Parker Houston

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 | 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

“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 | 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Mentors Help You Climb Higher and Go Faster

by Parker Houston | Dec 8, 2022 | Optimal Performance, 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...

The Neuroscience of Affirmations, and Why You Need to Start Doing Them

by Parker Houston | Nov 10, 2022 | The Science of Mindset

First thing, a huge thank you to all our veterans today! “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” –Wayne Dyer In the very first...

How I Healed From 10 Years of Severe Chronic Pain

by Parker Houston | Oct 27, 2022 | Mind and Body

Photo is me after the grueling hike up Mount Tallc on March 17th, 2021 *This article does not constitute medical or psychological advice in any way, and is not a substitute...

Become a Dream Igniter

by Parker Houston | Oct 6, 2022 | How People Change

As a leader, you need to understand how people change for 2 primary reasons: First—You must continue to grow yourself in order to lead. If others outpace you in growth, you...

Master Your Inner Saboteurs

by Parker Houston | Sep 22, 2022 | How People Change, The Science of Mindset

In working with my own coach, today’s topic has helped me personally more than almost any other mechanism—exposing the inner saboteur. Furthermore, the people I have coached...