Tag Archives: leader

Become What Inspires You

“Become what inspires you.” What a GREAT quote! I guess I have never thought of it like that before so when I saw that quote I had to share it. We have to start by asking ourselves “What inspires us?” I asked myself that question and then I sat down and started typing up a […]

As Communication Improves, Culture Improves, As Does The Bottom Line. 4 Tools That Make A Difference (Forbes Article)

In order to be a successful company you must create an environment that encourages the contribution and open sharing of information. As the CEO of a high growth company I found it necessary to implement very simple, but incredibly powerful software tools to help us create that environment. Each tool served the purpose of facilitating […]

Living a Virtuous Life

When Benjamin Franklin was a young man of 20 years old he decided he wanted to better himself. He wrote down 13 virtues and determined to practice one virtue each week. He created a notebook to track his progress, writing one virtue at the top of on each page along with a short description of […]

The Characteristics Of A True Leader (Forbes Article)

Every one of us is a leader in our own right. Whether we lead an entire company, or a team of people, or a group of friends, or our families, or just ourselves…we are all leaders in some form or fashion. Whatever size our circle of influence may be today, if we work to improve […]

“Never Say Anything About Yourself That You Don’t Want To Come True” (Forbes Article)

I still remember as a child seeing my mother standing in the kitchen talking to herself. No joke. She would literally have entire conversations with herself. At the time I just assumed my Mom must be a little bit crazy, after all the woman had ten children so by rights she was entitled to be […]

Accepting That You’re Perfectly Imperfect (Forbes Article)

I’ve learned many lessons through my years of leading a company, but without question, the most surprising thing I learned was this: The thing you can do that will make you the strongest, is the thing that is most counter-intuitive to do: Be openly vulnerable. I am sure many of you are scratching your head […]

Opportunity Is About To Knock So Get Ready To Open Your Door (Forbes Article)

It has been said that the key to success is being ready to act when opportunity comes knocking at your door. Well hopefully you are ready, because opportunity is about to start knocking with a billion dollar vengeance! This particular opportunity starts with one word – Genealogy. Now before you tune out, you should know […]

Do You Think You Could You Do A Better Job Than Your Manager? (Forbes Article)

According to an international poll recently conducted by Monster.com, an overwhelming majority of people believe that they could do a better job than their manager. When asked the question, “In your current or most recent job, do you think you could do a better job than your manager?” over 4,800 responded, and 84% of them […]

A Bad Boss Can Make You Sick…Literally! (Forbes Article)

Life is short but apparently it can become a lot shorter if you spend your days dealing with a bad boss. In a recent study performed by Keas.com they found that 77% of employees experienced physical symptoms of stress from bad bosses and workers who had inconsiderate or uncommunicative managers were 60% more likely to suffer […]

5 Ways To Get A Promotion (Forbes Article)

Job security is something everyone longs for, and typically we moving up in the organization as a sign that our jobs are indeed secure. Increased wealth and opportunity are also things we long for, and a promotion at work can help to achieve that. But receiving a promotion doesn’t always come easy, so here are […]

Like a Little Kid On Christmas Eve with Some Advice to Adults

I feel like a five year old kid on Christmas Eve night!  I am so excited for tomorrow that I am jumping out of my skin!  MY SON COMES HOME TOMORROW!  After two LOOOONNNNGGGG years of only being able to write him once a week and only being able to talk to him on Christmas […]

Keeping It Simple Doesn’t Mean You’re Stupid (Forbes Article)

“Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.” C. W. Ceran I consider myself to be a somewhat intelligent person, but when someone explains a new concept to me in terms that are overly complex and unfamiliar, I struggle to easily grasp it. To learn a new concept, I need things described […]

Breaking Stereotypes and Reducing our Sugar Intake

Today was focused on two topics – breaking stereotypes of women in media and reducing our sugar intake to fight obesity. First was a luncheon with actress Geena Davis.  Geena is an incredibly tall, beautiful woman, who is clearly incredibly intelligent.  She founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a charity that is […]

“Doubt Kills Dreams More Than Failure Ever Will”

Today I was humbled and honored to receive the UVEF Entrepreneur of the Year Award.  At the awards lunch they asked me to share a few words about the things that I would like to pass on to other Entrepreneurs from the lessons I have learned from my own journey.  I struggled deciding what lessons […]

What an Incredible Day!

What a day today was!  I started my day at 5:00am this morning so I could get downtown for an early morning meeting with President Wheelwright, the President of BYU Hawaii.  He and I had a wonderful talk about the Entrepreneurship activities going on at his University in Hawaii.  They are doing some really incredible […]

Happy or Sad, Good or Bad, Love It or Hate It, It’s All in How You View It (Forbes Article)

As a business leader, one of the many lessons I learned was that employees often viewed the world around them in ways that were completely different from what was actually going on. I observed time and time again employees who interpreted something one way when the reality was actually totally different. I learned that when […]

CEO Perspective on Treating Employees Well (and other tips)

I was interviewed on Real Recognition Radio by Roy Saunderson and S. Max Brown and the episode aired earlier today.  During the interviewed we discussed questions such as:  Are there differences in the way men and women lead? What makes a great leader?  How important is communication in a company?  How to build a culture? How to […]

Being The Best Isn’t About Knowing The Most (Forbes Article)

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking When an individual believes they know all the answers, they shut themselves down from the possibility that there is more they might learn on a subject. They limit themselves from experiencing personal growth and gaining intelligence. They are […]

Seeking Success In A Finite Number of Hours A Day (Forbes Article)

We all have a finite number of hours in a day – 24 to be exact.  What we choose to do with those hours is of the utmost importance. We can waste our time, or we can use our time to improve ourselves and our lives. I have always felt passionate about the importance of […]

5 Unique Recruiting Ideas That Paid Off Big Time (Forbes Article)

Attracting the best and the brightest people to join your company is the goal of any good leadership team, but finding those people requires serious creativity in your recruiting efforts. Typically the strongest talent out there is going to be gainfully employed somewhere else. So the challenge becomes finding the people who are not out […]

Speak The Truth, Even If Your Voice Shakes (Forbes Article)

When someone isn’t performing well at their job; or when they aren’t the right fit for a particular position; or when their personality isn’t a match for the company culture, one of the biggest disservices you can do to them is to not tell them the truth. As a CEO, I found that one of […]

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

    This week we celebrate the Fourth of July, a day to celebrate Independence and Freedom for all people.  July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress.  What an amazing event in the history of the world.  And how much has taken place since that day.  According to the US Census […]

People Do Business With People They Like (Forbes Article)

People ultimately choose to do business with people they like, and everyone likes someone who appreciates them. I once read a quote by the ever so brilliant writer known as Anonymous. It states, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”  […]

Coping In A Toxic Work Environment (Forbes Article)

Recently, I had the occasion to observe a group of employees who were working in a toxic work environment.  I witnessed the decline of self-esteem in each one of them as they endured month after month of poor leadership and dysfunction in their workplace.   I was truly amazed at the change to the countenance of […]

Admitting You Were Wrong Doesn’t Make You Weak – It Makes You Awesome! (Forbes Article)

It takes tremendous fortitude to utter the words “I was wrong, and I am sorry”.  I love that word: fortitude. I could list the dictionary definition of fortitude, but let’s be honest, why go to that trouble when Bill Gates blessed us with Microsoft Word’s single click to see its synonyms, which are: strength, courage, […]