Why Another Leadership Newsletter?

In my work as an executive coach of CEO peer groups and with forty-plus years of leadership development research and practice, I have access to opportunities and information that I know can contribute to the success of all businesses. Biweekly, I share insights, reflections, actionable tips, and partnerships essential for growth and prosperity. Thanks for reading!?

I am a businessman and have been for as long as I knew what it meant to be a man, but that doesn't mean I always knew what I was doing.?

My first business failed miserably. I'll never forget the day I locked the office door for the last time, tears in my eyes, wondering where it all went wrong. I went out and did what so many others do when they fail at business: I got a job.

After over a decade of navigating the culture of Corporate America, I decided to give running my own business another shot. This time failure was not an option. That's when I discovered the CEO peer organization called Vistage. The world's most trusted executive coaching company with more than 26,000 members.

Every month I'd meet with my Vistage group of business owners and executives. Together, we'd help each other tackle problems, navigate obstacles, and capture opportunities.

My second business became the 58th fastest-growing company in the state. And it was profitable every year, thanks to the insight and wisdom of my Vistage peers. When I sold the company in 2005, I realized just how differently my businesses ended up.?

Until you experience it for yourself, you'll never realize how powerful a group of like-minded peers can be. Tapping into the experiences of others can quickly transform your business. This newsletter can't replicate that experience, but it can give a sample of hard-earned insights and learnings.?

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There is a fundamental problem in the workplace—most employees are frustrated and unhappy. News outlets have dubbed it the "great resignation." I cite these facts, not from a soapbox of doom and gloom but rather to help us understand where we are and how to change course.?

I used to work for a large Fortune 500 company. The corporate culture perpetuated backstabbing, gossip, pettiness, and sabotage. The emotional turmoil of the office politics created so much distrust that I felt as though I couldn't even breathe. It was as if the life, enthusiasm, and zest that I had as a young man were being squeezed out of me. I gave up what I think is an innate given urge to make a difference and became a zombie that sought fulfillment outside of the job and dreaded Monday morning.?

Many employees in the United States refuse to accept these conditions, and businesses are struggling because of it.?In many cases, the change needs to start at the top.?

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I have been in the shoes of CEOs; I know the burden and risk, and I also know that most CEOs have not been trained in the role of the CEO and unknowingly create suffering in the workplace. It doesn't have to be that way.?

After 16 years as a business owner, 12 years as a Fortune 500 corporate executive, 40 years of study, countless workshops with leaders struggling to improve performance, and hundreds of hours of face-to-face meetings with CEOs and company presidents, I am convinced it can be different. As leaders, managers, and change agents, we can create workplaces where people can flourish.?

My vision is to support small business owners to create an organizational culture where all people flourish, a community of gracious collaboration, where all people help each other see our blind spots, raise our consciousness, and operate at our highest levels. I believe in a culture of professionals that function together in an extraordinary way, as a team, where we trust one another and treat each other with respect and dignity.?I believe that you, the leaders of organizations and the people who help them change, positively impact the people you work with—their families, employees, and communities.

This newsletter will provide you with lessons learned and tools that you, as the CEO or leader, can implement. I will discuss how you can:

? Create an organizational culture where people collaborate

? Increase employee engagement

? Improve productivity and profitability

? Spark innovation and creativity

? Align people according to their core values

? Create meaning and purpose in work

? Leverage the expertise, diversity, and experience of team members

? Gain fresh ideas and perspectives

? Create accountability

? Build better relationships with co-workers, clients, friends, and family?

? Leverage new skills for less friction and stress in the workplace

And I won't just write about it in an abstract way. I'll show you how to do it.?