“It shouldn’t be this hard,” said the young bride speaking about her first year of married life. “What makes you think so?” I asked. “Because we’re in love.” Whether it’s love, life or work…many people are confused about how much work is required to achieve greatness. It’s hard, but it’s worth it. Be well. […] The post Great Leaders Know It’s Hard,…

“You get what you inspect.” – a trite management maxim “You get what you expect.” – a slightly less trite maxim “You see where you focus.” – the topic of today’s show Ask yourself these questions: a. What am I constantly looking at? b. What am I constantly looking for? c. Why? Optimism pays The post Where’s Your Focus? appeared first on GROW GREAT.…

People love to use business or industry jargon. And many of us enjoy hearing ourselves. Is it helpful in stating and solving problems? Does it help us seize opportunities better? Simplify Your Way To Better Solutions – putting in the work to be succinct in stating a problem clearly in the simplest terms to The post Great Leaders Can Make It Simple …

Lisa texted me the following anonymous quote: No matter what knocks you down in life, get back up and keep going. Never give up. Great blessings are a result of great perservance. I was born in Oklahoma, historically Indian territory. I can’t remember when I first heard the story of how buffalo react to The post I May Quit, But Not Today appeared f…

I’m a lifelong insomniac who doesn’t require much sleep. Occasionally I go on spurts of sleeping even less (which normally results in sleeping 12 hours at some point in the future). Lisa knows this about me, recently prompting her to ask, “Have you been getting sleep?” I responded sarcastically with the title used for The post We’ll Sleep When We’r…

Today we discuss the damage done by bosses who throw their own team members under the bus. The Holy Grail of leadership is a person’s ability (and willingness) to assemble a team, train a team, grow and develop a team to high performance standards consistently. That requires trust. Which requires self-sacrifice and a commitment The post Leaders Go …

A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something. Listening has a direct correlation with leadership. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact The post Listening Your Way To Bette…

“Shake it up, baby. Twist and shout.” Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed and rearranged to relocate us to the place we’re meant to be. Most often our changes – which includes our growth and improvement – result from some shake up in our life. If we respond well, The post Twist & Shout Your Way To Growth appeared first on G…

For things to change for you…you must change! Work harder on yourself than your job. These wise words speaks to our topic today – improving ourselves so we can garner the highest return possible on our careers and our leadership. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. The post Improving Ourselves For The Highest Re…

Perspective. If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities. —Maya Angelou Viewpoint. Outlook. Philosophy. That all refer to similar things when it comes to those inner drivers behind our leadership journey. How do you see the world? How do you view your part in it? Mostly, I have found The post Perspective’s Role I…

John Sebastian wrote the classic song that’s been covered by the likes of Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffet and others. Today, join me and Lisa as we discuss narrative and the stories we can – and often should – tell. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect The post The Stories We Can (and should) Tell appeared first …

Trust. It’s the bedrock foundation for all high performing teams. Excellent leaders figure out how to form it, grow and foster it. Today, we discuss the necessity to insure trust is always highly prized in our organizations. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With The post Developing & Increasing Trust …

“Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.” – Mike Tyson Plans are valuable. Effective execution of a plan is priceless. Today, Lisa and I talk about the importance of proper planning and execution. It’s the practice of high-performing teams. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page The post High Performing Teams Know H…

Promotions come to us because we’re good at our job. We’re able to accomplish things in a specific area like HR, public works, finance or economic development. The skill to operate well in micro areas doesn’t mean we’re equipped to operate well in macro areas. The higher up the food chain we ascend, the The post Becoming A More Strategic Leader app…

Adult children often find themselves needing to take care of their aging parents. It’s a responsibility we take on because it’s the right thing to do. But there’s more. Today, join me and Lisa as we talk about the responsibility of leadership. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for The post The Responsibility Of Leadership appea…

Thank you for giving us your time and attention. We appreciate it. Lisa and I hope you and your family enjoy a safe, happy, and fun holiday season. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage The post Happy Holidays 2023! appeared first on GROW …

Leadership is: A focus on others A positive influence Doing for others what they may be unable to do for themselves The true measurement of effective leadership is how well we serve others. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With The post Leadership Is Measured In How Wel…

