Parker Houston

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...

You Become Like Those You Spend Time With

by Parker Houston | Mar 18, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

*This post has been updated for the practices of personal leadership series. Several years ago, while biking with my close friend, he casually mentioned the following quote...

Confront Your Weaknesses: A Sobering Tale and Ideas For Action

by Parker Houston | Mar 11, 2021 | 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...

Harness the Awesome Power of Morning Routines

by Parker Houston | Mar 4, 2021 | 10x Your Productivity, The Practices of Personal Leadership

Morning routines are consistently cited by some of the world’s most successful people—elite entrepreneurs, Navy SEALs, Olympic athletes, bestselling authors, and US...

All Great Thinking Begins With a Growth Mindset

by Parker Houston | Feb 25, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership, The Science of Mindset

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” –Henry Ford Regarding core principles of personal leadership, few things are more important than...

Money Is An Essential Personal Leadership Skill

by Parker Houston | Feb 18, 2021 | The Pillars of Family Leadership, The Practices of Personal Leadership

Today’s BIG IDEA—“You either learn to manage money, or the lack of that skill will manage you for the rest of your life.” –Dave Ramsey Since the pandemic has already...

Become a Great Steward of Your Health

by Parker Houston | Feb 11, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

“Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.” –Jim Rohn One of the most important things you can do in leading yourself with excellence is being a great...

GRIT—Why Everyone Needs to Grow This Character Trait

by Parker Houston | Feb 4, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” –Babe Ruth Today we will be talking about one of the most important character traits you can ever develop for...

Your Habits–Over Time–Will Make or Break You

by Parker Houston | Jan 28, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” –Aristotle It would be impossible to talk about personal leadership without talking about...

Great Leaders Know Their Strengths, and Place Others in Their Strength Zones

by Parker Houston | Jan 21, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

You cannot have great personal leadership without knowing your personal strengths, and leveraging them for maximum impact at work, and at home. In this post, I will...

The 3P Foundation for Personal Leadership—Purpose, Priorities, and Plan

by Parker Houston | Jan 14, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

“No one accidentally arrives at the top of Mount Everest.” –John Maxwell The sum total of your life is your Mount Everest ascent. It’s a long journey, it’s easy to get...

The Pillars of Personal Leadership

by Parker Houston | Jan 7, 2021 | The Practices of Personal Leadership

I read my first leadership book in 2009 and quickly became obsessed with the subject. The Big Idea: As I read, I kept coming across a central theme from the authors and...

Looking Forward—6 Questions to Inspire Hope and Intention

by Parker Houston | Dec 30, 2020 | Uncategorized

“Some people live 80 years; most people live one year 80 times.” –Zig Ziglar One of the great mentors of my life has been Bud Lamb—my former pastor and wise-guy. I’ve...

Experience is Not the Greatest Teacher—5 Questions to Reflect on 2020

by Parker Houston | Dec 23, 2020 | Uncategorized

Greetings! I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy holiday season, and merry Christmas! May this season brings you good health, peace, joy, and time with...

Develop a Written Vision For Your Life

by Parker Houston | Dec 17, 2020 | How People Change, The Science of Mindset

Where there is no vision, the people perish. –Proverbs 29:18 I am updating this article on the Life Plan as the final post in the Mindset series. This post will include a...

Deliberate Practice—Becoming a Master of Your Craft

by Parker Houston | Dec 10, 2020 | Optimal Performance Series, The Science of Mindset

Photo by Eric Graham “Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent.” –Author Unknown This post originally appeared in the Optimal Performance Series, but is also vital...

Suffering Has Value

by Parker Houston | Dec 3, 2020 | The Science of Mindset

One thing is certain, all of us will face some degree of suffering. And how leaders respond to suffering is absolutely vital to a strong mindset. As we draw near the close...

Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday!

by Parker Houston | Nov 26, 2020 | Uncategorized

Hi guys! This week I am taking some time off blog writing to enjoy being completely off-line from work, and to be fully present with my family. And I am wishing you the...

Gratitude is Inseparable from a Champion’s Mindset

by Parker Houston | Nov 19, 2020 | Gratitude, The Science of Mindset

Thanksgiving is a natural time of the year to refocus on gratitude practices, so I am updating this post on the science of gratitude. We are also in a series on Mindset, and...

A Champion’s Mindset Requires Laser Focus

by Parker Houston | Nov 12, 2020 | The Practices of Personal Leadership, The Science of Mindset

“If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one.” –Russian Proverb The Big Idea—You cannot develop the mindset of a champion without laser focus. This...

Imagination is More Important Than Knowledge

by Parker Houston | Nov 5, 2020 | The Science of Mindset

“Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited while imagination encircles the world, stimulates progress, gives birth to evolution.” –Albert...