Coming Down from the Mountaintop, Part I: Facing the Truth

On the first day of Elul, 2448 — more than 3,300 years ago — Moses climbed Mount Sinai for the third and final time, to carve out a second set of tablets. That climb came at the end of a grueling stretch of tefillah and advocacy, all aimed at restoring God's closeness to the Israelites after the sin of the golden calf and the shattering of the first tablets. Because that mission succeeded, Elul was established for all generations as a season of cheshbon hanefesh — self-accounting — and teshuva.

What My Garden Taught Me About Discipline, Focus, and Getting Back to What Matters

I didn't expect a vegetable garden to teach me much about leadership or productivity. I started it because I wanted an excuse to get outside, move my body, and feel the sun on my face after a day of calls and coaching sessions. But a few seasons in, I've realized my garden has quietly become one of the best teachers I have.

Trust Puts You in Charge

Every so often, someone young lands a role or an opportunity that seems to come out of nowhere. A promotion that skips a level. A project handed to the newest person in the room. A title that feels ahead of schedule.

And the reaction is almost always the same: How did they get that so young?

It's the wrong question.

Why You Need to Actually Unplug on Vacation

It's that time of year. Out-of-office replies are going up, flights are booked, and half the leaders I coach are either packing their bags or counting down the days until they do.

And almost every one of them is planning to check email "just a little" while they're gone.

I get it. When you're the one holding things together — running a school, leading a team, growing a business — stepping away feels risky. What if something breaks? What if a decision can't wait? Isn't a quick check-in just being responsible?

Here's what I tell my clients: a vacation where you're still half-working isn't a vacation. It's just work with a nicer view.

Handing Over the Tongs: What My Son's Grilling Debut Taught Me About Leadership

My wife had a wedding to attend. No dinner was planned and the clock was ticking. In a lot of households, that's a five-alarm fire.

In ours, my 13-year-old son solved it before I even started worrying. "I've got the grill, Dad."

I stepped back and gave him the tongs, supporting him as needed.

"You Hide It Well": What My Networking Group Taught Me About Introverts, Extroverts, and Everything In Between

Last week, our networking group ran ahead of schedule. Everyone had given their one-minute pitch, and instead of sitting in dead air, I picked up the mic and started riffing on networking, branding, and differentiation. Somewhere in there, I mentioned that I'm an introvert — and that I still show up with energy and actively seek out connection.

Afterward, someone pulled me aside. "If you're an introvert," he said, "you hide it very well."

He meant it as a compliment. But it stuck with me, because it revealed something most people get wrong: the idea that introversion and extroversion are costumes you either wear well or don't. They're not. They're wiring. And once you understand how that wiring actually works, you stop mistaking performance for personality — in yourself and in everyone you lead.

The Real Measure of a Leader

Here's an uncomfortable truth most leaders don't want to sit with: your effectiveness as a leader is not measured by how hard you work. It's not measured by how many hours you log, how many fires you put out, or how many meetings you run.

It's measured by what your team produces when you're in the room — and when you're not.

Put Others First, Sacrifice to Win: The Leadership Lesson Behind the Knicks Championship

The New York Knicks just won their first NBA championship in 53 years. And if you've been anywhere near social media this week, you already know about the confetti, the parade, the tears, and the trophy.

But there's a story beneath the celebration worth sitting with—one that has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with leadership.

Why Letting Go Is One of the Best Decisions You Can Make

Look around your space right now. Your desk. Your closet. That drawer you never open.

How much of what you see is useful to you today?

Most of us are holding onto things “just in case.” The exercise bike that became a clothes rack. The gadget that seemed brilliant in the store. The books you’ll get to someday. We know this stuff isn’t serving us — but we keep it anyway.

That low-grade accumulation has a real cost. And it’s not just about physical space.

BLOG