Every one of us leads.

We lead organizations, teams and families. Perhaps most importantly, we lead ourselves. Whether you’re responsible for a Fortune 500 company, raising children, running a small business or serving your community, leadership matters.

But effective leadership doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires intentional, long-term development.

Leadership Development Is a Journey, Not an Event

One of the best examples I’ve experienced came from a credit union client I had the privilege of working with for approximately a decade.

The CEO, Fred, understood something many leaders miss: developing exceptional leaders and teams isn’t accomplished through a one-day workshop.

Every year, I flew out to facilitate a management retreat, along with additional work throughout the year. Over that decade, we used multiple CRG tools, including the Personal Style Indicator (PSI), Leadership Skills Inventory, Values Preference Indicator (VPI), Stress Indicator & Health Planner (SIHP) and Job Style Indicator (JSI). We also worked extensively on teamwork, team development and team values.

Eventually, approximately 300 people throughout the organization were trained in understanding personality and behavioural styles.

But here’s what made the difference: they actually used what they learned.

Fred and his management team didn’t complete an assessment, attend a workshop and put the materials on a shelf. They incorporated the concepts into their weekly management meetings. Personality, leadership, values and team development became part of how they operated.

Fred later credited the Personal Style Indicator as the single most important tool for helping him understand the strengths and weaknesses of his team. From there, he took a long-term approach to developing their leadership capabilities through CRG’s transformational leadership model.

He didn’t expect an overnight transformation. He committed to building one of the best teams possible.

Over time, the credit union grew and eventually became part of a billion-dollar organization.

That wasn’t an accident. It began with a CEO who believed that developing his people was fundamental to developing the organization.

Leadership Is Everywhere—Effective Leadership Isn’t

Throughout my career, I’ve seen leadership deficiencies across industries, cultures and countries. We see leaders unwilling to make difficult decisions, organizations avoiding accountability and individuals putting personal interests ahead of the greater good.

A leadership title doesn’t automatically create leadership capability.

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins described Level 5 Leadership as a combination of personal humility and professional determination. Those characteristics align closely with many of the competencies we’ve researched and developed at CRG.

The important question isn’t simply, “Am I a leader?” It’s “How effective am I at leading, and what am I intentionally doing to become better?”

Transformational Leaders See What Could Be

Years ago, I observed another example at a private school experiencing significant challenges. Enrollment was declining, internal conflicts were creating division and the organization needed a different direction.

Then approximately 80% of the board members were replaced.

The new board focused on the students, the school’s purpose and what needed to happen for the organization to succeed. The culture changed and the school began experiencing sustained growth.

The organization didn’t suddenly acquire more potential. Its leadership changed.

Transformational leaders don’t simply manage what already exists. They see what could exist and help others get there. They deliver results, confront difficult realities, take responsibility, build strong teams and develop people who can eventually lead without them.

Leadership Begins With Self-Awareness

One of the greatest mistakes leaders make is assuming that because they hold a leadership position, they automatically possess effective leadership skills.

A title gives you authority. It doesn’t necessarily give you leadership capability.

Effective leadership begins with understanding yourself. What are your strengths and blind spots? How do you communicate? What do you value? How do you respond under pressure? And importantly, how do other people experience your leadership?

You may believe you’re an excellent communicator, but does your team agree? You may believe you empower people, but do they actually feel empowered?

Leadership isn’t measured only by our intentions. It’s experienced through our behaviours.

That’s why CRG’s Leadership Skills Inventory–Self (LSI–Self) helps leaders evaluate their own leadership behaviours and competencies, while the Leadership Skills Inventory–360º (LSI–360º) adds the perspective of the people around them.

That comparison can be revealing, but awareness creates the opportunity for growth.

From Leadership Awareness to Transformation

Assessment alone doesn’t develop a leader. What matters is what you do with the information.

That’s why we developed the Breakthrough Transformational Leadership eCourse, based on decades of CRG leadership research and built around 12 Transformational Leadership Principles and 60 leadership skills.

The program addresses the capabilities required to lead yourself, communicate effectively, coach and develop others, build exceptional teams and create meaningful organizational change.

And just as Fred and his credit union team demonstrated, leadership development shouldn’t be treated as a one-time event.

You assess, learn, apply, receive feedback, adjust and continue developing.

The goal isn’t simply to know more about leadership. It’s to become a better leader.

What Type of Leader Are You Becoming?

Transformational leadership requires courage, discipline, humility, accountability and a commitment to continual development.

Whether you’re leading a family, a small team or a billion-dollar organization, I believe the fundamental responsibility remains the same:

Leave the people and organizations you lead better than you found them.

Fred invested in his team for years because he understood that developing people wasn’t separate from organizational success—it was one of the primary drivers of it.

Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight

Great leadership doesn’t happen by accident, and it certainly doesn’t happen in a day. Leadership development is an intentional, long-term process of increasing self-awareness, developing skills, applying what you’ve learned and continually getting better. Invest in your people consistently and the benefits can transform an entire organization.

If you’re serious about developing yourself or your leadership team, the Leadership Skills Inventory–Self, Leadership Skills Inventory–360º and Breakthrough Transformational Leadership provide a comprehensive pathway from assessment and self-awareness to practical leadership development.

Don’t treat leadership development as an event. Make it part of how you lead.

Until next time, keep Living, Leading and Working On Purpose.

The post Transformational Leadership: Great Leadership Doesn’t Happen by Accident first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

My nine-year-old son, Tim, was in critical condition with a severe case of appendicitis. In that moment, everything that had seemed important only hours earlier suddenly became insignificant.

