Category Archives: Leading with Moral Authority

We have a tendency to romanticize the person who brings us innovative, new, or breakthrough solutions to sticky problems. The lightbulb (Edison), the automobile (Ford), X-rays (Curie), and more, we put the person who brought it to the masses on a pedestal, look to them as someone to emulate, someone we can learn from, whoContinue reading “The world needs fewer leaders, more “First Followers””

I moved back to my hometown last year because I inherited the family farm. Returning to a small, rustbelt community after being away for literally decades was a bit of a culture shock. In some ways it was good and in some ways, not so good. But mostly I’ve discovered that things aren’t necessarily betterContinue reading “Reflecting on a year in transition”

It’s 2 degrees F outside right now and I’ve just finished loading our woodburrner for the second time. The first time was at 5 AM when it was a paltry 60 degrees in our house. Let me tell you, heating exclusively with wood sounds nostalgic, romantic, fun even until the fire has gone completely out,Continue reading “On the collapse of the local business”

You might remember that a couple months ago I posted about a conversation I overheard in a coffee shop. It was a “small but passionate cohort of chicken fans” and they were trying to get the city to allow chickens in urban yards. And you might have thought, I was crazy for even suggesting thatContinue reading “Who says you can’t fight city hall? An update on the chicken fans of Mansfield, Ohio”

First posted on LinkedIn in October 2025. So I am in a coffee shop again today doing some work. And the group next to me is discussing chickens. I can’t really overhear the whole conversation, and even if I could I would not share it in this public forum (or anywhere, actually), but what I’veContinue reading “Today’s Lesson from the Coffee Shop”

“When … management doesn’t model values, ethics becomes theoretical. Trust erodes. And once trust is gone, compliance can easily follow.” One of the many companies I’ve worked with over the years experienced a big, public, regulatory violation. And it was amazing to observe how fast the company culture collapsed under that pressure. A once stronglyContinue reading “Why your risk & compliance plan isn’t working”

I’m back at the local grocery store coffee shop tonight. This time I’m waiting for my daughter at gymnastics. As I’m typing away, two greying gentleman dressed in button-down shirts walk in carrying a tray nearly overflowing with deli foods. One, in particular, was super chatty. He made eye contact upon entering and greeted meContinue reading “Another lesson from the grocery store coffee shop”