Career Conversations 

Taking the First Steps

Taking the First Steps

When taking the first steps, it is important to fail often, fail fast and fail forward. Join me and Peter Ruppert, the author of Limitless and CEO at Fusion Education Group, as we sit down and talk about taking the first steps. 

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Finding a Champion

Finding a Champion

 Sometimes, we need others to lean on to achieve our goals. This week, Peter Ruppert and I share our thoughts about the importance of finding mentors and those who will push you to achieve your goals.

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Life Is Supposed to Be Fun  

A colleague said something to me at a recent event that really stuck: “Life is supposed to be fun.”  The event came together at the last minute. There were a lot of changes, and we ended up inviting some family members last-minute too. But people said yes, and it...

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Falling Apart to Fall Into Place 

Have you ever noticed that sometimes, when it feels like everything is falling apart, it's actually coming together?  That’s a powerful thought shared by Kim Randers, our Chief People Officer. Credit actually goes to his wife, Sue, who said it first. Kim shared...

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Speed Bumps Aren’t Roadblocks 

"Don't let a speed bump become a roadblock."   Derek Jeter shared this great quote a few weeks ago at my son's graduation from the University of Michigan. He was the main speaker at the event and received an honorary doctorate from the university. ...

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Leadership Requires Boundaries 

Leaders, you're not there to be your team's friend. You're there to be their leader. That means being a teacher, a coach and a mentor. You're there to help them, challenge them, push them and care about them. All of that matters. Your job is to help your team...

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Show Up On the Hard Days

In last week’s blog, I shared how Discomfort Builds Confidence. Helping our teams be confident and uncomfortable is part of our job as leaders.   I saw a great Tweet that ties into this from Sahil Bloom, who wrote The Five Types of Wealth. It’s a great new book—I...

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Discomfort Builds Confidence

“I want you confident and uncomfortable!” These are words I heard from Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer. His team had just made a deep run in the tournament this past March and April, making it to the Final Four. That quote really stood out to me.   As...

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Activity-Focused vs. Outcome-Focused

Are you activity-focused or outcome-focused? There's a big difference between the two.  Being activity-focused can mean you're working really hard and doing a lot. But are you actually getting results? Or are you just spinning your wheels?  Activity focus...

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What’s Your Leadership Legacy? 

I have two questions for you today:  How do you want to be remembered as a leader? Think about that. What's your legacy? How do you want the people who worked for you to remember you?  Are you leading that way right now? That's an eye-opening question and a good...

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Ask Obvious Questions

This advice is for both leaders and non-leaders: Don’t be afraid to ask the obvious question in a meeting. Don’t assume it’s too basic or everyone else already knows the answer. Chances are, other people are wondering the same thing—they’re just not willing to ask.  ...

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2025 Reading Focus: Biographies & Memoirs 

In my recent blogs, Tips for Microlearning and Current Podcast Recommendations, I talked about professional development. My new strategy is to microlearn by creating book summaries and listening to authors speak in podcasts, and I’ve really enjoyed it.   While I don’t...

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About Me

I am the President & CEO of Service Express, a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For. Service Express has averaged double digit growth every year since 2001.

We attribute our success to a unique corporate culture that we call The Service Express Way. I am a member of the Young President Organization and sit on the Board of the Spectrum Health Foundation.