Blog
Read Blog Posts by Category:
Passion: Articles that deal with the inner drive that we all need to want to MOVE from where we currently are to where we dream to be.
Preparation: These posts reference articles, books, documentaries, speakers, quotes, and other inspirational and formative ideas that I have found that helped me and the people around me.
Practice: Articles in this category have a heavy sports and performance training lean.
Performance: These articles focus on how you go about your work. From networking to communications to finding a better way to do what you do.
Perseverance: Articles in this category speak to the mechanics that we go through both mentally and physically to stay on track and not get STUCK.
Time Leadership: Why Managing Minutes Isn’t Enough
Time gets treated like it’s negotiable. As if it can be wasted, stretched, or made up later. Too many live like the clock is on their side, when in reality, it’s the most unforgiving opponent they’ll ever face. Money can be recovered, teams can be rebuilt, health can be restored … but time never comes back. The clock doesn’t care about your excuses. It doesn’t care about your intentions. It just runs.
That’s why “time management” has always felt like a lie. You don’t manage time. You don’t control it. What you manage are your choices. What you lead is your attention. And what separates great leaders from average ones isn’t that they have more hours in the day—it’s that they treat every hour like it matters.
Self-Discipline: The Standard That Builds Everything Else
Motivation gets you moving. Excitement gets you started. But neither lasts. They fade the moment the grind begins. The separator—the trait that holds everything together when the spark is gone—is self-discipline.
Self-discipline is the refusal to compromise with excuses. It’s the ability to keep your commitments long after the mood you made them in has disappeared. It’s not about punishment or perfection. It’s about consistency when it would be easier to coast, about living by standards instead of feelings. Without it, nothing else matters. With it, you can outlast talent, outpace comfort, and outwork doubt.
Proactivity: Stop Waiting, Start Leading
Too many leaders are reactors. They sit back, watch things unfold, and then scramble to respond once it’s already too late. They wait for someone else to move, for conditions to be perfect, for permission to be granted. That isn’t leadership. That’s survival.
The leaders who stand out—the ones who rise in business, in sports, and in life—don’t wait for a sign. They move first. They take initiative when others hesitate. They see change coming and prepare before it hits. They build solutions instead of excuses. Proactivity is the difference between being carried by the current and steering the ship.
Emotional Leadership: Making an Impact Without Yelling!
Many leaders believe pressure is the enemy. They spend their energy trying to smooth it out, shorten the meeting, soften the feedback, and keep the waves small. That works until the sea changes. Then the fear shows up, the room tightens, and all the “control” disappears. The leaders who last don’t fight pressure; they learn to carry it without leaking it onto everyone else. That’s emotional leadership. It’s not therapy or theatrics. It’s the discipline of reading the room, telling the truth without shrapnel, and keeping your standard intact when everyone else’s pulse spikes.
Emotional leadership isn’t soft. It’s showing control under heat. It’s choosing response over reaction. It’s accountability that doesn’t come out as an attack, and empathy that doesn’t excuse. It shows up in three places that matter most: at work, on a team, and at home.
Critical Thinking: The Discipline of Seeing Clearly
Information is everywhere. Opinions fly fast, emotions run high, and decisions are often made in the heat of urgency. What separates strong leaders, resilient teams, and grounded individuals from the rest is not the amount of information they consume but the clarity with which they process it. That clarity comes from critical thinking.
Critical thinking isn’t about being cynical or playing devil’s advocate. It’s about slowing the rush, stepping back, and asking the questions that cut through noise. It’s the ability to challenge assumptions, test perspectives, and see beyond surface-level answers. Without it, leadership decisions become reactions, coaching becomes guesswork, and personal growth stalls in the fog of confusion.
Leadership: The Standard That Outlasts Circumstances
Most people think leadership is about authority. Titles, corner offices, or the ability to make the final call. But titles don’t lead. Authority doesn’t inspire. If leadership was just about position, then the highest-ranked person in every organization would also be the most trusted, most followed, and most respected. You and I both know that’s not true.
Real leadership isn’t given. It’s built. It shows up when the pressure spikes, when people are watching with doubt in their eyes, when the easy path is to retreat or explode. Leadership is the ability to set the standard and hold it — not once, not when it’s convenient, but consistently, in every environment where people are counting on you.
That’s what separates the ones who leave a mark from the ones who just hold a title.
Growth Takes Time, But Happens Quickly
We’ve been conditioned to associate growth with the result—new roles, bigger responsibilities, increased performance, and more visible success. What gets overlooked is everything that comes before those shifts—the time when nothing flashy is happening. No titles are changing. No milestones are being posted. Just slow, consistent, often unnoticed work is being done behind the scenes.
That’s where the real growth takes place—not in the headlines, but in the habits.
People talk about breakthroughs like they happen overnight. They rarely do. What looks sudden from the outside usually isn’t. The ground has been shifting quietly for a while. A pattern has been forming. The foundation has been laid. You just couldn’t see it yet.
Conflict Resolution: And the T-Rex Model
Every team has one.
The driven one. The intense one. The one who shows up early, stays late, and lives like the mission is personal. They get results. They own the moment. They don’t flinch. They don’t fold. They lead from the front, and they demand that others keep up.
