Welcome to Misti's Insights
Stop Making Your Hard Experiences… Harder
If you are a driven person, you’ll relate to this story I’m about to share. If you know someone who is (possibly) too driven for their own good, you’ll appreciate this story. Perhaps you’ll even want to share it with them. After two days of lying in bed, too sick to...
A Simple Idea To Make You More Valuable Everywhere You Go
It was a hot summer day, and I had been working on my fifth book for a few hours, when I decided to jump on my bike and head down to Dewey Beach to grab ice cream at my favorite place—Vanderwende’s. With an exceedingly generous serving of mint chocolate chip (my...
One Reason Many Businesses Are Still Struggling To Find And Keep Employees: Blind Spots
“Sorry, we can’t get your house cleaned this month… we’re too short staffed. We can’t find enough cleaners for our growing business,” Alexia said. The following week there was a cancellation, and Alexia sent two ladies to clean our home. Curious, I asked them, “Why...
Staying Out Of The Middle When You’re Trying To Build Rapport With Both Sides
When we’re new to a company or a team, and especially when we’re in a managerial role, rapport building is essential to success. Forming bonds with colleagues and team members makes collaboration more fun and results more rewarding. The time and effort required to...
How To Do The Work That Makes You Come Alive
Most of us have been taught to say and do things in a particular way. Fear of not fitting in, or worse, failing to please those we care about, often drives us away from doing and saying the things that make us come alive. Rather than risk the possibility of...
A Simple Practice To Increasing Confidence, Courage, and Empowerment
“We need to feel seen and affirmed—it creates a sense of security,” Gayle said, as I sat across from her trying to figure out how to help my brain to stop kicking off stress hormones. With the sudden passing of my beloved father-in-law, my wife, who has been a solid...
What To Do When Feedback Leaves You Feeling Like A Jerk
“Be nice,” Louisa said, defending her husband. “Nice? That was nice,” I shot back, joking, of course. Be nice,” she repeated, furrowing her brows, letting me know that she wasn’t messing around. “Wait, you’re being serious?” I asked. “Yes, you need to be nice.” ...
What to Do When Your Company or Boss Is Disrespectful
Have you ever seen a sign or heard a message similar to this? If you have, know that what the note really means is that your employer is afraid. Here are a few of the things they’re afraid of: — Losing employees, which they need to do the work, for better pay —...
Avoid Saying This When You Receive Complaints About Salary
Do you have a team member coming to you frustrated about their salary, or some other aspect of their work that you can’t do anything about? The frustration makes sense, but your hands are tied, at least for the immediate. What do you do? Let’s begin with what not to...
5 Keys To Handling Emotional Outbursts Pointed In Your Direction
Sometimes life puts us in undesirable situations that can challenge us to the core, leaving us on the verge of kicking someone in the shins. Or, at the very least, shredding them with verbal kung fu. No matter how emotionally advanced we may be, there are situations...
Before You Fire Them, Try This
We loved Olivia from the moment we met her. While she spoke very little English (still, way better than our Spanish), her work communicated for itself. It’s not an exaggeration when I say that it felt like they (Olivia and her cleaning crew) had hugged our home. In...
Avoid This Mistake When Hiring In This Market
Are you struggling to find and keep good employees? What strategies are you using? Some people have already resigned... others are staying, but just doing enough to get by... resigned with a paycheck, if you will. Meanwhile, you’re left trying to figure out how to...
44 Lessons in 44 Years of Life
May 24 marks my 44th year of life. In reflection, I thought about the top 44 lessons I’ve gained from my journey so far. Here they are. Enjoy! No one does better by being made to feel worse, yourself included. Generous people have more. Life is painful when we’re...
10 Simple Strategies To Boost Your Mental Health
(If you know someone who is struggling with their mental health, please send this to them. It could be the difference-maker in their lives.) Sixteen years ago, a therapist strongly encouraged me to see a psychiatrist. I couldn’t sleep, and I was persistently...
Investigating Solutions For Reducing Stress
Four weeks after gaining feeling back in my ear (it had gone numb from tension), Yvette, my wife, and I headed up to Shenandoah National Park. It was the weekend of July 4th, and I was hoping that being in the backcountry would save me from having to experience the...
1 Simple Question to Get Your Team to Go From Resign to Engage
I was 14 years old when Mr. Wiser Changed my life. The previous 14 years I had been resigned. On this special day, which I talk about in the video, I began the journey to full engagement in my life. Every one of us has the possibility of both getting engaged in our...
Can You Feel The Wobble?
Years ago, a physical therapist put a bosu ball in front of me and told me to step up onto it. I tried, but I couldn’t find my balance and so I stepped off. “We’ll stick to the doing exercises on the floor,” he said, putting the bosu ball off to the side. A few years...
What To Do When You’re Feeling Empty Despite All Of Your Successes
Are you tired of getting to the end of a challenging project only to wind up feeling insufficient, empty, and craving the next big win? Do you have a constant ache--need, really--to achieve... to get to the next level, and unable to enjoy your how far you've come. Are...