“He was born to farmers of modest means in 1863, but when he died, Henry Ford’s net worth was equal to that of Elon Musk’s today. As America’s second billionaire, the father of mass production, and the Ford Motor Company founder, Henry Ford has a lot to teach us about determination, ingenuity, leadership, and life…”

It’s that time of the year when we set lofty goals and determine that we will do better in the next 12 months – eat better, exercise more, reduce stress, or spend more time with our families. But if you made some New Year’s resolutions, the news isn’t great…But I didn’t drop into your New Year sphere of influence to spoil the party. So, like all leaders, entrepreneurs, and expedition adventurers tend to do, let’s look for ways to beat the odds.

You don’t become a world-class athlete without excessive zeal. You don’t build a successful business or brand without obsessive enthusiasm. You don’t come up with a new idea or invention with entertaining wild and extravagant notions.

So why does the word “fanatic” seem to have a generally negative connotation that most people don’t want to have associated with them?

Leaders often feel pressure to be the rock in the organization, always appearing to be in control, unphased, and steady. Even if we’re not feeling it, the need to act like everything’s OK and instill confidence in our teams usually wins out over vulnerability. And while I don’t disagree entirely with that approach, I believe it robs us of one of the most essential and fulfilling aspects of effective leadership – meaningful relationships.

You may be familiar with the analogy about good conversations and mini-skirts; both should be short enough to grab attention but long enough to cover the subject. That’s an easy way to remember one of the golden rules of good conversations; be brief but thorough. The rest of the guidelines might be a little more difficult to visualize and recall. Still, they’re just as vital if you want to have better overall communication which is imperative to good leadership and healthy relationships. Here are a few of the best conversation practices I’ve found.

As a general rule, employees hate meetings because a meeting where everything is relevant to everyone, and all parties are energized and engaged, is almost non-existent. So, what could I do, and how can we as leaders make it better? Here are some ideas.

“Successful people are confident in what they believe and the ways they go about reaching their potential. But they are also equally aware that one size does not fit all. They are as committed to their goals as they are to constantly reevaluating their methods…”

“No” is a necessary response – to give and to accept – in a lot of leadership, life, and business situations. But sometimes, it should be out of the question. But how do you know? I believe that largely depends on one thing – passion.

I’m not known for my patience, and my wife would attest that this is an extreme understatement. Sometimes my impatience can lead me down some dangerous paths. Here’s an example of one of my riskiest (and potentially most foolish) business moves that happened because I was tired of waiting.

They say the devil is in the details, and I can’t disagree with that statement. A new to-do list filled with worthy projects always invigorates me – for a little while. But then, the responsibility required to make it all happen kind of kills the vibe, doesn’t it?