We’ve seen multi-million dollar organizations fall because of a failure of integrity and ethical decisions. Think back on organizations such as: Enron Valeant Pharmaceuticals  Kobe Steel Even the mighty Apple has made unethical decisions with battery-gate Some of the above organizations made it through their unethical choices. Others failed and closed their doors. Photo by Samson on Unsplash As a leader, you must be aware of your decisions and understand that unethical decisions will lead to major consequences. You also have the power to change them. But how do you make ethical decisi ..read more

A Reel Leadership Article My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book. The Fall Guy is a funny, likable movie about stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) and the love of his life, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). They drifted apart after Colt was injured performing a stunt for the leading actor, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Tom is an unlikable, big-shot movie star. He doesn’t care about others or whose path he crosses; it’s all about him. As the movie progresses, we discover just how much he thinks of himself. It’s ..read more

Five years ago, I ran my first marathon. It was the Grand Rapids Marathon in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After this marathon, I said I would never run another marathon again. Fast forward to 2024… I ran my second full marathon. This time, in London, England. Photo by Pamela Lalonde Running the London Marathon wasn’t a dream come true. It wasn’t something I’d longed to do. Yet, when the invitation from Team World Vision came to run the London Marathon and change kids’ lives, I couldn’t say no. Pamela and I spent nine full days in London. We got to see so much and experience so much. You may hear ..read more

All of us want to live a life that is authentic. We also want to live a life full of integrity. Then there’s living a life full of purpose. We know these three things can be guiding lights for us personally and professionally.  However, I’ve seen many leaders side-step these areas of their personal and professional lives. They see a shortcut and they take it. No one will know, they think.  It may be true. No one may ever discover what you did under the cover of darkness. You may never be exposed for taking advantage of your employees, organization, or friends.  But those things ..read more

Margaret Fuller once said: Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. Mary Ann Shaffer said: That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive–all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment. Both of these people have one thing in common: They know the power a book has to change your life.  Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash Every book you pick up will open a door into the world of someone who has been ther ..read more

Leading a group of people requires you to give and take feedback. Sometimes, the art of giving feedback to your team can be extremely difficult. Situations arise where you just don’t know what to say. That’s one of the reasons there are so many different feedback models. Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash Feedback Models You may have heard of the feedback sandwich. This is a feedback method in which you start with a piece of positive feedback, move to the negative feedback, and then swing back around for a positive feedback nugget to leave the meeting on a positive note. There’s also the ID ..read more

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book. Let me be honest with you… Prior to watching Kung Fu Panda 4, I had never watched a Kung Fu Panda movie all the way through. And there’s a lot of them before this. That being said, I went into the movie knowing very little about Po (Jack Black) and his compatriots. It was a new world to me and one where I didn’t need to know much about the past history. I don’t think you will need to know much about them either. In Kung Fu Panda 4, Po is the Dragon Warrior, a powerful p ..read more

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” – Brené Brown. Vulnerability is a scary-sounding word. It makes you believe that you have no control over life and that there is no safe place where you can be because harm can come in your direction at any moment. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Vulnerability is a superpower that leaders can wield. By embracing vulnerability, you can actually be a strong leader. Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash Think about the courage and strength that it takes to ..read more

Every time someone subscribes to receive updates from my blog, they should receive an email asking them what the biggest struggle they’re facing today is. I recently had a subscriber respond with an issue most leaders have at some point.  I shared my thoughts on the topic with them, and they said I should make our conversation a blog post. I hope you will enjoy this interaction made into a cohesive topic about leading others well.  Photo by Headway on Unsplash Here’s the struggle the reader was facing: I would say my biggest struggle is mentoring new, younger employees. At times t ..read more

A Reel Leadership Article My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book. The previews for Civil War were exciting. The United States had been engulfed in a civil war that shook the foundation of the country to its core. The various factions were fighting hard against one another. What would it spell out for the country? I went into Civil War expecting a film about the conflict caused by the breaking up of the country. Rather than that, A24 gave us a chilling look at the world of military-embedded photojournalists o ..read more