if I haven’t earned those results yet?” You’re thinking too small! You may
- [Can You Push Someone Further? Can You Be Pushed?](https://clearandopen.com/push-them-further/) - Question: How do you know if you can push your people further? Answer: They will tell you, if you know how to listen. Recently I was messaging with a Clear and Open member, let’s call him Andy. It went like this. This is a good example of the power of asking questions. Josef: “Relook at
- [Have You Just Been Giving (or Receiving) Lip Service?](https://clearandopen.com/lip-service/) - I grew up in the historic town of Concord, Massachusetts, a couple miles from Thoreau’s Walden pond, the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War, and a dozen other things that would probably bore you as much as they did me as a kid. In third grade, my class took an intrepid field
- [Excuses, Excuses: The Work in Progress](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-work-in-progress/) - “I’m working on the mustard on my chin. It used to be way worse.” I helped a CEO (let’s call her Jane) of a financial services company identify her over-responsible tendencies and how she caused herself overwhelm. She was spread incredibly thin and wasn’t making time for what was most important. I discovered she had
- [Sometimes You Need to Lose to Make Space for What You'll Gain](https://clearandopen.com/losing-everything-gaining-everything/) - I’m not joking when I say what I’m most proud of is not killing myself. I lost everything in my life that mattered to me over the course of about 18 months. Just one piece of that was the 1,500 square foot home I owned in Oregon. Following some bad advice, I sold it at
- [Remove Internal Resistance with Self Love—Not Self Discipline](https://clearandopen.com/remove-internal-resistance-self-love/) - There are scores of strategies to manage yourself, and I want to talk about the one most often forgotten: self-love. Anyone who has raised children knows that love doesn’t mean giving a person whatever they want. Self-love is no exception. One of the reasons I don’t like the term self-discipline is because it connotes forcing
- [That One Time I Was a Corporate Spy and Got Fired for It](https://clearandopen.com/corporate-spy/) - The second time I got fired, it was for corporate espionage. I’ve never told anyone this. In my mid-twenties, a few years before I became a coach, I recruited for high-tech companies in the Bay Area. I mostly hated it. It’s not uncommon practice in that world to “poach” employees from one company and move
- [Your Engagement Problem is Worse than You Thought, Part 2](https://clearandopen.com/engagement-worse-part-2/) - Last week in Part One, I discussed how I realized in the middle of having drinks with a friend that the lack of engagement I’ve been frustrated with in working with some of my clients pretty much exactly mirrors the disengagement levels shown in Gallup’s ongoing study. I’ve been coaching for seventeen years, and I’m
- [Your Engagement Problem is Worse than You Thought, Part 1](https://clearandopen.com/engagement-worse-part-1/) - When I re-launched my practice in 2016 as Clear and Open, it was in part to focus on engagement. I saw that all business problems come down to this. It’s the deepest root issue that my clients struggle with, and it’s what I’m most passionate about. Since then I’ve noticed I do a lot of
- [Excuses, Excuses: The Pragmatist](https://clearandopen.com/pragmatist/) - “In an ideal world, there’d be no mustard on my chin. I agree with you, but we have to deal with the practical realities of the real world.” A client I’d worked with for years was moving a lot of meetings. That’s often a red flag. She was busy, but she was always busy. Something
- [How To Make Family Business Problems Disappear](https://clearandopen.com/family-business-problems/) - I get asked a lot about family businesses, and I’ve helped hundreds. Family business problems begin with an innocent mistake: the assumption that working with someone you love is easy. The truth is there are few things more difficult. Once you accept that you’ve inadvertently taken on an Olympic-level challenge, things can change. It’s actually
- [Excuses, Excuses: Stock Language](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-stock-language/) - I recently asked a group of my members to define in two sentences what they got out of our work together last year and declare what they want to get out of 2019. Here was one participant’s response: Member: “In 2018, the group taught me how to notice and question behaviors I’d like to change
- [Excuses, Excuses: Does Being the Underdog Serve You?](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-underdog/) - Are YOU ready to get started? My upcoming live seminar will teach you how to look inside and figure out where you’re putting up walls to protect yourself from change. The community members will be there to help support you in breaking down those walls and undoing the limiting beliefs, false assumptions, and habits
- [Reflect, and Then Go Forth into Yourself](https://clearandopen.com/reflecting-2018/) - Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit
- [Getting Beyond Good and Bad](https://clearandopen.com/beyond-good-bad/) - There’s a zen story of an old farmer who worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck!" they said, sympathetically. "Maybe," the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful!"
- [Excuses, Excuses: Socrates and Un-Knowing](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-socrates/) - This deflection is named after the oft-called “father of western philosophy,” who was killed for how he used not-knowing and powerful questions to expose flaws in people’s perception, reasoning, and values. It won’t surprise you that he’s one of my heroes, and certainly one of my teachers. After you learn to use the Socratic Method,
- [Excuses, Excuses: The Mask of Self-Contradiction](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-self-contradiction/) - In my series of excuses, today I’ll be talking about Self-Contradiction. It’s a lack of clarity on its surface but often arises from deep-seated commitment issues. Not often used blatantly, this type of deflection may be tricky to spot. The contradictions are sometimes so subtle they require deep listening to detect. Manager: So who’s going
- [Excuses, Excuses: Dealing with the Laundry List](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-laundry-list/) - “Good morning, I see you’re a bit late. And it looks like you’ve got mustard on your chin.” “I couldn’t get my son out of bed this morning, then there was a huge line at the hot dog stand—when I got mustard on my chin—but the guy didn’t give me the right change, so I
- [Are you Creating False Gratitude?](https://clearandopen.com/real-gratitude/) - Greg came to me frustrated. He felt like he was spinning his wheels. He owned a chain of four retail stores and was, by most people’s measure, successful. But he wasn’t fulfilled. His business was profitable, his customers happy, and his employees more engaged than most. “Something just doesn’t feel right,” he told me, “I have so
- [The Practice of Gratitude](https://clearandopen.com/practice-of-gratitude/) - I sincerely hope you read this blog post to the end. I’m going to give you a practice that takes zero time and radically improves your life. At least for us Americans, Thanksgiving is upon us, and I wish you a great one if you celebrate it. And I’d like to make a teaching moment
- [Excuses, Excuses: I Know What You're Going to Say](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-prename/) - In my newsletter this week, I told the story of how the list of excuses came about. (You’re subscribed, right?) I had been working with a management team to increase accountability and responsibility in their company culture, but was hearing excuses left and right from the management themselves. In frustration, I sat down for a
- [Excuses, Excuses: The Ghost](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-ghost/) - I once served a business owner, let’s call him Aaron, who lead a cohort of his employees through my Clear Workspace, Open Mind course. While the course is on the surface about getting organized, it inevitably challenges the way people relate to work itself and calls them to a higher level of productivity and excellence.
- [Excuses, Excuses: The Hair Trigger](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-hair-trigger/) - I once struggled with a client, let’s call him Corey, who became easily upset—or so I thought. I never actually experienced it, but I did notice that he became slightly agitated when the conversation wasn’t entirely positive, and he would quickly change the subject. I found myself giving him a wide berth. But I needed
- [Excuses, Excuses: Is My Reality Really Different from Your Reality?](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-subjective-reality/) - The relatively recent advent of psychology (~1900) and the popularization of Eastern thought in the West (beginning in the 1960s) has contributed to an epidemic misunderstanding of the Buddha’s teachings: “perception is reality.” This is an increasingly popular tenet among younger generations, modern spiritualists, and, as a result, world culture. While the Buddha did teach
- [Why Struggle Over the Answer if the Question is Wrong?](https://clearandopen.com/wrong-question/) - Before you roll your eyes about yet another Kavanaugh piece, I promise this one is different than anything you’ve read. You’re going to learn something new. If you’ve followed the supreme court confirmation drama, you may have noticed some excuses here and there. Did you use what you’ve learned from my previous pieces? There was
- [Excuses, Excuses: Semantics](https://clearandopen.com/excuses-semantics/) - The common phrase, “It’s just semantics” means “We both mean the same thing, we’re just using different words.” In my experience, it’s rarely true, and usually it is a vehicle to ignore subtle and important distinctions. Very often, when one person says to the other “It’s just semantics,” they are often the one missing the
- [Learn from Your Mistakes and You'll Never Truly Fail](https://clearandopen.com/learn-mistakes/) - “Someone call 911!” I was in line at the post office last week when I heard this. I’d left my phone in my truck. The person next to me was dialing. Now, I’m not an EMT or anything, but I was a lifeguard for many years. I looked around at the disorientation and panic on
- [Growth for Growth's Sake is Bullshit](https://clearandopen.com/discounted-cash-flow-valuation/) - “Growth for growth’s sake is bullshit.” –Brett Sharenow, Broadscope Consulting Why do you want your business to grow? Do you know? We’re conditioned to think that more is always better—especially when it comes to money. But many people don’t realize that growth, done improperly, can destroy a business faster than anything else. Be careful what
- [Excuses, Excuses: The Carousel](https://clearandopen.com/carousel/) - Manager: “How’s it going?” Employee: “Oh, man, I’m dealing with my ex-wife again. Had to bail her out of jail last night again.” M: “Wow, that sounds dramatic.” E: “Ha, never a dull moment with her still in my life, even when she’s not supposed to be. But until our daughter grows up, I guess
- [Excuses, Excuses: Taking Out of Context](https://clearandopen.com/taking-out-of-context/) - Over in my weekly newsletter, I’ve been discussing a series of excuses you’ll often encounter with your employees (or with people in general). I have a whole series of ways in which people avoid accountability. If you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you’re missing out on exclusive content that doesn’t get published anywhere else.
