05/07/2025
๐จ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป.
๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ.
As I reflected on my day last night, this thought struck me:
โI donโt know what tomorrow will bring, but I know what I will bring to tomorrow.โโ Alan Mikolaj
Thatโs the essence of purpose-driven leadership: grounding your presence, your decisions, and your influence in something deeper than todayโs chaos or tomorrowโs unknowns.
When leaders get clear about their life mission, leadership philosophy, and core values, they donโt just survive the uncertaintyโthey bring strength, clarity, and inspiration to it.
Thatโs also why I encourage the Bookend Your Day ritual: starting and ending with purpose and reflection fuels consistency, courage, and character.
โก๏ธ What are you bringing to tomorrow?
โก๏ธ Want to get clear on it? Iโd love to help.
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
05/01/2025
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐?
๐๐ฆ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ด๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ง๐ด, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ
Mikolaj's Monthly Maunder | May 2025
By Alan Mikolaj
Leadership begins long before strategic plans are drawn or decisions are made. It begins in a place far less obvious, deep inside the wiring of our brains.
As leaders, we often assume our decisions are made through careful, deliberate thought. Yet, neuroscience paints a different, and humbling, picture. Research shows that ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐...
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด: https://www.alanmikolaj.com/mikolajs-monday-maunder/are-you-tied-by-invisible-ropes
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
Are You Tied by Invisible Ropes?
Neuroscience, Beliefs, and Leadership
04/30/2025
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญโ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐.
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ฑโ๐ด ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ข ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
"The choice for executives is simple: Invest in the future of management or risk the consequences of inaction."โGallup's 2025 State of the Global Workforce Report
Gallupโs 2025 State of the Global Workplace report (link to the full report at the end) makes it plain: we are standing on a burning platformโand itโs middle management thatโs catching fire first.
Engagement worldwide dropped by 2%, matching the decline we saw at the peak of the pandemic. But hereโs the real alarm bell: manager engagement dropped more than any other categoryโfrom 30% to 27%. Younger managers? Down 5 points. Women managers? Down 7.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ? Because 70% of team engagement is directly attributable to the manager. When theyโre disengaged, so are their teams. The ripple becomes a tsunamiโlost productivity, rising stress, and increased turnover. But thatโs not all. Gallup estimates that if the global workplace were fully engaged, the world would gain $๐ต.๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐โequal to 9% of global GDP.
The cost of disengaged management is not just human. Itโs profoundly financial.
๐๐ฒ๐โ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ: This is not about weak managers. This is about unsupported ones. Theyโve been asked to be change agents, culture carriers, AI navigators, mental health first responders, and performance driversโall at once, and often without the training or support to do it well.
๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐๐ฝโ๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฆ๐ค๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ: ๐๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.โ
If youโre a leader and you're seeing the signsโquiet quitting, low morale, rising stressโdonโt wait. You donโt need a new initiative. You need to re-center your strategy around manager development and wellbeing.
This is where I come in. I partner with organizations to re-engage and re-energize their leaders through purpose-driven coaching, training, and strategy.
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
Link to Gallupโs 2025 State of the Global Workplace report: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
04/22/2025
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐.
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ด๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ด ๐ถ๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ.
In a moving moment from his 2024 60 Minutes interview, Pope Francis spoke plainly and prophetically:
โIt's indifference. That's what happens when the heart hardens. Please, we have to get our hearts to feel again. We cannot remain indifferent in the face of such human dramas. The globalization of indifference is a very ugly disease. Very ugly.โ
His words hit differently this week.
Whether you are Catholic, spiritual-but-not-religious, or simply someone trying to live a life of compassion, this message transcends doctrine. It speaks to the very core of what it means to be human.
Pope Francis wasnโt speaking only about policy, or theology, or institutions. He was pleading with us on a deeply human level. The loss of empathy. The numbing of our hearts. The normalization of suffering. These are the symptoms of a world losing its soul. And yet his message reminds us: it's not too late. We can soften. We can feel again.
I was raised in the Catholic tradition and even spent two years in the seminary before my journey led me to emergency medical service, education, leadership, and a broader spiritual path. My mother remains a devoted Catholic to this day, offering her time and heart to her parish week after week.
This moment, this messageโit stirs something deep.
The world needs less indifference, and more tenderness.
This shepherd of souls reminded us: love must not grow cold.
04/16/2025
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐๐น๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐น๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐.
๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ช๐ฏ.
"Iโm not dismissing the value of focused action. But without connection to who you really are, all that action can just be noise. You can climb the mountain, only to realize it wasnโt your mountain."โJustin Brown
In a world obsessed with hustle and productivity, itโs easy to fall into the trap of action for actionโs sake. You push forward, hit your goals, and maybe even collect a few accoladesโonly to look up and wonder, โWas this even the life I wanted?โ
As Justin Brown puts it: โYou can climb the mountain, only to realize it wasnโt your mountain.โ
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐, ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ถ๐?