Deadlines didn’t matter.

Business didn’t matter.

Phone calls, emails, and meetings didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered was my son.

Thankfully, Tim made a full recovery. But that experience changed me forever. It reminded me that life is fragile, the people we love are precious, and time is our most valuable resource.

The sad reality is that many people don’t recognize what truly matters until they’re confronted with a crisis.

My question is: Why wait?

Are You Waiting to Live?

Death is the one certainty every one of us will eventually face. While it’s not a pleasant subject, it’s what makes life so valuable.

The question isn’t whether life will end. The question is whether we’re making the most of the time we’ve been given.

If today were your last day, would you be satisfied with how you’ve lived?

Would the people closest to you know how much you love them?

Would you have used your gifts, pursued meaningful goals, and made a difference in the lives of others?

Or would there be dreams left unexplored, conversations left unfinished, and opportunities continually postponed for “someday”?

Too many people are alive, but they’re not truly living.

They move from one deadline to the next, solving problems, paying bills, meeting obligations, and repeating the cycle day after day. From the outside they may appear successful, yet inside they feel exhausted, disconnected, or uncertain about why they’re doing it all.

Not because they lack potential, but because they’ve lost sight of what matters most.

Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time

We’ve all said things like:

“I’ll focus on my health when work slows down.”

“I’ll spend more time with my family after this project.”

“I’ll take that trip when I have more money.”

“I’ll pursue my dream when I feel more confident.”

The problem is that there will always be another deadline, another responsibility, another reason to wait.

But tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

One of the greatest tragedies in life is spending years preparing to live instead of actually living.

Take Responsibility

Many people are unhappy with some aspect of their lives, yet they continue doing the same things while hoping for different results.

They blame their employer, the economy, their upbringing, their age, or their circumstances.

Life certainly isn’t always fair, and many challenges are outside our control.

However, the moment we give away responsibility for our future, we also give away much of our ability to influence it.

You may not control everything that happens to you, but you always have a choice in how you respond.

You can learn.

You can grow.

You can ask for help.

You can improve your health.

You can establish better boundaries.

You can make a different decision.

Personal responsibility isn’t about blaming yourself for the past. It’s about taking ownership of the future.

Do Your Priorities Match Your Calendar?

Almost everyone can tell you what they value.

Family.

Health.

Faith.

Relationships.

Personal growth.

Making a difference.

The better question is this:

Does your calendar reflect those priorities?

Your schedule and your spending habits often reveal your real priorities far more accurately than your words.

If family matters, does your family receive your best time?

If health is important, do your daily habits support it?

If lifelong learning is a value, what are you reading, studying, or learning today?

Good intentions never change lives.

Intentional actions do.

Define Success for Yourself

Our culture often measures success by income, titles, possessions, influence, or recognition.

None of those things are inherently wrong.

The danger comes when they become the definition of success.

I’ve met people who built successful businesses but neglected their marriages.

Others accumulated wealth but sacrificed their health.

Some reached the top of their profession only to discover they had climbed the wrong mountain.

True success is living a life aligned with your purpose, values, relationships, health, and contribution—not simply your achievements.

Achievement should support your life, not replace it.

Know Yourself

One of the greatest obstacles to living fully is a lack of self-awareness.

Many people spend years living according to someone else’s expectations.

Parents.

Teachers.

Employers.

Society.

They pursue careers they don’t enjoy, accept commitments they don’t value, and define success according to standards they never intentionally chose.

Then one day they wonder why success doesn’t feel fulfilling.

That’s one of the reasons we’ve spent more than four decades developing assessments and coaching programs at CRG.

When people gain clarity about their personality, values, purpose, strengths, and leadership style, they make better decisions because they finally understand who they are.

You cannot intentionally live your best life if you don’t really know yourself.

Living Fully Doesn’t Mean Doing More

One of the biggest misconceptions is that living life to the fullest means squeezing more activity into every day.

It doesn’t.

Living fully requires discernment.

Some commitments need to end.

Some goals no longer fit who you’ve become.

Some opportunities are simply distractions from what matters most.

Sometimes living more fully isn’t about adding something.

It’s about letting something go.

Don’t be afraid to release activities, obligations, or expectations that no longer align with your purpose.

Don’t Wait for a Wake-Up Call

Life has a way of reminding us of what’s important.

Sometimes it’s an illness.

Sometimes it’s a loss.

Sometimes it’s a relationship that suddenly changes.

The question is whether we need a crisis before we start paying attention.

Why wait until your health is threatened before taking care of your body?

Why wait until someone is gone before expressing your appreciation?

Why wait until retirement before pursuing what brings you joy?

Life isn’t lived in one dramatic moment.

It’s lived through thousands of daily choices.

Choosing to be present.

Choosing to forgive.

Choosing to serve.

Choosing to grow.

Choosing to spend time with people who matter.

Choosing to live according to your values instead of your circumstances.

Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight

One of the greatest regrets people experience isn’t what they did—it’s what they never did. Don’t spend your life waiting for the perfect time to pursue what matters most. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. The opportunity to live fully is today.

If you’re feeling successful on the outside but unfulfilled on the inside, perhaps it’s time to pause and ask some deeper questions. Through coaching, mentoring, and CRG’s research-based assessments, we’ve helped thousands of people discover greater clarity about their purpose, values, strengths, leadership, and life direction. Sometimes the greatest transformation doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances—it begins with understanding yourself.

The post How To Live Your Life To The Fullest first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

Maybe you convinced yourself it would take too long or that you had missed your opportunity. Perhaps you’ve been carrying the same dream for years but keep finding reasons not to begin.

