Shows
Better Today Than YesterdayExcellence“The quality of a person’s life is directly proportional to their commitment to excellence.”—Vince LombardiI don’t think it’s entirely true. Plenty of people are deeply committed to excellence and still face hardship. Circumstances, ancestry, DNA, luck—those things all matter.But it’s likely mostly true. Life tends to get better, richer (whatever that means to you), and more meaningful in proportion to how seriously you pursue excellence.Excellence is personal. It means something different to each of us. Your definition and mine are probably not the same. And wh...2025-08-0301 min
Better Today Than YesterdayStowaway"One of the most confounding laws of human nature is that when faced with a task, people will work harder alone than they will when joined in the effort—a phenomenon known as social loafing. There is, however, an antidote. It’s the presence of one person who leaves no doubt that they are giving it everything they’ve got." -Sam Walker, The Captain ClassA story stuck with me this week. A colleague shared it, having picked it up from someone else. Stories travel like that. He was talking about a special compan...2025-07-2001 min
Better Today Than YesterdayCost“Responsibility means recognizing both pleasure and price, action and consequence, then making a choice.” — Dan MillmanThere’s a word most people don’t want to be associated with.It sounds sharp. Dangerous. Maybe even wrong. But try building anything that matters without it.In 1961, psychologist Arnold Buss described two kinds of aggression. One hostile, driven by anger and meant to hurt. The other instrumental and driven by purpose. This doesn’t come with rage, but intention. A response, not reaction. This is focused energy that is not violent but has no apologies for pursuit...2025-06-1503 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWin SmallA few takeaways after listening to Coach Bill Belichick* Regret is more painful than preparation.It’s easy after the fact to say it was someone else’s fault you didn’t win. But were you really prepared? Did you put in the work? Or are you just telling yourself a story to feel better? Preparation hurts now. Regret lasts forever.* Work isn’t about time. It’s about impact.A player can come in, put on their gear, and run around. But did they have an impact? Did they impro...2025-06-0801 min
Better Today Than YesterdayI'm WrongIn order to be right, you must be willing to change your mind. If you’re not willing to change your mind, you’re going to be wrong a lot. -Shane ParrishI’m wrong. About something. Or lots of somethings. We all carry a few strongly held beliefs. But if you never flip them, never walk around to the other side of the table, you risk building on something a less experienced version of you got wrong. Take one thing you’re sure about and look at it from the other side or at le...2025-06-0101 min
Evergreen Collective Presents: The Leadership ReviewFrom Green Beret to CEO: Kelly Vohs on Radical Humility and LeadershipIn this episode, The team sits down with serial CEO Kelly Vohs, leader of Safety Culture, to discuss his unique journey and inspiring approach to life. Through candid conversations, Kelly shares insights on leadership, personal growth, and how unconventional paths can lead to resilience and energy in work. He emphasizes the importance of facing challenges head-on, leading with radical humility, and fostering organizational culture focused on problem-solving and innovation. Whether you're striving to improve your personal or professional life, this episode offers practical strategies to energize your path forward.
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Better Today Than YesterdayFacingTo bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength. -SenecaYesterday I met someone who runs fifty 1:1s a week.I also know someone who does zero.Both are sure their way works.Both are probably right.I used to say leading and managing is complex. Because people are complex.Today, I’m not sure that’s right.I think it’s simple. Just sometimes hard.There is no right answer. There is just right now.With the information you have. And what your team needs. Usuall...2025-05-2501 min
Better Today Than YesterdayI Have An Idea“The problem is that obviously good ideas are not truly innovative, and truly innovative ideas often look like very bad ideas when they’re introduced.” —Ben HorowitzWhen someone brings you an idea, what’s your first instinct?I’m trying to start with:“What I love about that is…”And when I have a hard negative reaction, I try to pause and ask:“Can you walk me through how you’re thinking about it?”The best ideas rarely show up fully formed.It might not come out polished,but that do...2025-05-1800 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhat Ambition Can BecomeOh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud?Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud,A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,He passeth from life to his rest in the grave.—William KnoxIs ambition bad?Ambition often feels like a negative word: restless, self-focused, a need to prove yourself through achievement or acclaim. And that’s not new.The word ambition comes from the Latin ambitio, meaning “a going around,” as in walking the streets to seek votes and curry fa...2025-04-2005 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWalking In Reality"Beauty is the harvest of presence." —David WhyteWhat is beauty?It’s the worn middle of your grandfather’s desk.Snow in the spring.A mother on a long flight.A sip of something warm in the morning.Walking through the leaves in the fall.A child laughing.My child smiling, finding their strength.Sitting by the fire with her, the wave of hair falling across her left eye.The green light when you need it.A...2025-04-1301 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Emu Question"Pain is coming anyway. Don’t get a shield. Get a saddle. Tame it." —Derek SiversIt turns out, I’m scared of emus.Okay, scared is a strong word. My wife would definitely say I’m scared. I’d say, I’m moderately anxious around them.My reasons are valid. My sister has two, and they’re basically velociraptors from Jurassic Park — they hunt in packs. One comes at me from about two o’clock, and the other from nine. Both of them are male, by the way. I’m not sure if that mak...2025-04-0602 min
Better Today Than YesterdayFinding FreedomWe do not lack ability. We just lack courage. It all comes down to courage. —Ichiro KishimiWe want to be liked. I know I do.Whether for financial security or just fitting in, we shape our choices in ways we don’t always notice. Little by little, we trade pieces of ourselves for acceptance. We try to say the right things, wear the right clothes, and sometimes signal belonging by what we drive.It’s instinct. A thousand years ago, getting kicked out of the group could mean death. That fear i...2025-03-1601 min
