March 2, 2023

When Life Knocks You Flat

Over the past several weeks I’ve heard from three people who each, after 20-30 years of loyal service to their company or hospital, received a layoff […]
February 23, 2023

Appreciation for DAISY Foundation

Mark and Bonnie Barnes, cofounders of the DAISY Foundation, have done so much to thank nurses. To date more than 2.5 million nurses around the world […]
February 20, 2023

The choice between 20 seconds of insane courage or a lifetime of regret

In the movie We Bought a Zoo, Benjamin Mee (played by Matt Damon) tells his two children Dylan and Rosie how he had to muster up […]
February 16, 2023

Hope is Relentless Optimism + Determination

Leadership Job #1 is to Spark and Fan Extravagant Hope This is my working definition of hope, from a slide I shared in my presentations at […]
February 6, 2023

6 Downsides to a Culture of Accountability

You don’t have to hold someone’s feet to the fire when they are willing to walk across hot coals on their own Twenty years ago the […]
January 30, 2023

Culture Can Change – Quickly and Profoundly

When in 1986 U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop announced the goal of a smokefree society by the year 2000, many people wondered what he’d […]
January 17, 2023

Proceed Until Apprehended

The 2023 edition of The Florence Prescription is now available on Amazon. Among other updates, it includes a new chapter on why culture needs to complement […]
November 28, 2022

Building a Culture for Emotional Safety

In his new book Blind Spot: The global rise of unhappiness and how leaders missed it Gallup CEO Jon Clifton writes that workers who strongly believe […]
November 3, 2022

6 Rules for Being Lucky

“Luck is the most valuable force that society routinely undervalues.”        Ben Cohen: “Winners know how to harness luck”, Wall Street Journal, October 8-9, 2022 In 1995 […]
October 12, 2022

Creating a Culture of Emotional Safety

Emotional Safety and Everyday Courage Creating a Culture of Emotional Safety In our article Caring for Covid’s Emotional Long Haulers (Nursing Management, March 2022), my coauthors […]
October 3, 2022

Building a Support Group Culture

Over the years we’ve been home to dozens of rescue animals. I love the bumper sticker that asks “Who rescued who?” The love these animals have […]
September 5, 2022

Carving the Statue of You

A Labor Day Message I love the statue Self Made Man by Bobbie Carlyle. It’s a man with a hammer in one hand and a chisel […]
August 31, 2022

New Book: There’s a Snake on My Head!

Communicating when people are anxious My friend Mindy Spigel has just published her new book There’s a Snake on My Head! Strategies for Alleviating Fear and […]
August 15, 2022

Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Getting Yourself Out of a Slump Books that Inspire Me #37 This is the 37th in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on […]
August 8, 2022

Are you having fun yet?

Why “true fun” is so important for your organization – and for your life. True fun at the inaugural Culture of Ownership Leadership Academy (COLAcademy): teammates […]
June 14, 2022

Leaders Eat Last
Leading for a Culture of Ownership

This is the 33rd in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years. I agree […]
June 14, 2022

Strategy
When sustaining hope is leadership Job #1

This is the 32nd in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years. In Strategy, preeminent […]
June 14, 2022

The Art of Living
Authenticity and Imposter Syndrome

This is the 31st in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years. I have […]
June 14, 2022

Happy Nurses Week!

Today is the first day of Nurses Week 2022. In this 2-minute video, I explain why Nursing has earned a lifetime lock on the honor of […]
June 14, 2022

Worry (and humor)
Why Laughter Matters Now More than Ever

This is the 30th in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years. Early in […]
June 14, 2022

Gratitude and The Pickle Challenge

The second Gratitude Symposium hosted by Quint Studer is now open! Registration is free and gives you and your team access to presentations from 49 authorities on health and wellness, personal empowerment, […]
June 14, 2022

The Success Principles – Words Matter – Especially These Words

This is the 29th in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years. Adding the […]
June 14, 2022

Perseverance in
the Red Zone

“I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety.” […]
June 14, 2022

Evidence Plus Imagination Creates Innovation

If you’re planning to attend the annual conference of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) conference in San Antonio the week of April 11, please […]
June 14, 2022

Living Your Values in Challenging Times

Attitude is not everything but it’s close. A great attitude will not make you a great heart surgeon if you haven’t gone to medical school, but […]
June 14, 2022

Attitude is – Almost – Everything

Attitude is not everything but it’s close. A great attitude will not make you a great heart surgeon if you haven’t gone to medical school, but […]
June 14, 2022

Enjoy the Journey

I once invited two mountain climbers, Alan Hobson and Jamie Clarke, to speak at a conference I was hosting. They had summited Mount Everest on their […]
June 14, 2022

Weird Ideas that Work And why hope should be strategy #1

This is the 28th in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years. In his […]
March 22, 2022

The Glass is Always Full And There is Always Hope

Remind yourself of this every time you drink a glass of water. No matter what challenges you are facing, as long as you stay hydrated and […]
February 5, 2022

Fostering Extravagant Hope is Leadership Job #1

In his classic book The True Believer, Eric Hoffer wrote that anyone who would change the world, or a corner of the world, must have the ability […]