My bookkeeper, who’s from New Orleans, reached out to check in with me yesterday. “Y’all OK in Chicago?” Yes, it was an intense weekend in Chicago, intense and surreal. First, there was the grief over yet another unjustified police killing. Then, there were the protests. At first, they were energizing — let’s do something. Then…
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote to you about a conversation I had with my coach, where she asked me, “When are you going to stop treating your body like a rental car?” It was a wake-up call for me when she asked the question several years ago, and yet, in my email a…
In the recent ESPN documentary of Michael Jordan’s last year as a Bull, there’s an incredible quote that I’ve watched almost every day since I’ve seen it. Michael was asked, “Has it [your success] come at the expense of you being perceived as a nice guy?” You should watch the video all the way to…
On Tuesday we reviewed some reasons why you might want to reopen your office right away, today let’s look at some things to consider if you are not rushing back into the office. Giving folks the option to keep working from home makes room for those who still have challenges with childcare, or who might…
With cities starting to re-open after the COVID pause business owners are asking the question, should I re-open my office? If you are thinking about re-opening your office, you’d better have a good reason! Your company has spent the last two months working at home, and there’s a number of them who are liking it….
This week my wife assigned her nieces and nephews some homework. She asked them to write two letters to the Coronavirus. In one, she wanted them to start, “I hate you coronavirus…” and then write down all the crummy things that happened since the shutdown. In the second letter, she asked them to start with,…
“It’s lonely at the top” is a common expression for good reason — for CEOs, it’s especially true. Sure, you’re surrounded by people and if you’re fortunate — good people. But who do you talk to when you need someone with a similar perspective as you? Family is unlikely to fully understand the intricacies of…
“Hey boss, could I ask you something? You know we just had a baby last year, and we bought a new house too. I’m just wondering, how’s the company doing?” It’s reasonable for your team to be asking you questions like this right now. Truthfully, if they aren’t asking you, it’s because they are too…
It’s 3 AM; you’re wide awake, unable to go back to sleep. What’s on your mind? When I’m awake at 3 AM unable to go back to sleep, my fears are running away with me. I’ve done something terribly wrong, I’ve miscalculated my expenses, my clients are never going to pay me again, I’m defaulting…
When you own a business you get to be the top dog, things run “your way,” and you get to decide what you want to do, when you want to work, everything about your business is yours to decide. It also means that when things go wrong, it’s your fault. When your team members drop…