- [Josef Ruins Everything](https://clearandopen.com/truth-sets-you-free/) - “I can’t wait to get out of this little town,” she said. “I’m so bored here. How do you stand it?” My friend Sarah and I were both seventeen, and she was bragging about her new summer camp counselor job. She was getting ready to leave the next day for the woods of Maine, where
- [One BIG Way You're Making Yourself Stupid](https://clearandopen.com/overwhelm-stupid/) - Last week, for the first time ever, I left my iPhone at a friend’s house. No, I didn’t panic. I have an iPad, and I can make phone calls from my iMac. Yeah, I’m an Apple guy. So I ended up not having the phone for about twenty-four hours, and I noticed something extraordinary. I
- [To Succeed, Do It Badly at First](https://clearandopen.com/success-path/) - I’ve had a number of conversations with my clients recently that sound kind of like this: Me: So how are your development meetings with your employees going? Client: Um, yeah, I’m kinda not doing those. Me: Okay, why not? Client: Well, I just don’t feel like I know how to do it yet. Me: What’s
- [What is Life Waiting for You to Be?](https://clearandopen.com/being-v-doing/) - Someone asked me recently how I became a “business therapist,” a playful term I sometimes use to describe my role. It’s not a path I ever would have imagined for myself when I started on it, but looking back I can see the clear progression that got me here. As I relayed the story again
- [The Journey Is the Destination](https://clearandopen.com/journey/) - I’ve written before about how the re-branding of Clear and Open challenged me to grow, and the process continues. It’s been a process of self-discovery and realization that is finally more harvest than toil. You may have noticed the tone of my writing changed. This was not an accident, it’s the result of realizing that
- [The Simplest Path To Employee Engagement](https://clearandopen.com/simplest-path-employee-engagement/) - Employee engagement is perhaps the greatest problem facing workplaces today. Statistics show it’s only getting worse. Many of the problems that well-meaning leaders and managers struggle with are actually only symptoms of deeper engagement problems. You may not even realize it’s there. Employee disengagement can be an invisible kind of friction that drags everything down.
- [How PO Boxes and Burritos Got Me Fired](https://clearandopen.com/po-boxes-burritos/) - 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,
- [When Your Mission Becomes a Failure, How Will You Cope?](https://clearandopen.com/mission-failure/) - 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
- [Should You Try Harder? Or Softer?](https://clearandopen.com/try-softer/) - 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
- [How to Fix Things When "Tried and True" Aren't Working for You](https://clearandopen.com/fix-business-problems/) - 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
- [What LIES are you allowing people to tell you?](https://clearandopen.com/lies-you-allow-employees-to-tell/) - 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
- [Getting Out of Your Own Way](https://clearandopen.com/getting-out-of-your-own-way/) - “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
- [Work-Life Balance is Just a MYTH](https://clearandopen.com/work-life-balance-myth/) - 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
- [You're Hearing, But Are You LISTENING?](https://clearandopen.com/deep-listening/) - 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
- [More than likely, your values stink](https://clearandopen.com/your-values-stink/) - 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
- [Why are you avoiding what you KNOW?](https://clearandopen.com/why-are-you-avoiding/) - “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
- [Caution: This Post May Offend You](https://clearandopen.com/caution-this-may-offend-you/) - The following may offend you—if you feel strongly about your right to not be offended. One of the reasons accountability in business languishes these days is because of how political correctness has gone too far in our world. Please don’t get me wrong: I’m a sensitive person with high standards for maturity and respect. Political
- [The Culture Awakens: Darth Vader Meets With Human Resources](https://clearandopen.com/darth-vader-management/) - Somewhere between the scenes of The Empire Strikes Back, the empire’s vice president of human resources invites Darth Vader to a private meeting to discuss his management style. VP of HR: “Hello, Mr. Vader, thanks for coming, please sit down.” Darth Vader: “I accepted your meeting not knowing what this was about, and this is
- [More Orcs Is Not The Answer](https://clearandopen.com/orcs-answer/) - Gothmog, the pig-headed orc general from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, hires a Clear and Open Mentor following Mordor’s defeat depicted in the final film. Gothmog: “I hope you’ll understand I’m a little grouchier than usual.” Mentor: “Of course, that was a huge loss for your team. Understandable that you’d be upset.” “It’s just
- [Why? Do I Have To?](https://clearandopen.com/why-do-i-have-to/) - When is it okay to question authority? It’s a question that causes a lot of confusion in a business culture. There’s a core belief that’s hard to shake: the idea that you “have” to do whatever your boss tells you. Any manager will say they’d love it if their employees took on more responsibility. Some
- [Why You Don’t Have Time For This](https://clearandopen.com/time-management-skills/) - “I don’t have time.” You hear it every day. Maybe you say it yourself. We talk about the scarcity of time as often as we do the weather. You can’t change the weather. But can you get more time with time management skills? Invest a bit more time reading, and you’ll discover that you can….
- [The Responsibility Paradox](https://clearandopen.com/time-management-tips-dont-work/) - I know you want more time. And everybody wants time management tips, and they can help a little. But can you muster the strength and courage to look at the root issue? I think you can. The relationship between time management and responsibility is not often talked about, but it’s the link that is the
- [The Sun Still Shines](https://clearandopen.com/employee-mentoring/) - One of my clients was only 40% of the way through my new course, Clear Workspace, Open Mind and he literally got an entire day’s work done by 9:30 am as a result. He was in amazed disbelief. How is this possible? What did he do? He saw through the clouds. I promise I’ll explain.
- [Organizational Enlightenment](https://clearandopen.com/get-organized/) - We’ve all tried to help someone see a blind spot, even if you’re not a coach like I am. It’s often not easy. You can probably relate: Client: Can you help me run faster? Coach: Sure. What ideas do you have for getting that result? Client: Do you have a system that can help? Like
- [Is Happiness Closer Than You Think? (Part 1/2)](https://clearandopen.com/mentoring-fulfillment/) - Professional, ambitious people want growth because growth is their road to happiness. That’s why they seek mentoring and coaching. But what if there’s a way you’ve been seeking growth and happiness that actually pushes it away? What if you could use less effort to get more of what you want, by mentoring yourself? Here’s a
- [The False Seduction of Happiness (Part 2/2)](https://clearandopen.com/overwhelm-happiness-connection/) - In last week’s article, I asked you to complete the sentence “I will be happy when…” as many times as you could and I promised you a breakthrough. Here’s a hint: it’s about overwhelm. This is where you have that breakthrough, but it won’t work if you haven’t yet done the assignment. Don’t read on
- [Accountability Begins with a Whisper](https://clearandopen.com/people-problems-accountability-notice/) - I often hear owners/managers say: “There are no good people out there to hire.” “My people don’t care as much as I do.” “My people won’t do what they’re told.” People problems are among the top three biggest complaints among managers next to money and time. I’ve heard the same frustrations for fifteen years, and
- [Empty Your Cup And Drink](https://clearandopen.com/overwhelmed-at-work/) - Last week I wrote about The Simplest Path To Employee Engagement. In case you missed it, here’s the punchline: engagement comes when an individual uses their job in their own healthy self-interest to become more the person they want to become. That’s the context. One of the best examples of content you can use to
- [Is It Plugged In?](https://clearandopen.com/improve-company-culture/) - The toaster won’t turn on. You fiddle with it for a minute or two. You start locally. But, when that doesn’t work, you think bigger. You move from content to context. First, you check if it’s plugged in. Then you go further out, “Hmmm, maybe the circuit is blown.” You do this all the time.