They’re the first person you want in the foxhole. And the last person you want in a meeting.
The Difference Between Great and Elite
I am a professional observer, and I have learned that the way a leader walks into a room speaks volumes about who they are. Let me show you:
The common ones? They look around to see who’s already talking.
The great ones? They step up with presence and purpose.
But the elite? They don’t just walk in. They bring the room with them.
Respect and Consistency: Foundation for Success
There’s a reason the elite seem unshaken. It’s not just talent. It’s not just titles. It’s because they’ve earned something that can’t be bought, inherited, or faked: RESPECT. And the foundation of that respect is one thing—CONSISTENCY.
Not loud consistency. Not look-at-me consistency. But the kind you can count on. The kind that always shows up at 6:00 a.m. on a Monday when the day doesn’t start until 7:00 a.m. The person who looks exactly the same no matter whether they are in the middle of a crisis, a record-breaking quarter, or a pink slip meeting. Prepared and organized with a 'Get To' mindset. That kind of consistency builds trust, and trust is the currency of leadership.
When Process Kills Performance: What Steve Jobs Could Teach the NFL
Steve Jobs once said, “Process is not the product. Content is.” It was a warning to companies that got so wrapped up in systems and procedures that they forgot what mattered most—the end result. He wasn’t talking about football. But he could’ve been.
Because in the NFL today, the game is losing ground to the process that was meant to protect it.
When No One’s Watching: The Weight of Character
In a world that thrives on visibility and recognition, the true measure of strength lies in what we do when no one is watching. Imagine this: The person above you just dumped a load of work on your desk, then they gave you a 5:00 pm deadline. You put your head down and go to work. There’s no audience, no cheering section—just you and your resolve. In these moments, where effort meets silence, we discover what character truly means. Every day, we see how far we have grown as we watch how our true selves emerge when the spotlight fades away, highlighting the importance of doing the hard work for our growth and integrity.
Unleashing Your Potential
Have you ever felt that spark inside you, a desire to become the best version of yourself? Welcome to the exhilarating world of personal growth and self-improvement! This journey is about reaching new heights and transforming your life into one full of purpose, fulfillment, and happiness. By setting clear goals, developing empowering habits, learning from your experiences, and embracing continuous evolution, you can unlock your full potential and create a meaningful life.
Performance Mindset: Nerves or Excitement?
In the high-stakes arena of performance—whether it be in sports, public speaking, or any challenging endeavor two powerful forces often come into play: nerves and pent-up excitement. Understanding the distinction between these emotions can have a significant impact on your performance and overall experience.
Embrace the Moment!
Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about the "good old days"? Maybe it’s the carefree moments of youth or the thrilling adventures from a few years back. Yet, what if I told you that the “good old days” aren’t just a thing of the past? In fact, they’re happening right now! Twenty or thirty or forty years from today, you'll likely look back and wish you could relive these exact moments, but with a newfound understanding of how to make them even better. No matter how hard things are, you will look back and remember these moments. I thought I would write about how I have slowed time down by enjoying the moment, the old “carpe diem” that Robin Williams spoke of eloquently to his students in the movie “Dead Poets Society”.
Prioritize Your Schedule: Transform “Got To’s” into “Get To’s”
Have you ever looked at your to-do list and felt a wave of dread wash over you? It’s time to change that perspective! Instead of viewing tasks as burdens, let’s focus on transforming those dreaded “Got To’s” into exciting “Get To’s.” By reshaping how we approach our daily schedules, we can find joy in even the most mundane jobs.
Leave Your Mark Using Your G.I.F.T.S.
I am a professional watcher. I sit back and observe people's actions and their effects on that person and others. I have watched people fail and succeed. The ones who fail usually do the opposite of what those who succeed do. Each individual defines “success,” but being successful enough to leave your mark is an entirely different level of achievement.
The Advantages of Age
Getting older is often viewed with fear and negativity. We are surrounded by images of youth and beauty, leading many of us to worry about the inevitable passage of time. Let me give you a different point of view: Aging is not a curse but a privilege. The gift of getting older allows us to accumulate knowledge, gain perspective, and forge unforgettable memories. Embracing the aging journey can make us stronger and enable us to live a life of excitement and enjoyment.
Living on the Cutting Edge
In today’s sports and business world, the “status quo” is often the path of many organizations, while thinking outside the box is seen as treasonous. Yet, for those willing to step outside their comfort zones, calculated risks are not merely an option but a key to innovation and growth. Imagine standing at the crossroads of opportunity and fear. Each path represents a choice that could either catapult you to the top of your profession or keep you firmly anchored in the same old, tired ways of maximal effort and minimal growth. But how do you know which path to take?
Success Has Its Own Schedule
Those driven to success will find themselves caught in a constant race toward milestones. When I was 8 years old, I told Nate Low I would win a Super Bowl. If success were on our schedule, I would have won one in my 20s, not when I was almost 50. John Wayne wouldn’t have had to wait until he was 62 to win his only Academy Award. Bruce Springsteen, who has sung his heart out for over 50 years, would have had at least one song make it to number one.
Success is one fickle bitch!