The only magical thing about the end of one year and the beginning of a new one is in our heads. Well, okay, it’s not all in our heads. It’s also in our body because we’re another year older. But we can establish and pursue new goals at any time. We can make up The post Do You Have Leadership Growth Goals For 2024? appeared first on GROW GREAT.…

Lisa texted me this the other day. She and I have spent hours discussing the value of leaning hard into being ourselves. As a leadership and executive coach, it’s less about being happy and more about being effective, productive, and highly impactful. Happiness feels too temporary for me, but contentment seems more sustainable. But The post Be The …

From me and Lisa to all of you, HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcomed. Thank you for watching and listening! The post Happy Th…

Today Lisa and I finish up our conversation on FOCUS and LEVERAGE – the notion that high-performance requires saying “no” to some things so we can say “yes” to other things. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With Randy On The post If Everything Is Important, Then Nothing…

Transitions are part of our lives. Professionally and personally. Because nothing remains the same. If we neglect to maintain our houses, they fall into disrepair. Entropy happens. So we must maintain a focus on taking care of things. That means doing things to improve, fix or accomplish our desired outcomes. Some of us focus The post Are You A Tor…

… when your boots don’t match the map, trust your boots. Many years ago I heard a military officer say that. It stuck with me because it was such a pointed and insightful way of saying a couple of wise things. One, that where we think we are versus where we actually are…may not be The post When Your Boots Don’t Match The Map, Trust Your Boots appea…

She’s excellent at her job because she’s among the top subject-matter experts in her department. But she’s toxic. Unliked. Her caustic behavior is off-putting to other team members. Unhelpful. Intolerant of other opinions. She grows increasingly discontented because time and again she’s passed over for promotion. She feels it completely unjustified…

We’re 10 days into Lisa’s new role as a Managing Director (responsibilities are similar to an assistant city manager). I wanted to chronicle her journey periodically for your benefit. She’s transitioning away from being the longtime Director of HR while transitioning into a broader leadership role supervising multiple departments. The journey invol…

Ron Ashby passed away in the early morning hours of September 11, 2023. He was surrounded by family including a daughter named Lisa Norris. Lisa’s life was turned upside down weeks earlier when her father suffered a stroke. But while the view from outside may have appeared calm, there was maniacal effort happening under The post Compassion’s Role I…

Today we go public with news of Lisa’s recent promotion to Managing Director. There are lessons for all of us. Who matters. Be valuable so you’re a who for others. Relationships matter. Focus on others and be helpful. To get permission, grow where you’re planted. Be grateful. Be optimistic. Be well. Do good. Grow The post Update: Lisa Gets A Promot…

We’re up to part 3 of our hybrid work series. Previously we introduced the benefits and challenges of hybrid work, then we discussed culture. Today we’re going to discuss eligibility for hybrid work. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With The post Figuring Out Hybrid Wor…

Today in part 2 of our series we’re going to discuss the impact of culture on hybrid work. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are The post Figuring Out Hybr…

Since the disruption of the Pandemic organizations have wrestled with redefining what work looks like. Hybrid work is partly in-person work and partly remote work. For some organizations it’s completely remote except for a few team building in-person events. Hybrid work is not one-size-fits-all. Join us today as we discuss how we can figure The pos…

Today we wrap up our 3-part series on leading through the churn. We’ve discussed the need to figure out better ways to lead and manage through the churn, and how to assemble a team capable of effectively working through any churn issues. Now we’re going to close the series by talking about how we The post Leading Through The Churn (Part 3) appeared…

Lisa and I continue part 2 of our 3-part series on leading through the personnel churn. If you didn’t yet watch or listen to part 1, do that before you progress to this one. The context of part 1 will help you with the rest of the series. Today we focus on building your The post Leading Through The Churn (Part 2) appeared first on GROW GREAT.…

Today we begin a 3-part series on leading through the churn. We make a distinction between “churn” and “turnover.” Be sure to watch or listen to all 3 parts of this series. We hope you find it helpful. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With The post Leading Through The Churn (Part 1) appeared first on …

How can we improve ourselves and achieve greater success? One major contributor is our willingness and ability to focus on others…and how we can help them. Today we hope to provoke you to think about how you can step up your game and develop into a more impactful person in the lives of others. The post Focus On Others To Improve Yourself appeared f…