- [Because Sometimes Normal Sucks](https://clearandopen.com/business-coaching-simple-question/) - Over a decade ago a general contractor in serious trouble came to me for business coaching. Let’s call him Dave. His revenue was down two straight years. He broke even the year before, but nine months into the current year, his net profit was negative four percent. Burning cash by the wheelbarrow, he had five
- [What If Courage Isn’t What You Think?](https://clearandopen.com/leadership-coach-courage/) - Paul was afraid, but that wasn’t the problem, as you’ll see. He needed to have a tough conversation with Sheila, an employee of fifteen years. Sheila needed to either change or leave. She was his wife’s best friend, one of his first employees, and surely had the best intentions. But her negativity was a poison
- [Evil Isn’t Helping Accountability](https://clearandopen.com/evil-isnt-helping-accountability/) - Our world of fiction is filled with evil characters who seek to dominate the world, immerse it in darkness, let loose destruction and mayhem, and do other “evil” things. While such stories can be entertaining, they contribute to an already less-than-responsible world and complicate accountability. Here’s how…. The vast majority of people have good intentions.
- [Own The Weak To Get Strong](https://clearandopen.com/better-manager/) - Many want to become a better manager, but don’t know how. Management is one of those things people feel like they should know how to do well, despite that it’s the most difficult aspect of business that most people receive little to no training for. Especially if you already are a manager, there’s an assumption
- [The Mirror of Management Metrics](https://clearandopen.com/management-metrics/) - What’s your relationship to management metrics? It’s normal not to be able to answer right away. You’ll find yourself somewhere on the spectrum of metrics-obsessed to metrics-phobic. It doesn’t matter where you are on the spectrum. What matters is that you can learn about yourself and your business or department wherever you are. People think
- [Slow Is The New Fast](https://clearandopen.com/get-organized-now/) - Because metaphors involving sexy cars are always fun…. I’ve ogled the valet lots Newport Beach, CA, where Porsches are pedestrian, but the fanciest car I’ve ever seen was in a Home Depot parking lot in the sleepy town of Phoenix, Oregon. I didn’t know what I was looking at, the only writing on this polished
- [The Employee Engagement-Overwhelm Cycle](https://clearandopen.com/employee-engagement-overwhelm-cycle/) - Prior to about twenty years ago, you didn’t hear much on the subject of employee engagement. Then a bunch of management consultants discovered it was a billion dollar problem. It’s my hope and prediction that in the next twenty years one of its root causes is recognized as widely. Employee engagement was revealed as a
- [X Easy Ways To Blah Blah Blah](https://clearandopen.com/change-management-blah-blah-blah/) - We love quick-fixes. Unfortunately, for the things that really matter, they rarely work. Think about your expertise. Think about your greatest achievements. Think about a change you’ve made in yourself. Did any of those things happen from implementing “X Easy Ways to Blah Blah Blah” that showed up in your inbox one day? Probably not.
- [Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail And What To Do About It](https://clearandopen.com/goal-setting/) - I know. You’re tired of hearing about New Year’s Resolutions. But I promise you something new here. We’re going to turn the whole thing on its head, and that’s always fun. What if everything you’ve been taught about goal setting left out the key ingredient? And that’s why your eyes glaze over when you hear
- [Don’t Supervise – Meta-Supervise!](https://clearandopen.com/management-not-supervision/) - Here’s one crazy idea that has the power to change an entire company: no adult should need supervision. I’ll explain. Let’s define supervision this way: Ensuring somebody who already knows what to do, actually does it right. Management on the other hand, we can define as supporting people to grow and learn in ways they
- [How To Be Helpable](https://clearandopen.com/effective-coaching-getting-help/) - Have you ever given brilliant advice to someone who couldn’t receive it? Of course you have. I want to tell you about one of my biggest mistakes. I’ll also share with you one of the secrets of getting good help. We all need help, but don’t often realize we can make ourselves more helpable. As
- [Systems Ain’t The Secret](https://clearandopen.com/systems-limitations/) - The following isn’t a secret, but might as well be because it’s rarely understood. I was very fortunate to begin my coaching career at EMyth in 2002. The E-Myth Revisited remains to be one of the top best-selling business books of all time (over ten million copies last I heard). I’ve spoken to hundreds, perhaps
- [From Inundation To Transformation](https://clearandopen.com/family-business/) - 2016 was a huge year for my client, Brian, and I want to honor his transformation. Brian and his wife, Kim, own a landscaping and snow removal company. They came to me in July of 2014 with a list of serious problems in their family business. They were both working about eighty hours a week.
- [Turn Toward Discomfort, Turn Toward Leadership](https://clearandopen.com/leadership-turning-toward/) - Imagine you’re a personal trainer: you help people get in shape. A new client calls you and tells you their problems: they’re tired a lot, their clothes don’t fit, and they don’t feel comfortable going to the beach because of how they look. You tell them you can help, and schedule the first session. The
- [When Dogs Eat Homework](https://clearandopen.com/dealing-with-excuses/) - This article is about dealing with excuses. Don’t have time to read it? Yeah, that’s probably an excuse. C’mon, you’ve got five minutes, especially because: If you spend time dealing with excuses, this article will save you hundreds of hours a year. Also, in this article is a free tool with six simple principles that,
- [Five Ways To Recognize Serious Inner Work](https://clearandopen.com/responsibility-serious-inner-work/) - “That’s an issue I’m working on.” “I’m a work in progress.” “I do a lot of work on myself.” Sometimes these are statements of responsibility. Sometimes they’re excuses. How do you tell the difference? Popularity of any anything tends to dilute. I’m reminded of the Devil Wears Prada Scene where we’re taught how trends from
- [Creating a Safe Environment for Critical Thinking to Flourish](https://clearandopen.com/critical-thinking-safe-environment/) - Critical Thinking Creates Results “I can’t trust my people to make big decisions.” “My employees aren’t engaged.” “No one cares as much as I do.” Coaches and consultants hear these frustrations often. These are symptoms of a complex problem that has a simple solution. Here’s a true story. Evan, an executive in professional services was
- [Customer Service Hell](https://clearandopen.com/customer-service-hell/) - Have you been to customer service hell? Of course, you have. It gains more ground in our world every day. Personal responsibility is in decline. There are many facets to good customer service, but there’s one principle that underlies all of them: personal ownership. Good customer service happens when an agent takes personal responsibility for
- [“You Never Buy Me Flowers”](https://clearandopen.com/excellence-listening-emotional-needs/) - “You never buy me flowers.” A phrase that makes men’s heart’s sink. So the next day, the man buys her flowers. “Gee, thanks,” she says flatly, forcing a smile. Men: that’s when you tell yourself women are unpleasable and irrational. But you’re wrong. You’re just not listening between the lines, and it’s the same thing
- [Empty Your Cup](https://clearandopen.com/unlearning-dreams/) - What is the root of virtually every problem in your world? It’s actually very simple. “The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so.” –Josh Billings, American humorist Ironically this quote is usually attributed to Mark Twain or Will Rogers. What Billings points out so
- [How Personal Is Too Personal?](https://clearandopen.com/personal-problems-business/) - “I can’t talk with my employees about their personal problems.” Usually, when I hear people say this, they’re actually not going personal enough. The result is lost time and money while people talk around personal problems instead of addressing them head-on. There’s a great deal of confusion about what is okay to talk about in
- [“Is This Going to Be on the Test?”](https://clearandopen.com/employee-disengagement/) - “Is this going to be on the test?” a student inevitably asks. The question used to make my blood boil, and I didn’t understand why until years later. It is in many ways the birth of employee disengagement and mediocrity, which plague workplaces, and the world, today. It’s not the student’s fault–they’re having an intuitive
- [The Benevolent Dictator – A Lesson in Management – Part One](https://clearandopen.com/benevolent-dictator-lesson-in-management-part-one/) - Looking for a lesson in management? Here’s one takeaway to consider—a business is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship, though this is seldom appreciated. Dictatorships have a very bad reputation in our world’s history. As Lord Acton is so often quoted, “Power tends to corrupt. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But look at this
- [The Benevolent Dictator – Overwhelmed at Work – Part Two](https://clearandopen.com/the-benevolent-dictator-overwhelmed-at-work-part-two/) - If you’re feeling overwhelmed at work, at home, and in your position as a leader, it is time to dig a little deeper into the topic of being a benevolent dictator. Last week we talked about how a business is not a democracy and that being a benevolent dictator in a position of power takes
- [The Benevolent Dictator – Leadership Qualities – Part Three](https://clearandopen.com/the-benevolent-dictator-leadership-qualities-part-three/) - What are the most important positive leadership qualities? Keep reading. Up to this point, we have talked about the importance of being a benevolent dictator and how becoming overwhelmed at work is a symptom of our choices. Now, we are going to take this a step further by remembering again that a business is not
- [Own It – Your Business Responsibility as a Reflection of You – Part One](https://clearandopen.com/own-it-your-business-responsibility-as-a-reflection-of-you-part-one/) - This is the first part in a five-part series called Own It: Creating a Culture of Responsibility and Why It Matters. Quite the mouthful, right? That’s why we are just going to simply use the name Own It and move on to what’s really important—facing your decisions and how they play a role in your
- [Own It – The Real Purpose of Business Systems – Part Four](https://clearandopen.com/own-it-the-real-purpose-of-business-systems-part-four/) - Up to this point in the Own It series, we’ve discussed the importance of responsibility and the employee-manager dynamic. Now we look at business systems and where they fit into this great big business machine. The fundamental misinterpretation of systemization is that “systems are the solution.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Systems are