The more important question is this:

What is that belief costing you?

How much purpose, fulfillment, growth, health, or impact have you sacrificed because you’ve decided the timing isn’t right?

Here’s what I believe:

It’s never too late to begin.

It’s never too late to start, restart, finish, change direction, repair a relationship, improve your health, learn something new, or pursue something that genuinely matters.

Where does this principle apply?

Almost everywhere.

Have you ever caught yourself saying:

• I’m too old to start.
• I’m too young to do that.
• I’ve smoked for so many years, why stop now?
• My health is what it is. I just have to accept it.
• I haven’t spoken to my brother in 20 years. Why start now?
• It would take me four years to finish my degree.
• I’ve worked in the same field for 30 years. It’s too late to change.

These statements may sound logical, but they’re often limiting beliefs disguised as facts.

And if we aren’t careful, those beliefs can quietly determine the direction of our lives.

What Will You Regret Most?

In research asking older adults what they would do differently if they could live their lives again, three themes have commonly emerged:

1. They would spend more time enjoying life.
2. They would invest in projects that would outlive them.
3. They would take more risks.

There’s an important lesson in those answers.

People often don’t regret what they tried nearly as much as what they never attempted.

They wish they had been more courageous, more engaged, and more intentional with the time they had.

Unless we’re at the very end of our lives, few of us can honestly say it’s too late.

Yet our culture often creates artificial timelines. We begin believing that if we haven’t accomplished something by a certain age or stage of life, we’ve somehow missed our opportunity.

I simply don’t believe that’s true.

If you still have the desire, passion, or calling, perhaps the question isn’t whether it’s too late.

Perhaps the question is: What are you going to do about it now?

A Lesson I’ll Never Forget

Years ago, I had the privilege of touring Canuck Place, a remarkable pediatric hospice in Vancouver that provides holistic care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

The experience humbled me deeply.

What impacted me most was seeing how fully these children continued to live. Despite circumstances none of us would choose, they remained engaged in relationships, learning, and meaningful activities.

One story has stayed with me ever since.

A nine-year-old girl continued working on her school lessons until the day before she passed away.

Think about that.

She continued learning.

She continued growing.

She continued living.

If a child facing the end of life can still find meaning in learning and growing, what excuse do the rest of us have for continually postponing what matters?

I’ve Seen It Happen

Throughout my life, I’ve witnessed countless examples of people refusing to accept that their opportunity had passed.

My mother-in-law remarried at 76 after being widowed for seven years. She and her new husband embraced their relationship with the excitement and enthusiasm of newlyweds.

I knew a man in his mid-50s who nearly died from a heart attack related to obesity. He made a decision to change, lost more than 100 pounds, transformed his health, and eventually competed in a demanding multi-day adventure race in New Zealand.

I’ve heard of people completing university degrees in their 80s.

History is filled with individuals who achieved significant accomplishments later than society might have expected.

The common denominator isn’t age.

It’s the willingness to keep moving forward.

What’s Your “Too Late” Story?

What have you convinced yourself is no longer possible?

What have you postponed because you believe your opportunity has passed?

More importantly, what has that belief cost you?

Your health?

A relationship?

A business opportunity?

Personal growth?

Purpose?

Peace?

Maybe it’s time to quit smoking.

Maybe it’s time to repair a broken relationship.

Maybe it’s time to improve your health.

Go back to school.

Start the business.

Write the book.

Learn the skill.

Take the trip.

Make the phone call.

Ask for help.

You don’t have to accomplish everything today.

But you can take the first step.

Update Your Dream List

Here’s something else I’ve learned: our dreams change.

And that’s perfectly healthy.

When I was younger, owning a Ferrari was on my dream list.

So was operating one of the largest agricultural businesses in the country.

Neither goal appeals to me today.

As we grow and mature, our priorities evolve. The things that motivated us at 25 may not inspire us at 45, 65, or 85.

That’s why it’s important to periodically update your Dream List.

Ask yourself:

What matters to me now?

Not what mattered 20 years ago.

Not what your parents expected.

Not what your friends think you should accomplish.

Not what society defines as success.

What genuinely matters to you today?

Your goals should align with your values, purpose, health, relationships, and calling.

A goal that isn’t authentic to who you are will eventually become another obligation.

A goal connected to your purpose can become a powerful source of energy and motivation.

Sometimes You Need Clarity Before Action

One reason people remain stuck isn’t always a lack of motivation.

Sometimes they simply don’t know what they really want.

That’s where self-awareness becomes critical.

After more than four decades of helping people understand themselves, we’ve seen repeatedly at CRG that clarity creates momentum.

When you understand what you genuinely value, you can make decisions that align with those priorities.

When you’re clear about your purpose, you can stop pursuing opportunities that may look impressive but don’t fit who you are.

When you honestly assess your health and stress, you can identify where change is needed instead of hoping things will somehow improve on their own.

That’s why we created tools and learning experiences designed to help people move from good intentions to intentional action.

What Do You Really Value?, supported by the Values Preference Indicator (VPI), helps you identify the values that are actually driving your decisions and determine whether your life reflects what matters most.

The Quest for Purpose helps you gain greater clarity about your direction, natural gifts, interests, and the contribution you want to make.

Dying to Live!, together with the Stress Indicator and Health Planner (SIHP), helps you honestly evaluate your stress and wellness patterns and develop practical strategies for healthier living.

And sometimes what you need isn’t another course or assessment. You need someone who will ask you the right questions, challenge your assumptions, and help you move forward. That’s where coaching and mentoring can accelerate the process.

