Monthly Archives: June 2026

It’s natural to want to bury our failures. However, the best of us embrace them as learning opportunities and gain a competitive advantage through our mistakes.

This week, first-time guest author to The Maximum Standard, Patrick Mulloy, provides a captivating case study on the challenging birth of the Joint Special Operations Command, his own personal trials, and a practical framework to help us learn through failure.

Check out his memorable R-DEAR framework at the link below.

Be great today!

Steve

The Flow: A state of mind where we are so immersed in the material that everything comes together perfectly. It’s like an athlete that is “in the zone.”

This term came to me through a LinkedIn contact the other day. Digging into the concept, there are 10 things we need to be “flowing.”

While it’s hard to achieve, it’s much easier when we know how to chase it. This week, we talk through concepts to achieve “the flow.”

Be great today!

Steve

There’s usually one person at work who does more than their fair share. Perhaps that’s you.

They’re the movers and shakers of the group, usually having their hands in everything. After a while, however, it’s easy for this personality type to get burned out.

Instead of crushing the workhorse, we must ensure the workload is distributed fairly across the entire team. In doing so, we use our best employees where they are truly needed.

This week, we use the fable of “Stone Soup” to describe how to protect our best and brightest.

Be great today!

Steve

We all want to be resilient. It’s a shame that life has a way of testing that concept.

Just when we survive a winter, the next one comes rolling in. But as a leader, it’s critical that we endure the problems of life and set the example for everyone around us that we can lead through adversity.

This week, we explore this concept through the lens of the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and what we can do to thrive during an emotionally hard winter.

Be great today!

Steve

We all want to be part of a team with a positive and unwavering culture, the glue that holds people together. Organizations that have this consist of people who will do anything to complete the mission and watch out for each other. This should be on the forefront of our minds as we seek to create an enduring culture that survives the good times and the bad.

Few teams demonstrated this more than the 16th Maine Regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg. Their culture endured no matter the difficult mission or circumstances.

We can learn from this unit on how to build a long-lasting culture that remains even in defeat.

Full article at the link below.

Be great today!

Steve