Category: life advice

leadership dot #4997: halfway

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July 2 seems like an odd day to reflect or make resolutions, but it’s actually the perfect time. Today, there are 182 days both past and forward on this year’s calendar, making it an appropriate day to take a moment to assess where we are.

Think about the days in 2026 that have gone by. If you left things undone or unsaid, consider whether it was by design or default. Did you accomplish those goals you set at the beginning of the year, and are you where you had hoped to be by this point?

Then look ahead and think about how you want to use those upcoming 182 days. How would you have it be on December 31, and what can you do now to get there, both personally and professionally?

Think of July 2 as a rest stop on the highway of life. Pull over for a few moments, bask in the summer sun, and assess your life’s plan. If you need to make a detour, you can do so now and use the second half of the year to reach your destination. Happy pondering!

Thanks, Brian!

leadership dot #4995: sketching

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A visit to an art museum reminded me of the value of sketching. Even the masters started most of their works with pencils, making multiple lines before determining the final location to paint or color. They had no illusions that the first try would be their final one.

Yet, so many times we expect perfection or a final draft right out of the gate. We want to start painting instead of sketching, making one line instead of a blur of many. It often frustrates us and makes it more daunting for others to provide feedback on the idea.

Take a lesson from the artists and start with a rough, penciled-in version of your concept, then go from there. Within the many lines, the true masterpiece can be found.

leadership dot #4990: change process

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Leadership is about creating change, and those who seek to make a difference become proficient in three separate steps of the process.

The first step is identifying needs. Change leaders must recognize where gaps and inequities exist, or where opportunities lie. If you’re still relying on others to present you with problems to solve or projects to complete, you’ve abdicated your role in the first phase of the change process. You need to develop discerning eyes that pay attention to the process, feedback, pain points, possibilities, and trends, and identify where change is needed.

But noticing a need is not enough. Those interested in creating change must be able to articulate the issue compellingly. If you are afraid to speak up, are unable to deliver a persuasive message, or speak only in vague terms, the issue will likely remain unchanged. The most effective change leaders craft a specific ask, woven with an emotional story, to make their words memorable and actionable.

Finally, you must galvanize resources to implement the desired change. This could involve people or funds, assembled quickly or over time, but all mobilized to achieve the end result. Without the support and engagement of others, your idea is likely to fizzle.

Understanding that change happens in multiple stages is a helpful framework, especially for new professionals who have yet to learn that leadership and change are inextricably linked. Those who cannot identify, articulate, and galvanize are likely to remain followers, even if they have higher aspirations.

leadership dot #4980: put out

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The student speaker at my niece’s graduation made an insightful comment that has been noodling around in my head since I heard it. Ben Ryan of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis said:

“I spent a lot of time asking myself who I was, eventually realizing that my best answer was ‘I don’t really know...So, instead of looking inward at something I didn’t understand, I began to pay more attention to what I was putting out. I started talking to the lunchroom staff every day when I got my lunch, really trying to connect with my teachers, having conversations with people that I would normally just walk past…What these small gestures made me realize is that we are what we put out. You are the people you surround yourself with. You are the stranger you start a conversation with in class. You are the person you smile at in the halls. You are the lunch server you tell to have a good day. What you put out is what you will become.”

I like this concept for its ease of implementation. Everyone can “put out” kindness and connection, and I think Ben is right that it benefits not only the person who receives it, but the giver as well.

Pay attention to what you “put out” today and let it reflect the person you wish to become.

leadership dot #4977: focus

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Summer is often the time for planning and retreats, and these gatherings frequently result in brainstorming and a host of new ideas to implement in the future. While innovation is an important and necessary function, it can lead to a diffusion of energy as teams want to “focus” on a host of new programs that come from the sessions.

It can be hard to focus on a single key priority, but going deep offers many benefits. It’s likely that concentrating on a single area will yield more quantifiable outcomes, which in turn allow for richer storytelling and greater impact. A narrow focus allows for greater accountability as well, with no hiding behind doing a little on several priorities. It’s stronger if one thing is accomplished rather than bits of many.

Picking one thing to be the focus for the short term is hard. Many things are important, and the temptation is great to address several goals at once. Resist and go deep instead.

leadership dot #4976: weave

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A colleague is known as the go-to person at her job, and someone else expressed envy at how she knew people from so many different departments. My colleague explained that this just didn’t happen; she intentionally worked to build relationships.

