Business Leadership
Delegation Is Not Abdication: Empowering Without Disengaging
I was at a business development conference last week, focused on the future of our company, when my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. A newer manager kept texting me about a tactical issue.
Read MoreThe Wisdom of Leaders Who Value Their Time
For leaders, time is one of the most precious resources available to leaders. Moses, the founding leader of the nation of Israel, recognized this truth deeply, capturing its essence in Psalm 90:12. (Yes, for those of us who thought David wrote all the Psalms in the Hebrew scriptures, Moses wrote a Psalm!) Psalm 90:12 shares, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Scholars believe Moses wrote this Psalm after leading for more than forty years;
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Read MoreKeep It Simple: Navigating Leadership Through Three Foundational Questions
Inspired by Good to Great by Jim Collins, leadership boils down to focusing on three essential questions that drive purpose and success.
Read MoreLeading Through Change: Guiding Your Team with Purpose and Resilience
Do you remember the last time you played “Bop the Gopher?” One of our teams did last year’s holiday celebration at a pizza parlor/arcade game center. Before I knew what was happening, one of my employees armed me with a plastic mallet, and I found myself trying to hit “gophers” that kept popping up faster and faster while all our team members gathered round, laughing at my slow hand/eye coordination. Change can often feel like a game of “Bop the Gopher.” As soon as you think you’ve managed one challenge,
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Read MoreLeadership Lessons from Bali: Rich in Character Virtues
I just wrapped up two incredible weeks in Bali, Indonesia. This trip was the perfect blend of a peaceful vacation with my wife and an inspiring gathering at the Global Speakers Federation biannual meeting. As I explored this beautiful island and connected with fellow leaders, a few timeless leadership principles struck me deeply—principles that transcend borders and cultures.
Read MoreThriving in the Shade: Lessons in Growth and Leadership from Asiatic Jasmine, 4.9.2
Asiatic Jasmine is not native to central Texas, but it thrives here. Evergreen, hardy, heat- and drought-resistant, Asiatic Jasmine is a favorite ground cover plant for Texas…
Read MoreDive into Leadership on the High Performance Mindset Podcast
Fellow leader,
I recently had the pleasure of joining Dr. Cindra Kamphoff on her podcast, The High Performance Mindset…
Read MoreHere we go: Success and Failure
What do success and risk have in common?
My wife and I own several swim schools in central Texas. Last year, we provided more than 200,000 swim lessons at our five facilities. We helped a lot of kids grow stronger and more comfortable in and around the water. It was a very successful year of providing more lessons to more children than ever.
We also had a very risky year. We demolished and rebuilt one of our five swim school at the same time we were building a brand new school.
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Read MoreFour Leadership Reflections from a Snow Day in Austin
It snowed in Austin on Sunday. Real snow. For hours. If you are from the Midwest or Mountain States, what we had may not qualify as “real snow” in your opinion. But for us, the flurries swirled for 6+ hours and the local weather reporting station declared an inch-and-a-half of total snowfall between 9a and 3p. Several Austin suburbs recorded 5 inches or more.
Such fun! We’ve lived in Austin for more than 20 years.
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Read More3 Keys to Leading in Times of Disruption
My wife and I live urban. Several years ago, we were privileged to downsize and move into one of the oldest close-in neighborhoods in Austin. We live in a tiny stone cottage – one of the few stone houses remaining – three miles directly west of Austin’s downtown. We love how accessible Austin’s downtown has become for us with its restaurants, coffee shops and various goings-ons. Which leads me to this picture of our more-than-80-year-old house with a disruptive technology in front of it.
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