- [You Do It, Too – Part One – Self-Improvement and Perspective](https://clearandopen.com/you-do-it-too-self-improvement-perspective/) - This series may upset you. Don’t read it unless you want to be challenged to be better, and to embrace self-improvement in both your personal and professional worlds. Part of you is not going to like this one bit. In the United States, there is probably more complaining about politicians than ever before. On one
- [You Do It, Too – Part Two – The People and Business Problems You Complain About](https://clearandopen.com/you-do-it-too-part-two-people-business-problems/) - Last week, we discussed American politicians and their flaws. Oh… And we also talked about how you’re exactly like all of them—no exceptions. It’s just a matter of degree. Now, I’ll give you a real-world example to compare against your own business problems. I have a group of about ten mid-level managers I meet with
- [You Do It, Too – Part Three – Problem-Solving and Change on the Inside](https://clearandopen.com/you-do-it-too-part-three-problem-solving-change/) - This is the last part in the You Do It, Too series. I’m sure there’s quite a few of you ready to cheer about moving on to something else. For now, we look at problem-solving and change on the inside. Last week, I gave you real examples of problems you create in your own business—all
- [You Can Get Out When You Puke — Utilizing Discomfort — Part One](https://clearandopen.com/utilizing-discomfort-part-one/) - “You can get out when you puke.” We all know that growth requires discomfort, but many people never realize their potential because they don’t actually understand what is meant by discomfort, and so fail to embrace it. To solve this problem and empower you to get there, we’re going to go into detail about what
- [You Can Get Out When You Puke — Productive Emotional Discomfort — Part Two](https://clearandopen.com/productive-emotional-discomfort/) - Last week, I gave you the assignment to examine your relationship to physical, mental, and emotional discomfort. Did you embrace the discomfort and do the work? If not, go back, and do that right now. It’s common for people to be familiar with the benefits of physical discomfort related to exercise; less so with the
- [You Can Get Out When You Puke — The Discomfort Question — Part Three](https://clearandopen.com/you-can-get-out-when-you-puke-the-discomfort-question-part-three/) - Now, we’re going to get granular about embracing discomfort and how knowing what that entails helps you achieve greatness. In part one of this series, I talked about the tortures of my early springboard diving career and promised I’d tell you more scary things about it. Every diver faces a very specific moment of fear
- [Embracing Avoidance and Uncovering the Truth](https://clearandopen.com/embracing-avoidance-and-uncovering-the-truth/) - Management is like parenting: many people do it and they mostly have no idea what they’re doing, but they somehow make it work. The result? Stress, wheel-spinning, overwhelm, and millions of dollars in lost opportunity. That’s why I’m launching a special course starting January 11th, 2018. How to Manage and Be Managed is the missing
- [Disengaged](https://clearandopen.com/disengaged/) - I had a profound realization about disengaged employees I want to share with you that is critically important for anyone who manages people. I need to give you two minutes of background first. “The world has an employee engagement crisis, with serious and potentially lasting repercussions for the global economy.” This is the first line
- [The Opportunity Cliche](https://clearandopen.com/opportunity-cliche/) - I don’t know when the word “opportunity” was first used as a reframe for a difficulty, but it’s easy to see it’s overused and has become even cliché. Like all wisdom trickled down into mass usage, this overuse dilutes the real meaning. It’s like what happens to your love of a hit song that’s so
- [The Devil Wears Prada and Disengagement](https://clearandopen.com/devil-wears-prada-disengagement/) - How does choice relate to disengagement? Allow me to digress. My favorite scene in The Devil Wears Prada is when Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly, gives an incisive mini-lecture on the invisible and pervasive power of the fashion industry. Check out the clip, it’s less than two minutes. (Not a spoiler!) This scene brings tears
- [Your Boss is Not Your Mother – Leadership Lessons](https://clearandopen.com/leadership-lessons-your-boss-is-not-your-mother/) - What if I said there’s something that causes managers and employees needless suffering every day in this world that almost no one talks about? Would you believe me? Can you handle a two-minute psychology lesson? I promise it’s worth it. (And it is one of the most needed leadership lessons.) I’m talking about authority projections.
- [The Secret is There’s No Secret – A Lesson in Impatience](https://clearandopen.com/a-lesson-in-impatience/) - Do you have challenges with impatience? Consider: How’s your ability to focus? Do you feel like you’re on track to your long-term goals? Do you get anxious not checking your phone for a while? These questions all have a common theme, stay with me. It’s easy to see we’ve become an instant-gratification society. Not long
- [The Cure of Virtue in an Age of Weakness](https://clearandopen.com/cure-of-virtue/) - Over the last few weeks at Clear and Open, we discussed employee engagement often. One of the challenges of addressing disengagement in the workplace is the cultural issue. I don’t mean your company culture, although that’s inevitably a factor. I mean the world culture. We live in a disengaged world, and it didn’t use to
- [Money Won’t Buy It – Employee Engagement](https://clearandopen.com/money-wont-buy-it-employee-engagement/) - It may be news to you, in the consulting world it’s cliché: money is not at the top of the list for employee motivation. Just Google the term “employees motivated by money” and see the countless studies and articles about the importance of respect, culture, recognition, etc. Are we surprised? The stock language variations of
- [Listen Between the Lines About Disengagement](https://clearandopen.com/listen-between-the-lines-about-disengagement/) - I had a realization I wanted to share with you. When I first created Clear Workspace, Open Mind—which is over five hours of video that systematically leads you to become powerfully organized and productive—the purpose was to help people make time to do more important things. I accidentally discovered another function, perhaps its higher service,
- [Accountability: What We All Want But Won’t Ask For](https://clearandopen.com/accountability-what-we-all-want/) - I learned an amazing thing about accountability during my time as an executive at EMyth that is about to transform the way you manage. We interviewed every exiting client to see how we could have improved. We found almost every client wanted to be held more accountable. Their coaches, of course, were shocked. There are
- [How Much Do You Care? – A Lesson in Excellence](https://clearandopen.com/lesson-excellence-how-much-do-you-care/) - Excellence is an expression of care. Where there’s a deficit of care, there’s one of competence. Of course, everyone wants to say they care. They know they’re supposed to care, but the truth is shown in actions, not words. It’s observable that most humans care about their own survival, but what puzzles me is how
- [You Can’t Change Business Culture](https://clearandopen.com/you-cant-change-business-culture/) - Besides in hearts and minds? More than ever in our history people talk about “improving culture” in and outside of business. Unfortunately, it can’t be done, so there’s a great deal of wasted effort and stagnation. I’ll explain. There’s no such thing as culture, strictly speaking. A culture is the result of a group of
- [Why Being Yourself is Hard](https://clearandopen.com/why-being-yourself-is-hard/) - “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt What hard thing is life asking you to do that you haven’t done yet? Confession time: I’m going to tell you what I was avoiding, and still wrestling with. Last autumn, I got a very sweet and tentative email from a coach
- [How to Inspire People to Rock](https://clearandopen.com/how-to-inspire-people-to-rock/) - You can change the course of someone’s life by seeing something in them they don’t see themselves, and then showing them they can do something they think they cannot. This is the essence of great mentoring. I spent my summers as a kid at a pool club. Anyone could go in the three foot section,
- [Irresistible Subject Line Designed to Make You Read - April Fool's Day](https://clearandopen.com/april-fools/) - A great subject line gets at best twenty percent of viewers this far, and you’re met with: A pithy appeal to one of your biggest problems. You know the one. I know the one. That way you think, “They understand what it’s like to be me.” And then the volume turns up on that pain
- [The Freedom Paradox – Millennials in Business](https://clearandopen.com/freedom-paradox-millenials-business/) - Accountability has been an issue for humans for a long time, but it’s recently becoming stickier for a reason that may make you roll your eyes: Millennials. Hold on, I’m not running them down like so many do. Everything has a light side and a shadow. Generally speaking, millennials are entrepreneurial, highly creative, incredibly positive,
- [Holding Employees Accountable – Blame Descartes](https://clearandopen.com/holding-employees-accountable-blame-descartes/) - “I think therefore I am.” Most people have heard this pithy piece of philosophy, but have little idea what it means, much less how it sowed the seeds for myriad management problems. Today, you get to blame the 17th-century French philosopher who coined the phrase, René Descartes, for all your troubles. By understanding what he
- [How to Make the Right Thing Easy to Do](https://clearandopen.com/the-right-thing-easy-to-do/) - First, a crazy thing happened to me after I wrote this. I hope you’ll read to the end where I can tell you. Every day, we’re faced with doing the right thing vs. the easy thing, and it’s easy to see that all the problems in our world can be reduced to when people do
- [What Managers Fear the Most](https://clearandopen.com/what-managers-fear-most/) - Right now, somewhere in you, you are suffering. And part of that pain is inevitably a resistance to change. Here, I’m going to tell you the most-resisted change that keeps leaders and managers from success. Your relationship to change and the way your people relate to change is the most important asset you have. It
- [Truth as an Asset](https://clearandopen.com/truth-as-an-asset/) - What is your company’s most important asset? Your people? Your brand? Your intellectual property? What if it’s none of these things? What if the most important assert were your culture’s relationship to truth? By this I mean, generally speaking, how honest people are with themselves and others. Honesty is a quality that people tend to
- [What You Missed In High School About Management](https://clearandopen.com/what-you-missed-high-school-management/) - Talk to any manager long enough and you’ll hear them say something like, “I can’t get my people to….” While I’m prone to rant about the deficiencies of our education system, there’s something most of us already learned that can help. In high school social studies, you probably came across Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development.