Better Today Than YesterdayRegrets of SilenceYour fears are a kind of prison that confines you within a limited range of action. The less you fear, the more power you will have and the more fully you will live.—50 CentSome events have me repeating a phrase to myself:You'll regret the uncomfortable conversations you avoid more than the ones you have.I'm thinking about a conversation or two I didn't have, and now it's too late. I rationalized them away either to protect myself or the other person. My lack of courage kept me silent. ...2025-03-0900 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHow To Get What You WantWe are anxious to improve our circumstances but are unwilling to improve ourselves.—James AllenEverything worthwhile takes time, discipline, and a willingness to face hard truths. And those truths can be uncomfortable. Here are a few you might find helpful. I’ve run into them and tried to act appropriately. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I get them wrong. Uncomfortable Truths and Actions1. No one owes you anything. → Take responsibility. Do the work.2. Some people are victims. Most people just act like they are. → Stop waiting for life to be fa...2025-02-2303 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhat precedes competence?InsightsNo. 1"Expertise coupled with strength of will is going to prevail." -Bill WalshIt doesn't matter how good you are if you can't endure the pain.No. 2"If you are doing something primarily for money and without real emotional commitment, it will translate into something that lacks soul and has no connection to you. You may not see this, but you can be sure that the public will feel it and they will receive your work in the same lackluster spirit it was created in. If you are...2025-02-0904 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDrip by DripInsightsNo. 1“There’s a lot of alpha in being willing to do “menial” work (take notes, send out agendas, order pizza, manually inspect raw data, whatever). Beware of over-delegation and being too far from the details." - Nabeel S. QureshiMost people want big things but aren’t willing to do the small things, and “menial” work adds up.No. 2“The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something. The strongest, by dispensing his (powers) over many, may fail to accomplish anything. The drop, by con...2025-01-2603 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Test I Failed That Opened My Eyes//TRANSCRIPT//I want to let you in on a little secret about me. Now everybody knows this. I'll tell you in a minute, but first, a story.I signed up to go in the army to become a Green Beret. That in itself was, as you can imagine, a bit of an anxious time, difficult time, right? You have this dream, you want to do this thing. And this is a giant bureaucracy. Just because you want it doesn't mean you can have it.Part of the process is checking if...2024-12-2203 min
Better Today Than YesterdayTaking Responsibility, Creating Value - Your Mindset MattersWhen I was nine, I was sure I’d be homeless.There were reasons for this fear, some real and some imagined. As you can imagine, this colored my thoughts about money, work, and many other priorities. Eventually, it became a mindset for me. Your mindset significantly influences how you view your abilities, make decisions, set priorities, and handle challenges. These deeply held beliefs are difficult to change. It’s important to be aware of our mindsets and, when necessary, take action to change them. I want to talk about one mindset that I’ve adopte...2024-12-1506 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHold Your Beliefs LightlyIn my recent emails and messages, I noticed myself starting sentences with'I know that...'I went back and changed these to'I believe that...'What I call knowledge is often my perspective based on today's information, my biases, and my blind spots. The older I get, the more I realize how little I know.This week, watch your writing and speaking. Notice when you express absolute certainty. It's okay to have strong beliefs but hold them lightly.Be good and take care, Kelly 2024-12-0100 min
Better Today Than YesterdayPractice Role Seeking, Not Title SeekingTitle-seeking is dangerous.Work titles began as a way to clarify responsibility. They evolved into frameworks for compensation. Now, in the age of social media, they've increasingly become status symbols.We aren't titles. We play roles.In my last company, we took titles off email signatures. Instead, we put functional responsibility. If I were to take it a step further, I would have had people write a very short sentence of what they actually did - their responsibility. Here are some examples:* Head of HR - Enable the building...2024-11-2402 min
Better Today Than YesterdayBetter Decision Making & Going To The Margin"What pulls the rope in most workplaces is the elevation and promotion of self (ego), not the elevation of others, purpose, heart, and mind (soul). It's no wonder that people feel so alone in most workplaces today. Interconnectedness gets lost when you have a team or company of people who are making decisions based on their ego's needs: What would be best for their own personal goals, not their co-workers' goals; what would be best for their personal image, not their team's."- Mike Metcalf & Shaun Peet, “12 Second Culture”“Three eggs, over medium, cooked...2024-10-2706 min
Better Today Than YesterdayClarity In ChaosNo. 1In the midst of chaos, your mind cannot be chaotic. - General Jim Mattis, “Call Sign Chaos”In chaos or crisis, emotion is unhelpful and clouds judgment. Think about a 911 operator answering a frantic call. The operator is ALWAYS cool and collected while the caller panics. The operator tries to understand the situation (facts) and deploy appropriate resources. Part of their job is to calm the caller down, and they do this by staying calm. This is central to understanding reality.Leadership is the same. Because of their powe...2024-10-2003 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Dark WorkNo. 1The will to victory may be demonstrated in places other than actual battle.A Roman general was leading his legions toward the enemy in a swampy country. He knew that the next day’s battle would be fought on a certain plain because it was the only dry, flat place for miles. He pushed his army all night, marching them through a frightening and formidable swamp, so that they reached the battle site before the foe and could claim the high ground. In the aftermath of victory, the general called his troops to...2024-10-1302 min
Better Today Than YesterdayTalk Less, Simplify MoreHere are two quotes from The CEO Test by Adam Bryant and Kevin Sharer. The book's content is simple, practical, and actionable for most leaders. Quote No. 1“A helpful acronym for leaders to keep in mind is WAIT, which stands for, "Why Am I Talking?" because anything a leader says can quickly overwhelm a discussion and make people shut down.Asking yourself, “Why am I talking?” helps determine whether it’s more valuable to listen or contribute at that moment. Sometimes, listening is contributing. Leaders often dominate conversations due to their authority. As leaders...2024-10-0604 min
