What’s Your Leadership VO2 Max?

“Discipline equals freedom.” – Jocko Willink When I first heard Jocko say that, it stuck with me. At first, they seem almost contradictory. How can discipline create freedom? But the more I’ve reflected on them, the more I’ve realized they’re true in every area of life. Discipline creates physical freedom. Financial freedom. Spiritual freedom. And … Read more

The Weight We Carry

We often think leadership begins when we receive a promotion or a title, but the truth is leadership begins the moment someone starts following our example. Yesterday was Father’s Day, and as I sat down to write this week’s leadership blog, I couldn’t think of a more fitting topic. Not because every person reading this … Read more

Don’t Ignore The Lights On The Dash

Motion Is Not Momentum. One of the most dangerous places a leader can be is busy. One of the easiest ways to destroy a perfectly good engine is to ignore the warning signs. Most of us know this. Yet every day, people continue driving with a low oil light on the dashboard thinking, “I’ll get … Read more

Leadership Gets Tested in the Hard Seasons

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr. Anybody can lead when things are going well. It is easy to motivate the team when the sales board is full. It is … Read more

You Shouldn’t Feel Like a Stranger in the Room

“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.” – Jim Collins One of the most interesting feelings in life is being in a room where everyone seems to be speaking a language you should understand, but somehow you don’t. I know just “enough” about sports. I absolutely love watching a great Detroit Lions game, cheering on … Read more

If It Was Easy, Everyone Would Do It… But That Doesn’t Mean You Have to Destroy Yourself Doing It

Grace isn’t lowering the standard or letting yourself off the hook – it’s recognizing that you’re human while you pursue that standard. Last week’s blog struck a chord. “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” A lot of you reached out saying you needed that reminder, and I get it – because leadership is … Read more

If it was easy, everybody would do it.

There is no greater God-given privilege than being trusted with somebody else’s future. We’ve all heard that before. It gets thrown around in the locker rooms, job sites, podcasts, and conversations when things get hard. Most of the time it’s meant to fire you up – to remind you that the difficulty you’re facing is … Read more

Creating a “We Don’t Do That” Culture

You can measure the strength of your culture by one simple test: What happens when you’re not in the room? That’s the real scoreboard. Not your meetings. Not your speeches. Not your intentions. What your team tolerates, what they correct, what they allow – when you’re absent… That’s your culture. Most leaders never stop to … Read more