Leaders often serve as mentors, but the best leaders become something more—they become sponsors.

No matter how many people a leader manages, every individual is a critical member of the team. I learned early in my career the power of leading the one.

Leading in complex environments requires discipline and focus. To navigate challenges, leaders can use a deceptively simple discipline that Ironman swimmers rely on called “sighting.”

Leadership often requires moving forward when conditions push against you. Like a sailboat captain navigating a headwind, Best Bosses rarely take a straight path to their destination.

All leaders have the opportunity to harness the power of their people to solve significant challenges. The best leaders are the most curious about the people and problems they face.

All of us have been blessed by the help, support, and kindness of another person. We often feel grateful for those who encourage us. But do we also feel gratitude for those who challenge us—those who quietly push us to grow?

We often define kindness in leadership as being supportive, friendly, or encouraging. But one of the most powerful forms of kindness is clarity.

I learned about the power of trust in my first job. That lesson shaped how I follow and, even more importantly, how I lead.

We all experience failure in our professional lives. Exceptional leaders turn missteps into moments of growth. Average leaders turn them into confidence-destroying memories.

Our professional lives are often touched by leaders who see something in us that we don’t yet see in ourselves. And that x-ray vision can lead us to unexpectedly wonderful places.

Learning to lead is a lifelong journey. And it’s one that anyone can take.

Leadership, like endurance running, is a long race. What initially feels uncomfortable becomes easier with consistent effort.

When I was in high school, I worked as an usher and ticket-taker at a small movie theater in Nashville, Tennessee. We had just two screens and a single concession stand wedged between them. The lobby was modest at best. When a popular movie let out, the space quickly became packed. My first responsibility was to help people leave the theater efficiently once their movie ended. My second responsibility was just as important: Keeping those waiting in the lobby from entering the

I love to play golf. It’s a sport with an unforgiving margin for error—sometimes as little as a quarter inch separates the dreaded shank from a perfect strike. And each shot brings a new set of variables: wind, temperature, the lie, distance, and the hole's layout. Like most amateurs, I’m not very good, but the more I play, the better I become. Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers of all time, understood this principle deeply. In 1953, he captured golf’s rare triple crown—t