I’d been absent from the air waves for a couple months. Why? Mainly because of one key decision in 2018: to take the Portland Underground Graduate School class, Financial Freedom 101 (FF101).FF101 blew so many things out of the water for us in terms of what we “thought” we had to do in order to retire. It taught us things about money and time that we just can't "unsee" now. We realized we have options to "buy our time back" sooner but only if we make some different choices.  Choice … [Read more...]

Raise your hand (or drop me an email) if you love being told what to do! I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of hands raised out there nor will I get a lot of emails from most of you.   Whether you’re a teenager being told to pick up your socks or professional going through a process or system change, most of us don’t like being told what to do.  It’s common for people to want control over your own destiny or, at a minimum, to feel like you are being brought along on the … [Read more...]

Power to the People - It's Not A Generational Gap “To Give Anything Less Than Your Best is to Sacrifice the Gift.” – Steve Prefontaine Last month we talked about Millennials in the workplace and debunked a few myths.  I also promised to continue the theme and focus on the other workplace generations this month. Since then, I realized that it's less about generational gaps and more about making ALL employees a central focus because most people want the same thing from work: to be … [Read more...]

Recently I went to Vegas to speak at an HR Strategy a conference. I was so zero chill about this trip because: Well, it’s Vegas of course, YOLO (You Only Live Once) If I hadn’t accepted the gig it would have led to a major FOMO (Fear of MIssing Out) Okay, okay, some of you probably have no idea what I just said and others of you are probably laughing your ass off because I’m totaling destroying your slang. For a short glossary of terms, scroll to the end of this … [Read more...]

“Hey, do you have a minute? I want to run something by you.  But, it’s really important that you keep this confidential.” “Can I talk to you about something? I’ve got this situation going on but this has got to stay between you and me.” People tell me things. All the time.  Despite the double dog dare secrecy, most of the things people tell me aren’t gossip or trade secrets. It’s way worse than that because they share their grisly details of conflict, miscommunication, … [Read more...]

Why do some teams fall apart under pressure, when other teams overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and keep getting stronger?  It’s not just about the people.  Teams stacked with great talent often still fail to get past major challenges.  And having a strong leader isn’t enough either.  To deliver truly outstanding results, your team needs a culture of sustained engagement. What is engagement, and why do I need it? Engaged employees are fully involved in and enthusiastic … [Read more...]

Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”  Reading a quote like that takes me to a mythical place,  somewhere lofty,  and expansive, where I wonder what it would be like to make a  BIG difference to an entire  company, country or all of humanity. And then my email dings, and I snap back into the present and I start to think about a different kind of heroics.  The kind I hear about with certain types of clients … [Read more...]

What would you do if you had 200,000 more dollars to spend this year?  I know what I would do. I’d buy that little house we saw in Mexico last week - the one with the rooftop Jacuzzi.  And, I’m pretty sure that’s not just the tequila talking. $200,000 is one of those funny amounts. It’s not BIG money; most people couldn’t retire on it.  And maybe it’s not a lot when you are talking rooftop Jacuzzi.  But, it’s A LOT of money in just about any other circumstance! And … [Read more...]

Dog flying with a cape

What’s the one thing all superheroes seem to have in common? They go from being average, vulnerable, and maybe even a little nerdy, to being superheroes in a matter of seconds.  The next time you need to make a quick change in your team, wouldn’t it be great if you could step into a phone booth and step out a few minutes later with everything in place? Or, start getting better results in minutes or days instead of months? I've asked the Superheroes of Change Management and they weighed … [Read more...]

What's the before and after shot for your team? Lately I've been working with teams going through tough stuff: conflict, confusion, misunderstanding, things not getting done, you name it. I wish I had before and after shots of the teams I work with – you know, like the ones you see in magazines when someone or something gets a makeover? Since I don't have photos (and wouldn't share them even if I did), here’s my take on what's in and what's out when it comes to helping your team with a … [Read more...]