- [What We Can Learn from the TSA](https://clearandopen.com/what-we-can-learn-tsa/) - Here’s a fun story about my own stubborn naiveté, the infamous TSA, and what it means to take ownership of responsibilities. It also helps you save a bunch of time the next time you fly, and since the TSA is too incompetent to communicate their policies proactively, I’m offering my services to them here by
- [Leveling Up in Life](https://clearandopen.com/leveling-up-in-life/) - Welcome to my new look. I hope you like it. Clear and Open is leveling up! And it wouldn’t have happened without some significant failures. That’s what this week’s article is about. Guilty confession time: during my first year of college I was heavily addicted to role-playing games. There were some days where I played
- [The Path to Solving Problems is Right in Front of You](https://clearandopen.com/path-to-solving-problems/) - Do any of these statements sound familiar? You think you have an idea of your problem, but can’t ever seem to find a clear solution that gets down to the root of the issue. You feel as though your relationships and interactions with staff, co-workers, and loved ones are missing something, but you can’t figure
- [Accountability and Personal Growth – Are You Hungry? – Part Three](https://clearandopen.com/are-you-hungry-part-three-accountability-personal-growth/) - We’ve already discussed how personal growth and facing your shadow takes energy and causes productive, real pain that gets to the source of the frustrations in your life. It’s all hard, it’s all work, and it’s always your choice. In the context of hunger for self-learning, let’s look at the subject of accountability. For a
- [Leadership Requires Personal Growth – Are You Hungry? – Part Two](https://clearandopen.com/leadership-requires-personal-growth-hungry-part-two/) - In last week’s post, we talked about how the excitement of change and growth is not bigger than the desire to avoid the pain that is so often the price associated with it. Now, we will discuss how to get clear and move forward. Ready? Let’s go. Simply put, if you’re not vividly clear about
- [Personal Growth and Change – Are You Hungry? – Part One](https://clearandopen.com/personal-growth-change-hungry-part-one/) - The business is a reflection of you. Your life is the sum of your choices. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Change and personal growth begins within. Be the change you want to see in the world. When you point a finger, there are three others pointing
- [The Easiest Way To Screw Up Managing Your Employees Part 3](https://clearandopen.com/screw-up-managing-your-employees-part-3/) - Last week I asked you to ponder, “If crossing organizational lines is so destructive, why are they so common?” Besides the lack of awareness of the negative impact, which we thoroughly explored in the first two parts, there is an epidemic deficient skill: the ability to manage your employees and managers. Managing your employees is
- [The Easiest Way To Screw Up Managing Part 2](https://clearandopen.com/the-easiest-way-to-screw-up-managing-part-2/) - Last week, I scolded you for crossing organizational lines, without even knowing if you did such a thing! How’s that for fairness, eh? Well, you may not have deserved it, but many people do it without realizing, so I took some “accountability license” if you will. It happens innocently enough. You’re in the break room
- [The Easiest Way To Screw Up Managing Part 1](https://clearandopen.com/easiest-way-screw-up-managing-part-one/) - Sometimes doing nothing is doing something. I get it. You care. You know better than anyone else in the business. And so when you see something going awry, or even if you’re just curious, you offer your wisdom. You help. People seem to get a lot out of what you bring. Except when you talk
- [Common Sense Superpower Part Two: The Path to Awareness](https://clearandopen.com/common-sense-part-two/) - In last week’s article, I introduced the idea that common sense is a super power that comes from diligent work in the realm of awareness. It comes from turning toward the pain of illusory beliefs, values, and ideas you have about yourself. Because, if you’re not willing to look at aspects of your internal reality,
- [Common Sense Superpower Part One: It Isn’t So Common](https://clearandopen.com/common-sense-part-one/) - “Common sense is not so common.” –Voltaire Can you define common sense? I know, it’s hard. What if the root of all your problems comes down to not understanding what common sense is? Merriam-Webster defines it as “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.” Sounds simple, doesn’t? But
- [Stock Language: How You’re Lying Without Realizing It](https://clearandopen.com/stock-language/) - “We must all efficiently Operationalize our strategies Invest in world-class technology And leverage our core competencies In order to holistically administrate Exceptional synergy” –Weird Al Yankovic “Mission Statement” This is what I call stock language. It means something, and it doesn’t mean anything. It could literally be the cause of all of your problems. It
- [Cut the Bullshit Epilogue: Pay For What You Get](https://clearandopen.com/business-problems-truth-freedom/) - I know, you thought the series was over, but I got requests for more–and I’m a sucker for requests. (Especially when it comes to solving business problems.) If there was just one thing that was holding you back–just one thing–would you want to know what it is? No matter how uncomfortable the truth made you?
- [Diagnosing Business Trouble](https://clearandopen.com/diagnosing-business-trouble/) - So, what’s your business trouble? Not enough sales Cash flow is tight My people won’t listen I don’t have enough time This is what people say, but none of them are actually problems, and that’s why they don’t change. Huh? They’re not problems? These are symptoms, and to put it bluntly: You’ve been so brainwashed
- [Cut the Bullshit Part Five: Apocalypse](https://clearandopen.com/solve-business-problems/) - I joked last week that I’d call the finale of this series “Apocalypse” and a wise and dear friend of mine reminded me the word comes from the Greek meaning “uncover, reveal.” Funny how the revealing of truth came to mean the end of the world. This is how afraid we are as a species
- [Cut the Bullshit Part Four: Name the #$@*ing Behavior](https://clearandopen.com/high-performer-name-behavior/) - “Why don’t you just tell them that?” “Huh?” my client invariably says. “You want high performers, but you think your employee is uncoachable, not listening, and acting out?” “That’s what I’m saying, yes.” “So just say that,” I say. “But how would they respond? They might quit! I can’t start a conversation when I don’t
- [Cut the Bullshit Part Three: They’re Not The Problem](https://clearandopen.com/employee-problems/) - Let’s talk about “employee problems.” Because they’re bullshit. There’s no such thing as an employee problem. I’ll explain. Last week in part two, I offered a simple question as a tool to create engagement for employees: “What don’t you like about yourself, and how can I help you use your job to change it?” A
- [Cut the Bullshit Part Two: Get Engagement in One Question](https://clearandopen.com/employee-retention/) - I admit I was a bit afraid to hit “send” on last week’s article–not only because I wrote “bullshit” fifteen times, but because it deeply challenged leaders and managers to get real. But it got the best feedback this year, so I wrote a part two. Who knows, maybe it’s a series? Do you want
- [Cut the Bullshit: The Seduction of Complexity](https://clearandopen.com/hiring-mistakes-bullshit/) - It seems managers hate hiring more than they hate hiring mistakes. Hiring is a deadly combination of mission-critical and poorly executed. People avoid it like crazy. It’s uncomfortable, time-consuming, and they just want to get it over with. Many businesses create all of their problems through regular hiring mistakes. I’m going to let you in
- [Loyalty Is Screwed](https://clearandopen.com/customer-loyalty-screwed/) - Amazon bought my customer loyalty again. I recently bought a compost tumbler from them. It was a bit smaller than I’d thought. I might need a second. Putting it together sucked: sixty-two screws and two hours. I had to undo and redo forty minutes of work because the instructions were so bad. I was almost
- [Beliefs And Chainsaws: Exercise Caution](https://clearandopen.com/limiting-beliefs/) - Which is more dangerous: a chainsaw or a limiting belief about a chainsaw? When I was too young to remember, my father rented a chainsaw to take out a large tree in our backyard. At one point, the chainsaw wound down after a cut and he lacerated the inside of his wrist–yeah, where the arteries
- [Do You Suck At Being Sorry?](https://clearandopen.com/employee-responsibility/) - One of the most common complaints I hear from business leaders is a lack of employee responsibility. Employee engagement is a huge issue in many businesses, and it’s often invisible. Employee engagement studies estimate it costs the U.S. economy $370 billion a year. I’ve noticed in the last ten years, airlines stopped apologizing for flight

## Pages

- [Home](https://clearandopen.com/) - When effort isn’t the issue, the work changes… You built the business. It runs. The revenue is there, the team is in place, the obvious problems have been worked on. And you’ve hit something that more effort, better systems, and the right hire haven’t moved. The ceiling isn’t in the business. It’s structural, and it’s