Better Today Than YesterdayTell Me Your StoryA dear friend recommended the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It took me a year to read it, which was a waste of a year. This week I scrolled through my highlights and I feel compelled to share a few with you. You don’t have to see where you’re going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you. This is right up there with the best advice about writing, or life, I have ever h...2024-09-2904 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHow you think about compensation will shape your lifeI’ve been thinking about and talking about this topic a lot recently, and I found myself revisiting this post, so I’m resurfacing it for you today. I originally published this in July 2022.Note: This post is made for listening, but I’ve included the transcript if you’d rather read.TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Hey there. I wanted to follow up on my other note about one of two things leaders are responsible for. The second one is compensation. And there's a whole lot to unpack there, so let's try to do it through a little...2024-09-2210 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Double Satisfaction"…tranquility…comes when you stop caring what they say, think, or do. Only what you do." - Marcus AureliusThere is some change happening in my life. A new job, a kid left for college, and a few other things that add complexity and a touch of anxiety. Most of this change is good, some of it not. All of it is part of life. Wrestling with a few thoughts and some internal disturbance, I went back to re-read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Often, it's not the books you read that make a differe...2024-09-0803 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Power of Human TeamsI believe the most effective type of team is a “Human Team.”These teams accept their members for their individual strengths and struggles. They want the entire human to show up, not just the tip of the iceberg. These teams are about helping each other, and the collective "us," find our potential. If you are on one of these teams, you feel it. It’s different, and you show up and do the best work of your life because you don’t want to let your teammates down.Recently, I read a passage in the book 12...2024-09-0103 min
Better Today Than YesterdayAre you a space taker or space giver?Some people give space, others take it.Givers let you talk.Takers do the talking.Givers give credit and take the blame.Takers take credit and give blame.Givers seek answers.Takers are the ones with all the answers.Givers focus on improving.Takers are busy proving.We don’t ever exclusively play the role of space taker or space giver. Our role should change depending on the situation. Sometimes, you need to be a space taker. Sometimes, a space giver. ...2024-08-0401 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThree Words That MatterA few years ago, I was part of a technology transformation at a company. Transformation is really just a big word for fixing everything that's broken. A friend who was leading the project looked at me and said, "Listen, you can have it fast, good, or cheap, but you can't have all three. You get to pick two." That applies not only to technology but probably a lot of things in life.Lessons From Changing TiresI just finished a book by a couple of former athletes who now coach NASCAR pit crews. Like the...2024-07-2105 min
Better Today Than YesterdayEscaping Competition“Escape competition through authenticity. When you’re competing with people, it’s because you’re copying them. It’s because you’re trying to do the same thing. But every human is different. Don’t copy.” (Naval Ravikant)I don’t like the word authenticity. Maybe it’s too big, or too many books have been written about it. It’s probably because too many management consultants who couldn’t manage a lemonade stand talk about it. It’s easy to say “be authentic,“ but it’s hard to execute. Given my aversion to the word, I went in search of another word t...2024-07-0702 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDivision of Labor"Your whole life is a kind of apprenticeship to which you apply your learning skills. Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention." (Robert Greene, Mastery)A friend sent me photos from her trip to Yellowstone—an extraordinary place. When I visited, I couldn't help but imagine how it was centuries ago: simple, wild, and a bit scary.The idea of roaming freely is romantic, but it is also dangerous. That's why we stopped. We found a better way to survive by building communities where each of us contributes ou...2024-06-3003 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDelayWe spend so much time wishing our lives were different, comparing ourselves to other people and to other versions of ourselves, when really most lives contain degrees of good and degrees of bad. - Matt Haig, The Midnight LibraryI’ve been thinking a lot about responding, not reacting. Making space between provocation, judgment, and action provides time to explore reality—an opportunity to find the truth about the situation, yourself, and what you can control. When possible, delay. If delaying your response does not reduce the chances of a favorable outcome, delay. More information ofte...2024-06-2301 min
Better Today Than YesterdayIncidental Vs Intentional"A true student is like a sponge. Absorbing what goes on around him, filtering it, latching on to what he can hold. A student is self-critical and self-motivated, always trying to improve his understanding so that he can move on to the next topic, the next challenge. A real student is also his own teacher and his own critic. There is no room for ego there." (Ryan Holiday, Ego Is the Enemy)Through trial and error, I learned my skills and knowledge as a parent on the job (I'm still trying). I made so many mistakes (and...2024-06-1601 min
Better Today Than YesterdayMy Friend's Simple Advice On LeadingHe is a dear friend, a long-time mentor, and one of the most remarkable people I know. He left his job as CEO to build a hotel run by folks with special needs. He's pretty special. For decades, he's drilled into me the qualities required to be a good leader. Here they are: * Humility & empathy. * Self-awareness & self-control. I've always agreed. They make sense, but I never dug in. Then, I sat with another leader for a few hours talking about leadership, and they started to crystallize. Defining these words...2024-06-0904 min
Better Today Than YesterdaySeven Meeting Considerations"Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done." -Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, ReworkVideo calls have become a significant part of my life. Probably yours, too. People are quick to admonish them. I’m not in that crowd. They are helpful and add a level of productivity that we never had before. For me, there is no replacement for the energy you feel when sitting with someone. We have to mak...2024-05-2602 min
Better Today Than YesterdayMaker TimeLeadership is disappointing people at a rate they can absorb. Leadership is ultimately about driving change, while management is about creating stability. Stability is important in a work environment, but confronting challenges and realizing new ideas require discomfort. This means that you and your teams must abandon the stable and familiar in favor of an uncertain—but exciting—new direction.-Excerpt from Scaling People by Claire Johnson - Former COO of StripeThere is a difference between the manager's schedule and the maker's schedule. Managers get paid for judgment—the more valuab...2024-05-1903 min