You still have to take responsibility for your choices.

But you don’t have to figure everything out alone.

Take the First Step

If you’ve been telling yourself it’s too late, challenge that belief.

Ask yourself:

• What has my “it’s too late” thinking already cost me?
• What dream or goal still matters?
• Is that goal authentic to who I am today?
• What is one step I can take now?
• What support, knowledge, or clarity would help me move forward?

You can’t change yesterday.

But you can absolutely influence what happens next.

Create a new Dream List that reflects who you are today.

Choose one meaningful goal.

Then take one step.

Make the call.

Schedule the appointment.

Register for the course.

Start walking.

Begin writing.

Have the conversation.

Ask for help.

Momentum begins with movement.

Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight

Your past may explain where you are, but it doesn’t have to determine where you go next. If something still matters deeply to you, don’t let age, fear, regret, or someone else’s expectations make the decision for you. You may not be able to change yesterday, but you can choose what you do today.

The greatest gift you can give yourself—and those around you—is to fully embrace the life, purpose and opportunities still in front of you.

If you’re unsure where to begin, start with greater self-awareness. Clarify your values. Revisit your purpose. Honestly assess your health. Seek a coach or mentor who can challenge your thinking and help you move forward.

At CRG, our assessments, courses, coaching, and mentoring are designed to help you do exactly that—to understand yourself more fully, gain greater clarity, and intentionally Live, Lead, and Work On Purpose.

Because the truth really is simple:

It’s never too late.

The post It’s Never Too Late first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

The post Hey, Are You Having Fun…Yet? first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

“Why would anyone do it that way?”

Or perhaps you’ve wondered why a co-worker needs pages of detail before making a decision, while someone else is ready to act after a five-minute conversation.

Maybe you’ve experienced frustration because your spouse, child, friend, or manager seems to think completely differently than you do.

After more than 35 years of working with leaders, teams, and organizations, I’ve discovered something important.

Most relationship conflict isn’t caused by bad intentions.

It’s caused by misunderstanding.

And misunderstanding almost always begins with a lack of self-awareness.

My Journey Began with Understanding Myself

Looking back, there were several defining moments that changed the direction of my life.

As the third-generation, first-born son, I was expected to take over our family’s dairy farm. Instead, I chose to pursue what I believed I was created to do—encourage, teach, and help people grow.

It wasn’t an easy decision.

In fact, one of my high school English teachers told me I would never amount to anything because I struggled with reading and writing. For years, I believed those words.

Eventually, I discovered I had mild dyslexia, and with the help of technology and a commitment to lifelong learning, I overcame many of those challenges. Today, I’ve written millions of words, authored several books, and spent my career helping people discover their own potential.

That experience taught me an important lesson.

Never allow someone else’s opinion to determine your future.

It also sparked my lifelong passion for helping people better understand themselves.

Why Self-Awareness Changes Everything

My career eventually led me into sales, leadership development, and coaching, where I met the founder of Consulting Resource Group International (CRG).

Together, we shared a common frustration.

Many personality assessments were interesting, but they often left people asking, “Now what?”

Some categorized people into rigid boxes.

Others required a certified practitioner to explain the results.

We believed there had to be a better way.

That vision led to the development of the Personal Style Indicator (PSI)—a practical, research-based personality assessment designed to help people understand themselves and others in ways they could immediately apply at work, at home, and in everyday life.

Today, the PSI (rated the number one personality assessment globally) is available in 13 languages and has helped hundreds of thousands of people improve communication, strengthen relationships, and become more effective leaders.

Why Personality Matters

Professional development has never been more accessible.

Organizations invest billions of dollars each year in leadership training, coaching, and personality assessments. Yet employee engagement continues to be a significant challenge.

One reason is that many people spend their lives trying to improve their performance before they truly understand themselves.

I’ve often said that self-awareness is the foundation of personal and professional growth.

Research consistently supports that conclusion. People with greater self-awareness generally make better decisions, communicate more effectively, build healthier relationships, and adapt more successfully to change.

Understanding your personality isn’t about putting yourself into a box.

It’s about understanding the box you’ve already been living in—and learning when to step outside it.

Why Aren’t You More Like Me?

One of the questions I hear most often is:

“Why can’t people just think the way I do?”

The answer is simple.

Because they aren’t you.

One of the greatest breakthroughs people experience through the PSI is realizing that different doesn’t mean wrong.

Each personality style brings valuable strengths, blind spots, motivations, communication preferences, and approaches to solving problems.

The analytical person isn’t trying to slow everyone down.

They’re trying to reduce risk.

The decisive leader isn’t trying to be impatient.

They’re trying to create momentum.

The relational team member isn’t avoiding the issue.

They’re protecting the relationship.

When we understand these differences, judgment is replaced by curiosity.

Conflict decreases.

Communication improves.

Relationships become healthier.

And teams become significantly more effective.

More Than a Personality Assessment

One of the biggest misconceptions about personality assessments is that they should determine someone’s career.

I strongly disagree.

Your personality is not your job description.

Every personality style can succeed in virtually every profession.

Success depends on many factors, including your interests, values, abilities, character, experience, and willingness to grow.

Another principle we’ve always believed is that people should own their own development.

That’s why the PSI was designed to be practical and easy to understand. People shouldn’t have to depend on someone else to explain who they are.

When individuals understand their own style, they become more confident in applying those insights to leadership, communication, relationships, parenting, teamwork, and decision-making.

Knowledge becomes transformation only when it’s applied.