You, the leader, must have a clear purpose and mission. You have to know why you’re in it and what IT is. High performing teams aren’t constructed based on pure logic or reason. They need an emotional oomp – a genuine reason for existing. Something big to take a collective aim at. I’ve been The post 3 Things You Must Do To Build A High Performing T…

Older folks admonished me, “Grow where you’re planted.” The wisest of old folks who surrounded me influenced me to be careful where I was willing to plant myself. They knew the soil of my life would matter. It would determine how strong I’d be able to grow. Today, join me and Lisa as we The post You Can’t Grow If You’re Planted In The Wrong Place a…

Busy, busy, busy! It’s the battle cry in every city. The flow of work that must be done is often overwhelming. Managers lament, “I don’t have time to grow my people. We’ve got too much work to do.” It’s an excuse. And a flimsy one. It may even be delusional for managers who choose The post I Don’t Have Time To Grow My People appeared first on GROW …

Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice. – Unknown Regularly I challenge my coaching clients with this question, “What would happen if you made up your mind to own it? All of it?” Everybody responds with a The post Own It: Individual Responsibility For The Outcome ap…

As consumer we’ve all experienced that awful time when people don’t do what they say. It’s frustrating. Sometimes infuriating. Because we’re on the receiving end of that experience. Truth is, we’re all capable of being on the other end, too. We can tell others we’ll do something, but then drop the ball leaving it The post Leadership Is Doing What Y…

Many of us value popularity over influence. Some degree of fame over impact. I ran across a statement that I had to write down in my little notebook… Others will attempt to get you to lower your standards, to compromise performance and lower your expectations because that’s where you’ll find the crowd. Today, we The post How Do You Measure Leadersh…

Our show today began with seeing this quote after the NBA championship series was won by the Denver Nuggets. This quote provoked us to think about the power of resilience in personal, professional and leadership growth. If you want to be successful…you need to be bad, then you need to be good. Then when The post Leadership Resilience appeared first…

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein I heard Herminia Ibarra, a Yale-educated Ph.D. in organizational behavior, talk about the value of saying it out loud. Or saying it to somebody who you’re not that close to. She meant that by having to explain it The post The High Value Of Saying It Out Loud ap…

If I hear the trite phrase, “comfort zone,” my eyes roll up into the back of my head. But my eyes do that when I hear any number of trite phrases. Besides, I rather enjoy being comfortable. Like now that summer has arrived, here in Texas, it means you can go outside and sweat The post The Value Of Being Uncomfortable appeared first on GROW GREAT.…

In recent weeks Lisa and I have been reminded of how rare leadership development is in organizations. While speaking at a recent conference Lisa, Lauren Safranek (Director of Human Resources, City of Frisco, Texas) and I asked the audience about formal coaching and mentoring. Only a few attendees admitted they had any experience with The post What …

Talent is often seen as the top priority when hiring others and when we examine our own lives. But is talent THE determining factor in success and high performance? Or are there other characteristics that may matter more? Talent is merely an entry point. Without it, we don’t get to join the team and The post Talent Is Overrated appeared first on GR…

Lisa texted me this quote, which prompted today’s show. Sir Ken Robinson wrote a book a few years ago entitled, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. He defined “the element” as the intersection where our natural aptitude and what we love meet. This is one of – if not THE The post Don’t Just Find A Job. Find A Purpose. appeared …

Ask just about any leader or boss, “Is your team or organization high performing?” and they’ll likely remark, “Yes.” Follow that up with a question, “Can you prove it?” and that’s when the conversation can get astonishingly quiet. How can we know we’re high performing individually and collectively? When we hear so much about The post How Do You Kno…

Growth. Improvement. Significance. Happiness. Contentment. These are just a few of the basic things we’re all interested in if we’re aiming to be our best. Nobody listening to this podcast is interested in complacency. We want to keep moving forward. Sometimes we’re faced with situations where we wonder if it’s time for us to The post How Do You Kn…

Let’s talk about how we can better handle fears, angst and worry – especially when those are caused by a transition in our organization, or our career. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you The post How Can You Better Handle Transition…

A member of your team commits an error – an honest mistake. It negatively impacts somebody in your organization. Lisa and I discuss what she calls mistakes of the heart versus mistakes of the mind. How should we react? What impact might our reaction have on our leadership? Be well. Do good. Grow great! The post How Do You React To Your Team’s Mista…