Imagine yourself at a basketball game. Just before the tip-off, the announcer lets everyone know that although the scoreboard isn’t working, tonight’s game will go on as scheduled. He explains that the players are ready to go and that the sports writers will report the outcome by the end of the month. Would you be content to watch the action and then wait a few weeks for the results?

I recently read “Eleven Rings” by legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson and he shares his secrets on how he managed 2 of the most talented players in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and built 2 successful championship programs.

We've just passed the halfway point of 2013, and here are a couple of thoughts to help you finish the year strong. The average growth rate across all U.S. small businesses last year was 8 percent, according to Libby Bierman, an analyst at Sageworks. I'm proud to say that my clients' average growth rate for that same period was 18 percent. You might be interested to know that there is a specific reason for this, and it's three words.

I read a great quote this week by Warren Bennis. You may have heard it: “A leader doesn’t just get the message across—a leader is the message.”

Here is a brief video (3 1/2 minutes) from Patrick Lencioni telling us all what we have to do to have healthy organizations. If you don’t see it, you can find it here.