We were taught to focus on profit as the measure of success. The reality is, we know plenty of people who are successful and not satisfied with their lives. Wouldn’t you agree that fullness is the true measure of success? A full life is serving our purpose as we all know. What we may not

Yesterday was a long day for me, like most of us experience on a regular basis. It started at 5 a.m. to finish preparing for a meeting at eight. It ended with being a timer at a youth swim meet for three hours; then at 10 p.m., accompanying one of my kids to a neighbor’s

You wouldn’t believe the absurdity. Not too long ago, I was in a ballroom full of people, who were all there to practice creating solutions to ethical problems, using a case study. For clarification, “ethical problems” involve lying, cheating, and stealing. Ethical problems are the undoing of most leaders these days; just read the daily

I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t general confusion about the definitions of purpose and mission, and the relationship between them (if any). Even as I write this, I’m not a 100 percent sure, and I’m asking for help.  Is purpose the “why” a person or organization specifically exists? Whether your answer is “yes”

I was having a discussion with a family member about how to improve schools, and his answer was to improve the “basics”…math, reading and writing. What’s the evidence this could be true? He cited how much parents spend on tutoring nowadays to help their children get ahead. The city where he lived ranked number three

I can’t think of a school or youth organization that doesn’t espouse “success habits” in one form or fashion, including those I grew up in. I never understood very clearly the connection between WHAT I was told to do, HOW I was to do it, and WHY. In fact, I was rarely told why; I

Picking-up from last week’s definition of magnanimity, the success habit unique to leadership, here’s a visual of how to practice it. It’s called the Success Habit Pyramid. Start practicing the other success habits, starting at the foundation and work your way up the pyramid.

I’ve shared that leadership is executing mission and building strength to execute it more successfully. The unique metrics of gauging our success in leading are practicing the success habits of greatness and service simultaneously – otherwise known as magnanimity and fraternal humility.  A few years ago, a friend of mine said, in no uncertain terms

Last week, I had a chat with our 16-year-old about his plans for studying for his final exams…here’s the lesson I learned during that chat: After asking him to share his plans with me he remarked, “Dad, you only care about the grades on my report card, because it makes you look good!”  OUCH!  Yeah…that stung! Then, I

I know I’ve written a lot on defining words we use in leadership strength training. This is because, in the words of my colleague Pierre Koshakji, “Definition is everything.” This is what leads me to the point of this post. I was asked last week: “What is peace?” I have to admit, I didn’t have

As a quick “visual summary” and follow up to our previous post, INTEGRITY is the FOUNDATION. Without integrity, leadership cannot exist. Integrity is wholeness. Your vocations make-up your whole life. You execute your mission and live your purpose in your whole life. This is being truthful about yourself or achieving your potential. By maintaining integrity,