- [About](https://clearandopen.com/about/) - About Josef Shapiro Josef Shapiro has worked with business owners and founders since 2002, beginning with EMyth, one of the foundational frameworks for small business development, where he eventually led sales, marketing, coach training, and program development. That work established a core premise he built on ever since: the primary constraint in most businesses is
- [Developmental Astrology Services](https://clearandopen.com/developmental-astrology-services/) - Developmental Astrology — Services All work begins with the Structural Development Map (SDM). Subsequent services build from that foundation. Recordings of consultations are provided in addition to supporting documents. Please note: this work is developmental, not necessarily affirmational. It is designed to increase clarity, self-awareness, and self-authority, which may at times feel confronting, destabilizing, or
- [Intake](https://clearandopen.com/intake/) - Thank you — here’s what happens next. Your purchase is confirmed. You’ve got two more steps. Step 1 — Submit your birth data and intake information After you submit the form, the confirmation page will give you my scheduling link to book your meeting. That’s step two. Please complete both steps at least one week
- [Developmental Astrology Framework](https://clearandopen.com/developmental-astrology-framework/) - What Developmental Astrology Actually Is Most people’s understanding of astrology comes from one of two places: the horoscope column, which offers vague personality sketches and vaguer predictions, or the more sophisticated versions of the same thing: detailed natal readings that describe tendencies, strengths, relational patterns, and vocational inclinations. Both do the same thing: use the
- [Developmental Astrology](https://clearandopen.com/developmental-astrology/) - The Developmental Astrology Approach Most astrology describes who you are. This work maps how you develop through time. The distinction is critical. Personality-based astrology tells you about your nature: your tendencies, strengths, and patterns. That has some value. But it doesn’t tell you what your life is structurally trying to build right now, which phase
- [Case Studies](https://clearandopen.com/case-study/) - https://clearandopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Jamie-Clip-1-HB.mp4 Letting Go of What Others Think Jamie says the biggest thing he has worked to let go of is his “image,” which he realized he spent considerable energy to keep up, for the benefit of people who he didn’t necessarily care about or even like. He realized this affected not only him but
- [Mentoring](https://clearandopen.com/services/mentoring/) - One-on-One Work The engagement begins with a diagnostic conversation — typically 60 to 90 minutes — focused on identifying the specific structural gap between where you are and what the next level requires. This is not a discovery call in the sales sense. It’s a working conversation that produces a useful read regardless of whether
- [Speaking](https://clearandopen.com/speaking/) - Speaking As with mentoring, speaking events and workshops are completely customized for your group’s needs and desired results. You want participants to be moved and positively changed, not merely talked at. For America’s Best Cleaners (pictured below), I delivered an experiential, day-long workshop for business owners who had been cooped up indoors in a conference
- [Free Resources](https://clearandopen.com/resources/) - CAO ESSENTIAL TEACHINGS This is a collection of the essential teachings of Clear and Open. In any practice, the fundamentals dictate success or failure. For beginners as well as those more experienced, return to what’s most important to maintain focus and context for all of the other teachings. Start Learning CUT THE BULLSHIT As Josh
- [Courses](https://clearandopen.com/services/courses/) - Personal Development in a Professional Context Clear and Open Courses help you surmount professional challenges in a personal way, and new courses are taught live three times per year. You can purchase these courses a la carte, or get access to all courses as part of Dojo Membership. Courses are based on a rigorous and
- [Membership](https://clearandopen.com/services/membership/) - Let’s Grow Together If you’re serious about growth, you need timely feedback and accountability. The Clear and Open Dojo is a place where you can grow with other professionals in a structured environment that ensures you make progress. Do you want to know just how competent you are so you can improve as quickly as
- [Virtues of Clear and Open Dojo Members](https://clearandopen.com/resources/virtues/) - The Eight Virtues of Clear and Open “The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” –Confucius Written company values are good, but not enough. Your challenge as a leader is to inspire people to embody the company values for themselves, not for the company. Most values are vaguely written
- [Code of Conduct](https://clearandopen.com/code-of-conduct/) - The Clear and Open Code of Conduct You want your people to step up, right? Have you defined exactly what that means? Do your people have a written code of behavior that specifies the standards to which you all are accountable? Your company values lack power if it’s not clear how they’re to be put
- [Dojo Trial Membership](https://clearandopen.com/dojo-trial/) - For a Very Limited Time: Get a Free Trial to the Dojo THIS IS NOT A STANDARD EDUCATION. This is an un-doing. It’s the start of excellence. https://clearandopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dojo-Trial-HB.mp4 Start Your Free Trial THIS IS NOT A STANDARD EDUCATION. This is an un-doing. It’s the start of excellence. https://clearandopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dojo-Trial-HB.mp4 Start Your Free Trial Welcome to the
- [Business Assessment](https://clearandopen.com/business-assessment/) - This business assessment gives me a snapshot of the state of your business to find the opportunities to improve. A healthy business doesn’t necessarily answer “True” to all of these statements, they’re only a guide to help us discover what might be missing or could be improved. Many extraordinary businesses might only score 50% on
- [The Engagement Quiz](https://clearandopen.com/engagement-quiz/) - The Engagement Quiz This is a quiz designed to assess your relationship to work, responsibility, and engagement. There is no best score. There is only the truth. Be honest with yourself and try not to overthink your responses. The lower your score, the greater your opportunity for learning and increased engagement. Step 1 of 7
- [Home](https://clearandopen.com/home/) - Businesses Grow When People Do You are confident, powerful, and defied the odds. But something feels missing. You read books and go to conferences, and the inspiration lasts a week or two. You try out new ideas and they help a little, but something doesn’t get touched. You have dreams but don’t feel on track. Your people
- [The 5 Stages of Engagement Quiz](https://clearandopen.com/five-stages-quiz/) - Welcome to the Five Stages Quiz The takes just a couple of minutes and helps you locate where you are on a spectrum of development. It reflects to you your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. For it to work, you must be honest with yourself. Wherever you are is perfect. Thanks for your engagement! – Josef
- [Testimonials](https://clearandopen.com/testimonials/) - Client Testimonials The teachings of Clear and Open aren’t always an easy path to follow. But one thing has been proven over 16 years of working one-on-one and with groups: do the work, engage in the process, and you’ll see results you never would have imagined, both for yourself and your business. Quite simply, Clear
- [Organizational Enlightenment (Audio Recording)](https://clearandopen.com/organizational-enlightenment/) - Thanks so much — I know you’ll love this audio recording on Organizational Enlightenment. To access this 25-minute audio recording on Organizational Enlightenment, just click on this link and the audio file will start playing (or right click and select ‘download’ to save a copy to your desktop). Get your free, three-lesson video course right now
- [Open To Excellence Self-Assessment](https://clearandopen.com/open-to-excellence-assessment/) - Self-Assessment: Open To Excellence The Open To Excellence Course sets a very high bar for professionalism, integrity, and responsibility. The lower your score, the greater an opportunity you have. Be uncomfortably honest with yourself for best results. Step 1 of 6 16% What's your email address?* I carefully consider the situation before I say I’m
- [Help](https://clearandopen.com/help/) - Advocate For Yourself And What You Want The form is for Clear and Open Members to ask for help or give feedback anonymously. I respond to all requests for help, and your needs ideally are the focus for our weekly webcasts. To serve you best, I prefer people not be anonymous, but this option is available
- [Clear and Open Client Questionnaire](https://clearandopen.com/questionnaire-2/) - Consult Questionnaire Tell me a little about what you're looking to accomplish and why you're looking to work together? And what business goals do you have in mind after you successfully complete the project?*Do you have a budget that you've set aside for this project?*When are you looking to start?* MM slash DD slash YYYY
