Come on in… there's an empty chair waiting for you.

Hi, I'm Michael.

I'm a husband, an author (that one still blows my mind), a General Sales Manager, a leadership nerd, a Disney fan, and apparently… someone who believes Winnie the Pooh has more leadership wisdom than most business books.

I realize that's probably not the introduction you expected.

Trust me…

It wasn't the one I expected either.

If you had told twenty-year-old me that one day I'd be writing books about leadership using Disney movies, Pooh Bear, and stories from a car dealership, I would've laughed you right out of the room.

Life has a funny way of changing your plans.

Thankfully.

People matter more than positions.

I've spent more than twenty years in the automotive industry, working my way through sales, finance, management, and eventually becoming a General Sales Manager.

I've celebrated record months.

I've coached top performers.

I've had difficult conversations.

I've hired people.

I've had to let people go.

And if I'm being honest…

I've hated every single time I've had to tell someone they no longer had a job.

Not because accountability isn't important.

It absolutely is.

But because I've never forgotten there's a human being sitting across from me.

Leadership has never been about winning arguments or proving authority.

It's about helping people become more than they believed they could become.

Sometimes that means encouragement.

Sometimes it means accountability.

The challenge is learning how to deliver both without ever forgetting the person.

For a long time, I thought strength looked like having all the answers.

Being tough.

Never showing weakness.

Always being in control.

Experience has a way of humbling all of us.

Today I believe strength looks different.

Sometimes strength is staying calm when everyone else is panicking.

Sometimes it's listening instead of talking.

Sometimes it's admitting you were wrong.

Sometimes it's saying, "I don't know."

And sometimes…

it's caring enough about someone to tell them the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.

Those lessons became the foundation for my first book, Adaptive Strength.

Not because I wanted to write a leadership book.

Because I wanted to challenge the idea that fear is the best way to lead people.

I don't believe it is.

I never will.

This is usually where people smile.

Or look confused.

Sometimes both.

Here's the thing…

I don't use Disney because I love animated movies.

I use Disney because stories stick.

Ask someone what leadership seminar they attended five years ago.

Most won't remember.

Ask them whether they remember Simba running away from responsibility.

Elsa hiding behind fear.

Moana discovering who she really was.

Gus Gus refusing to quit.

Now we're having a conversation.

Stories help us lower our defenses.

Once our defenses come down…

our hearts usually become a little more willing to learn.

Besides…

Life is serious enough.

Learning doesn't always have to be.

I've been sober since September 26, 2010.

That date means more to me than I can put into words.

It reminds me every single day that people can change.

That growth is possible.

That yesterday doesn't have to define tomorrow.

It also reminds me to extend grace.

Because every person I meet is fighting battles I'll probably never fully understand.

Including me.

Because I care.

Maybe more than I should sometimes.

I care about helping leaders create workplaces where people don't have to choose between high standards and being treated with dignity.

I care about helping salespeople discover they're capable of more than they realize.

I care about encouraging someone who's convinced they aren't ready.

I care about reminding people that leadership doesn't begin when someone hands you a title.

It begins the moment someone else's life is better because you were part of it.

Whether you're leading a company…

A team…

A family…

Or simply the conversation you're having with the cashier at the grocery store…

Leadership belongs to all of us.