You can live your life on purpose. It begins by creating a “Life Plan.” This won’t insulate you from life’s many adversities and unexpected twists and turns, but it will help you become an active participant in your life, intentionally shaping your own future.
Leadership
The Best Ideal Week Practices for Business Owners
Have you heard of Jack Nevison’s research on the “Rule of Fifty”? In his studies on professionals and their productivity, Nevison found that working over 50 hours in a week actually reduced productivity. In fact, 50 hours on the job only equated to about 37 hours of high-quality work. Burning the candle at both ends […]
4 Tips to Negotiate Your Commitments and Get Your Time Back
Negotiating skills often come naturally to business owners. For sales-savvy individuals, securing a seat on a board or signing up for a leadership position isn’t necessarily the problem. However, getting out of these commitments is. These responsibilities come at a cost. Professional and personal obligations quickly add up and can start to drain your time, […]
5 Keys to Becoming an Effective Leader
Becoming an effective leader could deliver the highest ROI of any investment in your success. Here are 5 keys to effective leadership.
Is a Coach for Entrepreneurs Right for You?
For an entrepreneur to succeed, they need the right mindset, skills, and ability to execute their ideas. The challenge is, skills and experience can only take you so far. That’s where a coach for entrepreneurs can close the gap. Here are four questions to ask to see if working with a business coach is right for you.
Turning Failure to Your Advantage
Failure can be a powerful teacher—if you process it carefully and wring all the juice out of it. Here are 5 steps for turning failure to your advantage.
Why Every Small Business Needs a Strategic Plan (and How to Create One)
Strategic planning is essential for your company’s success, especially in a highly volatile economy. Here’s why and how to get started.
The Least Expensive, Most Valuable Way to Invest in Your Team
When an employee is underperforming and hurting the team, good leaders should begin by asking these 4 questions.
The Undervalued Zone of the Freedom Compass
Some tasks you don’t enjoy or do well. But that can change with 4 strategies for developing your passion and proficiency for any kind of work.
Making the Most of a Small Team
Expanding your team isn’t the only option to scale your business. Here are 4 tactics for growing your business without growing your team.
6 Ingredients That Help You Plan for the Coming Year
Too often, business owners launch into the new year without a clear plan. Here are 6 ingredients for making an effective strategic plan.
Calendar Jailbreak: 4 Strategies to Spend Less Time in Meetings
When you feel held captive by your calendar, it’s time to reevaluate. You can make your calendar work for you by adopting these 4 strategies.
4 Signs It’s Time to Fire a Client
Sometimes clients aren’t a good fit for your business. If you notice these 4 signs, it’s probably time to let a client go.
5 Reasons You Need a Business Coach
In early 2002, I was the general manager of Nelson Books, one of Thomas Nelson Publishers’ fourteen divisions. In eighteen months, we had gone from number 14—dead last—to number one in terms of revenue growth and profit margin. I felt great. I was proud of myself and my team for the results we’d achieved. That […]
The Key to Diagnosing and Solving Your Business Problems
Most leaders are born problem solvers. But if we’re not careful, we misdiagnose most problems. Here are 3 elements that help you solve any business issue.
Get the Feedback You Need to Scale
The only way you can grow is to know what’s not working so you can fix it. To solicit the feedback you need, have intentional candor meetings. Here’s how to do that in 5 steps.
What Creating the Full Focus Planner Teaches Us About Innovation
As we celebrate the Full Focus Planner’s 5-year anniversary, we reflect on the journey and offer 3 key insights about successful innovation.
4 Reasons Delegation Fails and How to Fix It in Your Business
If you want truly great results as a leader, you have to become a master delegator. Here are 4 struggle points and how to turn them around.
How to Sync Up Your Team for Success
Alignment doesn’t just happen. Leaders create it. Sync up your team for success with these 3 components of effective alignment.
20 Things I Learned from My Bosses (Even the Bad Ones)
You usually don’t get to choose your boss, but you can learn from them. Here are 20 things I have learned from my bosses over the years.
5 Steps to Defuse Conflict
Conflict can be an opportunity for growth when you learn how to engage—not just be reactive. Here are 5 steps to guide that process.
3 Ways to Inspire Your Team
If your team isn’t buying in to your vision, your results will be lackluster. Here are 3 ways to make your vision inspiring to your team.
Why Workplace Character Matters
For better or worse, you’re going to replicate yourself in your organization. Here are 4 reasons every leader must model good character.
4 Strategies for Combatting Decision Fatigue
Decision fatigue is a real thing. To maximize the return on daily decision-making, follow these 4 simple strategies.