Over 20 years and a fair share of resignations given to me, I've learned the immediate reaction I have to that unfortunate (sometimes not entirely unfortunate) news becomes part of my legacy I've left with that employee. Am I giving this person the memory of working for a jerk boss who made them feel horrible in moving on or the memory of a boss that was supportive right up to the last minute?

Reading is a private vacation into the world of possibility. You can take it anytime on any subject for however long you choose to do so. In my view, it's an immediate transportation into your own future potential.

How many times have you been sitting in a meeting and thinking to yourself, "This Sucks!"? A million times, a million and ten perhaps. You're sitting and thinking you'd rather poke your eyes out with hot sticks of fire than listen to one more status meeting. But you don't say any of this out loud. Why not?  Speak up! Be the catalyst to better-ness!

My ask is for each of you to commit, from this day forward, to start each day from a place of positivity. Be the person inspiring others. Be the one infecting the rest of us with possibility. I guarantee you, it’s hard. Being a downer, a doubter is much easier.

Outstanding leaders know the outcome of the whole depends on the engagement of the individuals. Get out there and show you care. Leave your office and make the rounds.

While an autopilot, I might be bringing the disposition of my day into the room with me. Maybe my day was stressful. Perhaps I listened to a heated voicemail on the way over. I might be tense, stressed or even just blandly neutral.

big goals tend to stifle us. The appear so big and so far away that we use that as an excuse not to work toward achieving them at all.

Kicking off the New Year with some thoughts on becoming a better leader.

Culture is the collective sum of attitudes, skills sets, passions, motivations all combined inside one company. As a leader, your role in driving that culture is critical.

For some strange reason, as people rise up the ladder they seem to exclude themselves from having to participate in company events. It's a contagious disease that slowly rots the core a culture at work.

Make sure you are staying in touch with your team as human beings. Simple questions like are you doing ok? How's soccer going for your daughter? How was your trip to Joshua Tree?

Let's get this clear: Givers of performance reviews hate giving them. Receivers of performance reviews hate getting them. Good bad time all around.

talking money in a Performance Review is albeit important, just not using your imminent need as the REASON you should get a raise.

There cannot be a time in your career when one day you have (and somewhat need) a boss then the very next you don't. Is it that you are somehow led as much as you are going to be led then from there on out it is up to you?

take a moment right now to look around your desk area, open your file cabinets, peek in your overheads and see if there is anything that you don't want the general public to have their eyes on. Take that home.

Reading 4 pages of your life in this scenario is just not possible. You need to sell it in the first page. More likely in the first half of the first page. After page 1, recruiter attention span diminishes greatly.

Leader as verb equates to a daily action any one of us can take. Begin it now.