What words that resonate in your mind when you are faced with a challenge? For me, it is a quote from a leader that I admire, Sir Winston Churchill: “SUCCESS IS NOT FINAL. FAILURE IS NOT FATAL. IT IS THE COURAGE TO CONTINUE THAT COUNTS.” It is an eloquent statement, and the message is powerful. Regarded as an amazing orator, Churchill chose his words…

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch, Former CEO of General Electric The world desperately needs new leadership. We need leaders who are energetic, bold, inspired, filled with character and drive and…

EXECUTE: brick by brick. . . As you undertake the journey to becoming an effective and respected leader, each responsibility you assume adds strength to the never-ending process of finding your purpose — your “why” in life. When you are entrusted with major initiatives, the ability to prove your value as a leader increases. Look at…

There are going to be times in life where you find yourself becoming complacent, or begin to spend an inordinate amount of time on the “problems” as opposed to the “solutions”. It’s particularly easy to lose the forest for the trees at various points during one’s career. To become a…

Where does inspiration come from? Is it a hidden treasure or accessible for anyone to discover? Should we set aside time each day to look for our inspiration, or does it just come naturally? Do we need to prepare for it? History tells us that the Ancient Greeks thought it…

An imagined reflection on regret As I celebrate my 80th birthday today, the first thing I’ve noticed is that there aren’t many people around to celebrate with. My family has left this earth, my kids don’t talk to me much anymore and I never really had any friends, or at…

Fostering Positivity: a True Leader’s Obligation I always get such a sense of hope and optimism when I hear Louis Armstrong sing the 1968 hit song, “What a Wonderful World”. Its beautiful rolling melody and simple lyrics seem to provide a rare nostalgic distraction from current reality. But how wonderful…

Boiling an egg takes 12 minutes. A trip to the moon takes 3 days. High school takes 4 years. Becoming a leader takes . . . . ? For those aspiring to become a leader, the question that most often comes up is “How will I know when the time…

Everyone is looking for the shortcut, the quick way, the Cliffs Notes, or in the current vernacular, the HACK. If your goal is to be an effective and respected leader, however, you cannot “hack” your way to the top. There are no shortcuts in the journey toward success. You will…