Principle #19 – Start where the other is. Ever had a conversation where you explained your point perfectly—clear logic, solid data, flawless delivery—and they still didn’t get it? That’s because you started from your mountain, not theirs. We love to think people will come around if we just talk louder or add another chart. But
People Energy Principle #4 – Unleash & Harness People Energy for Love & Truth You’ve seen it before: a team buzzing with energy, people collaborating effortlessly, creativity sparking like wildfire. That’s people energy—and it’s the most powerful resource any business has. But here’s the thing: people energy is neutral until directed. The same techniques that
People Energy Principle #1: A Business is the Conversion of People Energy into Economic Value We often talk about business in terms of products, revenue streams, and market share. But what if we flip the script? What if, at its core, a business is nothing more—and nothing less—than the conversion of people energy into economic
We have a personality. I have a personality. Is that all we are? Of course not. When we talk about personality conflicts, it implies that it’s the personality causing the conflict. But that’s not true. People conflicts are rarely just about personalities. They’re signals—emergency alert flares indicating deeper misalignments in structure, clarity, or expectations. When
A while back, a highly strategic business owner was trying to get his store managers to collaborate and share operational and team performance insights. But, instead, they’d claim that their store is somehow uniquely unique in ways that the other managers couldn’t possibly understand. Which is, of course, nonsense. The President just knew that if
I coach a lot of leaders. Over time, I noticed a pattern. As we worked together, they started thinking and talking differently—about their people, their decisions, and their business as a whole. They saw problems more clearly. They found traction where they’d been spinning. I got curious.What exactly was I doing that made that shift
Does it ever feel like the way we talk about business totally misses the point? I think so. Especially when the conversation turns into a tug-of-war between “people” and “business,” as if they’re separate things. That old idea—that a business can thrive while sidelining the very people powering it—isn’t just outdated. It’s nonsense. It’s Time
Recruiting isn’t working like it used to. Let’s be honest—it hasn’t worked well for a while, but lately, the whole system feels like it’s crumbling. Conversations are getting replaced by bots. Résumés vanish into black holes. Candidates get ghosted after interviews. And all of this sends a loud, clear message: “You’re not worth our time.”
Employee engagement has been the holy grail of workplace productivity for decades. It’s the topic of countless research papers, consulting frameworks, and corporate initiatives. Yet, despite the time and money funneled into engagement surveys and strategies, organizations are still struggling with retention, performance, and innovation. The problem? The widespread beliefs about employee engagement rest on
McKinsey’s recent article, “Healthy Organizations Keep Winning, but the Rules Are Changing Fast,“ makes bold claims about the nature of organizational health. Yet, despite its ambition, the methodology it uses relies heavily on correlation without exploring the deeper causal mechanisms that drive success. For senior leaders in smaller businesses, startups, and nonprofits—those at the forefront