- [Clear Workspace, Open Mind Self-Assessment (Post-Course)](https://clearandopen.com/clear-workspace-open-mind-self-assessment-final/) - Self-Assessment: Clear Workspace, Open Mind - (Post-Course) So you've completed the course, congratulations! Time to see what's changed. Of course, this isn't a true measure of how much you've grown, but it can help you find areas for continued improvement. Fundamentally, remember you're looking for a sea change in the way you relate to work
- [Clear Workspace, Open Mind Self-Assessment](https://clearandopen.com/self-assessment/) - Self-Assessment: Clear Workspace, Open Mind The Clear Workspace, Open Mind Course sets a very high bar for self-organization and time management. The lower your score, the greater an opportunity you have. Be uncomfortably honest with yourself for best results. Step 1 of 4 25% What's your email address?* I empty my email inbox on the
- [Sign up](https://clearandopen.com/sign-up-2/) - Sign up for my list and get your free, three-lesson video course right now I know, you don’t have time for this. That’s why you’re doing it. You’ll reclaim hours every week so you’ve got time for what matters most. Each video is about seven minutes and frees up your time so you can work on
- [Contact Form](https://clearandopen.com/about/contact-form/) - Great Achievements Begin With Conversations Have a question? Don’t know what your question is, but want to talk? Want to tell me your biggest dream? This is the place to let it flow. Maybe I can help, and there’s only one way to find out. I look forward to hearing from you. Name* First Last
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- [Meditation For Awakening](https://clearandopen.com/meditation-for-awakening/) - New Live Seminar Starts April 16, 2020 at 11:15 am PT. Sign up now, space is limited. Meditation For Awakening How To Get With Reality ENROLL ME IN THIS COURSE Think You’re In Reality? Think Again. Limiting beliefs. Unproductive attitudes. False assumptions. You’ve probably encountered some of these and dealt with them. You’ve seen how
- [Learning For Change](https://clearandopen.com/learning-for-change/) - New Live Seminar Starts January 9, 2020. Sign up now, space is limited. Learning For Change How To Become What You Know ENROLL ME IN THIS COURSE What If Change Didn’t Take Time? What’s your most important resource? Is it money? Time? Knowledge? Attention? Nope. It’s your ability to change. I have some news for
- [Newsletter](https://clearandopen.com/newsletter/) - Share this... Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit
- [Accountability Path Webinar Replay](https://clearandopen.com/accountability-replay/) - WATCH THE REPLAY! THE ACCOUNTABILITY PATH: 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO ELICIT RESPONSIBILITY Wanna know more about the upcoming live course? It’s called The Accountability Path 2.0: How Surrendering to Truth Elicits Radical Responsibility and it starts Sept 12th! Click the button for more details and a special offer! Show me the details!When I contacted Josef,
- [Accountability Path 2.0](https://clearandopen.com/accountability-path-2/) - New Live Seminar Starts Sept 12, 2019. Enroll before Sept 11th to get a discounted price! THE ACCOUNTABILITY PATH 2.0 How Surrendering to Truth Elicits Radical Responsibility ENROLL ME IN THE COURSE! Holding People Accountable Takes Guts. The first thing you need to know about the Accountability Path is that it isn’t easy. Accountability is
- [Accountability Path 2.0 Masterclass](https://clearandopen.com/accountability-masterclass/) - The Accountability Path: 5 Simple Yet Effective Steps to Get People to Step Up and Take Responsibility What You’ll Learn: The Accountability Path is a simple but highly effective 5-step tool to help you elicit radical responsibility in a clear-cut way. This stair-stepped method takes your employees (or your kids, your peers, even you) to
- [CLEAR Thinking](https://clearandopen.com/clear-thinking/) - New Live Seminar Beginning April 11, 2019! Enrollment Opens 4/2/19 CLEAR THINKING: BE MORE EFFECTIVE, FULFILLED & HAPPY AT WORK AND IN LIFE Are you living an intentional life? What are the reasons behind the things you do every day? Every day it gets harder to navigate and be successful in our complex world. So how
- [Instant Change Part Two](https://clearandopen.com/instant-change-2/) - I appreciate your curiosity! You wanted to know more, that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, as you may have suspected, what you’re looking for doesn’t exist. And now I encourage you look at why it appealed to you in any way at all. The reason it’s free and easy is because it’s probably what a part
- [Payment](https://clearandopen.com/pay/) - Payment Price* Total $ 0.00 Credit Card* American ExpressDiscoverMasterCardVisaSupported Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa Card Number Expiration Date Month010203040506070809101112 Year20262027202820292030203120322033203420352036203720382039204020412042204320442045 CVV Code Cardholder Name Your Name First Last Email* When I contacted Josef, I knew that the CEO I was to get my company to our first million dollar year was not
- [Inquiry Seminar](https://clearandopen.com/inquiry/) - New Live Seminar Beginning January 10, 2019! Enrollment Closes 1/17/19 2019/01/17 23:59:59 MANAGING WITH INQUIRY: CREATE POWERFUL CHANGE THROUGH RADICAL ACCEPTANCE A powerful new way for you to remove blocks, release unhelpful patterns, and start living your authentic self If you’ve tried on the teachings of Clear and Open even just a tiny bit, you
- [Art of Self Management](https://clearandopen.com/asm-course/) - Work’s a Bitch, and Then You Die… Do you ever find yourself daydreaming what your life would be like if you didn’t have to work? Ever daydream about it while you’re at work? Be honest: when you think about your job, do you feel inspired? Totally lit up? Naaaahhhh. Work sucks. Hard. Every morning you
- [Refer](https://clearandopen.com/refer/) - You’re on the Inside Track! If you’re reading this secret page, two things are true: Someone cares about you and sees in you a desire to grow. Someone respects you and knows you’re capable of amazing things. From an outside perspective, Clear and Open may seem like just another collection of professional development courses. But
- [New Client Intake Form](https://clearandopen.com/about/new-client-info/) - New Client Information Form Name* First Last Title Company* Address* Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl
- [The videos are on their way, but can you tell me a little bit about you?](https://clearandopen.com/questionnaire/) - Thanks so much! The first video will in your inbox in a moment. In the meantime, would you be so kind as to tell me a little about yourself? This is a totally optional step but helps me learn a little bit more about how I can best help you.
- ["Save Time Now" Questionnaire Bonus](https://clearandopen.com/bonus/) - Thanks so much for taking the time to fill out the "Save Time Now" Questionnaire. I deeply appreciate your feedback! — Josef
- [Dojo Rank Application](https://clearandopen.com/dojo-rank-application/) - Dojo Rank Application Name First Last Email Please select the rank you're applying for.* Sixth Class (Orange) Fifth Class (Yellow) Fourth Class (Green) Third Class (Blue) Second Class (Purple) First Class (Brown) First Degree (Black) Self-Nomination*Why do you feel you've earned this rank? Relate your answer as close to how the rank is defined as
- [Course Research](https://clearandopen.com/course-research/) - Course Research Upcoming live course beginning Sept 6th and lasting 11 weeks, with weekly group coaching calls and private slack group access. What course would you be most interested in taking? The Art of Self Management: How to Make Work Not Suck The Accountability Path: Deep Dive into Personal Responsibility for Growth Personal Growth For
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- [Free Course Confirmation](https://clearandopen.com/confirmation/) - Free Course Confirmation Thanks so much! The first video will be in your inbox in a moment. Get your free, three-lesson video course right now I know, you don’t have time for this. That’s why you’re doing it. You’ll reclaim hours every week so you’ve got time for what matters most. Each video is about
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## Testimonials

- [Jamie Birch, Founder and CEO of JEB Commerce](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/jamie-birch-founder-and-ceo-of-jeb-commerce/) - When I contacted Josef, I knew that the CEO I was to get my company to our first million dollar year was not the CEO I had to be to get us to 5 and 10 million dollars. I had to be different, I had to learn new skills, I had to manage my people
- [Chris Kay, Entrepreneur](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/chris-kay-entrepreneur/) - "Josef is the best coach I have ever worked with. He is tough, insightful and will hold you accountable. If you're ready for the truth, if you're truly ready for the next level, I promise he will help take you there. In less than 9 months I achieved results with Josef that were way beyond
- [John Cheary, Founder & CEO, John Marshall Media, Inc.](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/john-cheary-founder-ceo-john-marshall-media-inc/) - Josef has made a significant contribution to my life. During my time with him he’s illuminated areas of myself that I wasn’t aware existed, helping me recognize issues that were holding me back and helping me discover ways to improve them. I’ll hold the lessons that he taught me for the rest of my life.
