I don’t make resolutions, and I’m not a big goal-setter. Those philosophies rarely stick. Instead, I look for tangible, practical objectives—things I can wrap my head around, focus on, and build. What’s the difference? Goals: Long-term ambitions Overarching intentions Lifelong aims Often broad and abstract Objectives: Specific actions or deliverables Short-term and actionable Purposeful, measurable… Continue reading Build: The Word That Drives Results in 2026
The Three Pillars of Every Great Team If you want your team to achieve extraordinary results, you need three things—Leadership, Strategy, and Culture. Miss one, and you’ll feel stuck. Nail all three, and your team can accomplish anything. I know this not just in theory, but from experience. Early in my career, I thought hard… Continue reading Leadership. Strategy. Culture.
A few years ago, a Supervisor I oversaw walked into my office, clutching a sheet with 15 ambitious goals for the new year. I couldn’t help but smile and asked, “How did last year’s review go?” She admitted that only half the goals were complete and that she needed more time for the rest. This… Continue reading Simplify for Success: The Counterintuitive Secret to Achieving More
Why does it feel so much easier to celebrate and connect as a team during the holidays—only to lose that spark once the calendar turns? Something about the holidays makes it easy to celebrate, connect, and show gratitude. But fast forward to January 5th—after we’ve traded stories about our vacations, caught up on gifts, and… Continue reading How to Keep Team Culture Alive—Even After the Holidays
Are You Leading Your Team… or Just Walking Alone in the Dark? 🌑 If your organization is stuck firefighting and waiting for director approvals, you’re living in chaos—not clarity. This is what I call “director dependence”—the silent killer of vision and progress. Some leaders cling to the same path, never wanting to drift, adapt, or try… Continue reading Don’t Lead in the Dark: How Vision and Culture Outperform Strategy
This holiday season, as stories of layoffs and leadership changes fill my feed, I keep coming back to a simple truth: The greatest gift we can give a new team member is to make them feel like they belong. Years ago, I started a new leadership role—full of ambition and hope. On that blazing summer… Continue reading The Greatest Gift: How Intentional Onboarding Shapes Culture—One Team Member at a Time
The end of the year is here—Thanksgiving has passed and now the final countdown is on. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, or simply revel in the crisp air and falling snow, it’s officially Holiday Season. Over the years, I've worked in a variety of places. Some created a fun, festive environment where… Continue reading Culture is a Choice: How to Lead Your Team to Holiday Joy (No Matter What)
It was a gray, chilly December morning. I sat at my desk, surrounded by budget papers and meeting notes. My office was cold, but the anticipation in the air was unmistakable—tonight’s Council meeting would decide if months of planning would move our vision forward. Just months earlier, our team didn’t share this sense of certainty.… Continue reading Preparation Changes Everything: How Planning Turns Vision into Reality
It was a chilly fall day, the sky a steel gray, and a fine mist clung to everything—your hair, your jacket, even your breath. We left Buffalo, me and my wife, Sarah (the casual easy-going member of our family), heading north to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side for the first time. As we… Continue reading When Your Culture Flows, Results Follow: Lessons from Niagara Falls
Like making diamonds, time and pressure. That's what I've gone through over the last several months as well. Finding light and building others, that's what I do.
