I want to be known as an encourager. I believe that every interaction leaves an impression. I want you to feel glad that I came along in your day. I caught a video of gospel singer Amy Grant recounting the best life advice she ever received. It came from World War II veteran Jimmy Gentry. He told her to hold up five fingers to represent five words: I am proud of you. Drop one finger down

One quote I repeat often is by Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who says, “Problems don’t age well.” When I heard it, I took it to mean that if something is bothering me or I see a problem, I need to form a plan to address it sooner rather than later. Because if I don’t, it won’t go away and will only get worse. Dealing promptly with an issue is not an invitation to

Courageous communication is critical to our success at PalletOne. What do I mean by courageous communication? Courageous communicators are candid about the situations that need attention. They will point out shortcomings in our process and suggest ways to correct them. Courageous communicators will address uncomfortable discussions. I call this the “bad breath area.” They will tell someone they have bad breath rather than let everyone suffer. Courageous communicators will reveal their shortcomings and ask for

“Being positive doesn’t mean you don’t address what’s wrong. It means you confront issues in a constructive way to make them right.” – Jon Gordon We often associate constructive feedback with negativity. Gordon says that in an attempt to be positive, we forego or delay feedback. He suggests a different approach. I think constructive feedback is one form of courageous communication. By its very nature, constructive feedback says: “Instead of doing that, you should consider

“When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.” – Thomas Sowell I hold “courageous communication” as an essential team value.  Sowell’s quote here may be as simple of an explanation as I’ve seen. “Courageous communication” is the truth. It needs to be known.  By bringing it to the surface the team will get better.  Problems will be solved.

“A quiet team is a losing team.”  This is a coach’s observation, but I think it applies to us.   A winning team communicates constantly.  From exchanging well wishes and checking up on each other as we begin our day, using two minutes to make sure everyone is on the same page as we take on challenges.   From reminding each other of safety practices and conditions, to admiring the consistent excellent efforts made by teammates and