Phil Crawford

This week, like many of you, I found myself in an unexpected storm—both literally and figuratively. As an epic winter storm swept through the South, it brought with it a cascade of challenges: power outages, loss of heat, disrupted internet, and a sudden, stark absence of modern conveniences. It was a stark reminder that even […]

“Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.” – R.G. Risch The Foundation of Influence In the traditional corporate world, there was a long-standing myth that respect was a byproduct of a title. You climbed the ladder, earned the office, and the respect of your subordinates followed

Welcome to another Words of Wisdom (WoW) Wednesday. In our current era of rapid-fire change, the most dangerous thing a leader can bring to a new problem is an old solution. This week, we’re looking at a powerful insight from management legend Peter Drucker that serves as a vital gut-check for anyone leading a team

As leaders, we’re constantly navigating complex challenges, making critical decisions, and guiding our teams toward success. In the midst of daily demands, it’s easy to get lost in the immediate, losing sight of the ultimate destination. This week, I want to reflect on a timeless principle that has profoundly shaped my approach to leadership: “Begin

We often treat the arrival of January 1st or a New Year as a finish line, assuming that the mere passage of time will automatically usher in progress and clarity. However, a change in the date on your dashboard rarely translates to a change in the trajectory of your business unless there is a fundamental

As we enter the final weeks of the year, the world around us shifts toward the act of giving. In our personal lives, we often search for the perfect gift to show our loved ones they are valued. But in the world of business, I’ve found that the most impactful gifts aren’t found in a

We are in the era of “Big Hairy Audacious Goals.” We spend our strategy offsites obsessing over the destination. We build complex slide decks showing hockey-stick growth curves, we rally the troops with vision statements, and we pin our hopes on the idea that if we just want it bad enough, we will achieve it.

We are living through a fundamental shift in the relationship between employees and employers. The tactics that worked twenty years ago—rigid hierarchies, strictly defined roles, and top-down directives—are rapidly becoming liabilities in our complex, fast-paced business environment. Yet, many leaders are still clinging to the outdated “playbook” of the industrial era, focused on efficiency and

This weekend, millions of us will tune in to watch College Football Championship Weekend. We will see confetti, trophies, and legacies defined in sixty minutes of play. The networks will build narratives around “destiny” and “glory,” but if you listen closely to the post-game interviews, you’ll notice a distinct pattern among the winning coaches. They

With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, our inboxes and feeds are flooded with sentiments of thanks. It is a wonderful time of year to pause and reflect on our blessings, but in the fast-paced world of business, “thanks” can often become a throwaway line—a box we check at the end of a quarterly town hall to boost