- [Hannah Wilkerson, Affiliate Manager at JEB Commerce](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/hannah-wilkerson-affiliate-manager-at-jeb-commerce/) - "Through the Clear and Open courses, I've realized key shadow aspects of my personality that held me back in more ways than I'd ever realized. I have grown immensely since engaging in them and I can honestly say NONE of this would have been brought to light without Josef. His ability to get you to
- [Wyatt Jenkins, SVP at Shutterstock.com](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/lorem-ipsum/) - One of the greatest challenges in business is getting teams to understand one another and work together masterfully. This means having deep empathy for each other's backgrounds, motivations, passion areas and blind spots. Josef Shapiro understands these needs and has been expertly helping people for many years. In both personal coaching and workshops, Josef has
- [Tiffany Lach, Founder of Sola Cafe & Market](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/tiffany-lach-founder-of-sola-cafe-market/) - "I am a stronger, more consistent leader as a result of my participation in Clear and Open. Josef brings rigorous inquiry into all aspects of being. Working with Josef is beyond coaching. It's like having a really great personal trainer but for business, with an insistence on excellence at every turn. As with any great
- [Mark Krull, Owner of First St. Cafe, Certified EMyth Coach](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/mark-krull-owner-of-first-st-cafe-certified-emyth-coach/) - Josef pushes my edge in a way that challenges me to be better. If I have blind spots or thinking that doesn't serve me, I know Josef will help me see it. He gives me something I instinctively know I need to be my best.
- [Taylor Trusty, Founder of Blackstone Media](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/1168/) - Josef is unlike any coach I've worked with: he's wicked smart, calls me on my bullshit, gets right to the heart of the matter, and sees through to the root issues. He's opened my eyes to unconscious motives and patterns of behaviors that I see now are at the root of my struggles. I'm changing and
- [Chris Kay, Serial Entreprenuer](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/chris-kay-serial-entreprenuer/) - "Josef is the best coach I have ever worked with. He is tough, insightful and will hold you accountable. If you're ready for the truth, if you're truly ready for the next level, I promise he will help take you there. In less than 9 months I achieved results with Josef that were way beyond
- [Spencer Rosen, Founder of Energy Integrity](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/spencer-rosen-founder-of-energy-integrity/) - "Josef has an uncanny capacity to get to the heart of the matter with people and have them discover what's been holding them back in a way that causes real and lasting change.”
- [Kim Kazak, CEO of Landforms](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials/kim-kazak-ceo-of-landforms/) - "Josef helped us to realize that we were in the wrong positions in our company and with his help we restructured our company and rebuilt something stronger. We are now more accountable, we take issues head-on and do not let them fester. We are more organized and are creating systems to streamline our company. Josef helped

## Categories

- [Accountability](https://clearandopen.com/category/accountability/)
- [Management](https://clearandopen.com/category/management/)
- [Customer Service](https://clearandopen.com/category/customer-service/)
- [Leadership](https://clearandopen.com/category/leadership/)
- [Mentoring](https://clearandopen.com/category/mentoring/)
- [Self-Organization](https://clearandopen.com/category/self-organization/)
- [Tools](https://clearandopen.com/category/tools/)
- [Engagement](https://clearandopen.com/category/engagement/)
- [Personal Development](https://clearandopen.com/category/personal-development/)
- [Startup](https://clearandopen.com/category/startup/)
- [Investment](https://clearandopen.com/category/investment/)
- [Relationships](https://clearandopen.com/category/relationships/)
- [Spirituality](https://clearandopen.com/category/spirituality/)
- [Finance](https://clearandopen.com/category/finance/)

## Tags

- [management](https://clearandopen.com/tag/management/)
- [accountability](https://clearandopen.com/tag/accountability/)
- [authenticity](https://clearandopen.com/tag/authenticity/)
- [better manager](https://clearandopen.com/tag/better-manager/)
- [business culture](https://clearandopen.com/tag/business-culture/)
- [business coaching](https://clearandopen.com/tag/business-coaching/)
- [business metrics](https://clearandopen.com/tag/business-metrics/)
- [business plan](https://clearandopen.com/tag/business-plan/)
- [coaching](https://clearandopen.com/tag/coaching/)
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- [customer loyalty](https://clearandopen.com/tag/customer-loyalty/)
- [customer service](https://clearandopen.com/tag/customer-service/)
- [effective coaching](https://clearandopen.com/tag/effective-coaching/)
- [employee disengagement](https://clearandopen.com/tag/employee-disengagement/)
- [employee mentoring](https://clearandopen.com/tag/employee-mentoring/)
- [employee problems](https://clearandopen.com/tag/employee-problems/)
- [employee responsibility](https://clearandopen.com/tag/employee-responsibility/)
- [empowerment](https://clearandopen.com/tag/empowerment/)
- [engagement](https://clearandopen.com/tag/engagement/)
- [excellence](https://clearandopen.com/tag/excellence/)
- [family business problems](https://clearandopen.com/tag/family-business-problems/)
- [goal setting](https://clearandopen.com/tag/goal-setting/)
- [high performer](https://clearandopen.com/tag/high-performer/)
- [hiring mistakes](https://clearandopen.com/tag/hiring-mistakes/)
- [leadership](https://clearandopen.com/tag/leadership/)
- [limiting beliefs](https://clearandopen.com/tag/limiting-beliefs/)
- [management metrics](https://clearandopen.com/tag/management-metrics/)
- [mentoring](https://clearandopen.com/tag/mentoring/)
- [organization](https://clearandopen.com/tag/organization/)
- [organization skills](https://clearandopen.com/tag/organization-skills/)
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- [overwhelm](https://clearandopen.com/tag/overwhelm/)
- [people problems](https://clearandopen.com/tag/people-problems/)
- [personal growth](https://clearandopen.com/tag/personal-growth/)
- [personal problems](https://clearandopen.com/tag/personal-problems/)
- [personal responsibility](https://clearandopen.com/tag/personal-responsibility/)
- [problem solving](https://clearandopen.com/tag/problem-solving/)
- [responsibility](https://clearandopen.com/tag/responsibility/)
- [self-improvement](https://clearandopen.com/tag/self-improvement/)
- [self-management](https://clearandopen.com/tag/self-management/)
- [solve business problems](https://clearandopen.com/tag/solve-business-problems/)
- [supervision](https://clearandopen.com/tag/supervision/)
- [systems](https://clearandopen.com/tag/systems/)
- [time management](https://clearandopen.com/tag/time-management/)
- [time management skills](https://clearandopen.com/tag/time-management-skills/)
- [unlearning](https://clearandopen.com/tag/unlearning/)
- [authority](https://clearandopen.com/tag/authority/)
- [employee retention](https://clearandopen.com/tag/employee-retention/)
- [company values](https://clearandopen.com/tag/company-values/)
- [soft skills](https://clearandopen.com/tag/soft-skills/)
- [work-life balance](https://clearandopen.com/tag/work-life-balance/)
- [management tools](https://clearandopen.com/tag/management-tools/)
- [manifestation](https://clearandopen.com/tag/manifestation/)
- [failure](https://clearandopen.com/tag/failure/)
- [work ethic](https://clearandopen.com/tag/work-ethic/)
- [self interest](https://clearandopen.com/tag/self-interest/)
- [personal development](https://clearandopen.com/tag/personal-development/)
- [projection](https://clearandopen.com/tag/projection/)
- [values](https://clearandopen.com/tag/values/)
- [success](https://clearandopen.com/tag/success/)
- [discomfort](https://clearandopen.com/tag/discomfort/)
- [avoiding](https://clearandopen.com/tag/avoiding/)
- [truth](https://clearandopen.com/tag/truth/)
- [curiosity](https://clearandopen.com/tag/curiosity/)
- [excuses](https://clearandopen.com/tag/excuses/)
- [venture capital](https://clearandopen.com/tag/venture-capital/)
- [investors](https://clearandopen.com/tag/investors/)
- [growth](https://clearandopen.com/tag/growth/)
- [revenue](https://clearandopen.com/tag/revenue/)
- [value](https://clearandopen.com/tag/value/)
- [mistakes](https://clearandopen.com/tag/mistakes/)
- [stock language](https://clearandopen.com/tag/stock-language/)
- [gallup](https://clearandopen.com/tag/gallup/)
- [virtues](https://clearandopen.com/tag/virtues/)
- [personal values](https://clearandopen.com/tag/personal-values/)
- [employee engagement](https://clearandopen.com/tag/employee-engagement/)
- [meditation](https://clearandopen.com/tag/meditation/)
- [spirit](https://clearandopen.com/tag/spirit/)
- [zen](https://clearandopen.com/tag/zen/)
- [nonduality](https://clearandopen.com/tag/nonduality/)
- [competence](https://clearandopen.com/tag/competence/)
- [millennials](https://clearandopen.com/tag/millennials/)
- [embodiment gap](https://clearandopen.com/tag/embodiment-gap/)

## Testimonial Categories

- [Home](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials_category/home/)
- [Dojo Trial Testimonials](https://clearandopen.com/dt_testimonials_category/dojo-trial-testimonials/)