Most of us start our work lives running on drive. It’s what moves us forward, but it can’t hold us there. When drive finds direction in devotion, work becomes steadier — and far more human.

Alex’s second exchange with Claire picks up where Seeing Around Corners left off — and begins to question the virtue of exhaustion. When zeal blurs into vanity, even good work burns the wrong fuel.

Two bricklayers, one job, two visions. Most of us know how it feels to work hard and still wonder why it doesn’t feel like purpose. This post explores how calling begins—not with titles or promotions, but with the posture of the heart.

In their first exchange in a while, Alex and Claire circle a familiar edge of leadership — when foresight turns to fatigue. A modern conversation about control, calm, and the courage to stop rehearsing every possible disaster.

Sometimes the hardest part of change isn’t the cutting — it’s knowing where the pressure lies before you begin. A dead hickory on my farm reminded me that tension always tells a story: which way things want to go, what resists, and what’s ready to give. The trick isn’t to fight the lean, but to read it — and work with it.

Work can be messy and misaligned. But when we slow down long enough to understand what’s really happening, gifts begin to surface and people start to thrive. Sometimes the most important work we do is simply taking a longer look.

We’ve all walked into a mess — at work, at home, or in relationships. Real work isn’t more speed; it’s restoring and sustaining order. When order is kept, confidence grows, and with it the deeper meaning of work.

Work has always been part of being human. It’s more than a paycheck or a grind — it’s the way we shape, serve, and create in every role we hold. From office to home to community, every place you lean in carries dignity.

Ready to Be Picked? | Field Notes on Career Growth

What began as quiet feedback from a few project teams became the catalyst for a smarter support model at CBRE. This case study explores how risk reviews, embedded coaching, and client-facing innovation helped shift the way project delivery was supported—and how the right platform model can drive both internal and client success.

Scaling isn’t just about getting bigger. Many small businesses stall when growth outpaces systems, people, or cash. This post explores the common traps and introduces a white paper that shows how to build smarter — not just faster.

How do you earn credibility as a new leader?
Not with strategy decks or speeches—but by tackling the thing no one else will touch.
Here’s how one tough decision sparked a high-performance culture.

A small firm asked me to help them scale. What they really needed was to stop guessing and start listening — to their team, their clients, and their own instincts. This post reflects on what we changed, why it worked, and how “doing less” created the space they needed to grow.

After 40 years in corporate life, I took a seasonal job at Lowes—and dropped 20 pounds, found purpose, and nearly touched my toes. This personal story reflects on humility, health, and unexpected rewards. Turns out, it's never too late to move, to help, and to find joy in mulch therapy.

Before tripling sales volume, CCBCC needed a smarter way to scale operations. This post shares what they did first — and how it paid off. Download the case study to learn more.

Humility practiced not preached

When business processes go unchecked, they morph into tangled messes of workarounds and inefficiency. The result? Chaos, burnout, and lost margin. In this post, we explore the “Bumble Ball Effect” and how to eliminate it with a few practical steps to restore order—and profit.