Parker Houston

The Single Most Important Word For Productivity

by Parker Houston | Jun 8, 2023 | Productivity Best Practices

“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 | 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 | Top 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 | Top 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 | Productivity Best Practices

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 | Personal Leadership, Self 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, 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 | 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 | Top 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 | 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...

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

by Parker Houston | Mar 30, 2023 | Top 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...

Do You Need to Amputate to Get Unstuck?

by Parker Houston | Mar 23, 2023 | Personal Leadership

*Aaron Ralston pictured above during his fateful hike in Utah “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than hanging on.” –Eckhart Tolle Aron Lee Ralston...

Resilient—The Eduardo Garcia Story

by Parker Houston | Mar 16, 2023 | Leading During COVID19

The story of Eduardo Garcia is an incredible look at personal triumph through extreme adversity. If you haven’t heard his story, it will blow your mind. I am certain you...

10 Tips for Leading Remote Teams

by Parker Houston | Mar 9, 2023 | Top Teams Made Simple

The modern leader must know how the to lead remote teams. As of 2022, 2 out of 10 people work at a job that is entirely on site, and 8 out of 10 people work in a job that is...

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

by Parker Houston | Mar 2, 2023 | Top Teams Made Simple

“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...

Experience Is Not The Same As Expertise

by Parker Houston | Feb 23, 2023 | The Science of Mindset, Top Teams Made Simple

“I neither know, nor think that I know.” –Socrates According to historical legend, this is the response Socrates gave when the Oracle of Delphi asked why he was considered...

The 5 Science-Based Practices of a Thriving Organization

by Parker Houston | Feb 16, 2023 | Top 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...

How Do You Define Success?

by Parker Houston | Feb 9, 2023 | Personal Leadership, The Science of Happiness

What is your definition of a “successful” life? It’s a question worth thinking about—and continually trying to answer. We are constantly bombarded with false—and...

Change Your Definition of Success

by Parker Houston | Feb 2, 2023 | Personal Leadership

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”–John...

You Become Like Those You Spend Time With

by Parker Houston | Jan 26, 2023 | 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...

Money is an Essential Personal Leadership Skill

by Parker Houston | Jan 19, 2023 | Family Leadership, Personal Leadership

“You either learn to manage money, or the lack of that skill will manage you for the rest of your life.” –Dave Ramsey With the current housing market, inflation, and...

Develop the Essential Life Skill of Apologizing

by Parker Houston | Jan 12, 2023 | Personal Leadership

“When we look back at major rifts in life’s relationships, often it is because one person could not swallow their pride and just apologize for something. Apologizing changes...

Are You Over Gripping the Steering Wheel of Your Life?

by Parker Houston | Jan 5, 2023 | Mind and Body, Self Leadership

“Just hold on loosely, but don’t let go. If you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.” –Donnie Van Zant, .38 Special A few years ago, I hired a personal and...

Year Behind, Year Ahead

by Parker Houston | Dec 29, 2022 | Self Leadership

Today’s Big Idea—“Some people live 80 years, most people live one year 80 times.” –Zig Ziglar For the last several years, I have established a few practices that help me...

The Legend of John the Dwarf

by Parker Houston | Dec 22, 2022 | Personal Leadership

A mentor of mine shared this story with me several years ago. John the Dwarf—also known as Saint John Kolobos—was a Coptic desert father born in the year 339 in the town of...