In my work with leadersโfrom frontline managers to C-suite executivesโthis theme comes up over and over. People are achieving, striving, drivingโฆ but too often, without a deep connection to their own why. And when that internal compass isnโt guiding the journey, even the most โsuccessfulโ outcomes feel hollow.
Thatโs where purpose-driven leadership comes in.
Through coaching, leadership development programs, and tools like the LPI360, I help leaders realign with who they truly areโso their actions arenโt just productive, but profoundly fulfilling.
Itโs not about working harder. Itโs about working ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ.
If something about this post stirred something in you, maybe itโs time to stop climbing and make sure itโs your mountain.
๐งญ ๐ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป? ๐๐งญ
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ.
I partner with purpose-driven leaders ready to realign, refocus, and rise.
๐๐ฒ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
๐ 346-291-0216
๐ง [email protected]
๐งญ Or just shoot me a DM!
04/09/2025
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ.
๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด.
"An investment in knowledge pays the best dividends."โBenjamin Franklin
This week, I had the joy of speaking to a group of third graders at their annual STAAR Campโpart pep rally, part boot camp, part think tank. For those of you not in the great state of Texas, the STAAR is the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readinessโand it can be stressful on everyone: students, teachers, and parents.
I brought along my passion for facilitating workshops and created a tabletop activity called the All-STAAR Basketball Game, where teams defended or challenged the statement: "Minecraft is the best video game."
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ. It was about teaching critical thinking, civil discourse, structured writing, and yesโcourage. I witnessed young minds come alive as they organized their thoughts, defended their ideas, and celebrated each other's perspectives.
These kids arenโt just preparing for a test; theyโre practicing skills that many adults still struggle with in the workplace.
Great citizenship and great leadership donโt happen in a vacuumโthey're cultivated through experiences that challenge, inspire, and support growth at every level. Whether youโre leading a classroom, a department, or a city, the same principles apply: purpose, role and goal clarity, engagement, teamwork, follow-through, and reward and recognition.
๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ! After the students presented their arguments, something beautiful (and very human) happened: They kept debating who was right.
It opened the door for an impromptu leadership and life lessonโone about the power of perspective and preferences. I reminded them that while some decisions in life have clear right or wrong answers, many othersโlike favorite gamesโdonโt. What matters more is how we treat each other when we disagree.
We talked about respect, preference, and unityโhow even in a game with two sides, they were still one class, one team.
These kids arenโt just preparing for a test; theyโre practicing skills many adults still wrestle with: differing perspectives, clear communication, empathy, and collaborative thinking.
Leadership doesnโt begin in the boardroom. It begins in moments like this.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ.
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
04/02/2025
๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ-๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐๐.
๐ซจ ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ.
Most leaders believe they are self-aware. Research says otherwise.
In a massive study spanning 5,000 people, 800 scientific studies, and 50 deep-dive interviews, Dr. Tasha Eurich and her colleagues found something shocking: While nearly everyone thinks they're self-aware, only 10-15% actually are.
And the consequences are massive.
Self-awareness isnโt just a โnice-to-haveโ traitโit directly impacts leadership effectiveness. Leaders with high ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ-๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ (knowing their values, emotions, and behaviors) tend to have higher job satisfaction, are happier, and are more in control than those who aren't.
Those with high ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ-๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ (understanding how others perceive them) are more skilled at empathy, build stronger relationships, and are seen as more effective by their teamsโand those team members feel more satisfied with their leader, too!
๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ: Thereโs no correlation between the two. You can be deeply introspective and still be blind to how others experience you. Or, you can be highly attuned to others yet lack self-understanding. Either way, this gap creates blind spotsโblind spots that cost leaders credibility, engagement, and influence.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐: Have you ever worked with a leader who was sure they were great but had no idea how much their team struggled under them? Or one who had deep personal insight but failed to inspire those around them?
Leadership isnโt about thinking youโre self-aware. Itโs about ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ self-aware. Thatโs where coaching, the LPI360, and the Purpose-Driven Leadership Program come inโand I've got a program that bundles all three of them together saving you thousands of dollars.
Through structured feedback, deep reflection, and proven methodologies, I help leaders uncover hidden blind spots, align their intentions with their impact, and elevate their effectiveness.
The best leaders donโt just trust their instincts. They test them.
Wondering where your leadership blind spots are? Letโs talk.
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
04/01/2025
๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บโ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ
๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ
If youโre a leader who dreams of a smooth, problem-free path to success, I have some news for you: Thatโs not leadershipโthatโs retirement. And even then, I hear golf scores can be a real problem.
The reality? Success isnโt found in avoiding problems. Itโs forged in facing them head-on. M. Scott Peck, MD, put it perfectly: "๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ; ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ." If thatโs the case, then congratulations! Every issue youโre dealing with right now is a...
