INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS

Monthly Archives - February 2026

Copy of The One Thing You Need to Know (And Why It’s Never Really Just One Thing)

In 2005, I was deep in grad school. I was the kind of tired that comes from too many late nights, too much bad coffee, and the creeping suspicion that the more you learn, the less you know. I did a lot of reading outside my assigned school reading and I picked up Marcus Buckingham's The One Thing You Need to Know. I recognized Marcus from his work with Gallup and I was a big fan of StrengthsFinders at the time. Marcus...

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The High Opportunity Cost of “I Already Know That”

This week I got humbled in the gym in under five minutes. Not by a missed lift. Not by an extreme workout. By an isometric warm up. Even if you are not into working out, stay with me. I have been training for decades. I understand mechanics. Tendon loading. Joint angles. Explosive sequencing. I have read the books. Followed the programs. Logged the sets. I have used different types of dynamic warm ups and understood why they matter. And yet this week, integrating specific...

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The Qualified Content Strategy: How To Attract Fewer, Better Leads In High-Compliance Industries

Rachel, the marketing manager at a regional law firm, had great news for the Monday morning meeting: "We generated 340 leads last quarter!" The managing partner asked the obvious question: "How many became clients?" Rachel checked her notes. "Eighteen." The room went silent. 340 leads. 18 clients. A 5% conversion rate. The intake team had spent hundreds of hours sorting through prospects who couldn't afford the firm's services, lived outside their practice areas, or needed legal help the firm didn't provide. Rachel's traffic was up....

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High-Compliance Marketing: Why Healthcare and Legal Brands Can’t (And Shouldn’t) Market Like Everyone Else

Marcus, a partner at a mid-sized personal injury firm, was furious. He'd just fired his third marketing agency in two years. The first one promised to "disrupt the legal space" with edgy social media content. Result: a cease-and-desist from the state bar for misleading advertising. The second agency ran Google Ads guaranteeing case outcomes. Result: ethics complaint and $15,000 in fines. The third agency insisted video testimonials would "build authentic trust." Result: client privacy violations and a damaged reputation. Each agency had stellar portfolios....

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How Ten Seconds of Thinking Changes Everything

In the early 2000s, just out of college, I read Getting Things Done by David Allen. This was long before “inbox zero” was something anyone seriously believed in. I didn’t know it at the time, but that book quietly rewired how I thought about work, stress, and clarity. There was one idea that stuck with me more than any productivity system or tool. David said his life’s mission was for every discussion and meeting to end with one simple question: What’s the next...

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Your Team Isn’t Broken. Your System Is.

Before blaming your team and hiring better people: Try creating better systems, first. If... A client is frustrated or leaving. A team member is confused or stuck. A deadline gets missed or a handoff breaks down. It’s probably not because someone is lazy or bad at their job. It’s probably because the system is outdated or broken. As a leader I’ve lived this. I’ve caused it. And I’ve let it slide too long before finally fixing it. The truth is that friction or loss usually comes from...

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