As a father I know it’s important for people to follow rules; I certainly want my kids to. But do all rules last a lifetime? Are all rules created equally? In my mind, the 10 Commandments are in the “Important rules to follow for a lifetime” category. Most other rules are less clear and worth intelligent

What would you do if you only had 100 days left to achieve your goals? This Sunday, September 22nd, there will be 100 days left in 2012.

• What should you START doing?
• What should you KEEP doing?
• What should you STOP doing?

100 days is long enough to make awesome progress

A business leader recently told me his IT systems aren’t “that bad” but that he also doesn't have time to slow down to understand them. I couldn’t resist jumping in to understand his thinking better and, I have to admit, I had a strong feeling he may not realize he’s looking through a peephole.

I'm moved with appreciation and love for the awesome impact Stephen R. Covey, who passed away last week, has had on my life. In 1989, when the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was published I was a 21 year old who hadn't mastered any of the things Mr. Covey professed as habits of greatness.

I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July enjoying our freedom. Celebrating the holiday and taking extra time off has really helped to recharge me. A few days of rest and I can feel my appreciation for others and my desire to express gratitude welling up. When I started my first business,

All of us transition between at least two roles throughout the day. The two minute video below lays out an awareness practice I use to help myself be more effective in my different roles.

Yesterday, Seth Godin posted that "a big part of doing your work is defending your time and your attention so you can do your work". His conclusion alludes to my belief in the strength of NO. At the center of

As of today, we have 30 days before Halftime 2012. How is your 1st half playing out? The good started the year with a plan. The great know that "no plan survives contact with the enemy" (Helmuth von Moltke).'

I had an inspiring lunch with a friend today. When we met six months back he was under pressure to make some big decisions for his business. At that time, he drew strength from knowing that in five months he would have it all behind him. Today, he shared with me the choices he’d made then and

I know it sounds like some type of marketing hype, but bear with me- this is important for your bigger future. REMARKABLE isn't a vague concept that can't be measured or too much bravado that borders on arrogant. In this context, I'm simply measuring remarkable by someone remarking to another

How does the word accountability resonate for you? My personal relationship with this concept has changed dramatically over the years. I’d always been the kid, teenager, or entrepreneur who played by his own rules and that often got me in trouble. So, my initial experiences with accountability

I believe asking for help can be a great contribution to others and ourselves. Asking for help:

• requires humility
• requires faith
• extends respect to the person your making the request of
• opens us up in ways that invite growth
• puts us in action

Yesterday, a friend

The majority of large to midsize organizations spend 85% + of their IT budget just maintaining systems. For many small organizations just keeping up with refresh cycles, to keep the “railroad running”, totally depletes their budget. To make the best choices with limited resources, tight budgets

When talking with some friends the other day someone commented, “Sure technology is changing fast but how much is your day-to-day life really impacted?” It got me thinking: Are we over-hyping or perhaps under-appreciating it? One of my core habits is to APPRECIATE the people, experiences

I frequently feel too busy. Many people I know will admit to feeling this way most of the time. Activity without positive results is exhausting. Anything that takes more than it gives is, by definition, emptying. The very word FULFILLMENT doesn’t jive with empty. If this rings true

The late great UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden would say, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. John would go on to encourage you to stop and do a simple exercise:

• Write down the names of the friends you spend most of your time with.
• Now ask yourself, “ Are

Today, we hear even non-IT people talking about the cloud. The pulse of innovation continues to speed up and we see numerous new IT Cloud options, and providers, emerge every month. With so many new choices, even a business veteran can feel a bit cloudy.   All this new capability brings us back