Being Brave vs. Being Courageous: The Same or Something Else?

It takes a special kind of person to be able to confront risk and take bold action in the workplace. And perhaps it’s a “Captain Obvious” moment that a guy who has been studying courageous leadership for the last 5 years would murmur the following: Bravery and courage are essential characteristics for corporate success. Even […]

Shift Remote Work to Emote Work

I had a keynote up in LA yesterday addressing a rocket ship team that hasn’t been live for about 1000 days. What else is a thousand days old? Remote Work. At best, most of us have a transactional workplace culture to show for it. If we were to proclaim the losers of remote work, you […]

How Toys “R” Us Beat the Odds of Extinction

Toys “R” Us was once a leading retailer of toys, children’s clothing, and baby products. Founded in 1948 by Charles Lazarus, the Toys “R” Us name made its American debut in 1957. The company started as a baby goods and furniture store called Children’s Bargain Town in Washington, DC. In the subsequent years, Lazarus reinvented […]

5 Business Haikus That Better You

Perhaps it’s selfish of me. But I love creating a good Business Haiku. It has everything I like nestled in one no-space-to-waste pithy little poem. There’s the puzzle of making the 5-7-5 syllables work. There’s the challenge of making sure it’s not simply a creative endeavor but a vessel carrying a true insight. Above all, […]

Being Brave vs Being Courageous

I was invited on a podcast recently where I was asked the differences between Being Brave vs Being Courageous. Both show an ability to confront risk and boldly take action. But there’s nuance nestled in each of these two ideas. Being brave happens in the moment. Being courageous happens in the Marathon. What do I […]

10 Tips For Taking On a Mental 10/10

Hi there, 10/10! How are you? Is everything OK? Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m fine? No? That’s ok. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind. I see you for what you are, 10/10, and I’m still here. As a guy that has optimism as his number one personal value, you […]

Magic Is Misunderstood

This week, I ran into a LinkedIn post by an entrepreneur I respect who had written an article suggesting that creativity wasn’t magic and how this was a good thing. When Magic is your #2 corporate value, it’s safe to infer that I vehemently disagree with the above thesis. Magician Doug Henning used to say, […]

The Pursuit of Happiness: Past, Present, or Future?

I have a confession to make: I’ve enjoyed my last two years. I have to be careful saying this for all the reasons you can imagine. I want to be sensitive to those around me who have had a different experience—often quite personally—because of COVID. For me? On the home front, I was able to […]

Survival. Success. Soul.

Once upon a time, there was the younger version of you. The one who graduated from college. And who had interned here (or there). But “life after diploma” kick-started your business journey. In the early years, you didn’t get to choose much. You didn’t have the luxury of picking that first boss or company. You […]

Thoughts on Thought Leadership: Mixing “Feel” Leaders and “Do” Leaders with your “Thought” Leaders

Recently, I had the chance to address 30 global all-stars from Deloitte down in Houston. While there isn’t much I’m at liberty to reveal about our session, I will share one story about thought leadership I brought forward at the beginning of our time together. As you can imagine, this was an elite group better […]