Climb Higher, Shine Brighter

“Scattered.” That’s how one of my favorite leaders replied when I asked her last week to summarize how she’s doing in one word. I don’t blame her. I feel pretty jumbled up myself most days. It’s no wonder when you reflect on how the world has turned upside down over...

Our world loves a hero. Thank goodness, there are genuine heroes at work in this crisis.  But one of the lies we’ll be tempted to believe over the coming weeks is that we have to be heroes ourselves. Or that if our efforts are not spectacular, they are unimportant....

You’ve probably said and heard this 100 times over the past few weeks: “Be safe. Keep your family safe.” I’ve said it too.  I understand. When life seems crazy, we default to protection.  Eventually, though, we have to move beyond personal survival if we want to play...

Those unconscious stories we tell ourselves can be tricky. Narratives contain truth and lies, usually jumbled together. Sorting truth from lies is one of the primary jobs of avoiding brain hijacks that can cripple you in crisis. For instance, the story you’re telling...

Reality is what you run into when you’re wrong. - Dallas Willard If you’re going to do your most important job - managing yourself in this time of crisis - you’re going to have the opportunity to rethink everything. Your feelings, especially the persistent feelings...

You’re probably scared of your emotions right now. They seem out of control, undependable. You know they have the capacity to hijack your brain. Keeping control of your brain seems like a good idea right now. You may be tempted to ignore or submerge your feelings in...

This feeling stuff isn’t natural for many of us. But if your most important job is to manage you, it’s time to raise your game. Otherwise, you will be susceptible to a brain hijack. Don’t believe the lie that you can’t learn to recognize your feelings. You didn’t get...

Your most important job today is not cutting costs. Or managing cash. Or caring for your people. Or retaining customers. Or scenario planning for an uncertain future.  Those are all very important jobs. They are not most important.  Your most important job is to...

The costs of this crisis are real and becoming clearer every day. Physical suffering for some. Loss of family and friends for others. Stress and strain and juggling responsibilities for most. Massive disruption for almost all.  But there are also surprising benefits....

We all know we’re in a crisis. Especially if you’re in a leadership role, you know that you’re in for a very challenging ride, perhaps the most challenging of your lifetime. Days seem like weeks, weeks like months as circumstances shift at a dizzying pace. But you’re...