Michael Nichols | Leadership Made Simple

Leadership Made Simple

Leader Growth

My Mess is my Message

Let’s face it – we’ve all ended up in a colossal mess at one time or another. Life is unpredictable and full of difficult circumstances and painful situations.

We don’t create messes on purpose – they just happen, right? OK, maybe there ARE times when painful experiences result from our own poor judgment.

Yep – occasionally the mess is our own fault. And, that’s OK – your mess makes you unique. It allows you to connect on a personal level with others in a way that success does not.

Here are a couple things I’ve learned from chaos…

Read More

3 Ways to Guarantee Your Success

My dad encouraged me to start my first company in 1985. He loaned me $300 and took me to purchase the equipment I needed to get launched. Within a few weeks I had paid off the loan and was operating my new venture in the black.

Over the next few years, my dad spent many hours modeling character, integrity, a strong work ethic, fairness, excellence, and organizational leadership. Needless to say, I am deeply grateful for my dad’s influence in my life and work.

I’d love to say that I caught on quick – but I was a maverick, hard charging – some called me driven. So, for more than 25 years I’ve learned by failing – over and over. I’ve made a lot of decisions that didn’t turn out the way I had planned – and I succeeded!

Wait…What?

Read More

What’s Wrong With Everybody?

I’m really good at noticing when something’s wrong – especially when it’s something wrong with someone else. It’s easy to point out the missteps of someone else or call attention to gaps in their life and work. Mark Batterson, in his book Primal, says that before confronting what’s wrong with others, we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough to deal with what’s wrong with us.

Maybe we don’t take a good, hard look at ourselves because we don’t care enough about people. Maybe we’re too busy. Maybe we’re afraid of what we’ll find. Whatever the reason, it’s time…

Read More

5 Simple Ways to Get More Done

Let’s face it. Most of us occasionally struggle to get stuff done – particularly avoiding those tasks that really need to be completed. By the time we realize we’re behind, the problem or project has often become unmanageable!

Since I am primarily a task-oriented individual, accomplishing tasks and achieving goals is more natural for me than for those who are more people-oriented. Over the years, I have learned a number of principles that help me to more effectively accomplish tasks and reach goals.

Here are five simple ways to get more done…

Read More