Better Today Than YesterdayYour Wake"I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing — to be clear. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Pulitzer prize. I would write merely clearly and in this way establish a warm relationship between myself and my readers, and the professional critics — Well, they can do whatever they wish."— Isaac AsimovInspired by this, I asked a friend what cardinal rule he would apply across...2024-05-1204 min
Better Today Than YesterdayFOPO Decision Filter"In complete solitude, I stop objectifying myself. In the bush, I don’t think of myself on some social hierarchy. I don’t define my value as a comparison with others. The birds and animals don’t judge me. It’s a kind of healing in which I become human again. In complete solitude, we are not a concept of ourselves; we are ourselves." (Boyd Varty, The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life)Hi friend, What would life be like if you weren’t afraid of people’s opinions? What if you didn’t care if anyone...2024-05-0503 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWinnowingDon’t waste the rest of your time here worrying about other people—unless it affects the common good. It will keep you from doing anything useful. You’ll be too preoccupied with what so-and-so is doing, and why, and what they’re saying, and what they’re thinking, and what they’re up to, and all the other things that throw you off and keep you from focusing on your own mind.Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote that to himself more than 2,000 years ago. He goes on a few lines later: “You need to get used to wi...2024-04-2802 min
Better Today Than YesterdayAvoiding The Worst"The more urgently you want to speak, the more likely it is that you will say something foolish." -Leo Tolstoy and Peter Sekirin, A Calendar of WisdomWe’re a few months away from one of the boys leaving the house. He’ll go away to school, and he won’t come back. At least not the way it’s been for the last 18 years. He has all of the choices in the world to make - A whole life ahead that likely won’t be what he thinks. I hope the pressures from his p...2024-04-2103 min
Better Today Than YesterdayAre your relationships vertical or horizontal?"The intensity of our striving for power is inversely proportional to the degree to which we can be educated."-Alfred Adler, Understanding Human NatureOrganizational charts are typically represented as pyramids, and for good reason. There is one person who is ultimately responsible, and clarity of decision-making and authority is essential. That said,Organizational charts should be inverted pyramids.Leaders are on the bottom, and their job is to support their humans ‘above them.’ Leaders must provide clarity, alignment, resources, and emotional connection. That holds whether you are on the battlefield or i...2024-03-3102 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDon't Waste Your TimeYou succeed by finding ways to capitalize on who you are, not by trying to fix who you aren’t.-Marcus BuckinghamThomas Jefferson was not a good public speaker, but he knew it. He spent little time trying to compete with the great public speakers of his time. Instead, he wrote —and write he did. We can thank him for the Declaration of Independence. Don’t waste your time trying to ‘fix’ your weaknesses. Mitigate them and find ways to compensate, but don’t spend time there. Spend your time on what is natural...2024-03-2401 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhat about me is keeping me from being me?In the West, we often think of art as a blank canvas, something we add to create the final piece. In the East, artists frequently start with a piece of jade and remove parts until the art is revealed.We each have a self-image formed through our experiences. We often cling to this image, which influences various aspects of our lives—how we dress, behaviors, language, beliefs, friendships, and self-perception.I've spent my lifetime constructing “me.” Much of this was to protect myself, compensate for perceived inadequacies, and pursue necessary things or ideas. Sometimes, I've stripp...2024-03-1003 min
Better Today Than YesterdayConfident HumilityYou’re not as good as you think. You don’t have it all figured out. Stay focused. Do better….This is the characteristic of how great people think. It’s not that they find failure in every success. They just hold themselves to a standard that exceeds what society might consider to be objective success. Because of that, they don’t care much about what other people think; they care whether they meet their own standards. And these standards are much, much higher than everyone else’s. - Ryan HolidayTwo competing emotions, confidence and insecurity, play signifi...2024-03-0305 min
Better Today Than Yesterday"How To Guarantee a Life of Misery" By Charlie MungerHighlights from Charlie Munger's Commencement Speech at The Harvard School in 1986.If you found that helpful, please copy this link and send it to a friend.https://kellyvohs.substack.com/p/how-to-guarantee-a-life-of-miseryTake care, Kelly PS: What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health - As mentioned, this. episode by Dr. Andrew Huberman may change how you view alcohol. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kellyvohs.substack.com2024-02-2508 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThree Ideas About TimeIf you found that helpful, please copy this link and send it to a friend. https://kellyvohs.substack.com/p/three-ideas-about-timeTake care, Kelly This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kellyvohs.substack.com2024-02-1803 min
Better Today Than YesterdayTaking The Longview (On People)If you found that helpful, copy this link and send it to a friend who might find it helpful too. https://kellyvohs.substack.com/p/taking-the-longview-on-peopleTake care, Kelly This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kellyvohs.substack.com2024-02-1101 min
Better Today Than YesterdayUnrealitiesWe are just bags of water walking around in our own unrealities. - EpictetusWe tell ourselves stories. Some of them are true, but a lot of them are not true. Stories about what we can do, and what we can’t do. And who we are, and who we aren’t. Most importantly, about who we can and cannot be. Be careful with your stories. Many of them are unrealities. When we’ve reached a conclusion we haven’t necessarily found the truth, we’ve just stopped exploring. - David Cain2024-02-0401 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Time Hack That Could Change Your LifeHumans think in stories, and we try to make sense of the world by telling stories. The truly unique trait of 'Sapiens' is our ability to create and believe fiction. All other animals use their communication system to describe reality. We use our communication system to create new realities. - Yuval Noah HarariHi friends, What does success mean? That’s been on my mind lately. Well, that’s not true. It’s always been on my mind. Princess Buttercup reminded me this weekend that I’ve been working consistently since I was 13. The reasons have cha...2023-09-1704 min
Better Today Than YesterdayC.A.R.E“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.“-General Colin PowellTeams exist to do what individuals cannot. Leaders exist to maximize team performance. Here is an acronym I use daily to remind myself what my job is as a leader - C.A.R.E. ClarityCentral to the execution of anything is clarity. Why are we here? (Mission) What are we going to do? (Strategy) How are we going to behave? (Culture) What does success look...2023-08-1304 min