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด: https://www.alanmikolaj.com/mikolajs-monday-maunder/success-is-a-problem-literally
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
Success Is a ProblemโLiterally
Why Great Leaders Embrace the Struggle
03/28/2025
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ค๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ
Hosted by Ryan Herpin
Watch this excerpt from the premiere episode of ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ as host Ryan Herpin and Alan Mikolaj explore what self-awareness and purpose-driven leadership are and the connections between them.
It was an honor and privilege to be a part of Ryan's premiere recording of this amazing new show on NowMedia Television & NowMedia Radio. Thank you to you both!
The Bottom Line featuring Alan Mikolaj
Watch this excerpt from the premiere episode of 'The Bottom Line' as host Ryan Herpin and Alan Mikolaj explore what self-awareness and purpose-driven leaders...
03/26/2025
๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌโ๐๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ฒ.
๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ-๐ฅ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ.
"Purpose-driven leadership is a multi-leveled tapping and leveraging of the power of meaning and purpose."โAlan Mikolaj
Most leadership training focuses on tactics: communication skills, decision-making frameworks, and performance metrics. But true leadership isnโt just about executionโitโs about meaning and purpose.
If youโve ever felt like:
๐น Youโre driving results ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ต...
๐น Your metrics aren't bad, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ'๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ฆ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ...
๐น Your team's engagement is ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ต...
๐น Your team doesn't seem ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ...
๐น Youโre leading the best you can, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต'๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ...
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ. Research shows that organizations and leaders who leverage purpose-driven leadership outperform those who don't on so many key metrics, like:
๐น Revenue and financials
๐น Employee engagement
๐น Innovation
๐น Retention
๐น Productivity
๐น Wellbeing
๐น Leadership effectiveness
Want proof? Message me for my free whitepaper, ๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ-๐๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ช๐ด ๐๐ฐ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ.
๐ฆ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ?
Because traditional leadership training focuses on skills, not belief systems, strategies, best-practices, and tools to leverage purpose-driven leadership. Purpose-driven leadership is a multi-leveled approach that taps into something deeperโaligning personal, team, and organizational purpose to create unstoppable momentum.
๐๏ธ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ? ๐๏ธ
Letโs talk. Whether itโs through coaching, my Purpose-Driven Leadership Program, or the LPI360, I help leaders go beyond managing to truly inspiring leadership.
๐งญ ๐๐๐ฉโ๐จ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐. ๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ. ๐งญ
You can also call or email:
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
03/19/2025
๐๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
๐๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ.
"Inspiration, without action, is merely entertainment. Act on your inspiration today!"โMary Morrissey
Ever left a conference, TEDTalk, or workshop feeling like you could take on the worldโonly to do absolutely nothing differently the next day?
Yeah, me too.
Thatโs because inspiration is an illusion until you act on it. Leadership isnโt about collecting feel-good moments; itโs about converting them into meaningful action. Research from Harvard Business Review confirms that vision plus executionโnot just visionโis what separates high-impact leaders from the rest.
๐ฆ๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ: That idea youโve been sitting on? That change you know would make a difference? Take one step today. It doesnโt have to be perfectโit just has to happen.
Because if inspiration without action is entertainment, leadership without action wonโt take youโor your teamโanywhere.
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
I offer professional leadership coaching, LPI360 leadership assessments, and leadership development experiencesโthat when coupled with ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏโtruly make a lasting impact.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]
03/12/2025
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ถ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
๐๐ตโ๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: When was the last time you said 'thank you'?
It's sad, but Gallup found that only ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ employees strongly agree that in the last week they have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
Youโd think appreciation would be second nature for leaders. After all, great work deserves recognition, right?
Yet, too many leaders either forget, assume employees โjust knowโ theyโre valued, or worse, believe that a paycheck is appreciation enough.
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: ๐๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ด๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Research by Great Place To Work US found that the number one driver of great work isnโt money, promotions, or trainingโitโs recognition.* In fact, 37% of employees said being recognized is what motivates them most.
And hereโs where it gets even more interesting: The top three drivers of great work are:
1๏ธโฃ Recognition
2๏ธโฃ Self-motivation
3๏ธโฃ Inspiration
And they are deeply connected.
One of the primary tools of purpose-driven leadership is leveraging team and organizational mission, a project's purpose and/or vision, and an employee's personal meaning and purpose throughโyou guessed itโ๐ง๐๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ.
You tap into inspiration and someone's self-motivation with recognition. Employees who see how their work contributes to something bigger are more engaged, self-driven, innovative, and productive.
Leaders who fail to recognize their people donโt just risk losing talentโthey risk losing the passion and purpose that fuels high performance.
๐ฆ๐ผ, ๐โ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป: When did you last say โthank youโ? If the answer isnโt today, thereโs no better time to start.
*Graph recreated with data from Great Place to Work & O.C. Tanner. See comments for source link.
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]