Self-Awareness Leads to Better Decisions

Another important discovery we’ve made over the years is that personality is only part of the picture.

People also need to understand what motivates them.

When your decisions align with your core values, you’re more likely to experience fulfillment, resilience, and long-term success.

When your behaviour conflicts with what matters most, frustration often follows.

That’s why the Personal Style Indicator works so well alongside our Values Preference Indicator (VPI). Together they help people understand not only how they naturally operate, but also why they make the choices they do.

That combination creates remarkable clarity.

Continue Growing

One of the central themes in my book Why Aren’t You More Like Me? is that personal growth isn’t about becoming someone you’re not.

It’s about becoming the very best version of who you already are.

Develop your strengths.

Understand your blind spots.

Appreciate people who think differently.

Keep learning.

Keep growing.

After facilitating more than 1,000 workshops and working with leaders across dozens of countries, I’m more convinced than ever that self-awareness changes lives.

It strengthens marriages.

It improves parenting.

It transforms teams.

It develops better leaders.

And it helps people discover greater purpose and fulfillment.

Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight

The greatest relationship breakthrough doesn’t happen when everyone becomes more like you. It happens when you understand yourself well enough to appreciate why others aren’t. Self-awareness is the starting point for better communication, stronger relationships and more effective leadership.

If you’re ready to better understand yourself—or help your team communicate and collaborate more effectively—Why Aren’t You More Like Me?, the Personal Style Indicator (PSI), and our companion eCourse provide practical, research-based tools that have helped hundreds of thousands of people improve their relationships, leadership, and personal effectiveness.

Because when you understand yourself better, you understand others better.

And that changes everything. 

The post Why Aren’t You More Like Me? Discover the Secrets to Understanding Yourself and Others first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

Most people say their health is one of their highest priorities. Yet too often, we don’t give it serious attention until something goes wrong.

I learned that lesson personally many years ago.

Back in the 1980s, I was struggling with low energy and feeling depressed. I went to my doctor, who diagnosed the problem as depression and prescribed lithium. But something didn’t seem right.

A friend who knew me well challenged that diagnosis. She said, “Ken, I’m not convinced you’re depressed. I think there may be something physical going on.”

At my own insistence, I pursued a glucose tolerance test. The results showed that I was extremely hypoglycemic. My blood-sugar levels were contributing significantly to how I was feeling.

At the time, I was consuming far too much sugar, including Coke. Once I understood what was happening, I changed my diet and eliminated much of the sugar. I had also stopped taking the lithium very quickly because of the negative effects I was experiencing.

That experience helped shape one of my strongest beliefs about wellness:

If you don’t take responsibility for your health, nobody else will.

Don’t Automatically Accept the First Answer

I respect the role health professionals can play, but I don’t believe we should blindly outsource our health to the medical system.

My own experience is a perfect example. My doctor treated the symptoms as a mental-health issue without identifying the blood-sugar problem underneath them. I had to keep asking questions and pursue additional testing myself.

Conventional medicine can be extremely effective in certain areas, particularly acute and emergency care. But treating symptoms isn’t always the same as identifying why those symptoms are occurring.

That’s why I’ve become passionate about understanding nutrition, wellness, prevention and the factors that contribute to our health over the long term.

You live in your body every day. Pay attention to it. Ask questions. Do your own research. Seek different perspectives when appropriate and don’t assume that because someone has professional credentials, you should stop thinking for yourself.

What Is Your Health Worth?

I learned the same lesson again with my back.

When I was about 15 or 16, I injured it lifting a heavy object on our family farm. The problem followed me for years. Later, extensive travel and a demanding schedule contributed to me gaining approximately 25 to 30 pounds, which certainly didn’t help.

Eventually, I was in lower-back pain perhaps 95% of the time. Bending over was difficult. Picking things up was difficult. Even playing with my children became challenging.

Through a friend, I learned about spinal decompression therapy. In 2006, I decided to investigate it and committed to several months of intensive treatments.

It required time, money and discipline.

But I had to ask myself: What is my health worth?

The results for me were remarkable. I went from being in pain approximately 95% of the time to being roughly 90–95% pain-free.

Again, I could have simply accepted my condition. Instead, I searched for another option and invested in improving my health.

It’s Not Just About Living Longer

I’m thinking about this even more as I get older.

My mother-in-law is now 96 and living in residential care. Watching her and others around her has reinforced something for me: living longer and living well are not necessarily the same thing.

When mobility disappears, independence often follows. Your world can become smaller and smaller until you’re no longer really participating in life the way you once did.

It’s difficult to watch, and it has caused me to think seriously about what I want my own later years to look like.

I don’t simply want more years. I want to be able to move, think, contribute, travel, enjoy my family and remain engaged in life for as long as possible.

I want both quantity and quality.

That’s what wellness should be about.

Your Health Is the Sum of Your Choices

Most health decline doesn’t happen overnight. Our choices accumulate over years.

Nutrition matters. Weight matters. Movement matters. Sleep matters. Stress matters. Relationships matter. The work we do and how we feel about it matters.

They’re interconnected.

That’s why at CRG we’ve always approached wellness from a whole-person perspective.

Our Stress Indicator & Health Planner (SIHP) includes 120 questions that examine five interconnected dimensions: Personal Distress, Interpersonal Stress, Wellness, Time Stress and Occupational Stress.

The purpose isn’t simply to tell you you’re stressed. Most people already know that.

The real value is identifying where your stress and wellness challenges are coming from and what you’re going to do about them.

Our Dying to Live eCourse takes the process further by helping you understand those results and create practical strategies for improving your overall health and wellness.