Better Today Than YesterdayShaping the Future with Optimism: 3 Key Takeaways from Kevin Kelly's Inspiring TED Talk“It’s hard enough to create something good deliberately and with intention. And it’s no guarantee just because we believe something can happen, it will happen. But we know that unless we believe something can happen, it will not happen inadvertently by itself. And so it becomes really important that we imagine a world that we want, that we imagine solutions we want and believe that we can make them happen.” —Kevin KellyIt’s not always easy to stay optimistic. Our modern news cycle bombards us with all the bad. Both because it makes money...2023-07-2304 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhere does accountability start?"The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the cost of leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.” —GEORGE J. FLYNN, LIEUTENANT GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.)With the right paperwork signed and physicals completed, replete with 77 X-rays (that can’t be healthy), I drove off post. That was it. My time in the Army was over.A friend, and former colleague, called me on my last deployment and to...2023-07-0204 min
Better Today Than YesterdayOnly Three Things Happen Naturally In OrganizationsComing at you this week with a few thoughts from Peter Drucker’s book The Effective Executive. As this is my second or third most highlighted book, I've whittled down these down to just over a dozen with some effort. No promises that this will be the last time I bring you wisdom from Mr. Drucker. Let’s get into it. 1. “Only three things happen naturally in organizations: Friction, Confusion, and Underperformance. Everything else requires leadership.”This happens when leaders stop showing up, providing clarity, care, competence, and acting with conviction. Now let’s talk abo...2023-04-2308 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Reality of Us2,240 Were World Class2,240 women participated in March Madness. This small group of elite women reached the pinnacle and represented only .00000028% of the world's population. A young girl watching with 9 million of their friends last month (a record!) has nearly no chance of attending that dance. So why try? There is no rational reason, but fortunately, humans have a unique ability to be irrational. For love, we often choose irrational paths. Sometimes we stay on those paths, and other times the world convinces us why ‘rational’ is better. You Suck At Most Thin...2023-04-1605 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhat shouldn't I believe anymore?Beliefs come into our lives and often get stuck. They become a part of us — beliefs about ourselves, the world, how things should be, or how they could be. Like sweaters, we collect them, and they stack up in our closet. From time to time, we should see which are worth keeping, sharing, or tossing. Here is an idea I came across:“Read less, study less, but think more.”That is from Leo Tolstoy in a book of wonderful quotes he put together. In today’s society, it’s counterintuitive. It even contradicts what I suggested...2023-04-0902 min
Better Today Than YesterdayStation Wagon DreamsI have a thing about station wagons: big ones, small ones, dark ones, light ones, and particularly dog-filled ones. When I see one, I get distracted from whatever I’m doing. Make, model, and other questions whiz by. What’s driving this? On the way to dinner with Princess Buttercup, we got into one. I started fantasizing about how great life would be if I had one. The absurdity of my happiness connected to a car helped me realize there have been a lot of station wagons in my life. Grandma’s black one, granddad’s big brown on...2023-04-0203 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Secret We All ShareTL;DR1. Insecurity is natural. Mixing it with ego and ambition can kill your dreams.2. The first step to managing your insecurities is recognizing them. Look in the mirror and get real. Therapy, journaling, and meditation can help. 3. Insecurity becomes crippling anxiety for 1 in 10. Help when you can and get help if you need it. It’s okay to not be okay. 4. So far, you have survived 100% of the bad things this life has thrown at you - chances are you will figure out whatever comes next. Go get to work. ...2023-03-2607 min
Better Today Than YesterdayBus Driver WisdomA book, coffee, and porridge sit with me in an empty dining room. With no calendar appointments and no emails, it’s peaceful. This feels more right than the usual mornings. A gentle human who is the cook, attendant, and server moves effortlessly, lighting his way with his smile. I am going to miss this place. We are tucked into a little harbor in Norway. The small town of Bergen has shuffled people and goods for a thousand years. The history is deep, and the people are lovely. We were here for less than 24 hours. Fo...2023-03-1908 min
Better Today Than YesterdayLet's Be Medieval StonemasonsTranscriptKelly Vohs: [00:00:00] I love historical fiction. Love! And I think it's the weaving of the stories, learning about what's happened. One of my favorite books is called Pillars of the Earth. And it follows a life of a medieval peasant. And that peasant ends up becoming a stone mason and playing a very significant role in the building of a cathedral.Then cathedrals would take more than a lifetime to create. He knew he would never see it to completion. His job, although more complicated than others, was to ensure that bricks were laid...2023-03-1202 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDo You Have A Hat Rack?Transcript of Video[00:00:00] I was thinking about one of my favorite books I read a decade ago: Wooden on Leadership by Coach John Wooden. He was the head coach of the UCLA Bruins for quite a while, and they won 10 NCAA national championships for basketball. And I wanted to get this book, and I wanted to get it back in my hands. I wanted a hard copy.So I ordered it and showed up, opened it, and it fell on a page immediately. There it was.Coach Wooden was talking about hats. And...2023-03-0501 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDo you feel like an imposter sometimes?[00:00:00] I want to tell you a story about a farmer. Let's go back to the early 1900s when we're in Missouri, and a young man works on his family farm. This is the kind of farm where you take care of your crops and livestock, and you eat what you grow. You eke out a living and a life, and he's ambitious.[00:00:24] One of the things he wants to do is go to the military academy. He applies to West Point and doesn't get in, even though he's really smart. He has bad eyesight and...2023-02-2605 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Creep of IrrationalityThe last couple of weeks stacked up on me. The requirements at work, travel and other things have resulted in poor self-care - particularly sleep. As you can imagine, a trip to the west coast and back causes havoc with the routine.I can’t emphasize the importance of sleep enough, at least for me. When I’m sleep deprived, a few things happen: * I get more negative * Everything seems more difficult* My choices get worse* The fog makes seeing a way out harderThis last point is i...2023-02-1903 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Courage To Not CompeteI found myself tucked into a small seat on a long flight. Don’t cry for me, I was sitting next to one of my favorite humans on the planet, and we were on a great adventure. That adventure turned out to be more than I could ever have hoped. I’ll share some of it another time. But this may have happened 👇He slept, and I found myself deep in a new book. The Courage To Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How To Change Your Life And Achieve Real Happiness. I’m still w...2023-02-1206 min
