Living in denial is just avoiding reality. We can’t put the genie back into the bottle, so let’s move past that idea. Instead, we can embrace change and help steer the ship toward its potential for …
Nick's blog
Leadership, remote work, AI, and getting things done.
All posts
2026
Synchronous communication kills focus and prioritizes speed over quality. Make asynchronous communication your default to foster deep work, better decisions, and a results-oriented culture.
2025
A reflection on the qualities of effective leadership in a changing work environment.
A call for a virtuous response that transforms national grief into unity and hope.
In a world that’s always changing, the key to staying ahead is never stopping your education.
AI doesn’t make us stupid. Not using our brains makes us stupid.
Your people aren’t just cogs in a machine.
Some days, you just need to show up.
Success is achieved when…
AI is overhyped and underwhelming, amazing and frustrating, the solution and the problem…
The four types of people who hate on remote work…
Take care of yourself so you can take care of the world.
2024
Make the next chapter your best chapter.
Don’t listen to the mid-level critics.
Replace negativity with prayer.
Balancing empathy and accountability is key to helping underperforming team members get back on track.
Embrace these moments as chances to grow and demonstrate your leadership skills.
“The office is a prison of the mind.” ― Sahin Boydas Remote work is always enhanced when you start thinking async, even if you don’t work fully async. Examples: Instead of asking, “When do you want to …
You can’t multitask. No one can.
A little hope and anticipation can go a long way.
Which one are you?
Embrace the challenge, and seize opportunities through decisive action.
Quick fixes are tempting, but often lead to long-term problems.
Progress isn’t always linear.
Follow the path to greatness.
When you focus on adding value at all times, the people around you will flourish and you will become the best version of yourself.
May you experience the light of the Lord in your mind, heart, and soul today and always!
When you build a team, you need talent and coaching.
Elite teams are not just a collection of talented people.
Leaders aren’t at home.
How you respond is all that matters.
“Somebody said that it couldn’t be done…” ― Edgar Albert Guest, It Couldn’t Be Done Do what you can’t. Do what you’re afraid of. Do what you’re not qualified for. Do what’s impossible. Do what’s …
Sometimes I fall, but I get back up. I take the hits and keep moving forward. I refuse to quit.
Become exceptional in your core skills. Develop fundamentals that transcend the era, like leadership and communication. Learn to adapt and adapt to learn. Move forward and embrace change.
Flowing water is a source of life. Stagnant water is death.
Our lives are more than the sum of random outcomes, but we can find meaning and beauty in all the seemingly random events that occur.
An impressive job title is only a good thing to the extent it helps you understand and communicate about your role.
Leaders don’t have to be managers, but managers should always be leaders.
Aren’t leaders managers? Often, but the skills are different.
2023
The future of work is anywhere and everywhere, and we’re all pioneers.
Merry Christmas!
You need top talent to build a high-performance team.
If you want maximum performance, show your people the path to achieve their goals.
It’s never about butts in seats.
Small wins are the foundation of success.
Man tends towards good, but he is also capable of evil. ― John Paul II
It doesn’t matter how you got here.
Just do it.
Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well. — Robert Louis Stevenson
Be great for yourself. Be great for your family and friends. Be great for the world.
Stop wasting time tracking metrics that don’t help you achieve success.
Train your brain to identify the daily wins that lead to a successful life.
This is why you’re not happy. It’s why you feel so lousy all the time. It’s why you feel like a loser.
Level ∞: Asynchronous communication
You have everything you need.
Today, I am undefeated.
Your response to failure is what determines how much you learn, how much you grow, and how far you go.
All leadership starts with self-leadership.
Upgrade your competition, and you’ll upgrade yourself.
What if you started saying yes?
Push yourself. Believe in your abilities. Strive for greatness.
If it’s important, test it.
Make your meetings matter, and let the numbers do the talking.
Simple activities can have a big impact.
The power of a positive attitude is undeniable.
What is your time worth? What is your sanity worth?
High performers always make it seem so easy. How do they do it?
Let’s get back to basic productivity tactics.
The zombie apocalypse just started. What do you do?
