Recent Blog Articles

The Practice of Gratitude - Happy Thanksgiving - Clear and Open

The 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…

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You Do It, Too – Part One – Self-Improvement and Perspective — Clear and Open

You Do It, Too – Part One – Self-Improvement and 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…

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Own It – The Real Purpose of Business Systems – Part Four

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…

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Own It – Empowerment and Ownership – Part Three - Clear and Open

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…

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Own It – The Manager-Employee Relationship – Part Two — Clear and Open

Own It – The Manager-Employee Relationship – Part Two

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…

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The Benevolent Dictator – Leadership Qualities – Part Three - Clear and Open

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…

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