Michael Nichols

Jun 19 2013

The adventure that is leading

Thirty years ago, when I accepted my first leadership role, I knew virtually nothing about leadership.

Perhaps your story is similar. Maybe you were handed a leadership position out of the blue – maybe you didn’t even want it. Suddenly, there you were – standing there. Everyone looking to you for direction, and you were still trying to figure out what just happened. Or maybe your journey was more traditional – you worked hard. Studied hard.

A mentor patiently guided you. You first learned to follow. Then to lead with passion, vision, and conviction. Read More

Jun 17 2013

The most influential people in the world

The most influential people in the world? Who are they?

More than 20 years ago, I heard a college professor say over and over throughout on of my courses – “Nothing is real until its personal.” What he was saying was, unless something has personal significance or touches your life in a tangible way, it won’t mean to you what it means to others.

Similarly, those people and events that hold personal significance to you may not be valued by others.

One’s influence is often directly related to their level of impact in your life or work.

Hundreds of people have helped me along the way. So it’s difficult to limit a list of people who have profoundly influenced my life.

So at the risk of overlooking some, here are the 5 most influential people in my world:

Jun 12 2013

Running – And The 5 Things I Learned From It

Running towards your goal – If you’re not working out, you won’t be able to effectively reach your life and work goals.

Everybody has their preferred workout. There’s CrossFit, Insanity, P90X. Yesterday, I saw an infomercial for Hip Hop Abs. (I’m not sure anyone wants to see me do that.) What’s your favorite?

These days you can even pick your own celebrity trainer – Jillian, Shaun T, Tony, or Richard.

A couple of years ago, working out became a key part of my life plan – for 2 reasons:

Jun 10 2013

5 Tips for Effectively Leading Your Team

Why is it such a challenge to get everybody headed and leading in the same direction? Why do team members get frustrated? How do you get them excited about what you are doing?

A few weeks ago, I was driving Madison and her friend to school. To avoid busy school traffic, I turned down a narrow back road.

As we talked about her morning and her after school plans, the passenger side tires left the pavement for a few moments spinning up grass and gravel. I laughed and told Madison to keep her side on the road – the same thing you say to your kids, right?

Then Madison asked, “Dad, why does mom always complain about your driving?” (For the record, Sarah doesn’t ALWAYS complain about my driving. And she complains less today than she used to.)

Jun 05 2013

5 Essential Tools For Managing Your Finances

When you have the right tools, the job is ALWAYS easier. And it’s no different with your finances – the right tools make all the difference.

In the past few weeks, I’ve received a number of questions from readers about the specific tools that we use to manage our finances. Many of the questions are the result of my previous posts about money. You may want to review them – they’ll add value to this post:

How We Saved More Than $50,000 in 4 Months. This is the story of our journey early in our marriage from debt to financial freedom. It’s not a get-rich-quick post – not by any stretch.
Our 8-year-old buys her own clothes, has saved thousands for college, & has ½ of her first car paid for. In this post I explain how we are actively teaching our children how to manage money.

Now, here are the 5 essential tools for managing money: