Several weeks ago, on my weekly podcast, I covered the topic of how to handle a request for a raise. As I reflected on this topic, I realized there was more to be said about different ways to appreciate a job well done.

As conscious leaders, we want to uncover the drive in each person — those motivations beyond money — to inspire people to be their best and to give their best.

Because once people are paid reasonably for their role and money is off the table, there isn’t much a boss can do financially that translates into strong work.

It is more important to know the internal motivations of each person in order to reward their performance appropriately.

The way to get to those key variables is to ask employees the following question: What are the things that you truly value in your life?

In other words, beyond having a good career and receiving a paycheck, what else matters to you?

Too often we skip over this as leaders. I know that I did.

I overlooked this for many...

As leaders, we seem to have a special relationship to the reality of change. Most of us want to make changes, and most of us need to learn how to tolerate it better.

We see the necessity of it in terms of innovation and creativity, but at the same time we abhor the moment when realize we must do things differently.

Several weeks ago on my podcast, we discussed an equation I’ve been obsessed with for sometime now. (I.e. my assistant has it memorized.)

It is a formula that explains what is required for change to occur.

Popularized by Dannemiller, the formula is originally known as Gleicher’s formula for change. It essentially says that our discomfort with the status quo, multiplied by our vision for a better future, and added to our first steps, is what is needed to overcome resistance (or what I like to call ambivalence). All of this will equal change.

Expressed as the equation we have: (D x V) + FS > Resistance = Change.

However, the more I’ve sat with this...

Are you at the effect of time? What I mean is do you feel like you never have enough time? Or, maybe you’ve had the experience once of having too much time and then you were bored?

Nearly every leadership or entrepreneurial type magazine I read has an article each month about how to get more done and not feel so stressed about it. Personally, I am a fan of David Allen’s approach to handling all the stuff I would like to get done, but there are more than a million others.

And all of these approaches have great ideas such as writing things down when you think of them; only putting certain things on your calendar rather than everything; making appointments with yourself; delegating; and just overall becoming more organized. But for some reason, despite employing all of these tricks, we still find ourselves right back in the same boat.

In my experience, the reason we still find ourselves sitting idly in the middle of unorganized chaos is our mindset. In other words, our...

Setting goals is one of my favorite things to do, especially as we begin a new year. The future always feels to me like it’s bursting with the possibility of a life yet unclaimed.

And so it was with 2016. I accomplished many goals; however, life had other plans.

I found myself in the throes of ending a long-term relationship, moving out of my comfortable residence, and gaining about 10 pounds.

I certainly didn’t have “end long-term relationship” as a goal for 2016. I imagine most people don’t have that on their list for 2017, either.

But life happens.

Having recently been slapped with the reminder that I really don’t have that much control over my life, setting goals for 2017 feels impossible.

We are encouraged (i.e. brainwashed) into believing that the beginning of each year is the best time to establish our goals – really that this is the only time to do so.

How many blogs do we read in July that talk about setting new goals and...