Stop Waiting for a Wake-Up Call

Too many people wait until something goes seriously wrong before taking their health seriously.

Don’t wait.

Ask yourself two questions:

Where is my health today?

And perhaps more importantly:

Where will my current habits take me ten or twenty years from now if nothing changes?

Maybe you need to lose weight, move more, reduce sugar, improve your sleep, address chronic stress or make changes in another area of your life.

You don’t have to change everything tomorrow.

But you do need to start taking responsibility today.

Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight

Your health isn’t simply about adding years to your life. It’s about adding life to your years. Don’t wait until poor health takes away your choices before deciding your wellness matters. Take responsibility for what you can influence today so you have the greatest opportunity to live fully tomorrow.

That’s ultimately why we called our wellness program Dying to Live.

I don’t want you simply existing at the end of your life. I want you living fully—with energy, mobility, purpose, meaningful relationships and the ability to enjoy the life you’ve worked so hard to build.

If you’re uncertain where to begin, the Stress Indicator & Health Planner can help you identify your current stress and wellness levels, while Dying to Live provides a practical framework for turning that awareness into action.

Your health isn’t somebody else’s responsibility.

It’s yours.

And few investments you will ever make will matter more.

The post Are You Taking Responsibility for Your Health? first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

Whether you’re an athlete pursuing a gold medal, a teacher striving to make a difference, a business owner building a company or a professional advancing your career, most of us want to succeed at something that matters.

But there’s a reality we don’t talk about enough:

Success requires effort.

Sustainable success is rarely the result of luck, one extraordinary opportunity or suddenly being discovered. It’s built through consistent effort, learning, discipline, experience and time.

The Myth of the Overnight Success

You’ve probably looked at someone successful and heard somebody say, “They got lucky.”

Maybe they did. Timing and opportunity certainly play a role in life. But luck rarely explains the entire story.

There’s an old saying: “It took me 10 years to become an overnight success.”

I’ve experienced that in my own career.

I’ve always been a hard worker, but earlier in my professional journey, I underestimated the importance of time and experience. I thought perhaps there was a way to accelerate the process and arrive sooner.

There wasn’t.

Over the past 37 years, I’ve delivered more than 3,000 presentations and written approximately 4 million words.

Am I a better speaker and writer today than when I started?

Absolutely.

Not because I suddenly discovered some secret formula. I’ve spent decades speaking, writing, learning, making mistakes, receiving feedback and refining my craft.

That’s what professional development really looks like.

Success Is Built Over Time

Look behind almost any meaningful accomplishment and you’ll find effort.

The athlete standing on the podium didn’t simply show up on competition day. Thousands of hours of training preceded that moment. A championship team didn’t become exceptional during the final game. Excellence was developed through years of practice, setbacks, adjustments and perseverance.

The same principle applies to our careers, businesses, relationships and even parenting. Raising healthy, well-adjusted children isn’t the result of one brilliant parenting decision. It’s the accumulation of thousands of decisions over many years.

Success is rarely one defining moment.

It’s a process.

But there’s an important distinction: simply doing something for a long time doesn’t guarantee you’ll get better at it.

You’ve probably heard the expression that someone can have 20 years of experience—or one year of experience repeated 20 times.

The difference is intentional growth.

Are you still learning? Are you challenging yourself? Are you willing to receive feedback and develop new skills? When something isn’t working, are you willing to change?

Time becomes valuable when we intentionally use it to improve.

Entitlement Won’t Create Success

One of the most damaging attitudes we can develop is believing success should simply come to us because we want it.

Wanting the promotion doesn’t qualify you for it. Wanting a successful business doesn’t build one. Wanting to become an expert doesn’t make you one.

There is a price attached to achievement.

If you want an extraordinary outcome, you need to be willing to make an appropriate investment in your development. That investment may include education, practice, coaching, mentoring, sacrifice, discipline and thousands of hours spent becoming better at what you do.

This doesn’t mean working yourself into exhaustion or sacrificing everything else that matters. More effort isn’t always better effort.

It means accepting responsibility for becoming the person capable of producing the result you want.

It’s Easier to Work Hard at Something You Care About

There’s another factor that makes sustained effort considerably easier:

Do work that matters to you.

It’s incredibly difficult to maintain the effort required for long-term success when you despise what you’re doing.

That doesn’t mean every day will be enjoyable. I’ve been doing work I care deeply about for decades and there are still responsibilities I’d happily give to someone else!

Every career and business includes difficult days, tedious responsibilities, disappointments and setbacks. But when the work itself has meaning, the effort has a reason behind it.

That’s why I believe self-awareness and purpose are essential parts of professional development.

If you’re investing years of your life developing expertise, shouldn’t you know whether you’re developing in a direction that’s actually right for you?

Understanding your personality, values, strengths, interests and purpose can help you make much better decisions about where to invest your effort.

CRG’s Personal Style Indicator (PSI) helps you better understand your natural behavioural preferences and strengths, while the Values Preference Indicator (VPI) provides insight into what genuinely motivates you. The Quest for Purpose book and eCourse take that process even further by helping you clarify your interests, gifts and direction.

The objective isn’t to avoid hard work.

It’s to make sure you’re working hard at something worth your investment.

Don’t Try to Do It Alone

Professional development also doesn’t mean figuring everything out yourself.

One of the smartest things I’ve done throughout my career is learn from people who were already successful in areas where I wanted to grow.

