Great to Good

Great to Good

Our family moved to Maine a couple of years ago, and though it has taken some time to settle in, we’ve really started to enjoy life here. I’m not sure if it’s the pace of life, the long winters, or the friendly people, but I have definitely felt something within me shift. And I've found myself wrestling with a question that feels both simple and profound: What does it mean to be good?

Counting the Costs

Counting the Costs

Can we learn from others’ mistakes, or do they have to be our own lessons to learn in the first place? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and believe we will–most of us–eventually learn the lessons life is trying to teach us. The question is not if, but when, and at what cost? The time it takes is critical to the process. It’s the cost that counts most. 

Voluntary Hardship

Voluntary Hardship

Adversity is personal - it looks different for everyone. We all have varying tolerance levels for hard things, depending on our abilities and situations. One person’s “hard” isn’t going to be a challenge for someone else. The point is to know what is difficult for us and choose to do it.  There’s something powerful about walking into the arena with all the nervous knots in your stomach, knowing you may struggle - and doing it anyway.

Do Your Sales Calls. And Your Laundry.

Do Your Sales Calls. And Your Laundry.

We love the beginning of a new year here at ALPs. We’re kind of geeks when it comes to fresh calendar space to plan stuff, and blank pages in a notebook for ideas. It’s a reset button of sorts, an opportunity to plan, dream and organize. But we recognize for some, the turn of the calendar can feel more like a hamster wheel - another round of setting ambitious goals, some self-motivated, others dictated by organizations, with an ever-present search for the motivation to see them through.

Annual Letter 2025: Major League ALPs

Annual Letter 2025: Major League ALPs

We are thrilled to report that Applied Leadership Partners is beginning our sixth year, and we are doing it with more momentum, optimism, and enthusiasm than ever before. That is largely, if not completely, thanks to all of you! Your trust, partnership, and encouragement are what our company is built upon and we simply could not do any of this without you - so we need to begin this letter by expressing our deepest and most sincere gratitude. We are incredibly blessed to do this for a living and we will never take that for granted. THANK YOU!

Who's at the Center of Your Story

Who's at the Center of Your Story

“Who is at the center of my story?” is a humbling question worth asking regularly. I’ve found that when the answer is “Me,” it’s a warning light on my dashboard of life. It creeps up on me unexpectedly, like experiencing a friend or family member’s trials and tribulations as an inconvenience instead of an opportunity. I know when I’m at the center of my own story when words like “I have to help…” emerge as opposed to “I get to help.”

False Dichotomy

False Dichotomy

Ultimately, the False Dichotomy is a trap. It emerges from black-and-white thinking, the belief that any given matter is “either” one “or” the other. Most things in life are neither. And so are most leadership decisions. At work, false dichotomies come up in all sorts of situations. 

What We Need, Not What We Want

What We Need, Not What We Want

The assignment turned out to be a gift I never expected. Great leaders catch us by surprise that way. That last year in the Army, I wanted to glide. Matt knew I needed to give. I needed to share the wisdom I had gained through Ranger leaders, West Point leaders, and from leading in combat. Not only for the young officers, but also for my bitter heart. I was angry. Like many Soldiers, I just wanted to walk away. Matt knew I needed to say goodbye to the Army the right way. I am thankful for this because I have loved the Army since I can remember. Great leaders know that how you leave is just as important as why you stay. 

Find a Job

Find a Job

I’ve spent most of my life asking for forgiveness rather than permission–it’s dispositional and environmental. I’m described as a high DI (DominanceInfluence)/ Achiever/ Activator/ Challenger on every personality profile. Drop that disposition into the GenX experience of being grossly unmonitored throughout my youth, and you’ve got a great cocktail for initiative. And while that’s brought just as many lumps as it has rewards, the fact is I’m comfortable acting with little guidance. Not everyone feels the same, especially not our younger colleagues fresh in the workforce.

Service With a Smile

Service With a Smile

The dog days of Q4 are upon us. I can hardly believe it’s October already, and my colleagues and I have a hell of a few months ahead of us. In previous companies and organizations we’ve worked for, Q4 was always called “Fighting Season.” We get it, but let’s be real; fighting season is 12 months out of the year, especially when you have sales numbers, team goals to reach, and services to provide.

The Sh*t That Wasn't In the Brochure

The Sh*t That Wasn't In the Brochure

You’ll know you’re really leading when you start coming up against the shit that wasn’t in the brochure. You know, the stuff you learn about leadership when you’re actually leading, like the stuff you learn about parenting when you’re actually a parent. Like a DEFCON 5 baby blowout where poop goes up to the back of their necks! That’s the real–defying gravity–shit that wasn’t in the brochure. Leading people has its own similar experiences. 

Responsibility > Blame

Responsibility > Blame

Back in 2009, I was a Special Forces detachment commander in a remote part of Afghanistan. And over a period of eight days, five of my teammates were killed in combat, with a sixth being severely wounded. In the following weeks and months, I really struggled to find my way as a leader. It was the kind of loss and failure that I just couldn’t get my head around. 

creAtIon

creAtIon

I've been thinking a lot about AI lately. I can't seem to hear a podcast without it being mentioned. I hear "AI" thrown around in conversations, which I suspect (more often than not) is code for, "I'm not really sure, but I want to say something so I don't look silly." I trust there's a reason it's captivating so many of us, but I'm skeptical about how prominent or pervasive the creation and perpetuation of AI is. 

Opinions

Opinions

Being smart and opinionated doesn’t necessarily mean that you have smart opinions. And this is something that we should all keep in mind as we attempt to navigate a hyper-connected, fame-obsessed world drowning in information. At least, that’s my opinion…I’ll explain.