A few years ago I planted 20 raspberry vines. The person who sold them to me told me not to expect berries the first year. They need to root the first year. Fair enough. The second year I did get some berries. My total yield that year was less than a pint from 20 plants!…
Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to hear Steve Chandler talk live for 3 days. I just can’t stop thinking about one of the stories he told, so I’m sharing it with you. He said: I wrote a play. The only problem with the play is that it only lasts one minute. So it’s not marketable….
Leaders are always asking me, “Brad, how do I find time to do the really important work? When do I get to think, or look at what’s next? I spend all my time trying to keep the wheels on the bus and the clients happy.” I think of one of my very first clients whenever…
“You have to persuade yourself that you absolutely don’t care what happens. If you don’t care, you’ve won.” — Felix Dennis I learned this lesson when I had the chance to sell to the same prospect twice. The first time, a mutual contact vouched for her as he introduced us. “She is perfect for what…
I’ve been having conversations with leaders about how increasing uncertainty is impacting their leadership practices. One conversation with the head of development at a local social services agency stood out as markedly different from the responses I got from for-profit leaders. I heard lots of for-profit leaders talk about shifting toward short-term planning practices: quarterly “rocks”…
During the first four months of this year, I was very focused on a new business playbook to front-load my client creation for 2026. That focus was partly driven by fear. The relative calm of late 2025 felt fleeting – who knows what is right around the corner. I wanted to secure some new work…
In smooth seas, the Captain isn’t on deck. But when there’s a storm or an enemy ship on the horizon, they leap to the bridge and take charge. We don’t need leaders to help us keep things the same. That’s what managers do! Leadership is needed most in the unknown, when the stakes are high…
Lately, I’ve been living in more gratitude. It could be that I’m reading less news, getting more coaching, and getting outside, but I’ve noticed it showing up everywhere: in my family, my work, my community, even the way my pets want to hang out with me. Over that same time period, my business has been…
Somewhere in the middle of the COVID years, I shrank. Not all at once. It happened gradually. I built some strong virtual relationships during the lockdown, so when things opened back up, I stuck with that way of doing things. I turned down trips and offered Zoom instead. I skipped conferences, coffees, and lunches —…
I’ve been subjected to a lot of team-building exercises. Trust falls, Lego building contests, finding your “color” and learning what it tells everyone about your personality, even a drum circle, and a croquet tournament. Some of these were “fun,” I learned from others, but I’m not sure any had as much impact as the time…