A professional development article involving baseball, LSD and a no-hitter.
I’ve lived and loved baseball for my entire life. From age 5 to current day. Finally “retiring” from the game in my forties after playing for some years in a 30+ league with former MLB players. Bottom line: I played the game, coached the game, loved the game, lived the game. I know the history […]
“We really need a leader who’ll roll-up-their-sleeves and do the work.”
Just because a senior leader is not attending every meeting, aren’t the loudest and most frequent voice in the room, or being the one to pitch the strategy doesn’t mean they’re disengaged or not contributing significantly. When I started growing into management roles in my late 20’s, a regional manager called me about his local […]
So, what’s a better record at the end of the seaons? 12-5 or 2-0?
Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work for a CEO who permanently shaped the way I think about business, leadership, and risk. This was the early 2000s, and our industry was clearly on the verge of major change. A lot of companies saw the signs. Most chose to wait, hedge, analyze, and […]
From the Locker Room at Cardinal Dougherty to the Corporate Boardroom: A Journey of Team Spirit and Executive Leadership.
Cardinal Dougherty High School opened in 1956 and grew to be the largest Catholic high school in the world, with nearly 6,000 students at its peak—before closing in 2010 due to declining enrollment. A few years back, in 2016, the doors were opened again to allow alums to tour the school, so I went…and headed […]
What I learned moving from the private sector to higher ed (and why I went back to the private sector).
For the overwhelming part of my career, I lived and breathed the private sector. Deadlines weren’t suggestions. Decisions were fast. Risk was a muscle we exercised daily. You were rewarded for results, not intentions. Urgency was expected. Accountability was non-negotiable. And action? That was the currency of progress. Then I made the leap into higher […]
The parallels between true crime dramas and business leadership.
I’ll admit it: I’m one of those people who unwinds with true crime shows. “Dateline,” “48 Hours” and anything on the ID channel. At first, I justified it as entertainment. But over time, I began to notice something surprising: these shows aren’t just about crime — they’re about problem-solving, human behavior, and decision-making under pressure. […]
Baseball to Boardroom: Lessons from a Scrappy Lefty.
From age 6, I wanted to be the pitcher and grew to become the the left-handed pitcher every lineup prepared for. I thrived on the mound — the intensity, spotlight, strategy, solitude. Betting on myself to win. Years later, after trading cleats for wingtips, I found myself stepping onto a different kind of mound: the […]
Reaching a dream, letting go, creating another.
We all chase dreams. Sometimes they’re born when we’re young, other times they take shape gradually through years of hard work and purpose. What happens when you reach one of those dreams? What comes next? I’ve lived this cycle a few times with two of them being prominent in my mind…once as a skinny kid […]
They Like You…Until They Don’t.
There’s a funny thing that happens when you decide to take a bold step in your career. The same people who were your peers, supported you in meetings, asked about your family, actively engaged with your LinkedIn content and proudly wore the “team player” badge beside you suddenly fall quiet. They become distant or disappear. […]
Why so many managers don’t actually enjoy managing people (and how to get better at it).
Let’s be honest: Not everyone who becomes a manager actually enjoys managing people. It’ often a necessary evil to some as you grow in your career. My wife started leading people in her mid-20’s and had to fire an employee; that led to the employee throwing his chair at her. “I’m done managing people”, she […]