This is a leadership self-awareness story I’ll never forget. I was about 27 when I got invited to The Leadership Challenge — a big-deal development conference at our company’s home office. It was where the up-and-comers went to “sharpen their leadership skills.” To be honest, I didn’t belong there. The room was full of sales…
My first role as a Director came unexpectedly for most — but exactly as I’d planned for myself. I was the West Coast Engineering Manager, responsible for every project across the western U.S. But within a few months, I realized my greatest value wasn’t in spreadsheets or conference calls — it was right here, in…
I got a call from Oakley one spring — they wanted help with some engineering and leadership consulting at one of their Southern California facilities. I was pumped. I mean, it’s Oakley. Cool brand, great culture — how bad could it be? After a few weeks on-site, I built out a training program for their…
A few years into my first Director role, I thought I was unstoppable. I had taken one of the worst-performing operations in the network and turned it into one of the best — in less than a year.Our metrics were up. Our service was solid. Our costs were finally under control. I was proud. Maybe…
In the early 2000s, after turning around a struggling warehouse, I was given the chance to open and run a brand-new, one-million-square-foot distribution center for a major apparel company. It was the opportunity of a lifetime — my own building, my own team, and my own blank canvas, built from the ground up! We launched…
Have you ever been to a track meet? A lot is happening — sprinters running, people jumping, and still others throwing objects in the distance. You want to pay attention to everything, but you can’t. The field is too big, the faces are hard to recognize, and no one is providing any information. Now, compare…
This Leadership Discipline lesson isn’t about punishment or control — it’s about freedom through structure. Discipline is the ability to act according to your values, not your emotions.It’s what separates the leaders who wish from those who do. Discipline wipes out procrastination, disorganization, and fear. Within its domain, it’s simply unmatched. It’s also not genetic…
This Leadership Consistency Story begins in my small mountain community in Southern California — the kind of town where everyone waves, the post office closes for lunch, and somehow we still have two Dollar Generals. Our town sits just above the highway connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Every weekend, travelers roll through — and…
This Leadership People First Story takes me back to my time at Staples. I met Louis when we were both running e-commerce operations. I managed Southern California — the largest facility in the network — and he managed the smaller Northern California site. For context, my operation was about four times the size of his….
This Leadership Humility Story began many years ago, when I was invited to speak to the company’s Loss Prevention team — a group of about twenty-five men and women who had traveled from all over the country to Southern California. Our new warehouse was hosting its annual training event, and I was proud to show…
This Leadership Awareness Story comes from my first year at Kohl’s — a year I’ll never forget.I was responsible for a one-million-square-foot warehouse in Southern California, and I embraced every second. When I started, my “team” was just two operations managers. Within three months, we expanded it to 58 people — including operations managers, assistants,…
Every leader reaches a point when vision alone isn’t enough.You can plan, prepare, and visualize — but nothing changes until you act. Leadership action is the bridge between your beliefs and your results.It’s what transforms imagination into momentum. When you take action, you send a message to your nervous system that says, This is real.Your…