Better Today Than YesterdayLooking Foolish Is A SuperpowerBTTY gets BTTY with three ways to take it in. Watch, read, or listen. I hope you find something helpful here. Take care. BTTY turns ten this year, but it’s the last year that has taught me the most.The concept of BTTY hatched on my office floor in 2013. It was a Sunday, and I’d been on the job for 39 days. My boss and dear friend, for almost 25 years at this point, told me, “don’t do anything for 90 days.”Yet, there I was, with 67 major projects or changes that I KNE...2023-02-0510 min
Better Today Than YesterdayMy Struggles To Say NoInbox ZeroThe first email was sent on October 29, 1969. Yesterday, 347 billion emails hit inboxes worldwide - in one day. There are only just over 2.5 billion active email addresses. You do the math. That’s over 100 emails per account per day. It’s not simply that you never get through your email; it’s that the process of “getting through your email” actually generates more email.This is from David Burkeman’s book 4,000 Weeks: A Mortals Guide to Time Management. While the list of books I’d like to read is more than I...2023-01-2906 min
Better Today Than YesterdayLooking Back, I'm EmbarrassedWhen I think back to times and places that were difficult, they usually seem not as bad as when I was there. There is a reason for this, and it’s called Fading Affect Bias. But first, a memory. We were deployed in Baghdad and in the midst of it. 18-hour days of grind. I’d beat the sun up and stumble over to the secure room we set up to access highly classified material. The coffee wasn’t great, but if Folgers was good enough for grandad, it was good enough for me. We’d push p...2023-01-2204 min
Better Today Than Yesterday“Living Outside The Deceptions of the Modern Life”Coffee and A Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life is how I started 2023. This was my second time through this little gem of pithy prose. The PremiseBoyd Varty grew up on a game preserve in South Africa. His grandfather converted a bankrupt cattle ranch into a lion-hunting enterprise. Spoiler alert: the lions were eating the cattle. His father would do the right thing and bring it back to its natural state and a safari operation. Boyd would learn the art of tracking here.Boyd brings a refreshing look at life th...2023-01-1505 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Art of WarriorshipI've been giving a lot of thought to warriors. I’ve found myself using this word recently and more than the days when I was surrounded by what the box office stylized as a warrior. If you close your eyes, you can conjure the stereotype- the violence, the blood, the action. A warrior, for me, is something different. Violence is not the calling card of a warrior, but rather love. I've walked with warriors, fought with them, drank with them, cried with them, bled with them, and buried them. Warriors are a special br...2023-01-0804 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Gentle ReminderNew Year resolutions - I understand why we do them. It’s a natural cutoff point and easy to ‘start new.’ We can do that any time of the year, but since we are here together, let’s take advantage of the collective momentum. But first, I want to offer a contratarían point of view. Let’s Stop, Not StartAs you think about what you will change in the new year, consider what you can take away. Not what you will start doing but what you will stop doing. Here are th...2023-01-0102 min
Better Today Than YesterdayMy Words MatterCream & Sugar, PleaseA few syllables of kindness can make all the difference.Whether at the coffee shop, the dinner table, or that video call. I see you and appreciate the part of your life you gave me.It’s saying “No, thank you” to recognize they didn’t have to offer. They aren’t there to serve you, even if you pay them with ducats, dollars, or Dominican pesos. They were being kind and helpful. Let’s honor their kindness, and it will amplify.Tell Them When They Get It Right...2022-12-2602 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhat do you look for in a leader?I interviewed someone recently and asked, “What do you look for in a leader?”They said, “Care. If they don’t care, nothing else matters. If they care, everything matters.”I think that’s right. We need competence, but first, we need care. This isn’t just caring for the team but caring about the mission.Care is a decision.No training, no experience, just show up. Here are a few things that come to mind about people who care.* They take 'it' on as a burden and say ‘I’m accountable...2022-12-1804 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhere is your energy going?I think about energy.The energy I have for life, the energy I give off, and the energy I get from others—the encouragement, discouragement, and where it leaks.How can I maximize its use? How can I get more through good habits? How can I be satisfied with what I have? How can I replenish it when it’s gone? Most importantly, where am I letting my energy go to waste? I have two that lead my list.Status SeekingTime TravelStatusTo status-seeking, I shar...2022-12-1103 min
Better Today Than YesterdaySoulful LeadershipGeneral James “Mad Dog” Mattis served in the United States Marine Corps for 44 years. Ask a Marine about him, and you will likely hear the reverence in their voice. His book, Call Sign Chaos, provides a glimpse into his style, life, and perspective. Love him or hate him - there is something simple about his approach. Unapologetic, authentic, responsible, and relentlessly focused on better. His “Three C’s” of Leadership are worth considering as you lead. They are: * Competence* Caring* ConvictionCompetenceOut of the gate, Matt...2022-12-0405 min
Better Today Than YesterdaySafe Operating SpeedGenerally, speed limits are set for the maximum safe speed on roadways. A different approach uses Variable Speed Limit (VSL) signs that change dynamically to avoid heavy congestion or accidents. It may seem counterintuitive, but slower speeds increase the number of cars that can travel on the road. As driver anxiety decreases, the distance between vehicles declines, and stop-and-go reduces. Germany saw travel times increase by up to 15 percent, crashes decrease by 30 percent, and car volume increase by 5 percent. Similarly, in the UK, property damage-only crashes decreased by 20 percent. Slowing Down...2022-11-2703 min
