At the end of your career and life, you will not be defined so much by your failures or achievements, but by the opportunities to fail that you were determined to turn into successes. Those who know me will not be surprised to find that I believe we are all endowed with an innate desire…
Of all of the traits that leaders possess, I find the least understood and cultivated is the power of their influence. As a leader, it is imperative that you be aware of how your voice resonates, your actions motivate, and your dreams instigate change that challenges others to break from the status quo and stretch…
For a country boy from Chatsworth. GA, that is a big word. Heck, that is a big word no matter where you are from! After spending the week at one of the largest flooring shows in the world, I can tell you that the only thing bigger than the word itself, may be the challenge…
You are likely familiar with the inspirational story of Roger Bannister, the first man to break the four minute barrier for running a mile. For those who may not be as familiar, the feat was considered impossible prior to 1954, when Bannister accomplished the goal in 3:59.4. Many medical experts were confident that a runner’s…
Success is often elusive. Many say they want it, but few ever feel that they achieve it. To simply pursue success is often an exercise in futility. The goal is too broad to understand the effort and resources required to attain it. Though I don’t have a magic pill to guarantee your success, I am…
I caution my kids all the time that the friends they surround themselves with will likely determine their path in life. I am sure I say that because my parents and others instilled that “truth’ in me. But was it truth or just the verbiage of over protective adults trying to keep me on the…
Life happens… I was recently shocked to hear of the passing of a dear friend from my High School Class. I moved my freshman year of high school – not the easiest time to transition. Peer groups were already established, and I was the new kid in town. Mike Rampy became one of my closest…
I just finished a great book called The Sender by Kevin Elko and Bill Beausay. It is based on a real life scenario where a person was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo multiple rounds of Chemo. During these 90 days of treatments, someone who identified themselves only as “The Sender”, wrote a letter…
I never liked whip cream on my shake. In my mind it simply made it harder to get to the stuff I wanted to get to. To me the whip cream kept me from seeing the “good stuff” and had the potential of being real messy. Before you tune out and decide that I have…
I know myself pretty well. I have been through pretty much every behavioral profile known to man. I am aware of my strengths and seek to avoid situations that magnify my weaknesses. As I look back on my career, I have to admit that was not always the case. In the mid 1990’s I attended…
Years ago, as a country boy who had rarely ventured outside of North Georgia, I had the opportunity to travel to New York City. I have countless trips to this great city under my belt now, but I will never forget that first foray into the metropolitan jungle. I flew into Laguardia in the middle…
“How are you doing?” We hear this question multiple times daily and likely respond with a “Fine, how are you?” This interaction happens so often that we don’t even wait to hear the response. It has become simply the polite thing to say. Now that may work fine in your personal life, where politeness is…