I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it truly means to lead, and one lesson keeps standing out: doing tasks does not equal leadership. I see it far too often—people working hard, checking boxes, staying busy, and assuming that effort alone makes them leaders. It doesn’t.

Leadership is about more than...

I was reminded recently that mistakes aren’t what define us—how we respond to them does. That lesson came from a simple experience that had nothing to do with appraisal work, yet it applies directly to how we serve clients and protect our professional reputations.

After a long day of physical work,...

I was reminded recently of a lesson I seem to have to relearn every few years: just because I can do something doesn’t mean I should.

My wife is in the process of launching a business she’s deeply passionate about. Over a recent weekend away, she spent hours wrestling with website tools—trying to c...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much of life is really about attitude. We all face challenges—unexpected financial stress, health scares, broken relationships, even freak accidents. Some of these things are completely out of our control. But what we can control is how we respond.

I’m not ...

This spring, I learned a lesson—right in our garden. My wife has worked hard on her raised garden beds for years, and this year she discovered something troubling: quaking aspen roots had grown up through the bottom of the boxes. If you’ve dealt with aspens, you know they’re relentless. These roots ...

I’ve set plenty of goals in my life and career—some I’ve hit, some I’ve missed, and others quietly faded into the background. But I’ve learned something simple that makes all the difference: accountability.

Whether it’s hiring a new assistant, revamping a website, or even getting up at 5:00 a.m. to...