Mike’s Blog

You’ve led the team through some stormy waters. You might have been ready to give up all hope of the team getting along with each other. Yet, as they started listening to each other more, things started to smooth out some. They’ve begun to enter a phase known as...

Things were off to a good start with your new team. Suddenly, though, it feels as if everything is an uphill battle. It seems as if people can’t share an idea without someone disagreeing. This is when things start heating up as the team is storming. The storming...

I’ve worked with teams who are really nice to each other. There’s no arguments, heated debates or anything else that leaves a person feeling uncomfortable. Despite how good this might feel, it’s unlikely the team will accomplish anything significant. A nice team is...

If you drive, there’s a good chance you’ve had a flat tire at some point. What’s it like trying to drive with a flat tire? Progress is challenging, if not impossible, with a flat tire. What would you do with a flat tire? I’m guessing you’d pull over and change it. If...

I'm having a moment in which I need to make some critical decisions about my business. Every day the world is evolving into a new normal. The fact things are changing isn't new, but the rate that things are changing is. Given the degree of uncertainty, it's easy to...

We’re in the midst of challenging times. Life can feel overwhelming with Covid-19, civil unrest, and political upheaval. Do you remember when the climate seemed like such a big problem? The journey to the other side of these difficult times will likely be painful....

Throughout my life, there are many things I learned from my Mom. Likely, one of the biggest lessons is just how meaningful connections are to life. Mom thought connections were so important that during the pandemic lockdown, she reached out to talk with at least one...

For the past couple of weeks, my writing came to a stop. It’s been a crazy couple weeks as we’ve been present for my Mom, who suffered a stroke and passed away a week later. As with any such life event, it gave me a reason to reflect on my own life. Do I love what I’m...

Recently, I published the post are you waiting for things to return to normal? I think things are changing in a way that we won't go back to the old normal. Truthfully, the world changes every day even without a pandemic. However, it just doesn't normally change at...

On Friday of last week, I missed publishing a post for the first time in a year and a half. The only reason this is noteworthy in my mind is that I committed myself to post every day. How aggressive are the plans you make? What would happen if someone on your team had...

I heard a story recently of a company who installed monitoring software on their staff's computers. The monitoring software will report how many minutes per day their staff are working while at home. Obviously, this company has a pretty severe trust issue with their...

Recently my wife, Rosie, set up a fundraising campaign for those who want to give something in appreciation for the face masks she's making them. Rosie's initial fundraising goal was $500 by the end of May (which was a random number). To date, she's raised $1,101 for...