Skip to content

ARTICLES BY DR. ANDY NEILLIE, CSP

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Sign-up to get the eBook, "The Three Imperative Leadership Conversations" delivered to you immediately, and have leadership insights delivered directly to your inbox each month.

Bigger Broader Further

By Andy Neillie | March 7, 2024

Are you thinking Bigger? Broader? Further?

Read More

Here we go: Success and Failure

By Andy Neillie | February 16, 2024

What do success and risk have in common?

My wife and I own several swim schools in central Texas. Last year, we provided more than 200,000 swim lessons at our five facilities. We helped a lot of kids grow stronger and more comfortable in and around the water.  It was a very successful year of providing more lessons to more children than ever.

We also had a very risky year.  We demolished and rebuilt one of our five swim school at the same time we were building a brand new school. …

Read More

The Golden Principles: Meet Them Where They Are

By Andy Neillie | January 17, 2024

A leadership lesson from our newest dog, Traveler.

This important lesson is key as we lead people, especially in this generation. We need to meet them where they are to take them to where they need to be. We may need to meet them in their excitement, disappointment, humor, and even their shortcomings.

Leaders earn the right to lead when their followers sense they are down in the trenches with them. How will you implement this lesson in your future interactions with your team members?

Read More

Ted Lasso is Wrong

By Andy Neillie | January 3, 2024

Ted Lasso is wrong, but we still need to act like goldfish.

Fellow leader – if you’re a fan of Ted Lasso, you’ll remember the wisdom Ted shares with his “futball” athletes after every bad play or loss on the soccer field: “A goldfish only has a three second memory.  You need to be like a goldfish.  Forget the bad game and move on.”

 

 

Read More

Mirrors Are Only for Glancing

By Andy Neillie | December 5, 2023

Mirrors

Michelle Kazary is a life-long hair stylist. (BTW: she does great haircuts!!!) Michele’s salon, as is fitting for a stylist’s salon, has mirrors on the walls and at least a couple of handheld mirrors.  The last time I sat in Michelle’s chair, she made a brief comment about spending so much time in a salon with mirrors. She said “Mirrors are only for glancing.  Nobody should spend too much time looking at themselves.” I heard in the wise tone of her voice the recognition that people in her industry – and the whole body-beautiful movement itself – can easily become vain and narcissistic.

Read More

Sometimes Leaders Go Last

By Andy Neillie | November 3, 2023

While there are many times that leaders need to be out front, many times the best leaders put others in front of them to build their organizations and bring the best out of people.

 

Weight lifting

 

Our CrossFit gym hosts a workout on Saturday mornings that is free and open to anyone. This workout is more than a workout – it’s an invitation to the broader community to come and join us.

Read More

Which View from the Top?

By Andy Neillie | October 17, 2023

Despite the nation’s political tensions with mainland China, Taipei, Taiwan remains one of the leading business cities in all of Asia. Business moves very fast, as it does in many large cities in Asia, and during the last twenty years there has been non-stop construction activity.  Indeed, one of the early Taipei skyscrapers, Taipei 101, owned the title as the tallest building in the world when it first opened. Several years ago I had the privilege of being in Taipei for business,

Read More
New Year's Dog

The Leader’s Hour

By Andy Neillie | January 9, 2023

New Year's Dog

Did you set some New Year’s Resolutions? If you’re a leader with any sphere of influence under you, this season has been more than just a season of New Year’s Resolutions. There’s been organizational strategic planning, the setting of financial and mission goals, putting in place the structures and disciplines for success in the coming year, etc.

What type of goals and disciplines have you also put in place for yourself?

Read More
Weight lifting

Leaders Need Other Leaders

By Andy Neillie | December 21, 2022

Weight lifting

Those of us who are part of the texting group at our CrossFit gym joke about it periodically. And . . . sometimes at some level we may actually be somewhat serious about it.

I think it started after a particularly brutal 6:30 Friday night Workout-of-the-Day (WOD).

I should have known what was coming
My friend Jerry had just completed Friday’s 5:30 WOD.

Read More