Do Less – Finish More You feel behind because you’re optimistic. You plan to finish 20 to-dos. By 5:00, you finish 8. Instead of satisfaction, you feel behind. Endless lists build anxiety. Do Less. Finish More. The secret to more satisfaction is choosing to do less and finishing what matters. #1. Separate Commitments from Curiosities … Read more
First Look: Leadership Books for August 2026 HERE’S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in August 2026 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month. Practice Makes Culture: How Welcoming Elephants, Creating Ownership, and Facilitating Daily Practice Transform Organizations by … Read more
Courage to be Disliked If everyone likes you, you’ve lost yourself. Meaningful decisions disappoint someone. Agendas collide. Values conflict. When Being Liked is Your Goal Decisions get postponed. Truth becomes optional. Popularity replaces purpose. Approval is your compass. Don’t be difficult just to prove your independence. You Might be Disliked When You Ask Is it … Read more
LeadershipNow 140: July 2026 Compilation Here is a selection of Posts from July 2026 that you will want to check out: See more on Twitter. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:07 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | This … Read more
The Three Powers of Belief “If you believe it, you can achieve it” is nonsense. Reality always wins. Belief’s power shows up in what it does to you. Beliefs shape: What you see. What you feel. What you do. Successful leaders shape belief. #1. Belief Directs Attention What you believe shapes what you see. Leaders … Read more
You Can Just Do Things PERSONAL agency is the ability to see choices and the belief in your ability to act on them. Agentic people take ownership of their own lives. You Can Just Do Things author Cate Hall believes that personal agency is learnable. And while agency may not matter on an average day, … Read more
The Unasked Question I heard a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff say something shocking. “The question I wish people would have asked me is, ‘How do you feel?’” On another occasion I heard a CIO ask his CEO, “How do you feel about that?” The unasked question is, “How do you feel?” … Read more
Your Business Has a Pest Problem I’VE SPENT 45 years in the pest control industry: 30 in corporate leadership and 15 building my own company, Pied Piper Pest & Lawn, from the ground up. In that time, I’ve seen just about every kind of infestation imaginable. But some of the worst ones never required a … Read more
Do What Makes You Unhappy “Do what makes you happy” is bad advice. “Life is not about you. It’s about what you do for others.” Tom Rath The saying, “Life is too short to be unhappy” overlooks the value of meaningful discomfort. Don’t do what makes you happy. Do what makes a difference. Unhappy Temporarily … Read more
Leading Thoughts for July 23, 2026 IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Edward Hess and Katherine Ludwig on managing emotions: “Stress, anger, and anxiety can cause narrow-mindedness and the fight-flee-or-freeze syndrome. It’s not at all helpful … Read more