
The Red Tree Leadership development series is a collection of lessons and stories about how real leaders grow through discomfort, accountability, and reflection.
Each post helps you recognize the moments that define your growth — the ones that challenge your comfort zone and shape your purpose.
What Is the Red Tree Leadership Development Series?
Red Tree Leadership is a mindset — a framework for personal and professional growth.
It’s built on the belief that leadership happens in the moment, especially the uncomfortable ones.
In this series, you’ll learn how to:
Face adversity with gratitude.
Turn discomfort into development.
Build cultures that thrive on accountability and growth.
Lead yourself before leading others.
Begin here with the first lesson — How to Stand Out in the Leadership Forest
The 10 Red Tree Leadership Lessons
Personal Development — Grow Yourself Before You Lead Others
Attitude — How to Run Your Brain
Vision — See Before You Believe
Action — Do What Others Won’t
Discipline — Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Accountability — Lead Through Ownership (coming soon)
Leadership Styles — It’s Not About You
Developing Others — Share What You’ve Learned
Culture — Create Something Bigger Than Yourself
Results — Measure What Matters

Real Stories. Real Lessons.
These are the moments that shaped my leadership journey — real stories about failure, humility, and growth.

When the Warehouse Made Me a Leader
Several years into my career, I was working in a massive Staples distribution center — a million-square-foot warehouse that pulsed with motion. I was an

Leadership People First Story: The Lesson from Lou
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

How I Ruined Christmas for the Kids
Christmas Eve, 2010 At 4:30 p.m., I was finally home with my family. That year, we’d invited everyone to stay at our house, and the

A Wine Time to Dine – Director’s Cut
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

The Night the Warehouse Went Dark
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,

Are We Winning? The Power of a Leadership Scoreboard
Have you ever been to a track meet? A lot is happening — sprinters running, people jumping, and still others throwing objects in the distance.

And the Winner Is… Not Me
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

Hugo and the Million-Dollar Lesson
This Leadership Consistency Story begins in my small mountain community in Southern California — the kind of town where everyone waves, the post office closes

Leadership Awareness Story: You’re a TV Star
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

Leadership Decision Story: The $2 Lesson That Changed Everything
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

Oakley Trick or Treat
I got a call from Oakley one spring — they wanted help with some engineering and leadership consulting at one of their Southern California facilities.

The Round That Cost Me Credibility
A few years out of college, I was working as an industrial engineer in a massive 24/7 warehouse. My days blurred into nights — timing

Leadership Humility Story: The Lesson of Lost Prevention
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
