As we bid farewell to 2023 and gear up for the opportunities the New Year holds, I’ve selected a few past articles that I think are worth revisiting. These pieces feature some of my all-time favorite takeaways and outline valuable practices that I use every day to live and lead with purpose.

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1. Slowing Down to Go Farther, Faster

I hope you find opportunities to get lost in your own thoughts, daydreaming or imagining what the future might look like. And when you do find your mind wandering, I hope you’ll follow it wherever it takes you. The times when you seem least attentive may actually be when you are most introspective. Being lost in thought might actually turn out to help you know which way to go and which paths to avoid.

If you’re always “on,” find some time to disconnect in your down time – schedule it if you must. And encourage those around you to do the same. I hope you’ll find that when you slow down, you can go farther, faster.

2. Most Lessons Are Caught, Not Taught

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that many of my insights came through experiences with the many great teachers in my life. The title of this article reflects something I learned from my father early in my career– and it’s a philosophy I try to keep top of mind when I think about my responsibilities as a leader and as a father.

One of your most important responsibilities as a leader is to make yourself dispensable. That’s not a typo. One of the most effective (and difficult) ways of building capacity in others is by giving them opportunities to learn through experience. This is where most lessons are caught, not taught.

3. Leadership Decision-Making: The Right Thing vs. the Wise Thing

The older you get and the more responsibility you have, the more complicated decisions become. Sometimes the decisions we face can be dictated by our moral code – the right thing – but so many more aren’t as clear-cut. It is in these situations that we need wisdom.

My definition of wisdom is “the discernment to determine the best methods to achieve the best objectives.” Wisdom necessarily involves long-term thinking and an understanding of the connectedness of life. My favorite question to ask to surface the wisest decision is: Ten years from now, what will I wish I had done?

Revisit this article for a fun camping anecdote and a little more insight into the right thing versus the wise thing.