It’s a valuable skill for both your professional and personal lives.

Get up from that desk. Have lunch with other people. Talk in person when possible. Take that extra few minutes to learn about others’ lives, whether you are in person or virtual. Interact outside your narrow department or bubble. Remember details about those you meet. Offer help.

There are many ways to cultivate relationships, but all take intentional effort. We often gloss over the connection in favor of efficiency, but those relationships can become invaluable when you need something above and beyond. They also make the workplace much more pleasant!

Relationships take intentionality to create, but the personal and professional rewards far outweigh the effort. Start today to weave your web of connections.

leadership dot #4969: learn it

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The first time I taught a college class, it was as a replacement for a teacher who suddenly was out on medical leave. The school used a learning management system, and they assigned me tech support to get the course ready since it was all so last-minute. I distinctly remember her saying that she would set up the gradebook rather than teach me how to do it since it was “just for this one class.”

Ha! I’m now teaching class #52, and I still struggle with the gradebook since I never properly learned the nuances of the system.

While it may be easier to let someone else do something for you, chances are good that if you need to know it once, you may need to know it again. Equip yourself with the knowledge for both now and later.

leadership dot #4963: negotiation

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Many resources on effective negotiation boil down to checklists: be prepared, know your bottom line, learn about the other person’s priorities, anchor the negotiation by making the first offer, ask questions, etc. But what makes the greatest difference is your mindset and how you approach the negotiation process.

The definition that resonated most with my class and me was from Margaret Neale:

“Negotiation is about finding a solution
to your counterpart’s problem
that makes you better off
than you would have been had you not negotiated.”

When you consider each of these components, it helps you focus on a solution-oriented approach; it helps you enter the process with more curiosity than certainty, and it may give you that extra boost of courage by framing it as a problem-solving conversation rather than an adversarial one. If you start by trying to find a solution to their problem, your whole perspective changes, and the negotiation tends to be more productive.

The next time you find yourself in a negotiation situation, whether about your kids doing chores, accepting a new project at work, making a major purchase, or just shopping at a garage sale, consider the interaction from your counterpart’s viewpoint. By helping them, it’s more likely that you, too, will benefit.

leadership dot #4962: inside the box

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In a webinar about his book Inside the Box, author David Epstein promoted the value of constraints and shared research about how limitations actually make you more creative. The brain wants to follow the path of least resistance, so it takes the easy route first, even though that is not where creativity lies.

The phrase that stuck with me is “It has never been easier to do too much.” People are wired to naturally think in terms of “adding,” and AI and other tools make it easier than ever to do so. We don’t think of subtracting, but constraints force you to clarify priorities and focus on the most important things to accomplish. I think it’s the premise behind writing a-dot-a-day!

Ernst Hemingway ended his days in the middle of a sentence, so he knew where to start tomorrow. Epstein adopted this strategy by writing down the #1 thing he needed to accomplish the next day, and not turning on his phone or other distractions until it was accomplished. He intentionally created a restraint to block the easy path his brain wanted to follow (phone scrolling) and instead channeled his creative energy into something more important.

Dr. Seuss chose to limit the number of words he would use in a book. Nest opted to design its box (what the end users would see first) before the thermostat itself. Other companies write the press release before starting on product design.

Think about how you can self-impose limitations that help direct your creativity to your priorities. Boundaries can turn out to be freeing.

leadership dot #4961: familiar

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Have you noticed how many movies are extensions of the original story rather than original productions? The Devil Wears Prada 2, Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Mortal Kombat II, and even the 40th anniversary of Top Gun are examples of what is showing in the theaters today.

Time and money are among the most valuable commodities people have. To lower their risk of wasting either, people tend to invest in what is familiar. The summer concert series in our town features the majority of the same acts that performed last summer (and the summer before that, etc.). People tend to buy books written by the same author and music performed by the same artists instead of experimenting. We eat the same entrees at the same restaurants because they are a known commodity.

It’s time to remember that we did experiment with all those things that are now familiar favorites. We took a risk to see the first Star Wars, or to try that new bistro. We invested our time to watch a new act perform before we became their fans. We took a chance on our now-favorite author when we read her debut novel. Some risks paid off, while others did not, but all the things we cherish were once new to us.

Be brave today and try something for the first time. All great love affairs start by taking a risk.