Parker Houston

Perfectionism—The Secret Thief of Dreams

by Parker Houston | Sep 9, 2021 | The Science of Happiness

Most of you have probably never heard of Lord Acton, but I bet you have heard the phrase, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” attributed to him. John...

Lead YOU First

by Parker Houston | Sep 2, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

My friend Trey asks great questions. He recently asked me, “So why did you call it lead you first?” As I fumbled for a concise response, the question rattled around in my...

The most important word for impact—“NO”

by Parker Houston | Aug 26, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity

“It is the super-achievers, and only the super-achievers, who have learned to say No.” –Peter Drucker The word “NO” might be the most important word when it comes to...

What is Good or Bad? A Tao Parable

by Parker Houston | Aug 19, 2021 | Self Leadership

A farmer and his son lived on a farm in the countryside. They owned a beautiful horse they cherished deeply. The farmer entered the horse into a village contest and won...

Get Off the Hedonic Treadmill

by Parker Houston | Aug 12, 2021 | The Science of Happiness

Extensive global research on happiness exists, and understanding how happiness works is a key life leadership skill that has enormous implications for your life and your...

Great Leadership Always Includes Gratitude

by Parker Houston | Aug 5, 2021 | Gratitude, Self Leadership

Here is today’s BIG IDEA—The research is very clear that gratitude changes your brain chemistry and wiring, your leadership results, your physical health, and the health of...

Solve Your Problems By Subtraction

by Parker Houston | Jul 29, 2021 | Self Leadership, The Practices of Personal Leadership

The Big Idea: According to research, the human brain tries to solve most of life’s problems through adding solutions, instead of removing things that might easily fix the...

Whatever You Do, Stop Multitasking!

by Parker Houston | Jul 22, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity

“If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one.” —Russian Proverb The BIG IDEA—Once you have recognized the importance of carefully investing...

Time Blocking—Join the Top 5% of the World’s Most Productive People

by Parker Houston | Jul 15, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity

“If something is going to get done, it must occupy a physical space in your calendar.” —Stephen Covey Now this sounds really simple—but how often do you say you...

To Supercharge Your Productivity, Make Sure To Be Unproductive

by Parker Houston | Jul 8, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity

If you think you read that title wrong—you didn’t. The BIG IDEA—In order to be wildly productive, you need designated periods of being wildly unproductive. At the beginning...

9 Elite Productivity Tips

by Parker Houston | Jul 1, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity

This post includes some incredible expert tips that did not fit neatly into the rest of the 10x Your Productivity series. When we started this series, we started with the...

The 80-20 Rule

by Parker Houston | Jun 24, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity

“If you don’t have time, you don’t have priorities.” —Tim Ferriss No productivity series would be complete without a discussion of The 80-20 Rule, also referred to as...

14 Behaviors That Will Radically Increase Trust When Leading Your Team, Your Business, and Your Family

by Parker Houston | Jun 17, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple, Leading During COVID19

“All things being equal, people work with people they like and trust. All things not being equal, people still work with people they like and trust.” –John Maxwell There is...

Leaders Must Be Willing To Have Difficult Conversations

by Parker Houston | Jun 10, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

There is nothing more important to creating a strong team than hiring the right people. But unless you start a team from scratch, building a strong team will usually involve...

Leaders Need To Ask Their Teams These 12 Questions

by Parker Houston | Jun 3, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

Today’s Big Idea— What do the most talented employees need from their workplace? If you knew the answer to this question, you could attract the most talented players...

The Ultimate Test of Leadership—Do You Create More Leaders?

by Parker Houston | May 27, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

“The best measure of leadership is whether you create more leaders.”—John Maxwell The BIG Idea—You place a very low ceiling on your leadership potential if you don’t take...

10 Tips for Leading Remote Teams

by Parker Houston | May 20, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

Did you know that a recent global study, cited in a story by CNBC in 2018, showed that 70% of the worldwide workforce works remotely at least once per week? And certainly a...

Strong Teams Must Engage In Productive Conflict

by Parker Houston | May 13, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

“While profit may be the ultimate measure of any corporation, the goals and objectives the team unites to achieve, ultimately drives the success of the organization— which...

Great Leaders Put People in Their Strength Zones

by Parker Houston | May 6, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

Leadership expert John Maxwell tells an illuminating story about his high school basketball team. One typical afternoon, Maxwell showed up to basketball practice. The coach...

The 5 Science-Based Practices of a Thriving Organization

by Parker Houston | Apr 29, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

If you have been in the workplace for a while, chances are good that you’ve had a job you didn’t love. The research we discuss today will help you understand what was...

Great Leaders Paint a Compelling Picture of the Future

by Parker Houston | Apr 22, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

The photo in this post is one I took several years ago. For many years I arranged most of our travel plans based on top shark-diving locations around the world. When we...

Get the Right People on Your Bus

by Parker Houston | Apr 15, 2021 | Killer Teams Made Simple

This series will give you simple strategies for killer teams. Today’s BIG IDEA—Research shows there is absolutely nothing more vital to building a high-performance team than...

Seven Practices for Leading Your Marriage

by Parker Houston | Apr 8, 2021 | The Pillars of Family Leadership, The Practices of Personal Leadership

“It’s not lack of love, but lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”—Nietzsche In western cultures, about 90% of people get married by age 50. And according to the...

Parenting Skills Need to Be Part of Your Leadership Toolkit

by Parker Houston | Apr 1, 2021 | The Pillars of Family Leadership, The Practices of Personal Leadership

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash Your greatest impact on the world may not be something you do, but someone you raise. In fact, leadership author and pastor of the largest...

Mentors Help You Climb Higher and Go Faster

by Parker Houston | Mar 25, 2021 | Optimal Performance Series, The Practices of Personal Leadership

“The first law of leadership is that people do what people see.” –John Maxwell The older I get, the more I realize how simple human behavior can be. To a huge extent—people...