DTC Academy

05/30/2026

The only person who works as hard as a farmer... is another farmer — their spouse!!

My sister-in-law was out helping my brother load the grain drill.

Farm life takes grit, collaboration, and a whole lot of heart.

Want to train your team on the core competencies that makes a great collaborator?

Order Doing The Chores!

The Kindle version is on sale for $2.99 till June 1st.

Click link to order via Amazon: https://a.co/d/09eEtZZl

05/30/2026

Tired of always saying yes to your manager when they always give you the most challenging chores? Want to learn why you don't stand up for yourself at work? The key is knowing yourself—what motivates you, what concerns you, and how to communicate those concerns in a way your manager can actually hear.

That’s what the Reiss Motivation Profile is all about. It helps individual contributors better understand themselves, collaborate more effectively with their managers, and feel more engaged and appreciated at work.

Interested in getting ahead at work? Reach out to me at doingthechores.com for the Reiss Motivation Profile questionnaire and one hour of coaching.

Let’s do the chores together.

DoingTheChores.com

05/30/2026

This weekend, you can get my Doing The Chores Kindle book for just $2.99.

That is, unfortunately, cheaper than a gallon of diesel fuel right now, and it can help power your team just as much.

Don’t wait. The offer runs from May 30 through June 1.

Thanks for Doing The Chores with me!

Doing The Chores: Creating The Groundwork For Success

05/29/2026

I know not everyone agrees with my embrace of the 21st-century leadership concept.

But I believe many workers who are early in their careers ( ) are helping reveal something important:

The old leader-centric model does not fit the future of work. 🌱

They are challenging old assumptions, old workplace values, and old ideas about what leadership is supposed to look like. 💭

Many may not want the same type of careers that people my age ( ) have had. Many do not want to move into traditional management roles. Many do not see the all-powerful, mighty "leader" as inspiring. They may see that kind of leader-centric model as a deterrent.

After almost three decades working in talent development, I am realizing something important:

Leader-centricity is not the future.

The future is collaboration. 🤝

Leader, smart follower, and collaborator are roles we may play in different situations when we work in the position of a manager or a non-manager. But leadership itself is not the leader. Leadership is not the follower. Leadership is an influence relationship that moves people toward meaningful change for mutual benefit.

In other words, leadership is collaboration in action. 🚜

Leadership is also not the same as management.

Management carries the authority of the organization to make business decisions, create structure, maintain consistency, and guide the work. That is important work. But it is not the same as leadership. 🧭

When we confuse leadership and management, we do a disservice to managers, contributors, and the people we are trying to develop.

My mentor in this 21st-century leadership journey, Dr. Matthew Chodkowski, was a guest on the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, hosted by Dr. John Dentico. The episode is titled:

“Your Leadership Playbook Just Called: It's Phoning in from 1955 and It Wants Its Paradigm Back with Dr. Matt Chodkowski.”

The conversation was incredibly insightful. 🎧

If you work in talent development, I strongly recommend listening to this episode. Many of my are slowly trying to help change the paradigm of leader-centricity.

Because the future of talent development is not about worshiping leaders.

It is about building better collaborators. 🌾

Listen here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/50oseURjeSU1LGoJ8ZZDkT?si=Pdtj7HhxQm2DDqF5tQ801Q

Enjoy the episode, and keep Doing The Chores as we continue learning what is next in talent development. 🚀

05/28/2026

Developing empathy starts with understanding yourself.

Based on Dr. Steven Reiss’s research on human motivators, people are often more alike than we are different.

His work helps us better understand what drives our behavior, our decisions, and the way we relate to others.

The Reiss Motivation Profile® is one of the most fascinating assessments I have ever taken.

It impacted me so much that I decided to become certified to coach others through it.

If you are interested in taking the Reiss Motivation Profile® and receiving one hour of coaching on your results, feel free to reach out to me at DoingTheChores.com.