It started for me about 10 years ago. It was subtle at first. Now it is intentional. I realized that my choices were shaping my life. They were creating my life.

I was living in Atlanta at the time. Playing golf on the weekends. I had just left the Army and was working my way up the corporate ladder.

One of the quickest ways to crush an employee's morale is by surprising her with feedback during the annual review that she never received during the performance year. I see this over and over and over again.

Difficult conversations are difficult because they are uncomfortable for most people. But, there are techniques that you can learn to provide feedback in a way that will help an employee improve without coming across as marginalizing.

I went ice climbing this past Sunday in Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time this season. And, as I was watching the video I made (see below), it occured to me that the key components of finding a good ice climbing partner are the same components of being on an effective team.