A story about consistency Every morning, I give my horse, Steve, a special ration of feed. It has to be soaked overnight so it is ready for him in the morning. When I forget to prepare it the night before, everything starts late. Steve notices. He becomes frustrated and paces the pen, watching for me, […]
For the last few months, I’ve been on a quest to change my health habits. And I’ve been resisting one thing. Walking. Physical exercise. The simplest option on the list. This morning, I went for a 30-minute walk—and it felt like I overcame a giant. Not because it was hard physically. But because it exposed […]
The Doorknob Decision: Choosing to Turn Instead of Looping By Arlen Motz Leadership Most leaders don’t miss opportunities because they can’t see the door. They miss them because they won’t turn the knob. I’ve been there: facing a solid door with a simple handle, looping in my head. The loop feels like strategy, but it’s […]
When a hammer hits a nail it drives the nail into the wood and that is progress. The impact or force of the hammer is what creates the action. Now if there is too much force or a force from the wrong angle the nail kinks over. The action and force of the hammer is […]
Early on, someone told me something that sounded pretty smart at the time:“Never move someone off your team—you can coach anyone into any role.” At first, this seemed to make sense because great leaders develop people, and persistence is a virtue.But the truth is fit matters. A person who struggles in one environment can thrive […]
I ask myself this often: How can I be curious without turning into a micromanager? So many times I have found myself thinking “I could have done this job 3 times faster and way better.” When I get close to a deadline my trust is hard to keep in focus and I find it a […]
Stuck in a Leadership Rut? Here’s How to Move By Arlen Motz Leadership Leaders don’t end up in a rut overnight—we drift there. We get busy, stop asking hard questions, and accept patterns that don’t serve us. If that’s you, you’re not broken—and you’re not stuck. You can move. A Personal Note I’ve noticed this […]
The Thought Model: How Your Thinking Drives Results Years ago, if you walked into my house around 6 p.m., you could feel the tension. I was quick to anger. My family wasn’t sure which version of me was walking through the door, and honestly—neither was I. When I first heard the idea that your thoughts […]
Believe Your Why: Stop Leading for Approval and Start Leading on Purpose As small business leaders, we want to make people proud—owners, clients, mentors, even our teams. The pull to please is strong. We react, we lose sight of why we lead in the first place. I’ve felt that drift in my own life. When […]
I was recently in a coaching group when the conversation turned to relationships. At first, I didn’t want to engage. I’m not perfect—and honestly, I wasn’t sure I had much to offer. But then I mentioned a framework I’ve used before: Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti by Bill and Pam Ferral Click […]
