The Shade You Won’t Enjoy Today

A few weeks ago, I drove through an older neighborhood where enormous oak trees stretched over the streets, their branches meeting overhead to create a canopy of shade. The trees were magnificent. They had clearly been there for decades, standing...

Who is setting the temperature?

The Thermostat Every office has one. It might be tucked away in a hallway, mounted quietly on the wall where hardly anyone notices it until someone gets uncomfortable. Someone inevitably walks over and nudges it a degree or two. Five...

The Business He Never Meant to Build

A business owner sat across the table from us during a planning session and said something that caught everyone off guard. “I don’t think this is the business I wanted.” For a moment, we weren’t sure how to respond. It...

The Exit Plan That Didn’t Exist

Why Profitable Businesses Still Lack Options There was a business owner in his early sixties who had spent decades building his company. Long hours.Sacrifices.Relentless commitment. He had missed birthdays.Worked weekends.Reinvested profits when others would have taken them. And it had...

Your team might not be telling you the truth

If you own a privately held company, there’s something you need to know: Your team might not be telling you the whole truth. Not because they’re dishonest. Because they are not sure it’s safe. Alan Mulally learned this the hard...

The Accountability Advantage: Who’s Holding You Accountable?

By February, the excitement of a new year has usually worn off. Goals are still written down. Dashboards still exist. But the energy that fueled January has been replaced by urgent emails, unexpected challenges, and familiar habits creeping back in....

Clarity Creates Momentum

January often feels like standing at the starting line of a marathon. You can see the course, and you know the finish line is out there—but you only get there one mile at a time, and the first decision is...