What if avoiding conflict is the very thing that breaks the relationship?

For most of my life, I saw conflict as a threat. I was a person of peace, and peace to me meant the absence of arguments, the avoidance of tension, and always trying to keep things calm. I told myself, “I don’t want to argue and fight.” I genuinely believed that avoiding conflict was how you built strong relationships. After all, who enjoys confrontation?

You know that feeling when you meet a leader, and something inside you just says, “I want to follow this person”? 

I’ve felt it before. And I’ve been told by my former staff and community that I inspire them too. But I wanted to “science” it: “What actually makes someone inspiring?” Because God knows, we need more inspiring leaders today.

Are you leading with authority or with influence? Here are the differences and the impact it has on our team members.

I’ll be honest. When I first became a manager, I thought being polite, nice, and overly agreeable was the key to earning respect. I believed that if I could be liked, people would naturally respect me and follow my lead.

Most of us lead on autopilot. We react instead of responding, especially in high-pressure situations - and that’s not always helpful to our people.

We’ve all heard it before: “Great leaders don’t just give answers; they ask better questions.” But what happens when questioning goes wrong?

Giving tough feedback is one of the most uncomfortable yet necessary responsibilities of leadership. However, many of us struggle with it, often avoiding it altogether.

I’m particularly passionate about this area of leadership because I’ve struggled with it myself. I’ve lost teammates and friendships because of these barriers. I’ve learned that delaying difficult conversations only erodes trust over time. While I’ve gotten better at having these discussions, there’s always room for improvement.

Recognition is a universal expectation, yet not a universal practice. Despite its importance, many leaders overlook the profound impact of acknowledging their team's efforts.

A leader isn’t just someone who checks the boxes. Here’s what directing a short film 10 years ago taught me about leadership.

“Everybody is coachable, but not everyone is coachable by you.”

I was frustrated. My client just wasn’t getting it.

“They’re not coachable,” I complained to my mentor.

She smiled and said those words to me.

What if the key to unlocking your team’s potential lies in meeting three universal human cravings: safety, belonging, and mattering? Leaders who understand and act on this can inspire loyalty, drive performance, and create a culture where people thrive.

A great mentor doesn’t just challenge their mentees; they also provide the scaffolding to help them rise to the challenge.

“Find balance,” they say. But is leadership really like balancing a scale? What if it’s more like adjusting the sliders on an audio mixer? 

Conflict is not always a bad thing. Understanding and managing conflict effectively can transform it into opportunities for growth. 

Linear training and non-linear training represent two fundamentally different approaches to teaching and learning. Choosing the right approach is based on a few factors in the workplace.

True humility isn’t weakness - it’s quiet strength in action. It’s knowing you’re powerful but choosing to serve others instead of dominating them. Superman, in his humility, taught me this.

To be a better person, stop trying to be a good person. 

I've come to realize that striving to see ourselves as "good people" can be counterproductive. This might sound strange - after all, isn’t wanting to see ourselves as good something our parents and authority figures taught us as children? Let me share why this mindset can be problematic.

I recently received feedback that stung: after a training session I poured my heart into, a participant said while they appreciated my enthusiasm, the content lacked depth in addressing their specific challenges. My heart sank, and I questioned my effectiveness on whether I was truly making an impact. But self-mastery isn’t about perfection, like a maestro—it’s about how quickly we process, reflect, and bounce back.

“Is being nice, good enough to earn my team’s trust?”  The answer is “No.”

While many leaders strive to be “nice” when faced with hard conversations, the reality is that niceness can often come across as fake politeness or insincerity. True leadership demands compassion instead - a quality rooted in genuine care for others' growth, even when it means delivering tough love.

What fuels your drive to get to work in the morning? Here are 9 powerful motivators.