Talent 2 Lead

03/25/2026

A few weeks ago I wrote about the data center debate in our community.

What I didn't say publicly was that I was already in the middle of it — talking separately with people on both sides.

Two of them were as far apart as two people can be on an issue. One a community activist. One a county commissioner. Both deeply committed to this community. Both convinced the other wasn't listening.

I didn't try to change either of their minds. I just helped each of them understand what the other was actually worried about.

Last week I was invited to join them at Old Forge. Soft pretzels, good beer, better conversation. They shook hands.

They're now talking about how to collaborate on community initiatives — not as adversaries, but as neighbors.

That's what leadership is. Not winning the argument. Helping people find the ground they actually share.

This is also why I do what I do at Talent 2 Lead.

When was the last time you helped two people find common ground — at work or in your community?

03/19/2026

Watching my kids navigate school, friendships, and growing up has become some of my best leadership research.

Not because I'm studying them. Because I'm paying attention.

Here's what I've noticed — and what I think most organizations are getting wrong:

Kids don't disengage from people they trust. They disengage from people who aren't paying attention.

The same is true at work.

The leaders who build real loyalty aren't necessarily the most skilled. They're the most present. They notice. They follow up. They remember.

Being a dad has made me a better consultant — not because parenting and leadership are the same thing, but because both require you to show up consistently, not just when it's convenient.

In this picture I was silently suffering, but I showed up for my family each day on vacation and even learned, and taught my kids, to sail. 48 hours later I'd be in the ER due to an infection.

Work should be a place where people feel that kind of attention too.

That's the standard I hold the work at Talent 2 Lead to.

What made you feel genuinely seen by a leader — at any point in your career?

03/18/2026

A wonderful event and opportunity to network with, learn alongside and support other small businesses.

03/15/2026

Need to see hope and joy in a world that sometimes seems dark. Meet Jude a boy with cancer, and a wish unlike any other. I’ve seen this in many kids suffering over the years, and in each story I find hope, humanity, and promise for our future. If these kids and families can do great things for those in need, can you?

After surviving cancer, this Georgia teenager used his Make-A-Wish not for a trip but to help people experiencing homelessness. Here's a closer look at his story. https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/make-a-wish-georgia-teenager-cancer-survivor-ewing-sarcoma-community-outreach-homelessness/507-5e069fd1-3548-4b60-8a24-50c80fac17ac?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WNEP-TV

03/06/2026

Some thoughts on this video.

Gen Z doesn't need a manager. They need a mentor who's willing to earn the right to lead them.

Here's what the research — and the workplace — is telling us:

They call it authenticity. We call it emotional unprofessionalism. Both are true. Gen Z will tell you they're having a bad day, that they don't see the value in your meeting, and they'll expect you to acknowledge it. They aren't being difficult — they're speaking a language shaped by a world that never demanded they speak a different one. Our job is to learn it.

They've watched family members get laid off after years of loyalty. They saw institutions shut down during a pandemic that stole formative years. They took on crushing debt for degrees that no longer guarantee opportunity. The golden watch is gone — and even where it still exists, they see through it. What they need instead is consistent recognition that starts on day one. Not because they're entitled, but because every institution in their life has already let them down. You have to prove you're different.

Their struggle with stress and confrontation isn't the disease — it's the symptom. Neurologically, many are delayed in emotional development. Technology gave them the sensation of connection without its substance. Overprotective systems removed natural consequences before they could build resilience. They didn't choose this. They inherited it.

And here's what we miss most: they are deeply empathetic — and it's burning them out. They absorb everyone else's emotional weight because they're starved for real connection, then turn to social media to release their own. Likes don't replace a shoulder to cry on. This used to be a teenage issue. It's now following Gen Z into their late twenties, and it's walking through your doors with every new hire.

Millennials asked Why on day one. Gen Z needs something before the Why is even possible — they need to trust you first. They don't respect titles or org charts. They'll email the CEO without hesitation because they don't recognize the pyramid. That's not rebellion. That's your starting point.
Lead with empathy. Mentor with challenge and autonomy. Build a relationship before you demand results. They won't follow your title — they'll follow your investment in them. Earn their trust, and the Why becomes self-evident. The goal isn't to manage them into the hierarchy. It's to mentor them into meaning.

Gen Z is already your workforce. The leaders who thrive will be the ones who make the shift now — from authority to relationship, from demanding professionalism to developing it, from expecting loyalty to earning it.

Simon Sinek - How do we hold space for the younger generation?

03/04/2026

If leadership training didn’t “stick,” the problem likely wasn’t the content.

I've seen this with graduates of my training programs and I won't lie, it hurts. I ask, what did I do wrong, what could I have done better, did I not support them enough during the program.

Training fails when:
• There’s no follow-up
• Developing leaders aren’t supported
• Expectations aren’t aligned

Training without systems is an event.
Development with systems is a strategy.

There’s a big difference. Don't just invest in the programming, invest in your people.

02/16/2026

Last night my kids asked why they don’t have school today.

“President’s Day” I said.

And it led to an interesting conversation.

The presidency is an office — the highest office in our federal government. Like a CEO or board chair, the position deserves respect because of the responsibility it carries.

But holding an office and being a great leader aren’t the same thing.

Titles grant authority.
Leadership earns trust.

I told my kids something I believe deeply in my work:
You can respect the role
and still evaluate the leadership.

Great leaders — in government, business, or schools — build credibility through empathy, emotional intelligence, accountability, and service to others. The position doesn’t guarantee those qualities. The person must demonstrate them.

That’s a lesson that applies far beyond Presidents and CEOs.

It applies to all of us who carry a title, especially my favorite one... Dad.