CEO Blog Archive - Page 2 of 171

Recent Articles

Breaking Free from Mediocrity: The Path to Extraordinary

I pay attention to trends. When a word or idea pops up a couple of times, I take notice. Recently, a team member sent me this quote: “As a manager, you play a critical part in either perpetuating mediocrity or helping your team break free in pursuit of extraordinary.” – Art Petty, executive coach Mediocrity is a dirty word. If you are in a mediocre state, the chances are great that you are sliding toward

Howe Q Wallace December 2, 2024

Pallets

Celebrating Agency on Thankful Thursday

On this Thankful Thursday, I’m celebrating and am grateful for “agency.” Having “agency” means I have the ability and resources to positively impact my life’s situations today. So do you. The enterprise where we work extends agency. We have a long history of creating products and services our customers value. They look to us to stay on the cutting edge and provide the best in our sectors. Our ability to perform makes us credible. That

Howe Q Wallace November 28, 2024

Pallets

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day of gratitude—the original #ThankfulThursday. It’s a time to pause and celebrate our good fortune to live in this country. It’s often said that Americans live in the top one percent of the world. Our blessings are abundant. We enjoy accessible health care that ensures healthier, longer lives. We have the freedom of movement and choice, allowing us to pursue employment and establish roots wherever we choose. Education is available to empower

Howe Q Wallace November 28, 2024

Pallets

Thankful for the Opportunities America Provides

On this Thankful Thursday, I’m thankful I live in America. I hope you are, too! We just finished a free election. There will be an orderly transition from one leader to another. Maybe you’re delighted. Maybe you’re horrified. But, like me, you probably woke up last week, and not much had changed. That’s the thing about America. You have a lot of choices and a lot of opportunities. Candidly, the chances aren’t equal. I was

Howe Q Wallace November 21, 2024

Thankful Thursdays: Grateful for a Career that Inspires

“Surround yourself with people who are inspired, excited, and grateful. Those three types will determine your future.” – Ray Lewis, NFL Hall of Famer November is Thanksgiving month, and I was challenged to write a note about “Thanksgiving” each Thursday of the month. So, here goes. Today, I’m thankful for my career. For 41 years, I’ve been working in pallets—a field where I feel like I hit the lottery with my calling. My journey began

Howe Q Wallace November 14, 2024

Pallets

Reflecting on Our “Lean” Journey at PalletOn

At PalletOne, we talk a lot about “lean.” It occurs to me that some of you might not have been here when this approach was first introduced. “Lean” companies believe that customers only want to pay for “value.” To deliver that, we focus on eliminating any waste associated with producing the product. Waste can come in the form of wasted time, wasted material, or wasted motion. A “lean” company is always engaged in self-study—constantly looking

Howe Q Wallace November 12, 2024

Pallets

Creating a Culture of Appreciation – Lessons from the Baseball Field

According to researchers, one of the most critical factors for a fully engaged workforce is how understood and appreciated employees feel. Yet, many hold back from expressing appreciation at work because it can sometimes feel “fake.” This insight made me think of baseball. Growing up, I played mostly first base and did some pitching. One lesson drilled into every ball player is to “chatter.” When eight-year-olds chatter, they’re often just making noise. But as I

Howe Q Wallace November 1, 2024

Pallets

Warren Buffett’s ABCs of Business Decay

Warren Buffett, at 94 years old, is the CEO of one of the most successful businesses of modern times, Berkshire Hathaway. Because of his age, he is frequently asked about his successor. Buffett, who has stated he won’t step down until the right time, shared this about his unnamed replacement last year: “My successor will need one other particular strength: the ability to fight off the ABCs of business decay, which are arrogance, bureaucracy, and

Howe Q Wallace October 21, 2024

Focus on the ‘What’ – Leadership Insights from Phil Knight

“Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with the results.” – Phil Knight, Nike founder, in his book Shoe Dog. Leaders often struggle with this challenge. They get promoted based on how they do things. But the more responsibility leaders take on, the more leadership becomes about the people on the team, the ones you trust and delegate responsibilities to. Effective leaders learn to focus on

Howe Q Wallace October 5, 2024

Pallets

Embracing Responsibility with Joy: A Key to Leadership Growth

Here’s another insight I learned from Rescue House pastor Matt Hudson in Mocksville, NC, at a leadership conference when he shared 7 Things a Boss Wants to Say to You: “I love it when you receive responsibility with joy.” Last week, I shared Matt’s idea that “responsibility is a reward, not a right.” Using that logic, it stands to reason that being assigned additional responsibility should be joyful. But leaders don’t always experience this. Sometimes, new

Howe Q Wallace September 26, 2024

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Articles About Leadership

THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE

“Everything you want is on the other side of ‘hard’.” – CJ McCollum, NBA player McCollum is a story of overachievement. He was undersized. Played college basketball at a non-descript school. Was a long shot to be an NBA player but worked his way to being a first-round draft pick and was a solid star in his 10th year in the league. I heard him describe his approach to the game and his development on a podcast called

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

HAPPENING TO THE WORLD – A SATISFYING WAY TO LIVE

PalletOne leaders “happen to the world.” What does that mean? A PalletOne leader is confident. Each situation creates an opportunity for service and contribution. We are talented and put those talents to work. We see those around us as having talent. We seek to unlock it. We realize that we can be called upon to take the initiative to improve things at any moment. We act when the situation calls for it. We inspire through

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

SUFFERING AND CHALLENGES

“Weep, trust, pray, think, shift, hope, grow. Ways to handle suffering.” – Tim Keller Tim Keller was a preacher from New York City. He passed away in 2023. I followed him on Twitter because he tweeted profound thoughts like the one above. You don’t exit life without tough things happening to you. It’s a fact. None of us are exempt. In specific order, Keller gave us seven verbs to consider when challenged: Weep – It’s

Howe Q. Wallace March 22, 2024

Recent Articles

Breaking Free from Mediocrity: The Path to Extraordinary

Celebrating Agency on Thankful Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for the Opportunities America Provides

Thankful Thursdays: Grateful for a Career that Inspires

Reflecting on Our “Lean” Journey at PalletOn

Creating a Culture of Appreciation – Lessons from the Baseball Field

Warren Buffett’s ABCs of Business Decay

Focus on the ‘What’ – Leadership Insights from Phil Knight

Embracing Responsibility with Joy: A Key to Leadership Growth

Talk To The Leader in PT Lumber. Request A Quote for Pallets.

Articles About Leadership

THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE

HAPPENING TO THE WORLD – A SATISFYING WAY TO LIVE

SUFFERING AND CHALLENGES

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