Leadership

There are a lot of quotes about success. However, there is one quote that I had to revise to make it work for me.

You may have heard the quote, "Success is when preparation meets opportunity." Well, that's undoubtedly true, but I don't think it is sufficient. I like to say that "Success is when preparation and your connections meet opportunity."

Preparation is critical because you can't just start hiking if you want to climb a mountain. You have to have gear, supplies, maps, and an understandi…

Have you ever felt stuck in the “originality trap”? It’s when you’re afraid to innovate because you think someone else has already done it or done something similar enough that it would seem like copying.

No one wants to be a copycat or a plagiarizer. But there’s an important distinction here: the difference between “inventive success” and “creative death.”

The writer David Perell talks about how the best way to improve any skill is first to imitate and then innovate. You don’t just start crea…

"If we remain humble and grounded in nature's wisdom, our mind will guide us safely through the confines of unawareness and the blindness of ignorance." – Erik Pevernagie

Have you noticed how the concepts of leadership extend to all aspects of life? I love exploring the world and what I have come to realize is that a great travel experience requires what I call "Grounded Leadership."

There are scheduling complications, language challenges, and cultural customs to navigate. Those who can't adap…

Okay, raise your hand if you love conflict. Amazingly, there are always a few people out there who do. Most of us avoid conflict because it feels uncomfortable, damaging, and emotionally unsafe.

Some people welcome conflict because they know that healthy conflict can be a catalyst for brilliant collaborations, creativity, and growth.

If we look at the work of one of my favorite teachers… nature, it is clear that friction is a necessary part of evolution. Baby chickens would die if they didn’t …

Why do the moments when others believed in us stand out in our memories?

As a leader, it can feel confronting to climb up through dizzying heights, treacherous paths, and the constantly shifting weather of our career paths while wondering if we're even on the right mountain to begin with.

That's why it's so important to have people who are further along than you, who can see where you are and honestly tell you that not only are you on the right path but that you have what it takes to get there…

Hello, It's Me! Connect with Your Future Self

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." – Paulo Coelho

I am sure you have heard of the concept before, but have you ever really created a personal vision statement? Most people don't take the time to do this exercise, but it can definitely impact how you shape your future. A personal vision statement captures what you want to be, do, feel, think, and impact by some date in the future.

Let's start with yo…

Have you ever had an experience where all the dots suddenly connected themselves?

It’s that beautiful moment where everything that had previously seemed like a mess of information suddenly formed a direct path from where you were to where you wanted to be.

When that happens, it’s like the weight of the world suddenly drops away, and it is replaced by feelings of clarity, excitement, and relief.

For some people, this is a rare experience, while others experience it all the time. So, what’s the…

Prepare yourself for the most over-used question of the business world: “What are you optimizing for?”

In all honesty, that question makes me want to take a nap. “Optimize” has become buzzwords that, by itself, has become blended into the background noise of the business world, just like “solutions for success.” Snore.

But there is something important here. Optimize means to make something effective or as useful as possible. And as I am sure you know, wherever our attention goes, our energy fo…

"We need the courage to start and continue what we should do, and courage to stop what we shouldn't do." – Richard Evans

Have you ever heard of the Stop, Start, Continue, Change exercise? I am not sure who originally conceived of it, but it has been a key tool in the agile project management toolbox for years. I love sharing this concept with teams and leaders I work with because, if used properly, it can be a powerful team-building exercise and a fantastic way to generate new ideas. It is also…

If you are anything like me, you have probably had times where you felt a sense of belonging with one group of people, and when you are with other groups, not so much.

We are wired to seek belonging. In fact, humanity probably would have failed if it weren’t for tribes that become communities, and then eventually become societies and gradually became nations.

Today, we have tribes in the form of Meetup groups that offer everything from stamp-collecting to skydiving. People love to be with peop…