Life Lessons

Most beginners grip the club like they could strangle it, swing hard and hope for the best.  The best golfers know that a loose grip, as light as you would hold a bird, is the secret to long, straight ball flight, and control. Loosening the grip is a great lesson for capturing joy and purposeContinue reading “Loosen the Grip”

Money has the potential to do great good and great harm in our lives.  With the right mindset and tools we can reduce the hold money has on so many of us. The struggle with money affects us all: 47% of the world’s population lives in poverty, defined as living on less than $6.85/day1 ,Continue reading “Money, Money, Money”

Happiness and joy are two different things.  Happiness depends on happenings, the events and circumstances in our lives, and is fleeting.  One thing we all learn is that no one can be truly happy all the time, as none of us are immune to bad or sad things in our lives.  What we can learnContinue reading “Joy vs Happiness”

It is easy to make things complicated and very hard to make things simple.   I have seen a direct correlation in my life between success and simplicity. The most successful businesses I have worked with know their purpose and simplify their offer and create clear messages to consumers, while many have failed trying toContinue reading “Simplify”

75% of Americans pray at least one per month, and I am one of the 55% of people in the US who pray every day1. One of my favorite things about my protestant Christian faith is that one of its founding tenants was the ability to pray directly to God, in my language of choice. Continue reading “How I Pray”

Approval Addiction I have an approval addiction.  I was raised to never be satisfied and to measure my accomplishments versus others.  I love to compete and wired as a Type A, ENTJ (Myers-Briggs) and Enneagram 3/8. While this competitive spirit is a useful tool in business and sport, the danger is falling into the trapContinue reading “Approval Addiction”

Leading Change – how to lead teams though significant change I have led large teams though significant change – from leading the integration of two $5 billion companies, to getting competitors Ben & Jerrys and Haagen-Dazs ice cream to combine operations.   It’s hard to lead change, because when people say they fear change, whatContinue reading “Leading Change”

What I learned being fun-employed After 30 years of working with no more than 2 weeks off at a time, I spent 6 months unemployed.  The sabbatical – filled with networking, reading, writing, praying, organizing, exercising, traveling and spending time with family – was life-changing, transforming this period into fun-employment, an early peak at retirement,Continue reading “What I learned being Fun-employed”

Document Goals Goals work well when documented, and best when shared with others.   Every September, as the new school year was beginning, the family gathered at the kitchen table for a formal meeting – with an agenda, a scribe, and the children complaining.  The purpose? –setting goals for the year for my wife and me,Continue reading “Document Goals”

Know your DNA – principles in your life that never change Defining the unchanging principles in your life is critically important to happiness and significance in your career and life. Much like DNA, the molecule that defines the identity of every living being, you have your own set of principles that define the choices youContinue reading “Know Your DNA”

Serve – give back + learn Service to a non-profit organization is an excellent way to give back to the community, make an impact and develop skills. What a great match. Non-profit boards are hungry for talent, and young leaders are often looking for ways to both serve and develop new skills.   How to doContinue reading “Serve”

Focus and prioritization help me lead and live on purpose.  The word priority has been around since 1350 and means one thing that is most important.  Around 1940, Americans started believing that more than one thing could be a priority, and the word priorities came into our vernacular. A life on purpose is best centered on ONE thing, one priority, from which actionsContinue reading “The One Thing”