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Leaving Room at the Table: Belonging Begins at Home

Families change. We know this, of course. Children grow up. They develop their own interests, make their own choices, and eventually build lives that don't always look like the ones we imagined for them. But knowing that families change and knowing how to change with them are two very different things. As leaders, we talk a lot about creating cultures of belonging. We want people to feel valued for who they are and know that they have a place on [...]

By |2026-08-05T10:38:26-05:00August 5th, 2026|Lifting|0 Comments
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Listening Beyond Words: Sometimes the Loudest Conversations Never Use Words

As leaders, we're taught to listen. Not just to the words people say, but to the concerns behind them. The hesitation. The excitement. The frustration. We learn that behavior often communicates more than conversation ever will. I've found that's just as true at home. One of my sons developed a habit in college of experimenting with his hair. First it was black. Then blonde. Then pink. Then gray. Every few months there was something new. I have to admit, it [...]

By |2026-07-22T12:56:13-05:00July 22nd, 2026|Family Matters, Lifting|0 Comments
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The Family Team: Creating a Culture of Contribution at Home

One of the first things we do when building a high-performing team at work is make sure everyone understands how they contribute. We don't expect everyone to do the same job. We don't expect everyone to have the same strengths. But we do expect everyone to bring something of value. Healthy teams aren't built because one person does everything. They're built because everyone contributes something that makes the whole stronger. Somewhere between the office and our front door, though, we [...]

By |2026-07-22T12:44:18-05:00July 9th, 2026|Lifting|0 Comments
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One Home, Many Needs: Why Strong Family Leadership Makes Room for Difference

One of the biggest challenges we face in leadership, both at work and at home, is remembering that we are not leading ourselves. We are leading someone else—someone who is their own unique individual. In the workplace, this shows up in the teams we lead. We know that not every employee is motivated the same way, processes information the same way, or responds to pressure the same way. We know that one person may need clarity and structure while another [...]

By |2026-08-05T10:39:23-05:00June 24th, 2026|Lifting|0 Comments
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The Trust Tax: The Hidden Cost of Low-Trust Teams (and How Leaders Reduce It)

Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. In healthcare—and in any high-stakes environment—leaders don’t get the luxury of “good enough.” Outcomes matter. People matter. And the way teams work together determines whether excellence is sustainable… or just a temporary sprint held together by sheer willpower. That’s why trust isn’t a “nice-to-have.” Trust is the invisible infrastructure of performance. When it’s strong, teams move faster, collaborate better, speak up sooner, and recover quicker. When it’s weak, organizations pay a price—even if it doesn’t [...]

By |2026-03-04T14:01:25-06:00March 4th, 2026|Leading|Comments Off on The Trust Tax: The Hidden Cost of Low-Trust Teams (and How Leaders Reduce It)
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Working Out Loud – 3 Steps Teams Need for Effective Collaboration

Most sports require teams. And one thing teams absolutely require is effective collaboration and communication. Let me take my favorite sport—track and field—and one of my favorite events: the 4x100 or 4x400 meter relay. (Honestly, pick any relay. The principle holds.) Your leg of the race means nothing if you fumble the handoff.If you drop the baton.If you aren’t in the exchange zone at the right time. You could run the fastest split of the entire field and still lose [...]

By |2026-02-20T09:01:23-06:00February 18th, 2026|Leading|Comments Off on Working Out Loud – 3 Steps Teams Need for Effective Collaboration
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Turning Conflict into Clarity: How Leaders Can Leverage Ideational Differences

In every room where progress is made, there’s bound to be some tension. As a leadership expert and engineer by trade, I’ve learned that not all conflict is personal. Sometimes, it’s the push and pull of ideas—what I call ideational conflict—that creates the spark for innovation. This type of conflict doesn’t stem from personality clashes or miscommunication. It arises when team members have fundamentally different ideas, perspectives, or approaches to solving a problem. And when managed well, it can lead [...]

By |2025-07-09T10:51:37-05:00July 9th, 2025|Culture & Inclusion, Leading|0 Comments
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“Or is there?” – The Power of Individual Change

“Or is there?” A powerful question around change and our ability to affect change.  This simple question - from my Uncle Lurie was to be a catalyst for change.  This is an excerpt from my book What’s Your Catalyst: The Power of Managed Change where I recount my life-changing work trip to Africa and the impact of those three words.  As I sat writing in a Cameroonian hotel room late one night, my tone was different. I wrote with a [...]

By |2024-05-28T20:16:44-05:00May 28th, 2024|Leading|0 Comments
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How to be a memorable speaker

I recently contributed to a conversation on LinkedIn about common mistakes in public speaking and I felt compelled to make the point that when we are speaking – to audiences of any size – connection is crucial. As I typed, I realized how strongly I felt the following to be true, and how often it is overlooked in favor of clickbait soundbites and the dominant narrative around data. Here’s what I said, and keep reading for some insights into how [...]

By |2024-05-15T23:14:29-05:00May 15th, 2024|Leading|0 Comments
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