Late last year, I injured my ribs while training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). I couldn’t train and heal simultaneously, so I had to sit out for a few months. That was difficult and frustrating. I finally started back up a couple of months ago. But my ribs were still tender. Reinjury was likely if matched with a wild opponent, if the match sped up, or if I tried to power through. I had to figure out what to do. I could try to find a sport where injuries don’t occur. But that sport doesn’t exist. You can get injured while swimming or doing Pilates. Even elliptical machines are out to get you ..read more

Feeling overwhelmed is common in today’s fast-paced world. I recently found myself caught in this whirlwind. I was starting to feel maxed out – racing to keep up with various responsibilities and projects. Initially, my instinct was to double down and try harder. That was precisely the opposite of the advice I give to my clients. It took me a few weeks to see this. When I did, I realized I needed to say “no” or hit the “pause” button on two significant projects. These were endeavors I had invested in financially, wanted to do for years, planned for, and anticipated substantial returns from. I ..read more

“It is always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” —Alfred Adler Are we watching the end of democracy?  That is the boogeyman that many in the media want us to fear. It’s the “If you don’t vote for me” threat that politicians use to attempt to rile up their base.  Because fear – or anger – is good for the media business, it’s excellent for votes.  But it is a poor political philosophy.  Because it misrepresents where democracy comes from.  Personal responsibility: The bedrock of democracy Eleanor Roosevelt observed: “A democratic form of ..read more

I’m on vacation in Hawaii with my family and parents. A few days ago, we were having lunch at a favorite poke stand. My dad noticed a grapefruit tree. It was loaded with fruit and starting to drop them on the ground. This reminded me of something that I’ve noticed many times in nature: It wants to be abundant. It produces too much. It goes overboard. I know the scientific explanations about how each grapefruit is squirreled away by a grapefruit squirrel to spread seeds all over. But the grapefruit squirrels aren’t thinking about the future or cleaning things up. They leave a lot behind. Much ..read more

I recently conducted a poll to gather input for the cover of my new book, Train to Lead. The response was overwhelming—not just in the number of respondents to the poll (thank you!) but also in the strength of many of the opinions shared (also, thank you for sharing!). It was gratifying, and somewhat surprising, to see the interest. The process leading up to the poll involved weeks of work between myself and my publisher. We had developed, tweaked, and abandoned many versions of the cover. I thought I knew what my audience would respond best to. But I was wrong. What I believed was the b ..read more

Many years ago, I climbed a mountain with a group of friends. This was an ambitious day trip. In the Alaska summer, ‘day’ is a flexible length of time. Since the mountain was back-country we started very early. With nearly 7,000 ft of elevation gain from the trailhead to the summit, the approach was long. We began on mountain bikes and then transitioned to foot. Frankly, I was tired and my legs were cramping before we even began climbing. The climb wasn’t too technical. But the terrain was challenging with lots of loose rock and snow. While it was summer down below, toward the top of the moun ..read more

It’s March. How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming along? Are you following through? If so, good for you! That places you within a very small club of people who make “it” happen. To stay in it this far, you probably (knowingly or not) did certain things differently than those who haven’t followed through. If you aren’t following through, don’t beat yourself up over it. Instead, ask yourself, “What kept me from following through”? Use this as an opportunity to learn about yourself and discover what you need to follow through in the future. The Follow Through Filter In my experience, the ab ..read more

One of my best clients was a high-potential manager who tended to overwhelm himself. It was (and still is) important to him to give his best to whatever he did. The problem was everything was important.  But everything couldn’t be accomplished all the time. He would go through regular cycles of doing everything for a while, and then he’d completely crash and do nothing.  He had been tapped as a potential successor for a retiring leader. However, there were concerns about his tendency to crash and disappear. So, we worked on that.  Within a year, he assu ..read more

I grew up in the era of the Rocky and Rambo movies. Sylvester Stallone was everywhere. Movie posters, t-shirts, lunch boxes. Mostly shirtless. Slathered in gallons of baby oil. Sometimes accessorized with a headband. Stallone is known as being a very disciplined, hardworking actor. He understands how to train. But he pushed himself to unhealthy and unsustainable levels to “look good.” He trained so intensely to prepare for Rocky III and engaged in such a restricted diet that he only had 2.9% body fat. (In case you were wondering, healthy fat percentages for men are between 8% and 19%.)  ..read more

I used to rock climb. I often introduced new people to the sport. Most would struggle with their mindset when they began. It can be intimidating. You can’t hide on a cliff or rock wall. It’s easy to feel like you’re being watched and maybe judged. Many people have a fear of heights. And you have to trust your partner not to let you drop if you fall. New climbers will often freeze partway up a wall, convinced they can’t go further. Even when they have good holds and a solid position, they feel stuck and hang on, saying, “I can’t do this.” They can do it. If they have the strength to hang on an ..read more