Have you ever seen the “You had one job!” joke? It’s usually a picture like the one of the sign above, with a crazy error like “Please slow drively.” Or like spelling “STOP” S-O-T-P, or hanging a stair railing upside-down. Google it and you’ll see thousands of examples, because apparently there are a lot of…

Read More

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.” ~ King Solomon (Proverbs 22:29) Excellence is the gap between average and exceptional. It’s the ability to exceed expectations and consistently deliver superior quality. In developing habits of excellence, leaders gain influence and…

Read More

Where does vision come from? How does a leader develop a clear vision for the future?At the earliest stages, the word “vision” may be somewhat misleading, portraying vision as a picture that we can see. The birthplace of vision isn’t the mind’s eye, but the heart. In the beginning, visionaries are guided by passion not…

Read More

How does a financial services company in a bleak economy perform so amazingly well that it can give back $1.2 billion to its customers, members and associates? That’s the question to ask of USAA, the insurance, banking, and investment provider serving military families.  USAA’s revenues leaped 36% in 2009 as the company jumped 75 spots…

Read More

“Excellence” may bring to mind unmatched performance, unusual expertise, or consistent high-quality performance. In our minds, we often associate excellence with talent. To be the best, surely you   have to be gifted, right? Experience has taught me that talent, while important, in no way explains excellence. In fact, the primary pathway to excellence has three…

Read More

As a child, did you ever wish that you could fly? The longing to escape gravity seems ingrained in our imaginations. Fictional characters from Superman to Mary Poppins to Aladdin have soared across the sky on adventures. Michael “Air” Jordan’s fame rested, in part, on his seeming ability to glide above his opponents on the…

Read More