Micromanaging is a tool that can be appropriate in some cases, but it’s never a good long-term solution.
Power naps are a simple and effective way to boost your performance.
Giving up on the people you love is not an option.
Sometimes, you need a little inspiration to help you through the chaos.
Do the tough stuff first.
Why do some employers object to remote work?
May all who read this experience a holy Good Friday and a blessed Easter!
Contrary to what some poor managers believe, remote employees might be your best team players.
Authenticity is a great strength for a leader.
Good questions lead to good results.
Money is not a measure of your value as a person.
Do a little more today than you did yesterday.
Asynchronous work is starting to catch on in more and more businesses. It complements remote work beautifully, and it’s the natural next step.
Don’t force your people to work where you want them to work. Encourage them to work where they can be their best.
Sometimes, you need a quick pick-me-up.
Results matter
Turn your ‘want to’ into ‘must do.’
Just do it.
Start with gratitude
Fear of Failure
2022
Happy New Year
Merry Christmas!
You’re already your own boss… And you’re probably not very good at your job.
Good habits build a good life.
Just smile
Happy Thanksgiving!
The questions we ask ourselves are often more important than the questions we ask anyone else.
Spend money. Wear the same outfit. Pursue less profitable projects just to prove the doubters wrong. Ask ‘stupid’ questions. Cheat (honestly). Treat everyone with respect.
It’s never fun to apologize, and when you think about it, it’s never fun to receive an apology.
If you can maintain a good attitude no matter the circumstances, you’re pretty much unstoppable.
When you CC everyone under the sun, you create more problems than you solve.
It might not be your fault, but it’s your problem.
Strengthen yourself to strengthen your world.
You failures are your fault, but you successes can be too.
It’s only when you finally respect yourself that you put in the work needed to make your life better.
It matters if you show up. It matters if you produce. It matters if you lead.
Expand your plan so you’re planning for problems.
If you want to get the most out of everyone’s time, try these tips.
Remember: Busy isn’t the goal.
Win big by winning small.
What if you were willing to invest in people who believe in your mission and want to travel this road with you?
The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours. ― Amos Tversky
The only wrong path is inaction, which leads to stress and anxiety.
Beginners understand that something happens. Amateurs understand how it happens. Experts understand why it happens.
Seek respect, not attention. ― Roy T. Bennett
Control your ego, don’t be controlled by it.
Don’t be like most people.
It’s easy to say you want to stay focused. Doing it, well, that’s another matter.
You need to take ownership.
Everything is negotiable.
Pick 1-3 things you’re not gonna do today.
It’s less crowded at the top, but it’s not lonely.
Don’t panic. You’ve got this. You can do it.
You’re not improving because you’re too busy consuming instead of just doing.
You don’t need permission. You have the technology. You’re smart enough and skilled enough. You’re ready.
Focus on prioritization. Focus on efficiency and productivity. Focus on doing work that matters.
If I had to give my younger self advice, this is where I would start.
Remote work is no longer the future. It’s here now, and it’s not going away.
The trick is to find the simplicity inside the complexity.
My email tricks (as of 2022)
I don’t have time is a lame excuse.
I love to-do lists. Here’s a simple way to manage them when they grow too long.
If it’s convenient, you’ll do it.
“I can’t” is automatically a true statement if you believe it.
Take a break from everything holding you back.
Sure. I can help.
In every failure, ask yourself, “What could I have done better?”
I grew up playing a lot of baseball, and along the way, I picked up a lot of clichés. As I grew up, I came to realize that those baseball clichés reflect a lot of truths about life.
To nerds like me, sometimes there seem to be a lot of parallels between software and people.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. ― Beverly Sills
Babe Ruth stuck out 1,330 times. People remember your wins, not your losses.
Can you be grateful for the heartbreak, the loss, the storm, the struggle itself?
2021
Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas!
Isn’t it funny that…
When people are counting on you ― prioritize.
It’s simple but not always easy. Give everyone else all the credit.
Happy Thanksgiving
Maybe it can be a starting place for your own version.
Successful people have successful habits. There’s no one size fits all list, but some seem almost universal. Here are five.
