Jeremiah Poulsen
Circle of Influence
When I first heard the phrase, “Leaders bring the weather,” it brought me back to wrestling practice in high school. Always eager to get a leg up on our future opponents, we made a literal change to our training environment: to increase the temperature in our small upstairs gym, we wrapped ice packs around the…
Begin With the End in Mind
“Begin with the end in mind.” It’s a phrase that has been stated and restated for decades. I first came across this concept while reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I was highly intrigued by the way the author framed this particular practice. The best way to describe his approach…
Balancing Confidence and Humility
In the realm of professional leadership, there exists an essential but delicate art: the balancing of confidence and humility. These crucial qualities are present in everyone, but each leader exhibits them in different proportions. Picture a leader who exudes unwavering self-assurance while maintaining an open mind, receptive to the insights of others. This leader has…
Vulnerable Leadership
Are you tired of feeling like you need to have all the answers as a business manager or leader? Do you struggle to connect with your team and create a culture of empathy and trust? Are personal challenges making it more difficult to lead effectively? If so, it’s time to consider embracing your woundedness and…
Self-Awareness
I recently encountered a significant and potentially expensive technology problem that required a phone call with tech support. The specialist at the other end of the line was incredibly helpful and remarkably kind. At the close of our call, she asked me if I would be willing to stay on the line to complete a…
Emotional Ignorance is Expensive
In our day-to-day lives, we are bound to encounter people who lack empathy. It might be the person in line ahead of us haranguing the stressed-out grocery store clerk, or the Facebook warrior calling people names in the comment section. And each of us, at one time or another, has done harm to someone else…
Radical Generosity
Radical generosity has been gaining popularity in recent years, particularly within the leadership community. It refers to the act of giving freely, without expectation of receiving anything in return. An abundant mindset is the wellspring of generosity. Those who believe there is enough for everyone have a deep trust that sharing their resources, knowledge, and…
Feedback for the Win
Top-performing athletes have systems in place to give them feedback around levels of strain, recovery, and sleep so they can improve their performance and reach their fullest potential. It makes sense when we think about this regarding our favorite teams or players and yet, unfortunately, we often fall short of applying this practice to the…
Risk
/risk/ A situation involving exposure to danger Recently a friend asked, “What risks are you planning to take over the next year?” I thought about it for a moment and realized this was one of the most profound queries I’d had in a long time. Planning to take risks seems counterintuitive to my safety-seeking personality,…
Five ways to get the most out of your daily reading
“The attainment of the carpenter is that his work is not warped, that the joints are not misaligned, and that the work is truly planned so that it meets well and is not merely finished in sections. This is essential.” – Miyamoto Musashi, “The Book of Five Rings.” Each year I set reading goals for…