“Are you being lazy or are you being cheap?” Angela’s piercing blue-green eyes and her question arrested me mid-bite of my breadstick. I had stopped, not because the question hurt my feelings, but because it was an incredibly helpful pattern interrupt, asked in a way that I could hear … [Read more...] about What Are Your Default Mental Traps?
Is Your Leadership Posture Working for You and Your Team?
This morning, I texted Cory the following: Remember to have fun today, bro. Especially during the dress rehearsal. We’ve got four-five months of ready-aim-fire-aim-fire in front of us and your first of many ideas is already going well. The posture/vibe to try on for the meeting is “how can we … [Read more...] about Is Your Leadership Posture Working for You and Your Team?
How to Make Better Weekly Plans
It’s frustrating to get to the end of a week and feel like you haven’t really gotten anywhere, even though you’ve been working your tail off. All too often, it’s not that we haven’t been working hard — it’s that we’ve been working on things that don’t align with what matters most. To make sure … [Read more...] about How to Make Better Weekly Plans
My 3 Biggest Obstacles to a Digital-Primary Reading Practice
In June 2021, I started the process of habituating myself to effectively read from digital sources. Specifically, I’m working on encoding and referencing the information. I read a lot on a screen, but I don’t retain it and I don’t have a good process for finding my references compared to how I do … [Read more...] about My 3 Biggest Obstacles to a Digital-Primary Reading Practice
Three Delegation Skills to Get Your New Hires Contributing Right Away
After weeks — or maybe even months — of sifting through candidates, methodically hosting interview after interview, and finally narrowing your search down to the one right person, you’ve found your new teammate. Hooray! But a new hire isn't immediately ready to contribute to the team — they'll need … [Read more...] about Three Delegation Skills to Get Your New Hires Contributing Right Away
6 Ways to Level Up Your Leadership
There comes a point during your work for a company — one that you know you want to stick with and grow with — when you feel prepared to take on more challenges and to move up to a more senior leadership position. Regardless of how long you’ve been in your current role, you know that you can help … [Read more...] about 6 Ways to Level Up Your Leadership
The Difference Between Being Ready and Being Prepared
When we think about what the next step is that needs to be done to level up our work, our teams, or our business, we often think of if we are — or are not — ready for it, rather than if we are prepared for it. (Tip o’ the hat to Seth for drawing the prepared/ready distinction in Leap First.) When … [Read more...] about The Difference Between Being Ready and Being Prepared
Hachette Go Acquired My Next Book, Workways
I’m excited to announce that my forthcoming book, Workways, has been acquired by Hachette Go. The focus of Workways is team performance and belonging by improving your team’s workways, with workways being your team’s defaults, team habits, and tacit behaviors. The more common approach of focusing on … [Read more...] about Hachette Go Acquired My Next Book, Workways
Join Our Community in the Virtual Start Finishing Book Club
There’s no denying that this year, more than ever, we are craving community. And while we still aren’t able to gather in real life just yet, the virtual world is alive and thriving. Creating community is such an important part of the pillars of success for leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives like … [Read more...] about Join Our Community in the Virtual Start Finishing Book Club
Finishing Strong Part 4: How to Make Your Next Project Easier, Better, and More Fun
This final part of our Finishing Strong series takes what you’ve learned from all your hard work on your current project or season, and applies it to the next big thing you’ll work on. Whether it’s at the end of a project, the end of a quarter, or the end of a year, we are big fans of AARs … [Read more...] about Finishing Strong Part 4: How to Make Your Next Project Easier, Better, and More Fun
Finishing Strong Part 3: Clean-Up on Aisle…
Last time, I talked about the importance of taking a pause between projects, and the important between-project work that needs doing: from just getting rest, to catching up with people, to enjoying parts of your life you’ve put aside to get this work over the finish line. One of those things we … [Read more...] about Finishing Strong Part 3: Clean-Up on Aisle…
Finishing Strong Part 2: Make Space and Time to Transition Between Projects
Today’s post in the Finishing Strong series encourages us to take a pause... and be sure to check out part 1 of the series to get the full scoop. There’s a natural tendency to want to start the next project right after finishing a major project, or at least plan that that’s what you’re going to … [Read more...] about Finishing Strong Part 2: Make Space and Time to Transition Between Projects
Finishing Strong Part 1: Run a Victory Lap
Whether it’s a tough project, a tough race, or a tough year, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of taking a victory lap and crossing the finish line. It’s an exhilarating rush of ecstasy, relief, surprise, and pride. You have to lose yourself in the project only to find you’re a different person … [Read more...] about Finishing Strong Part 1: Run a Victory Lap
How to Mindfully Avoid Morning Distractions
For more tips and strategies to help you be your productive best, pick up a copy of Charlie’s book Start Finishing, winner of the 2020 Productivity Book of the Year. Available on Amazon and other favorite booksellers. Picture this: You’ve got your day planned out, time blocks in check, deadlines … [Read more...] about How to Mindfully Avoid Morning Distractions
#ThanksCOVID Part 6: Introducing Our New CMO, Cory Huff
In the previous post of our #ThanksCOVID/BigNews series, I shared that the pressures of COVID-19 kept us in startup mode long enough for us to see that it was time to develop the app — and that we could do it. But for us to trade up so that we can explore our full breadth of topics, develop a new … [Read more...] about #ThanksCOVID Part 6: Introducing Our New CMO, Cory Huff
#ThanksCOVID Part 5: The App Is on the Way
Yes, you read that right. An app is on the way! I feel like I heard a few thousand people collectively sigh and say, “About Time!” and a few others yell, “NOOO, what about the planners!” In this fifth part of the #ThanksCOVID/BigNews series, I’m excited to share that we’re in the development … [Read more...] about #ThanksCOVID Part 5: The App Is on the Way
#ThanksCOVID Part 3: From Foundations to Working Together
This is Part 3 of the #ThanksCOVID/BigNews series. In the first part, we discussed how the Academy made it clear we needed more help, and in the second part, we discussed the past and future of the Anchor. In Part 2, I discussed that the Anchor created some tension about what were Anchors and … [Read more...] about #ThanksCOVID Part 3: From Foundations to Working Together
Our 2020 Year in Review, aka #ThanksCOVID (First of a Series)
2020 has been quite the year here at PF. In the midst of a pandemic, we’ve had what’s turning out to be our best year, in both results and in evolution. (Tweet this.) As I was making a list of the highlights and news, it dawned on me that, rather than having one epically long post, it’d be better to … [Read more...] about Our 2020 Year in Review, aka #ThanksCOVID (First of a Series)