Communication CEO Archives

Recent Articles

Embracing Bad News: The Path to Courage and Teamwork

If you ever watched the classic movie The Godfather, you might remember this quote: “If your car could take me to the airport, Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news immediately.” The speaker, Tom Hagen—the Godfather’s lawyer and confidant—learned that holding back rough information wasn’t the best idea. “Bad news” is bad news. While we might wish that bad news never comes up, the best way to handle it is to confront

Howe Q Wallace February 27, 2025

Building a Lean Culture: Mindset and Action

“Lean” thinking creates a willingness to try new things. We have taught 6S, which focuses on safely reorganizing and establishing ways to maintain our spaces. We have conducted Kaizen events, which are intensive efforts to quickly transform a place or process. As you engage in these practices, we hope it changes your way of looking at the world, especially at work. We hope that when you see disorder, your mind says, “That’s not lean.” We

Howe Q Wallace December 26, 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

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

Using Your Head and Heart: A Balanced Approach to Life

“To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the longest-serving President in United States history. She was known for her political savvy and acts of service during the Great Depression and World War II, which earned her admiration. Her ideas about using your head and heart to govern your actions deserve consideration. Becoming the best version of ourselves

Howe Q Wallace September 12, 2024

Pallets

Breaking the Cycle: The Power of Early Childhood Interaction

I’m interested in how kids who come from poverty can break the cycle and get ahead for future generations. I’ve always assumed the answer lies in better education. A recent episode of the Freakonomics podcast presented some eye-opening insights on the impact of early childhood education on a child’s ultimate success. If you have the chance and any influence on young kids, I highly recommend listening to this podcast. According to the podcast, parents play a

Howe Q Wallace August 23, 2024

The Power of EQ: Why Emotional Quotient Matters More Than IQ

We’ve all heard the term IQ, which stands for Intelligence Quotient. It’s a numerical measurement of how well you perform educational functions, with 100 being the average score. For years, IQ was considered a predictor of success. However, we all know individuals with high IQs who lack personal skills and leadership ability. In response to this gap, EQ has surfaced. EQ stands for Emotional Quotient and measures how well you exercise self-control and interact with

Howe Q Wallace August 2, 2024

CONVERSATIONAL QUESTIONS

I lead a small Bible study with some friends of mine. Lately, I’ve been focusing on the many questions Jesus asked. This note isn’t a Bible lesson as much as it is a reminder of how essential questions are to effective communication. We are trained in school to answer questions. We get positive feedback when we are called upon and can give an answer. But through the years, I’ve learned that asking questions can be

Howe Q. Wallace November 7, 2023

ENGAGING CONVERSATION

Larry King was often called the “world’s greatest interviewer.” People watched and listened as he met with all the great newsmakers of the age and interviewed them. Here’s what King said about his effectiveness: “I never learned anything while I was talking.” Powerful, simple advice. I had a teacher, E. E. Jennings, pour it out this way: L/T = Listen/Talk – Jennings said listeners gathered information. To listen was to offer your cup to others and

Howe Q. Wallace October 2, 2023

SHOOTING THE MESSENGER

Someone asked me the following question about addressing problems early before they grow: “What would you suggest a person do when they work for people who don’t listen to warnings? When this happens, I find it difficult to express concern when they overreact and almost put you in their crosshairs for speaking up.” Here’s how I answered: “The behavior of your manager is called ‘shooting the messenger.’ In ancient times, the story is told of

Howe Q. Wallace August 29, 2023

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

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