Mentors, coaches and experienced professionals can help us identify blind spots, challenge our assumptions and sometimes shorten the learning curve considerably. They can’t eliminate the effort required, but they can help ensure we’re directing that effort more effectively.

I’ve invested in coaching and mentoring throughout my own career because I understand the value of learning from people who have already travelled the road I’m trying to navigate.

There’s no prize for making every mistake yourself.

What Are You Willing to Invest?

We all want the outcome: the better career, successful business, championship, recognition, financial rewards or meaningful life.

But wanting the outcome isn’t enough.

The more important question is:

What am I willing to do consistently to earn it?

Take an honest look at an area where you want greater success. Are you investing enough time in developing the skills required? Are you still learning or have you become comfortable? Are you looking for shortcuts instead of doing the work?

And perhaps most importantly, is the destination important enough to justify the investment required to reach it?

There are times when changing the goal is wiser than simply working harder. Success isn’t about exhausting yourself trying to achieve something you don’t genuinely want.

It’s about intentionally investing your time, talent and effort in outcomes that matter.

Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight

Success requires effort, but effort alone isn’t enough. Sustainable success comes from directing consistent effort toward something that matters, continually developing your abilities and giving yourself enough time to become exceptional. There may be ways to shorten the learning curve, but there are no substitutes for doing the work.

If you’re uncertain about where to invest your professional development, start by understanding yourself. CRG’s assessments, The Quest for Purpose book and eCourse and/or our coaching and mentoring services can help you gain greater clarity about your strengths, motivations and direction.

Then get to work.

Keep learning. Keep improving. Give yourself time to develop and don’t become so focused on arriving that you forget to enjoy becoming better along the way.

Success isn’t simply an outcome. The person you become in pursuit of it is part of the reward.

The post Success Requires Effort: There Are No Shortcuts to Lasting Success first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

Key Takeaways:

• 95% of people believe they’re self-aware, but only 10-15% actually are—external feedback from 7-10 people in your environment provides more accurate insight
• Organizations typically use less than 20% of employee potential because they gain insights but never restructure roles around how people are actually wired
• Self-awareness is just the starting point—lasting transformation follows a three-stage path: self-awareness → self-management → self-mastery

I remember coaching a medical doctor a few years back. Brilliant guy. Hated his work.

He’d taken three different personality assessments. Spent thousands on workshops. Had binders full of insights about his communication style, his strengths, his blind spots.

I asked him, “So what changed?”

Long pause. “Well… I understand myself better now.”

“Right. But did you restructure your practice? Change how you interact with patients? Adjust your schedule around your natural energy patterns?”

Nothing.

Here’s what I’ve watched happen for 36 years. Organizations invest in assessments. Everybody completes them. Satisfaction scores are high. Six months later? Nothing has changed.

The gap between insight and behavior change is where most transformation dies. And honestly, I think most assessment companies like it that way.

The research backs this up. 95% of people believe they’re self-aware. Only 10-15% actually are.

That massive gap? That’s where the entire assessment industry makes its money.

The Missing Bridge

Assessments create a moment of clarity. That moment feels powerful because it is.

But clarity without follow-through? Another file in the drawer. Another workshop people reference in the past tense.

When CRG was founded in 1979, we made a deliberate choice. Every tool would serve the learner, not the test-giver. One assessment creates a baseline for life. Then the real work begins.

And here’s what that real work actually looks like. These are the three steps that separate lasting transformation from expensive insights—and why most assessment companies skip them entirely.

Why Do You Need Stakeholder Feedback After Taking an Assessment?

Because self-perception can be unreliable. The most powerful validation comes from 7-10 people in your actual environment providing honest feedback on what they observe—not what you think changed, but what they notice without prompting.

You think you’ve changed? Great. Now here’s the next level: What do the seven people closest to you say?

This requires vulnerability. It calls for follow-up conversations that can feel uncomfortable. It creates accountability that pushes us beyond our comfort zones.

Why is this step often skipped? Because it’s messy. Real feedback means addressing actual behavior, which is harder than celebrating awareness—but so much more valuable.

Research shows that only 45% of assessment participants identify actual learning points from their results. Without external feedback, there’s a risk of measuring perception rather than actual behavior change.

How Do You Turn Assessment Insights Into Real Workplace Changes?

The most effective approach is to restructure work around how people are actually wired. When you align responsibilities with natural strengths and preferences, performance shifts become visible—not just in satisfaction scores, but in measurable output and sustained energy.

I’ve seen this dozens of times. Someone discovers they’re wired for innovation, not administration. Great insight. But six months later, they’re still doing the same job, wondering why they’re exhausted.

We measure biological capacity for environmental change. Some people adapt quickly to multiple variables. Others need more structure, slower rollout, different support systems.

This takes courage. It challenges job descriptions, org charts, existing systems. It requires commitment that many companies find challenging, but the results are worth it.

But here’s what we know after 45 years: organizations typically use less than 20% of employee potential because they stop at insight and never touch structure.

What’s the Difference Between Self-Awareness and Self-Management?

Self-awareness is knowing yourself. Self-management is changing your behavior based on what you know. Self-awareness is the starting point, not the destination—real transformation follows a three-stage path: self-awareness leads to self-management, which leads to self-mastery.

Here’s what I’ve learned: real transformation takes more than a one-and-done workshop. It’s a journey, not a Tuesday afternoon event.

Most programs stop at stage one. We wonder why.

Actually, we don’t wonder. We know. Stage one is profitable. Stage two and three require follow-up, tracking, honest conversations about gaps between intention and action.

That’s the work. Tracking behavior changes over time. Revisiting your baseline regularly. Having honest conversations about the gap between who you want to be and how you’re actually showing up.

