What’s your company’s mission?

Is it inspiring?

Or meaningful?

Is it big enough?

People aren’t inspired by little visions.

They need a mission with a BIG purpose.

That outweighs the grind of their daily work.

You want them to get emotional about where your company is going.

And what it can be.

You want to stir up their souls!

Their hearts.

Their minds.

People don’t want to just work for a company.

They want to work for a purpose.

Don’t underestimate the power of purpose.

According to research conducted by The Workforce Institute at UKG:

• 78% of employees say that stress from work negatively impacts their mental health.

• 71% say work negatively impacts their home life.

• 64% say work negatively impacts their wellbeing.

• 62% say work negatively impacts their relationships.

• And close to 65% would take a pay cut for a job that better supports their mental health.

What can you do as managers and leaders?

Show empathy.

Listen actively.

Acknowledge their feelings.

Offer support.

Provide employees with helpful resources.

Having a problem with productivity?

Here are 2 questions to consider:

Is it low morale?

Your team may be feeling overwhelmed.

You won’t know unless you ask.

Get out of your office.

Interact with your team.

Find out what’s going on.

And fix it.

Are outdated work processes and systems making it difficult for your team to do their jobs?

Outdated systems are frustrating and de-motivating.

Find areas you can improve.

Upgrade your technology.

Make sure your team has the most up-to-date tools and resources.

Onboarding new hires is vital for your company.

You get fresh talent.

And new ideas.

They get a fresh work culture.

And a hopeful new future.

Many of them are excited.

And nervous.

It’s risky leaving one job for another.

How can you keep them feeling good about your company?

Remember…

• First impressions count.

• Let them feel how much you appreciate them already.

• Show them how you will support them.

• Give them a roadmap to success.

Finally, encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas.

Companies like to paint their mission, vision and values on their walls.

I watch people walk by these words without one glance.

I don’t fault them.

Words on a wall are meaningless if that’s the only place they’re ever shared.

Mission, Vision and Values are supposed to be a blueprint for the company’s future.

Something for people to rally behind.

Do your employees believe in your mission, vision and values?

Watch them walk in and out of your building.

You’ll get a pretty good answer.

Staying competitive is a never-ending process. 

Everything needs to improve. 

Your products. 

Your services. 

Your processes. 

Your people. 

Here are 2 surefire ways to inspire your team to learn. 

• Start a Lunch and Learn. 

Free food and a kick-ass speaker might just be the spark your team needs. 

• Provide learning breaks that have nothing to do with work. 

Have someone teach a woodworking class. Or a painting class. Or how to build a bucket garden. 

Encourage learning any way you can. 

And celebrate every success. 

I grew up in Bluffton, Ohio. 

My dad was locally-famous. 

He was Muhammed Ali’s sparring partner. 

And George Foreman’s 17^th pro fight. 

I always admired my dad.

Not because everyone knew him.

But how he could get in front of any audience and wow them.

I thought that was such an impressive skill.

As it turns out…

It is.

Many people fear speaking in public.

I’ve found it’s one of the most important skills in life and business.

Face your fear.

Learn this valuable skill.

Leadership is hard.

You have to lay the foundation.

Create the roadmap.

Sell others on your vision.

You have to be focused.

Disciplined.

And committed.

If you switch companies every 2 years, how can any team you lead, achieve breakthrough results?

We need leaders who can see things through.

Who can be counted on…

When the going gets tough.

Who don’t abandon their post…

Before their watch has ended.

Be the right person.

In the right job.

At the right time.

Finish what you started.

People resist change.

That’s a fact.

They like doing things the way they’ve always done it.

It feels good.

Doesn’t require effort.

Or learning something new.

People like being comfortable.

Change disrupts comfort.

But change can be exactly what your company needs right now.

The world’s moving fast.

AI is disrupting everything.

You can’t afford to sit back and see what happens.

Or look back and wonder what happened.

You need to upgrade everything and everyone.

Yesterday.

The way you’ve always done it?

Is over.

Have you ever worked for someone who inspired you so much, you’d follow them anywhere? 

No? 

Me either. 

It got me thinking... 

What kind of person could inspire me to that level of intensity and commitment for them? 

I’ve come up with 2 traits: 

First, they’d have to have absolute passion for their work. 

I mean, burning hot, walk-through-fire passion. 

Second, they’d have to have complete confidence in me. 

I’d need to know they wanted me by their side. 

Who would you follow? 

And why?

What does a great workplace culture look like?

What makes people stick around?

In my experience…

a sticky workplace --

is a place where people are excited to come to work every day.

Excited to see their peeps.

Excited to put in their time.

Cuz they’re making a difference.

They feel valued.

Respected.

Supported.

When people work great together…

Great things can happen.

It’s win-win.

Less turnover.

Happier employees.

