Last week was a blur of prep for the year ahead - for my girls (backpacks, and schedules, and buses, oh my!) - and for me. I took 2 days offline to step outside my normal space and think broadly about the next 6-12 months. 

Inside Culture Index, we joke about crushes - not romantic ones, but on "traits" we wish we had.  Right now mine is intense mental focus.  It's often mistaken for slow, but really it’s certainty.

In my experience, CEOs are well aware of their challenges, but how they handle them makes all the difference—some take control, others let challenges control them. The key difference is making space to act.

5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni talks about the hallmarks of a struggling business: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.  

Just like with my sellers, the only way to succeed is to get them more excited about the future opportunity than they are about the present state.  Then they'll put in the work needed (or turn it over to someone else to put in the work.)

Great leaders inspire others to dream, empower them to seek out solutions they are uniquely suited for, and support those solutions above their own.