The Ox Agency

11/10/2026

Courage over comfort!

09/28/2026

John and I spend HOURS each year making sure we are in a room with people that help us think differently ,challenge us to push our limits and ultimately help us grow.

We realize that sometimes it can get very lonely in leadership and ownership. especially when every conversation depends on you having the answer.

Interestingly enough.....The strongest leaders we know are NOT the ones who always have the answer.

They are the ones who ask more questions, help you self discover, challenge your bias and are willing to put all the cards on the table and dig into the root cause of the problem.

That is what peer innovation is really about.

You need people around you who can see what you cannot see. People who have already made the mistake, solved the problem, grown through the transition, or are willing to ask you the question your own team may never ask.

The goal is not agreement.

The goal is SHARPER thinking, better decisions, and fewer blind spots.

Don’t build a room full of people who confirm what you already believe.

Build a room that makes you better!!!!

WHO is in your room that makes you faster, better, smarter and faster?

09/21/2026

If the process only works when the right person is there, it is not a process yet.

It is dependence.

Many companies think they have processes because the work gets done. But when you look closer, the process is really living inside someone's head.

One person knows the workaround.
One person knows the customer preference.
One person catches the mistake.
One person remembers the step that never got written down.

That may work for a while.

Until that person leaves.
Until volume increases.
Until a new employee needs training.
Until quality drops.
Until the customer feels the gap.

An Ox Organization builds process discipline.

It documents the work.
It clarifies handoffs.
It trains the standard.
It reviews breakdowns.
It improves what is not working.

The goal is not bureaucracy.
The goal is repeatable excellence!!!!!

Strong people should not have to save broken processes every day.

Where is your organization still depending on memory instead of method?

Have questions, give us a call.

09/14/2026

“The hardest person you’ll ever lead is yourself.”
It is easy to talk about leading a team.
It is harder to lead yourself when you are tired.
When you are frustrated.
When you are under pressure.
When the numbers are not where you want them.
When someone disappoints you.... when you know you are about to disappoint someone else
When you know what needs to be done......but you do not feel like doing it.
That is where leadership actually starts.
Before you ask your people for more discipline, look at your own habits.
Before you demand accountability, ask yourself what you have allowed.
Before you tell the team to communicate better, look at how clearly you are communicating.
Before you ask people to change, ask whether you are willing to change first.
Why you ask......because organizations rarely outgrow the leadership inside of it.
Who you are is how you lead.
And if you want to build a stronger organization, start with your leaders
Looking inward.... what is one area you want to strengthen right now in your leadership?

09/08/2026

🔥 RESISTANCE DOESN’T MEAN THE CHANGE IS WRONG.

It means LEADERSHIP IS REQUIRED. 💪🐂

Too many leaders announce a change, send an email, hold one meeting and then get frustrated when everyone doesn’t immediately get on board.

That’s not leading change.
That’s announcing it.

When people push back, they’re usually asking:
👉 What does this mean for me?
👉 Why are we doing this?
👉 Is this really going to stick?
👉 Do I trust the people leading it?
👉 Are we serious this time—or is this another flavor of the month?

Here’s the deal……. Humans will process change differently.

🚀 Some or your team will jump in immediately.
👀 Some will sit back and watch.
🤨 Some will question everything.
……. Some will flat-out resist.

Not everyone is going to move at the same speed.

Your job as the leader is NOT to make everyone comfortable.

Your job is to provide CLARITY.
Hold the standard.
Communicate the WHY.
LISTEN.
Stay consistent.
And keep moving forward. 👊

🔥 You don’t eliminate resistance. You LEAD THROUGH IT.

Because change doesn’t just expose whether your people are ready.

It exposes whether YOU are ready to lead.

06/30/2026

Lets swap mini moment pics 💛

Here we are half way through 2026

We spend so much time focused on goals....what we still want to accomplish, how much more work we have left to do....and what the next six months needs to look like. In fact, we just did this today in our Heroic Leadership Sessions.

So hear me when I say.....
Goals matter. They give us direction, challenge us to grow, they build resilience, and keep us focused on where we are going.

BUUUUUT....as I was making some small changes to my facilitator notes.....I realized that more often then not, I am not really fueled in my soul by hitting or beating my own "metrics".... instead, I am inspired by moments and memories that aren't really measured with a metric or a goal sheet and may not even a show up on my vision board.