The assessment industry grows because organizations often buy new tools instead of implementing the ones they have. Shiny object disease. The cure exists—it’s about choosing depth over novelty.

The Lifetime Approach

We develop the whole person holistically. Not through repeated assessments, but through sustained application of initial insights.

This approach is less profitable for us. It’s more honest. And from what we’ve seen over 45 years, it’s the approach that creates lasting change.

You know transformation is real when teams reference their natural styles during actual conflict, not just in workshops. When hiring conversations include values alignment alongside skills without HR prompting anyone.

When someone restructures their role based on their wiring and sustains higher performance for years? That’s self-mastery. That’s what we’re aiming for—real, lasting transformation.

Your Next Move

Look at your last assessment program. Be honest.

Did you build stakeholder feedback loops? Did you restructure any work based on what you learned? Did you create self-management systems beyond the initial debrief?

If not, you may have invested in insight without completing the journey to transformation. You’re not alone—most organizations stop at this stage.

But here’s the good news: the gap is closeable. It just requires committing to these three steps, which demand more effort than buying another assessment but deliver exponentially more results.

We’ve been closing that gap since 1979. One learner at a time. Not because we’re brilliant. Because we’re committed to transformation over transactions.

Your highest level of contribution happens when you’re operating in your zone. Not just aware of your zone. Actually restructured around it.

And we’d love to help you do it.

The post The Three Steps Most Assessment Companies Skip (And Why We Don’t) first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.

Key Takeaways:

• Transformation follows a predictable 12-18 month timeline—stakeholder feedback from 7-10 real people predicts lasting change better than any test score
• Micro-changes aggregate over time: small behavioral shifts repeated consistently create the foundation for measurable business results
• The progression is always self-awareness → self-management → self-mastery; skip a step and you’re running programs, not developing people

The Problem With How We Measure Transformation

Most organizations measure training the way you’d measure a light switch. Did it turn on? Yes or no.

Here’s the reality: 61% of training leaders admit they don’t measure training ROI at all. The ones who actually try? They’re using frameworks designed for products, not people.

Here’s what we’ve discovered: human transformation can’t be measured the same way you measure widget production. It doesn’t work that way.

Research shows something fascinating: In a 5-year study of leadership development, no improvement appeared from year one to year two. None. But scores rose consistently from year two through year four.

Transformation has a timeline. Most organizations just haven’t learned to respect it yet.

What Fred Saw That His Board Didn’t

Fred didn’t have financial results in year one. He couldn’t point to revenue growth or cost savings.

He had something better.

He had behavioral evidence from real stakeholders.

We gathered feedback from 7-10 people around each leader. Not anonymous surveys where people hide behind screens. Real names. Real relationships. Peers, direct reports, supervisors who worked with these leaders every single day.

The data showed micro-changes aggregating:

• Leaders asking better questions in meetings
• Managers pausing before reacting to problems
• Teams reporting they felt heard for the first time
• Conflict resolution happening faster with less escalation

These weren’t dramatic overnight transformations. They were small behavioral shifts repeated consistently over time.

Here’s what the research tells us: paying attention to a behavior fewer than 10 times doesn’t lead to lasting change. But repeated awareness? That’s when the magic happens. That rewires the brain’s reward system.

The Self-Awareness to Self-Mastery Progression

Fred’s leaders were moving through a predictable sequence. We see it every time.

First came self-awareness. They discovered their natural styles, preferences, blind spots. Many had never identified why they led the way they did. That’s the starting point.

Then came self-management. They started recognizing their patterns in real-time. The manager who interrupted people in meetings? He caught himself mid-sentence and stopped. That’s progress.

Finally, self-mastery emerged. Leaders made intentional choices aligned with their values and their team’s needs. Not because someone told them to. Not because it was in a policy manual. Because they understood themselves well enough to lead differently.

The science confirms what we’ve seen for decades: self-management requires recognizing and labeling emotions, then considering how they affect behavior. Here’s the key: you can’t manage what you can’t see first.

Why Traditional Measurement Misses Everything That Actually Matters

Here’s what Fred’s board wanted to measure in month six:

• Revenue increase
• Cost reduction
• Productivity metrics

And here’s what was actually happening in month six:

• A VP stopped micromanaging her team
• A department head admitted he’d been promoting the wrong people for years
• Three managers requested coaching for the first time in their careers
• Employee retention improved before anyone even tracked it formally

Traditional ROI calculations miss the developmental journey entirely. They’re designed to measure outcomes, not transformation. Big difference.

By month 36, Fred’s credit union had doubled in assets. But the transformation started 2 years earlier in behaviors nobody was tracking on a spreadsheet.

What Actually Predicts Lasting Change

After working with thousands of leaders across 30 countries, we’ve learned this truth:

Stakeholder feedback from people who actually see you work predicts transformation better than any test score or completion certificate.

When 7-10 people around you report consistent behavioral changes over 12-18 months, something real is happening. When they don’t see those changes yet, it’s a signal that more time or support may be needed.

The progression we see consistently follows this path: self-awareness leads to self-management, self-management leads to self-mastery. When organizations skip a step, they tend to run programs rather than develop people. There’s a massive difference.

Fred understood something most organizations are still learning. Transformation isn’t an event you measure with a survey on the last day of training. It’s a timeline you honor with patience and real feedback from real people who are in the trenches with you.

The difference? He measured what actually matters.

The post The Billion-Dollar Lesson: Why We’re Measuring Training All Wrong first appeared on CRG - Consulting Resource Group.