Connecting says you matter. Collaborating says we matter. Courage says truth matters. It wasn’t until eighth grade that I ran into a leader who understood and practiced all three People Skills: Connecting, Collaborating, and Courage. You connect with people by showing genuine interest in them, and you create cooperation when you make leadership a dialogue. But you can’t finish the work without courage. The leader I’m referring to was a teacher and basketball coach. I clearly remember him sharing his inside-out perspective. On a regular basis, he would share what he was doing to become a better person, leader, and

This coaching moment is provided to participants within the Lead Today Community. What Hinders Effective Communication? That’s a negative tagline, but the communication problem has rarely been brought to my attention any other way. Yet no one in their right mind wants to begin this conversation from a negative perspective, so let’s change it. Let’s consider constructive keywords that guarantee improvement. While we focus on constructive words and ideas, we will not dodge the reality of destructive behaviors. Effective leaders must consider the good, the bad, and the ugly in order to see what needs to be done. Constructive Key

What Credit Principles Can Teach Leaders About Growing Their Business Years ago, young bankers were taught to evaluate every loan through the lens of the Five C’s of Credit: Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, and Conditions. These weren’t just technical boxes to check—they were an attempt to answer one fundamental question: Can we trust this person or organization to grow, perform, and fulfill their commitments? Interestingly, the same question applies not only to borrowers but also to leaders, teams, and businesses pursuing growth. The deeper I’ve gone into leadership, the more I’ve come to realize that the Five C’s don’t belong only

I’ve done some pretty dumb things in my life. How about you? If I’m honest, most of my greatest “what was I thinking?” moments all trace back to one thing: hurry. The time I backed into my wife’s car—in our own driveway. (Yes, we’re still married.) The time I drove off with important items still on top of my car… you could follow the trail like breadcrumbs. The time I made an expensive purchase I later regretted… because panic-buying is always wise. The many times I opened my mouth when silence would have been golden. Hurry makes otherwise sane adults act like contestants