When to Quit Persistence is noble until it’s stupid. Don’t quit because something is difficult. Everything meaningful is difficult. Quit because it’s no longer worthwhile. 5 Signs It’s Time to Quit #1. The goal no longer serves the purpose. Goals are tools, not gods. Reaching the summit isn’t success if you die on the way … Read more
Adaptive Confidence Weak leaders demand certainty. Timid leaders cuddle with ambiguity. Adaptive confidence is the ability to move forward with conviction while remaining willing to change your mind. Alec Litowitz describes adaptive confidence as a “strong opinion, weakly held.” Read his book, The Adaptability Quotient. Why Adaptive Confidence Matters Uncertainty pushes you toward two extremes. … Read more
Judgments Based on Fabrications Goethe said self-knowledge is elusive. No one has achieved it.* You haven’t figured yourself out. What makes you think you understand others? Don’t make judgments based on fabrications. Fabricated Motivations Listen for “that’s because” when you evaluate people. Judgments emerge from cooked-up fairy tales about why people do what they do. She … Read more
Does AI Lie? WE’RE used to living with small lies. I was confronted by this fact when, recently, as I was preparing for a dinner party, I climbed onto a step-stool and reached into the liquor cabinet. One by one, I pulled down bottles that were nearly empty. Not surprisingly, at some point over the … Read more
Don’t Be a Hater-Leader You aren’t literally a hater-leader. (I hope.) But you may do things that feel like hate. Leaders who focus on fixing people feel like haters to their victims. Rejection feels like hate. Development helps people grow. Fixing treats them like defects. Evolution of a Hater-Leader Hating quietly sneaks up on leaders … Read more
Leading Thoughts for September 17, 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. Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter on inertia: “Our default response in life is not to experience meaning or happiness. Our default response is to … Read more
Stop Developing Your Leadership “Developing your leadership” sounds grand. It’s useless. You can’t practice “leadership.” You can practice specific skills. Develop Skills, Not Leadership Suppose you’re an impatient listener. Don’t set a goal to “become a better listener.” Choose a specific behavior. For example: Ask one follow-up question before giving your opinion. Practice it in … Read more
Mastering Uncertainty WE all face uncertainty. The question is: how can we keep performing when faced with the disorder of uncertainty? Life will not happen according to our expectations. Peak performance at all times is not realistic. Instead, success is about optimal performance. Rich Diviney states in Masters of Uncertainty that “True success in life … Read more
6 Ways to Make Adversity Useful Adversity doesn’t create opportunity. Leaders do. Trouble can produce bitterness, blame, and paralysis. It takes leadership to transform difficulty into progress. How to Make Adversity Useful #1. Expand Perspective Don’t let difficulty be the whole story. Trouble is magnetic. distress moves to the center of life. Ask, “When have … Read more
Leading Thoughts for September 10, 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. Nick Bare on doing the work: “Sometimes, we think that just doing more of something or working harder on anything will get us to … Read more