Better Today Than YesterdayI'll Wait, Thank YouIt weighs 445 million pounds. I made my way down the cascading elevator bank to the ground floor of the Sears Willis Tower. It is an incredibly well-programmed office building with all the trappings. It’s where Joe gets you coffee or juice, and your greens are of the sweet variety.My feet know how to find a sushi counter I have on repeat to satisfy my sustainably sourced blue fin needs. Tucked on the ground floor, you’ll find that the branding eclipses the sushi with the speed of service beats both.The coun...2022-11-2003 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhat If You Got Fired?“What if you got fired?” That was the question I found myself asking this week. Let me explain. Economist-philosopher and author E.F. Schumacher said, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.” That quote sparked a late afternoon session of walking in circles, looking at the floor. Naturally self-critical, I was saying to myself, “What am I doing that’s getting in the way?”Which led to management expe...2022-11-1302 min
Better Today Than YesterdayUnderstanding DeeplyI grew up on a small island. It was all the things you would imagine and many that you wouldn’t: the colors, the poverty, and everything in between. My memories of being on the water run deep. Those colors are still with me - my walls, photos, clothes, and particularly when I shut my eyes.My fondest memories are with my best friend. Shadrach came into my life when I was four. We learned to sail, swim, and get sandy together. We’d push off this tiny beach in our little sailboat. He’d stand...2022-11-0603 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Day YesterdayHi Friends,In a post a bit ago, I shared a piece of wisdom passed on to me from one of my favorite humans. She shared that she keeps a file of compliments that she can refer to when she needs it.She is an incredible human. Kind, gentle, thoughtful, and the personification of care. I’ve taken that an incorporated it into my journaling system. The process is humming and feels too important not to share. In fact, a piece of joy (memory) came up today that I hope i never forget. Thank you jo...2022-10-3007 min
Better Today Than YesterdayDear WriterA special event on Monday was cause for time travel. I remember it like yesterday—the smell of cheap plastic mixed with sweat. I walked to the third one on the right in a row of 15 treadmills. My form was terrible. Bang - bang - bang as my feet tried to keep up with the never-ending black belt of torture. The red numbers glared at me, whispering, “you suck, you are too slow, and you will fail Vohs - again.”Then the beat dropped. The shady spaghetti-eating self-proclaimed rap god came at me hard. I pu...2022-10-2303 min
Better Today Than YesterdayTracking WisdomHumans began sharing written words 3,500 years ago. Circa 100 BC, the first ‘books’ show up but on different sides of our little blue ball.They were rolled bamboo held together with silk, hemp, or leather in China. This was also when, during the Tang dynasty, that woodblock printing was created. Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, the Romans are binding vellum (made of animal skin) between wooden covers. Fast forward another 1,500 years, in 1439, and Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press. That story may be familiar to those in the west, but what I didn’t know was that 200 years...2022-10-1605 min
Better Today Than YesterdayThe Last Time...At first, it was called Idlewild Airport. Then it became Major General Alexander Anderson Airport, and after no small amount of city council debate, it was renamed New York International Airport, Anderson Field. A month and two days after the assassination of President Kennedy, it became John F. Kennedy International Airport or simply JFK.The first flight took off on July 1, 1948, with US President Harry Truman in attendance. By 1954 it had the highest traffic of any airport globally. In 2019, the airport peaked with nearly 60 million travelers annually, and estimates say it will reach 100 million by 2050. ...2022-10-0904 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Change Framework & Lessons From A Full Size Horse LampOnce upon a time, I worked for company that had a bar in this hip area of NYC. I was on the job for about a week, and my new boss said, “go extend the bar by four feet.” Being just out of the military, I barked a crisp “roger that” and marched off to execute. I was excited because I now had a chance to prove my worth. After all, I was back in the restaurant business after eight years galavanting around the Middle East and Central Asia. New York City is arguably the most competitive restaura...2022-10-0204 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHow do you think about your professional mortality?When you think of Broadway, you probably think of shows Alladin, Wicked, and Hamilton. While these shows take place “On Broadway,” they aren’t located on the oldest North-South thoroughfare in NYC, Broadway St. They are considered On Broadway because they have more than 500 seats. Theaters with less than 500 seats are off-Broadway. Today there are 41 On Broadway theaters and 120 off-broadway theaters. Who knew? I didn’t.There is this thing that happens around these theaters. Restaurants all fill up fast, everyone eats, and then they empty all at the same time. It’s called pre-theater - a mad ru...2022-09-2505 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWhy Do We Copy & Compete?Rene Girard was a Stanford professor and polymath who was well known for pioneering the idea of memetic desire. He believed that human desire occurs through observant mimicry. Like an infant learning by watching her parents, we imitate others who have what we value. We CopyLuke Burgis, Author of the book Wanting, gets very clear when he says,Basic survival, sustenance, sex, warmth: these are all instinctual needs for which we have biological mechanisms to help guide us.A desire, on the other hand, is an object we pursue for...2022-09-1806 min
Better Today Than YesterdayA Moral ImperativeDavid Cain wrote This Will Never Happen Again. It’s not a long book. I recommend it if you have an hour to take some solid perspective. I’d also recommend his blog.In the book, he says this,"Theoretically, if you know what you love, then every time you make a decision, you’ll have a pretty damn clear idea if it’s taking you closer or further away from what you love. You’ll know the right thing to do. So self-love is a moral issue. It consists of doing the right thing."It’s...2022-09-1103 min
Better Today Than YesterdayLiving At The Top Of Your InboxI find it easy to stumble around in the forest of my to-do’s chopping wood.Walk, stumble, lean head against tree unable to see anything else, blindly swing ax, chop chop chop. Repeat.With my forehead against the tree, I can’t see the path and chop whatever is in front of me. When I’m too busy chopping, I can’t take time to think clearly. Am I doing the right things? Am I planting new trees for tomorrow? If I’m not careful, I might clear-cut the whole darn place.Chop Chop...2022-09-0403 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHow should we use our energy?My favorite movie is Braveheart. Given my desire for freedom, this one strikes a cord. The second is Gladiator, an epic action drama that I will assume most of you have seen, and if you haven’t, you have homework.It’s another story of oppression, war, love, freedom, and sacrifice.Here’s the gist - the father (Marcus Aurelius) has a son (Lucius Commodus), the son is immoral and all around not a good guy, the son is passed over for thrown by the father, the father dies, the son is pissed and takes it out...2022-08-2813 min
