Blog
I’m Not as Confident as You Think
There is a funny thing about confidence: sometimes the people who look like they have the most actually have the least.For me, it’s not confidence that has fueled my success, but optimism, romanticism, idealism. What most people see as confidence is just those things disguised as forward motion, action, and...
Talk to Yourself Like a Badass
Have you ever written down some of the things you say to yourself when you self-doubt self-talk? In your mind, these things sound okay, almost reasonable, in fact. Maybe you’re really not that smart, maybe you’re really not that ambitious, maybe your butt really could benefit from a few more...
Life Lessons Learned from Mile 20
You’d be surprised at the life lessons you can learn running marathons. Back when I used to run them, I’d say that there is a moment at mile 20, when you know you have six more miles to go, where you have to make a decision. Six miles, 10 kilometers....
All Hail the Sidequest!
I woke up this morning -- I mean really woke up, like for the day, with no chance of return to the prized, floaty, cocooned slumber from which I was so unceremoniously yanked -- at 12:45am. 12:45am! That’s practically still last night. Perhaps it was the sriracha shrimp tacos I...
Nobody is Perfect; Everybody is Perfect
Guess how many perfect candidates I found in twenty years of doing an executive search? Precisely zero.Guess how many incredible, world-changing leaders I placed? Approximately all.Why does this math make sense? Because no one is perfect.So, that begs the question: What are you waiting around for? You will never have...
Your Brain is Lying to You
How many times have you stopped short of a goal because your brain said you couldn’t do it, you weren’t ready?I took up rowing two years ago. I found some early success, mostly because I was already in good physical condition and simply needed to apply a new skill set...
You’ll Never Be Ready
“I really want to launch my own business, but I just don’t think the time is right.”“I’d like to go for that next big job, but I just don’t think I’m qualified yet.”“I want to apply to give that big talk, but I just don’t think I’m ready.”Psst! Here’s a...
The Trouble with Leaders
Leaders talk. A lot.It’s not their fault. We expect it of them. They are on stage, they are at the head of the table, they are the ones in the know. We expect to learn from them.And, frankly, that’s a real problem.You can’t talk and listen at the same time...
What are You Fighting For?
Often we’re told: “Pick your battles.”This is sound advice for those of us lucky enough live in placid times when we have the privilege to decide where we spend our effort, what we fight for, what hills we want to die on. But, do we really? Are we the ones...
How to Develop Lasting Grit
Studies show that the most important skill that kids will develop isn’t a language, or math, or even coding, but grit. In an age of immediate satisfaction, instant gratification, and trophies just for showing up, the ability to persevere in the face of challenges turns out to be in short...
Create Achievable Life-Changing Goals
Are you committed to life-changing goals?We’ve all experienced it: a diet gone astray, an exercise routine run off track, a home improvement project left unfinished, a new year’s resolution forgotten. Why is it that we always fail when we commit to big, life-changing goals?Simply put: it’s because of the very...
Five Secret Ingredients for Leaders to Succeed
For 20 years I studied, recruited, and stewarded executives and organizations through some of the most difficult and uncertain leadership transitions. My searches (and those of the team of exemplary search consultants whom I was privileged to lead during my time running NPAG) resulted in a higher than industry average...