Sometimes growth looks like finally figuring out what "protect my peace" feels like.
Sometimes it is laughing with people you love.
Sometimes it is choosing rest without guilt.
Sometimes it is helping someone who needed me but never asked.
Sometimes it is noticing the sounds of nature around you everyday.
Sometimes it is finding yellow butterflies when no one knows why you look for them.
Sometimes it is simply being fully present.

The small things matter.

The mini moments that filled your cup, strengthened your heart, add value to your soul, or made the world a little better deserve to be celebrated as well.

For me, as I reflect, they matter a little bit more. Maybe its because I will be turning 50 or maybe it's because I have learned how to measure differently. Either way......

Here is your challenge:

Post one picture that shows how you filled your cup, added value to your soul, or added value to your world during the first six months of 2026. (in our session today we found it hard to share only one)

It does not have to be your biggest accomplishment.
It just needs to be a moment that mattered to YOU and your soul.

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. 😊

05/26/2026

Shout out to this Girl. She has launched her first 12 week Heroic Core Program… and the feedback from the first session….

“My head feel like I have a hangover…. But in a good way.”

We call that the Growth Hangover..... Have you ever had one?

When we work with leaders on real growth, sometimes their head hurts.

Not because they are weak.
Not because they are failing.
Not because they “don’t get it.”

Because growth is heavy.

We call it the Growth Hangover.

It is that mental and emotional discomfort that shows up when your old patterns get exposed, your excuses get challenged, and your next-level standard starts pulling on you.

It is the moment when leadership stops being a nice idea and starts getting personal.

Because let’s be honest — growth sounds good until it asks something from you.

It asks you to own your behavior.
It asks you to look at your blind spots.
It asks you to stop blaming the room and start leading the room.
It asks you to realize that the culture you complain about might be connected to the standards you have allowed.

That headache?
That tension?
That uncomfortable “dang, I can do better ” feeling?

That is not failure.

That is feedback.

That is your old operating system getting challenged by the leader you are becoming.

At The Ox Agency, we don’t believe leadership development should stay surface-level. We believe it should stretch you, sharpen you, and sometimes make you sit quietly with yourself for a minute.

Because the goal is not just to know more.

The goal is to become more.

So if growth gives you a little hangover, GOOD.

That means the you are doing the work.

Own it. Process it. Then lead different.

Wanna know more about this program?..... give us a shout.

03/19/2026

Most counties don’t have a building problem.
They have a systems problem.

DeKalb County was no different.

What started as a space study turned into something much bigger. We uncovered safety risks, process gaps, fragmented departments, and no real ownership of long-term facilities strategy.

That’s the kind of stuff people feel every day, even when they don’t have the words for it yet.

So we did what we do.....
We dug in.
We asked hard questions.
We listened to the experts that do the work day in and day out.
We looked at the truth.
And we got to the root.

Because this was never just about buildings.
It was about people.
How they work.
How decisions get made.
How the public gets served.
And where the system is no longer supporting the mission, vision, or values.

That’s the work.

And if you know us, you know this already: We are not here to tell people what they want to hear.....We engage to share the truth about what needs to be faced, fixed, and led. That’s a big difference.

Too many organizations keep throwing space, people, or money at problems without ever addressing the system underneath it all. that is the best way to make chaos even more expensive!!!!

DeKalb County chose to face that head-on.
That takes leadership.
That takes honesty.
That takes courage.

I’m proud of this work.
I’m proud of the leaders in this community.
And I’m grateful for the trust and partnership.
Im grateful for the amazing team we have at The Ox Agency.

Now comes the gritty part:
Decision.
Ex*****on.
Follow-through.

Because NO DECISION...... is very much still a decision.

If your organization feels stuck, it’s probably not your people..... let's look deep at your systems ....... Until you're ready to face some truths.....nothing really changes.

AUBURN — The DeKalb County Commissioners Monday received the findings of a DeKalb County building space study.

02/06/2026

Here is another leadership pro tip- FUEL!!

You are human, you need fuel to function.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUYY-1ZgkOb/?igsh=MTB4ZTlvczY4eHE3Zw==