Between last Friday's Good Leadership Breakfast kick-off, and Sunday's Lakeside Gathering at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, I'm asking myself the powerful question: "How do I know who I am?" That question was central to the performances of two powerful, insightful African American men who are now a part of my life. Stedman Graham was the speaker at the breakfast, and T. Mychael Rambo, was the speaker at the church gathering. Here's what I'm thinking today:

Overnight, the Minnesota temperature dropped to a windchill of 21 below zero Fahrenheit. So we had to change our plans. What surprised me most is half of the hospital executive team, who was attending the annual leadership alignment retreat, still wanted to walk a mile around the resort's lake - in the frigid cold. That's the magnetic power of including a break for "fitness" into leadership team retreats. Over the past 9 years, clients have told us the most valuable service we provide is...

The 10th year of the Good Leadership Breakfast Series begins next Friday, February 15, with Stedman Graham as our speaker. He and I share a client relationship, and a passion for spreading goodness. I invited Stedman to be our speaker as a special treat to our guests. And yes...as my co-host Julie McDonough says...he is "that Stedman." Here's what I mean: Google "images of Stedman Graham" and you will see him routinely photographed with...

"This is my favorite TV show ever," I heard myself say out loud last Sunday morning. What prompted the response was the Winton Marsalis trumpet fanfare opening to the CBS Sunday Morning program, and then the host Jane Pauley said, "Today is the 40th anniversary celebration of CBS Sunday Morning." I was so happy, that I tuned every TV in the house to this program...so I didn't miss a thing. The opening story that hooked me right away, was about the...

This Thursday, Paul Hillen and I are providing the inspirational keynote address for a thought-leader series called: Pancakes at Providence. It's a regular series where thought-leaders speak to the families and friends of the high school students at Providence Academy in Plymouth, MN. It's a very prestigious opportunity, and our very first keynote about the How Goodness Pays book together. We're both excited, nervous, and curious about how we will share the stage.

When Richard Leider, the internationally-acclaimed expert on "purpose" in life and leadership appeared at the Good Leadership Breakfast in February of 2017, he and I talked about the important pivot points in each of our careers. In the interview portion of his talk, I asked him about some of his most memorable moments when his career pivoted -- taking a sudden turn in a new direction. Ever since that interview, I've been keenly aware of some of those moments in my life and in the lives of my our clients.

What we started 9 years ago was based on a hunch. We didn't have any proof. All we had was a burst of confidence that came from the affirmation of others when we made the bold statement: goodness pays. And then we made the assertion that we could improve our clients' business results by teaching them how to lead with more goodness. The business grew about the same time people started lingering after the meetings...as if they were yearning for more goodness. We've assembled a group of speakers whose leadership is energized by continual bursts of goodness. One speaker is famous, the others are everyday good leaders who live within our midst - quietly generating world-class business results.

If you are reading this, you are probably taking a sanity break from family festivities. So, on behalf of the staff and coaches of Good Leadership Enterprises, we wish you the happiest of holidays, the merriest of Christmas celebrations, and a prosperous New Year. Goodness is when people thrive together - both personally and professionally - in a culture of encouragement, accountability, and positive teamwork. We look forward to helping you find new ways for goodness to pay for you - at home and at work.

Kathryn Holt is a friend and mentor whose coaching changed the trajectory of my life. In many ways, the success of our firm, Good Leadership Enterprises, is due to what I learned about myself from Kathryn’s coaching. Today, our firm touches thousands of leaders every year with coaching in one form or another. And it's very satisfying to know that people change the world for the better when they radiate goodness through their good leadership. One of the most common questions I get about my career is: “What do executive coaches really do for people?” It’s a good question:

Paul Hillen and I are consuming significant amounts of time these days for a joyful activity - signing our new book! As each day passes more orders are being processed, and the postal service is helping us spread goodness. The strategy for our Good Leadership Press publishing label is to produce business gift books - and December is the perfect time of year to give a book as a gift to people you admire. The momentum is definitely building....within the past three weeks 14 people have signed up to be Goodness Champions - that means they have