As we started down this path detailing how strong businesses are built on a foundation of values, I shared something I personally experienced while creating a policy manual for the new owners of company - a textbook example of not just designed that handbook around their core values but building tho...

Building a culture around values requires the leader to provide a daily example of exactly how each definition outlined in the handbook and on the wall directly applies to what’s required of them. Providing a detailed explanation, connecting those definitions to their behaviors so nothing is left to...

In the fourth lesson of our Emerging Leader Development course, Cindy and I detail five critical practices for effective communication. In that process, we emphasize just how important it is that we keep our message simple and we share it over and over and over again with absolute consistency. Cindy...

Before a potential wound festers, let’s make sure we clean it up properly. I occasionally ruffle feathers when I compare the actions our team members take to those of our children. I don’t mean that to be one bit belittling. If I’m being honest, I’m at least as capable of doing something immature (a...

Think back to what I referenced before about companies having wonderfully crafted mission and vision statements framed majestically in their lobbies for their visiting dignitaries to marvel at. Here’s the AI overview I got from adding “mission, vision, culture, values” in the Google search bar: 

A ...

While the foundation for the residential construction projects I was involved with in my teens was on a much smaller scale than the skyscrapers I alluded to earlier, they were no less important to the long term stability of the home. The same holds true for the core values in a business of any size....

As we wrapped up our look at who ultimately cares about our values, and how much our organization’s entire reputation rests on them, I emphasized the importance of modeling our values and explaining why - because we can’t just assume the general public will piece it all together on their own; they’r...

I was able to observe most of the practices while our son wrestled. It was interesting to watch how the best coaches had those kids go through new moves again and again slowly until each movement was almost natural. During the few times I’ve dropped by my friend’s mixed martial arts gym, I’ve notice...

For the first several years Cindy and I provided our Emerging Leader Development course for individuals and organizations, I was adamant that I DID NOT want to market any type of “coaching” tied to that course or anything else we offered. I had seen so many charlatans embed themselves into different...

In the fifth lesson of our Emerging Leader Development course, I share a story detailing how a friend once introduced me and Cindy to some of his business partners. With a somewhat puzzled look on his face after a few seconds of trying to come up with a reasonable description, he simply said “they’r...

I’d just about bet that unless you were involved in some aspect of the building process or can actually see your home’s foundation, you don’t know if it consists of 8” cinder blocks, 12” cinder blocks, poured concrete walls, or built directly on a concrete slab. And even if you can answer that, ther...

My first full time gig in construction started about a month after I turned fifteen. Earlier that spring, my dad asked if I planned to get a car when I was old enough to drive. “Of course I do!” was my immediate response, and he went on to let me know that I’d probably want to consider making some m...