Category: Leadership
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Big Oil, Big Tobacco, Big Tech, Big Pharma… Big Healthcare?
New York Times Headline: “Doctors Unionize at Big Health Care System” I love that the Times chose to refer to Allina Health as “Big Health Care System”. Doest that remind you of anything? Intentional or not, for me it brings to mind other notorious BIGs: Big OilBig TobaccoBig TechBig PharmaBiggie Smalls (j/k) There are plenty of perks to being…
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The (He)art Of Active Listening
It’s a bit ironic that I’m writing about this in the parking lot before my twice monthly Toastmasters meeting (shout out Wausau chapter 782), but it makes sense to me. I had the pleasure of touring around San Francisco recently with my then 3-year-old son. What a magical and memorable time. I snapped this photo while we…
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Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast
You may have heard the business maxim, usually attributed to Peter Drucker, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This doesn’t mean strategy isn’t important. It means culture is more foundational and thus more related to the likelihood of long-term organizational success than strategy. The Eagles-Rams game on Sunday (Go Birds! 🦅) reminded me of this. During…
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Are You Still Naturally Curious?
Kids are naturally curious, which helps them learn a ton about the world around them. Have you managed to hold on to that? I’m in San Francisco for the week enjoying being a tourist with my almost 4-year-old son while my wife gets some much needed IRL team with her UCSF colleagues. We lived in…
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Becoming A Toastmaster: Here’s To Mastering The Art of Communication!
On September 21, 2023, I became a Toastmaster in an effort to improve my communication skills, meet new people, and have some fun. This is the start of something, not the culmination. Communication skills are of paramount importance for any business owner and leader. If you don’t actively work to improve your communication skills, you…
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“Welcome Community Leaders” — Am I In The Right Place?
When I read “Welcome Community Leaders” on the Crystal Grand marquee, I thought, “Am in the right place?“ Yeah, I am. I recently had the pleasure of driving down to Wisconsin Dells, WI (IYKYK) for a community leadership summit generously sponsored by MBE CPAs and Brand House Marketing. There’s no secret society that grants you the title of…
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Coaching and Radical Accountability: A Starbucks Story
I recently heard a young Starbucks manager coaching one of her employees who recently had a difficult interaction with a customer. They were both quite young, probably mid twenties and late teens, respectively. The manager said, “I take accountability for things I didn’t do all the time.” That’s leadership. It’s also radical ownership and accountability.…
