When I sat down to write last Monday, I hadn’t intended to share all of these stories. Looking back over them, I’m incredibly grateful for each of these experiences… Not because of the pain… Not because of the challenge… But because of the outcome. I don’t hold ill will against anyone… Increasingly, I’ve found compassion…

Stepping down from my role in the church created a vacuum. I needed purpose. I needed something to throw myself into. Years earlier, I had sold a Marketing & Strategy Deep Dive for my brother’s software development company. One thing led to another… – I helped him with his marketing copy, breaking into a new…

Fast forward a few years… My wife and I had gotten married. We had settled into a small local church. During that time, I wasn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. – I asked questions. – I challenged assumptions. – I invited change. Whether because of immaturity, ignorance, or reasons beyond my control, I ended up…

I loaded my most important belongings into my beat-up white Toyota Corolla that my brother had bought from a friend for $1. I had: – a duffel bag of clothes – my laptop – and a Pearl drum kit Yep, the essentials! I had to maneuver the bass drum into the passenger seat. I barely got…

My first ‘real job’ was as a software developer. I’d started coding when I was 8 years old. For a kid in rural Kansas, getting a job as a software developer was a dream come true. Paid better than almost any other job. The only places I could maybe have done better would have been…

This is for all of my misfit friends… For much of my life, I’ve been in environments that have demanded me to be something that I’m not. I grew up in what I would call a high control religious group & with dysfunctional dynamics. I’ve resisted saying it out loud for a long time… – what…

why partnerships don’t work & how to fix them 1 – the overeager partner antidote: hit the brakes by getting clear on requirements & expectations If partnership is a sales process, this is where sales is a disqualification process. What are the things that MUST be true: – timeline – delivery – values – contribution…

“I can’t decide” can mean a lot of things. But it might mean… You’re not looking at what you really want You’re trying to choose between 2 second best alternatives. And you’re ignoring CHOICE #1. But because of Fear Doubt Insecurity Arrogance You won’t entertain it. What’s the choice you really want… … that you…

if you’re an EMPLOYEE, you’re on your own for this (and no boss ever told me this) It’s the myth of the ‘heaven on earth’ workplace, and here’s what I mean… Every business is, at some level, optimized for profitability. It’s a sliding scale between ‘do good’ and ‘make money’. If they slide too far…

Today, this comment reminded me of something that I’ve taken for granted. Several years ago, one of my mentors firmly instructed me, “You’re going to have a lot of people coming into your life. You need a way to keep notes with everyone you meet.” I started immediately. I notes from conversations with 391 different people.…