At key strategic inflection points, “firing yourself” is essential. It allows you to step outside the constraints of your existing...

A simple word or turn of phrase can transform what’s possible. One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is my morning walk with my now...

Regular readers of this weekly blog are undoubtedly familiar with my interest in Stoicism. From time to time, I will explicitly write...

I am in control of the meaning I give to the words someone utters, and my emotional response is the consequence of that meaning I choose,...

If you're looking for what you can do to make a difference, there may be no better act than to be kind. A few weeks ago, Northern...

All great leaders have realized that real change begins, and often is sustained, by taking responsibility for altering the conditions...

What does it mean to live the good life? Living your life consistent with what it is that you want to be remembered for may be the best...

Exceptional cultures are not right for everyone. And they remain exceptional to the degree that its leaders are willing to make difficult...

Today, the world needs courage at a time when it seems to be in short supply. This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to two...

The leadership failures over the last three decades have largely been failures of vision. In every case, leaders missed the opportunity...

Understanding your past gives you access to the programming that runs you. With access, you can rewrite the code of your underlying...

There are moments in time during which one experiences a deep sense of certainty that cannot be logically defended but nonetheless is...

We need both doing and being in our lives. We become fully alive when we are powerfully generative (i.e., doing) and deeply present...

We’re overwhelmed and exhausted. This is the almost universal complaint I hear from the business leaders I work with. There are, of...

Deep friendships have the unmistakable quality of being immutable. At the same time, they demand to be treated as fragile, never to be...

We don’t have to look far for examples of people who have achieved extraordinary things. It is the “ordinary” person, often right in...

Last week was a bit of a dream come true for me. I had a chance to see the first live appearance (since the start of the pandemic) of my...

If nothing else, these Olympics were yet another reminder that records are meant to be broken. That the limits these records seem to...

Life is shaped not so much by the incredible accomplishments you achieve. Nor is it determined by the disappointments and failures you...

Extraordinary leaders regularly ask one very powerful question, “What am I doing or not doing that is inconsistent with the very things...

As I write this, I’m not feeling physically great. I’ve been under the weather for the better part of a week. I considered skipping this...

I’ve come to believe that the ecstatic feeling of mastery is not reserved for the few talented people in the world that receive...

We have unconsciously slipped into the trap of choosing between a love for the exceptional qualities of our country and the...

While there is still much more work to be done, I’m proud of how far this country has come in its views on sexual and gender orientation....

As we continue to fight for our freedom, we must not forget that each of us is also individually imprisoned by a set of psychological...

For the past couple of years, I have been consistently embracing a practice that many of the ancient traditions observed – to treat every...

At its core, leadership is about the ability to leverage paradox. There are five polarities that are critical to effective leadership....

By judging, we deprive others of what is, next to love, perhaps the most universal of human needs – to be seen. It is only by seeing...

Our expectations of others can have a significant impact. But it is self-expectation that makes the biggest difference. So much of your...

Acts of defiance are desperately needed right now. Yet, they seem unfortunately to be in short supply. Nothing ever truly great is...

How can I live such that each day I can say my time remaining will be even richer than the sum total of all that I have already lived?...

How do we gracefully continue to bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice by demanding that we all act in ways that are more...

Extraordinary things don’t get built or happen unless someone is willing to not be typical. Anything extraordinary is, by definition,...

We are, at our core, kind. American kindness, perhaps more so than innovation, may be our most valuable trait. Last week, I wrote about...

The most significant breaches of commitments are typically the ones you make to yourself. If you can't trust yourself to be reliable, how...

Every generation seems to have a moment that offers an opportunity to question the prevailing paradigm of the times. This is such a...

Unless we intentionally design slack into our systems – unless we shift the narrative from slack as negative to slack as essential – we...

Even though we may not fully understand it, we are all undoubtedly familiar with Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, and in...

When we move from self to other, a new world is disclosed. We stop playing not to lose and start playing to win. If you’ve ever watched a...

Staying small elevates the protection of self above all else. Playing big is the most selfless of acts. It allows the majestic gifts in...

How do you accept the people you're in relationship with for who they are while, at the same time, challenging them to be the very best...

True joy and fulfillment come when you can see that life must be lived with purpose and seriousness, while at the same time being able to...

We had our man on the moon moment, and we blew it. Backbone without character is a disaster. You have to have both to lead effectively....

It turns out that each of our lives is powered by a flywheel. It is largely invisible, and it differs in the direction it turns, the...

As challenging as it is, you have the responsibility to be the curator of the information you consume. Standing guard at the door of your...

Hope and fear must co-exist. They are not mutually exclusive. We are not faced with a choice between the two, but an opportunity to...

Character is on trial right now – in this country and across the world. Do we choose to honor the memory of Dr. King? Or do we succumb to...

Crucible moments are opportunities to reconstruct the systems of values and beliefs that unite us as families, communities, and nations...

The central question for 2021 (and for any year) is: How do I flourish in a world where much, if not most, of what happens is beyond my...

Integrity is about your word. All you are is your word. And your effectiveness in life is a function of the degree to which you honor...