Parker Houston

Embrace Experimentation and Fail Forward

by Parker Houston | Sep 21, 2023 | How People Change

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.” -Thomas Watson, CEO IBM Today’s BIG IDEA:...

The Top 5 Regrets People Have at the End of Life

by Parker Houston | Sep 14, 2023 | The Science of Happiness

“Regrets are illuminations come too late.” –Joseph Campbell The BIG IDEA: What if you could know what most people regret at the end of life and use that information to...

Can Leaders Have More Impact on Employee Mental Health Than Therapists or Doctors?

by Parker Houston | Sep 7, 2023 | Organizational Health

Many years ago, I had a terrible work experience I will never forget. I was halfway through my doctoral program, working on my dissertation, trying to pay the bills, living...

Mudita: The Antidote To Envy

by Parker Houston | Aug 31, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

“It is in the character of very few, to honor without envy, a friend who has prospered.” –Aeschylus There is a famous story about the Buddha which teaches an essential life...

Your Brain is Fooling You Every Day, Without Your Awareness—Here is What to Do About it

by Parker Houston | Aug 24, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership, The Science of Mindset

The Big Idea: The phenomenon of Cognitive Bias has been studied for more than 50 years. Despite decades of research, most leaders are not aware of how these errors in...

5 Essential Leadership Principles for Parenting

by Parker Houston | Aug 17, 2023 | The Pillars of Family Leadership

Today’s BIG IDEA— “Your greatest contribution to the world as a leader may not be something you do, it might be someone you raise.” –Andy Stanley When my first daughter was...

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

by Parker Houston | Aug 10, 2023 | 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...

Fly or Die? The Counterintuitive Truth About Power

by Parker Houston | Aug 3, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

Herds of buffalo are extremely loyal followers of one leader. They do what the leader does, they go where the leader goes. If the leader isn’t there, they stand around not...

Enantiodromia: When Extremes Become Their Opposite

by Parker Houston | Jul 27, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

“Old Heraclitus, who was indeed a very great sage, discovered the most marvelous of all psychological laws: the regulative function of opposites. He called it...

Self-Compassion Is Not Fluff. Research Shows It’s Inseparable from a Champion’s Mindset.

by Parker Houston | Jul 20, 2023 | The Science of Mindset

“Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion on all of those unwanted parts of ourselves.” –Pema Chodron The Big Idea –One thing is certain—leaders cannot...

Never Train It, Never Get It

by Parker Houston | Jul 13, 2023 | Optimal Performance Series, The Science of Mindset

I was recently mountain biking with several friends when my friend Kelly said something profound. One of my friends was asking him how he is able to remain standing (as...

In an Over-Committed Culture, Margin Is Your Secret Weapon

by Parker Houston | Jul 6, 2023 | Self Leadership

Today’s BIG IDEA—“Overload is the disease of our time. Margin is the cure.” –Richard Swenson, M.D. Probably my favorite thing in the world to do is backpacking. For me,...

Successful Failures

by Parker Houston | Jun 29, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership, The Science of Mindset

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, double your rate of failure.” –Thomas Watson (CEO of IBM) I don’t know about you, but I personally...

Post-Traumatic Growth—8 Practices for Navigating Crisis with Positive Transformation

by Parker Houston | Jun 22, 2023 | The Science of Mindset

Most of you have probably heard of PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but you may not have heard of Post-Traumatic Growth. Many people who experience a traumatic event...

Unjack Yourself—Eliminate Chronic Busyness To Improve Your Health, Your Relationships, and Your Thinking

by Parker Houston | Jun 15, 2023 | Mind and Body, Optimal Performance Series

“Who can make muddy waters clear? Let it be only still, and it will gradually clear itself.” –Lao Tzu, The Tao Te Ching Lao Tzu penned these words more than 2500 years ago,...

The Single Most Important Word For Productivity

by Parker Houston | Jun 8, 2023 | 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...

Consider All Time and Space

by Parker Houston | Jun 1, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

*Hubble Nasa Image of Andromeda Galaxy There is a wonderful story about President Teddy Roosevelt that teaches an essential life perspective. William Beebe, the naturalist,...

Leaders Need To Ask Their Teams These 12 Questions

by Parker Houston | May 25, 2023 | 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...

Leaders Must Be Willing To Have Difficult Conversations

by Parker Houston | May 18, 2023 | 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...

The Superpower of Effective Delegation

by Parker Houston | May 11, 2023 | 10x Your Productivity

The Big Idea: Delegation is a superpower that helps great leaders get more done faster. Few leaders do it effectively. Today’s article will provide some best practices to...

Solve Your Problems By Subtraction

by Parker Houston | May 4, 2023 | 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...

Deliberate Practice—Becoming a Master of Your Craft

by Parker Houston | Apr 27, 2023 | Optimal Performance Series, The Science of Mindset

“Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent.” –Author Unknown This post originally appeared in the Optimal Performance Series, but is also vital for a strong Mindset....

The Parable of the Lost Son—Wisdom for Every Parent

by Parker Houston | Apr 20, 2023 | The Pillars of Family Leadership

I recently stumbled across a beautiful song At the Table (YouTube link) by artist Josh Garrels, based on the parable of the lost son (also called the prodigal son). The song...

Great Leaders Put People in Their Strength Zones

by Parker Houston | Apr 13, 2023 | 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...

Confront Your Weaknesses: A Sobering Tale and Ideas For Action

by Parker Houston | Apr 6, 2023 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

Years ago, I heard John Maxwell says something I’ve never forgotten. To paraphrase—A great leadership legacy can take decades to build, but can be lost in an instant. An...