Better Today Than YesterdayAre We Creativity Killers?This episode is made for listening 🎧. Don’t miss it.Discovered in 1811, iodine was originally called iode from the Greek word for violet colored (ioeidēs). By 1931 it had been anglicized to Iodine, and this is where we find a little boy in a school house bathroom.He was sent there by his teacher, Ruth Shaw, to apply iodine to a minor wound. Well, he did what little boys sometimes do, precisely the opposite of his instructions. Bright-eyed and smiling he took this bottle of purple-ish fun and got to work on the walls. Not a care...2022-08-2110 min
Better Today Than YesterdayWe Are Great AccumulatorsThis episode is made for listening 🎧. Don’t miss it. TRANSCRIPTFor me, life has this sneaky habit of adding more. More appointments, calories, expectations, more desires. My ability to say ‘yes’ is prolific for those who know me. A glance at my calendar, and you will see what I mean. Arthur Brooks shares a piece of wisdom in his new book, Strength to Strength, worth spreading. It was a story about the difference between Western and Eastern art...kinda. A Blank Canvas?Ok, close your eyes. Visualize someone about to...2022-08-1405 min
Better Today Than YesterdayAre you an executive?MADE FOR LISTENING - Don't miss out. TRANSCRIPTOver the last year, we have been searching for several senior executives to join our team. While we have an extraordinary team, we have bumped into resource constraints. Said plainly, we don’t have enough time. The business doubled, the team tripled, and the caffeine intake quadrupled. Whenever I spoke to a prospective candidate, I would find myself saying we need additional ‘executive capacity.’ Given my disdain for buzzwords, an internal voice would come over the PA and say, “You need to be clear, Kelly. What the...2022-08-0709 min
Better Today Than YesterdayResistanceMade for listening TRANSCRIPTI wanted to share a few takeaways and ‘ahas’ from a book by one of my favorite authors. The book is The War of Art, and the author is Steven Pressfield. He was first introduced to me when a ripped copy of Gates of Fire - a novel about the battle of Thermopylae, made its way around a small cohort of us in basic training.This is an extraordinary account of what the men of Sparta did and didn’t do at the hot gates as they faced...2022-07-3112 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHow you think about compensation will shape your lifeNote: This post is made for listening :) but I’m including the transcript if that is not your jam. TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Hey there. I wanted to follow up on my other note about one of two things leaders are responsible for. The second one is compensation. And there's a whole lot to unpack there, so let's try to do it through a little bit of a story. I'm going to answer a question I get all the time, and that's “why did you join the army?”[00:00:18] And the reason is pretty simple, it was about...2022-07-2410 min
Better Today Than Yesterday"What do you do?"About ten years ago, I was fortunate to attend the JetBlue orientation. What they do is incredible. On day one, everyone attends orientation. The day starts with senior executives joining and introducing themselves. So far, good, but not a big deal. The big deal? Either the C.E.O. or the number two attends every orientation in person. That means, whether you are a baggage handler or an executive, you start on day one with the same attention. They take action to make you feel deeply cared for and important - because you are important. I spoke...2022-07-1706 min
Better Today Than YesterdayLet's Be Complicated, TogetherI took another personality test this week as part of my work. It was enlightening, scary, and chock-full of reality. Also, it clicked for me that we are all different. That may seem incredible, but it’s true. I think I understood it intellectually, but I see it now. I’ve spent much time working on understanding myself, my motivations, and my why. I do this to try and be the best version of myself I can be. Buried deep are the reasons why I show up the way I do: money stories, admiration stories, and love stor...2022-07-1003 min
Better Today Than YesterdayCultivating A SuperpowerLet’s roll the clock back a bit. I was sure I wouldn’t make it out alive when I joined the Army. And if I’m being honest, I took risks that I shouldn’t have. The good news is I was wrong. Not everyone was so lucky. When I left the Army, I re-entered the civilian world with a different view of death. I had accepted it as inevitable, but not in a positive way. Worse still, there were times that I embraced in an unhealthy way. For those that struggle with depression and think you’re a...2022-07-0306 min
Better Today Than Yesterday#021 - Tell Me More...NOTE: Made for listening :). The transcript is included below if reading is better for you. A hurricane took away the first thing I bought with my own money. Not quite a teenager yet, a summer of washing dishes resulted in $345. Every penny went to a new camera and film. Unfortunately, that camera, and all of those photos, were lost in 1989 in Hurricane Hugo - but my love for light and art wasn’t. With photography, you can stop the world from spinning. With the right light, and perspective, you can capture something compelling. Ph...2022-06-2606 min
Better Today Than YesterdayArtfully You: Lessons From A 5th Grade ConcertNOTE: #020 was made for listening :)It was arguably one of the best concerts I've ever attended. A semi-circle of musicians brought us seven songs with a number of impromptu solos. It was beautiful. This group of nervous but confident fifth graders found themselves in a dark, windowless room with excited and proud parents. I arrived curious but excited, and if I’m honest, I left a little bit wiser. Here are some of my takeaways. Stillness“We must be silent before we start,” said the teacher in a gentle but non-negotiable manner...2022-06-1907 min
Better Today Than Yesterday"How will this look on my resume?"Someone's leaving our team, and she's a good one. Both because of what she does and who she is. I had a conversation with her last week in a last-minute attempt to save her. She said something that resonated with me: “I have to think about how this looks on my resume.”That got me thinking about an article I read by David Brooks, and here's what he said:It occurred to me that there are two sets of virtues, the resume virtues, and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the skills that...2022-06-1203 min
Better Today Than YesterdayHave you thought about your life five years from now?New format this week - give it a listen or a read. Please let me know what you think :). TRANSCRIPT:The author of Atomic Habits, James Clear said in his newsletter last week: Most big, deeply satisfying accomplishments in life take at least five years to achieve. This can include building a business, cultivating and loving relationship, writing a book, getting in the best shape of your life, or raising a family. Five years is a long time. It's much slower than most of us would like. If you accept the...2022-06-0502 min