And contrary to what some say…

You can have fun at work.

And still get shit done.

Does trying something new feel as weird to you as it does to me? 

It’s uncomfortable. 

Feels unnatural. 

I wonder... 

What will people think? 

Will I look like an idiot? 

But the truth is... 

Everything I want... 

And you want... 

Is on the other side of that fear. 

And there’s only one way to get it. 

Stop worrying about what other people think. 

You won’t get it right the first time. 

And that’s OK. 

Embrace the challenge. 

Have fun. 

You’re on an exciting, new adventure!

Everybody has a side hustle.

They’re buyin’ and sellin’ on eBay.

Video gamin’ for tips on Twitch.

Or gettin’ crafty on Etsy.

Maybe they’ll be a “Life Coach”.

Or rent out Sugar Plum’s old crib or car seat.

I mean surely that’s a six-figure income!

Don’t get me wrong.

I peddle my wares too.

The truth is…

Sometimes…

You should just be doing the thing that could make the biggest difference in your life.

Being EXCELLENT at the job you’re already getting paid to do.

Everyone makes mistakes. 

We’re not perfect. 

That’s life. 

Mistakes CAN be a good thing. 

If we learn. 

And grow. 

Too often we beat ourselves up. 

Call ourselves names. 

Think we’re not good enough. 

Learn to be kind to yourself. 

Here’s how: 

Acknowledge the mistake. 

You messed up. 

Accept it. 

Learn from the mistake. 

What can you do different next time? 

Forgive yourself. 

You’re not a failure. 

Just try to do better. 

Move on. 

Don’t dwell on the mistake. 

Mistakes are just stepping stones to success.

What IS empathy? 

It’s seeing others. 

Relating to their struggles. 

Giving support. 

It’s an important quality for a leader. 

To help us connect better. 

Build trust. 

See things from all sides. 

So how can we develop empathy as leaders? 

First, start by listening. 

Mentally walk in their shoes. 

See things from their perspective. 

Second, be respectful. 

Even if you disagree. 

You can still respect their point of view. 

Finally, show compassion. 

Show your team you care. 

Empathy is a must-have skill for every great leader.

Learn.

Grow.

Or die.

Those are your only options in business.

It’s simple, really.

Encourage employees to learn and grow.

No need to be formal.

Create a company library.

Subscribe to industry newsletters.

Or you could use an LMS for more structure.

3 Tips to Create a Learning Culture:

Tip 1: Access.

Provide learning opportunities.

Make it a priority.

Tip 2: Support.

Use mistakes as learning moments.

Create a question/feedback loop.

Tip 3: Celebrate.

Recognize loudly.

And publicly.

You’ll be more competitive.

And successful.

I’ve always been into leadership. 

The ‘strength and honor’ version. 

Leading your team into battle. 

Them trusting you. 

You trusting them. 

The willingness to sacrifice yourself for each other. 

For a noble cause. 

That’s why I love the movie Gladiator. 

And Glory. 

And 300. 

You may not come out alive. 

But… 

There’s something honorable about being willing to die for your beliefs. 

Leadership to me is about... 

Vision. 

Communication. 

Motivation. 

Trust. 

But most of all… 

Love. 

You have to love the team you are leading.

KPI’s are valuable. 

They measure progress towards goals. 

That's good. 

Sometimes they’re used to punish. 

That’s bad. 

And creates negativity. 

Here are 4 Positive KPI’s you can use instead:

1. Keep People Informed. 

They’ll make better choices. 

And get stuff done faster. 

2. Keep People Involved. 

They’ll work better. 

Feel happier. 

Do their best work. 

3. Keep People Interested. 

They're more attentive. 

And contribute more ideas. 

4. Keep People Inspired. 

They’ll be more creative. 

And motivated. 

KPI’s work best when they’re fair and improvement focused.

Employee #0085 resigns. 

You get your laptop. 

But they take something more valuable. 

Knowledge. 

And experience. 

That they’re going to give someone else. 

That’s as bad as someone hacking data from your servers. 

Maybe worse. 

What can you do? 

Make promoting from within a priority. 

First, you retain knowledge and experience. 

That gets passed down, in-house. 

Second, you know what you’re getting. 

You’ve seen their skills and work ethic. 

Third, you save money. 

No recruiting and training someone new. 

Plus, it’s great for morale company-wide. 

We’re great at being busy at work. 

Phone calls. 

Meetings. 

Lunch with vendors. 

Surprise birthday parties. 

Closed door sessions filled with the latest gossip. 

At the end of the day, boy are we tired from being so busy! 

What are we really getting done? 

Most of our busyness is simply distractions from the real work. 

We need to adopt the one habit top performers use to stand out. 

Get Rid of Distractions.

• Lock the door. 

• Plug your ears. 

• Close your phone. 

And get to work.