If you see a talent shortage, maybe you need to fix your company.
Use Fear to Your Advantage
Follow me if you want to watch the work in progress.
When I face an out-of-control to-do list, I find it helpful to break it down into what I call a “Do-Delegate-Don’t” list.
What if…?
Complain about your situation. Blame others for your mistakes. Don’t take any action to improve.
“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” ― Aristotle
Define yourself by your work, your effort, your drive, your energy, your resolve, and your hustle.
Listen. Ask. Make mistakes.
Spend some time, put your phone down, and be fully present to the people closest to you.
Get on the field, play the game, learn, keep improving, and have fun.
If you ever get stuck in a neverending analysis paralysis loop, and can’t make a decision, try this.
If you’re not excited, you’re probably bored. Forget about the boring and mundane. Focus on exciting experiences.
Focus on one thing at a time. Make small decisions quickly. Batch tasks.
Don’t be satisfied until you find meaningful answers.
Take a step back, shake things up for a moment, and reset your mind.
Unlike a traditional FAQ, it doesn’t include the answers, because the answers change constantly.
Practice the techniques of leadership. Practice humility, communication, relationship building, and decision making. Practice bravery, empathy, and harnessing your intuition.
Don’t waste time stressing about anything you can’t control.
Do you want the best talent, or do you want the best talent that lives nearby or will relocate, and will make the commute every day?
Small teams get big things done.
Here are four simple tips to quickly level up your next PowerPoint presentation.
If everything’s important, nothing’s important.
Don’t make it about who you are. Make it about who you strive to be.
If everyone is an expert at something, that means you’re an expert at something too.
Start every day with gratitude. Reframe problems as challenges. Embrace change.
Every position is a leadership position.
Efficient is a tool. Effective is a superpower.
Get excited with every first step.
Stop making excuses and do the work that matters.
Never stop improving.
Will you be defined by your excuses, or will you be defined by how you overcome the challenges?
The best teams win. The best teammates make everyone around them winners.
Guess what? You won’t win on your own.
Being consistent doesn’t mean you never change. Being consistent means that you produce the same quality output despite any change.
Check your ego, be humble, and focus on developing a better relationship.
Turn on do not disturb.
Don’t live life always chasing more.
If only you do what everybody else does, you’ll always be average.
Sometimes, to add good things, you need to subtract some unimportant ones first.
Level up your skills and your knowledge, focus your efforts and conquer your fears. And most importantly, do the difficult things and stay disciplined.
In every environment, if you perform meaningful work, you will feel stress.
The most important part of your story is what you’re creating and the people you’re empowering.
You don’t need permission. Go out and find an opportunity to contribute.
I don’t know what lies ahead, but I know that I will attack the new year one day at a time.
2020
Merry Christmas!
When we make it a habit to leave our comfort zone, we become hardened by the pressure, strengthened by the stress, and toughened by the challenges.
How to Reply to an Email
No matter how well you prepared, no matter how hard you trained, sometimes the situation goes sideways.
The Power of Gratitude
Work hard, learn a lot, adapt based on your newfound knowledge, and repeat.
What if pressure made you happy and stress increased your motivation?
Become the person who can put others on their back and carry them through when they’ve got nothing left.
Here is my five-step process for dealing with personal mistakes.
Use Fear to Your Advantage
If you’re focused on dumb stuff, it’s going to take a lot longer to reach your goal.
Mistakes Don’t Make You Better
We get to the future one small step at a time. Make every step count.
You don’t get a break from life just because you had a good day.
Don’t tell me why you can’t. Tell me how you’re going to make it happen.
What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do
Make God Laugh
“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” — Napoleon Hill Motivation is necessary for success, but it’s hard to sustain. Motivation comes from focusing on why you’re doing what you’re doing. …
What to Do When You Have a Bad Boss
The First Test of the Day
How to Send a Good Email
Failure Is an Option
Managers vs. leaders
The Tombstone Test
Be the GOAT or Be a Goat
You Can’t Sell a Bad Product
A Rose by Any Other Name
Winners vs. Losers