The Undivided Life Blog

I never expected to see his name on the calendar when the team was preparing for my two-day marathon test of a new concept we called Open Interviews. Our initial post announcing that anyone could book...

He was pacing back and forth on a phone call during my son’s baseball game, obviously engaged in a serious work conversation. His intensity was clear, but he also seemed to have the patience of a good...

“Jeff, in 2015, you gave Mark from Donuts Deluxe a book called Cowboy Ethics. I'll be honest - it doesn't look like Mark opened it. I bought it used, and I am reading through it now.

When I saw the h...

“Alright, kids, grab your stuff. We need to finish eating our ice cream somewhere else.”  

On hot summer days in Texas like this, air conditioning and ice cream are your two best friends, and here I ...

In a competitive situation, it’s important to be the best in at least one of the main areas of comparison – speed, service, or price.

In the early 2000s, our energy company was near the bottom in eve...

After fifteen minutes, my new friend thanked me for the incredible conversation and said it was just what he needed. He walked away with renewed confidence and a plan to engage with more with his fell...

“Hey Boss, something is off. I just got a call that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I thought I should share it with you.” 

These are the words I heard from Carl, a veteran member ...

“You think you’re something special, College Boy? You think you’re better than me?”

I wanted to respond, but two things were holding me back.

First, I was being choked against the wall, and I was st...

While raising seven young kids, including an infant, and tackling our family's daily medical needs, we’ve added a new layer of adventure to the mix—miniature Donkeys.

Introducing Daisy and Tater.

In...

I will never forget my disappointment in November 2018, when I watched my Fighting Texas Aggie football team throw an interception and lose to LSU near the end of the fourth quarter. I clicked the TV ...

It Takes a Strong Team to Weather the Storms

The lights flickered in the house as I was gearing up for a great Tuesday start to the week after Memorial Day. My wife, kids, and visiting niece were all...

The first time I read Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, I was struck by the practical ways an organization can improve its overall culture as it moves from...

With the recent FTC ruling to ban noncompetes nationwide, some organizations are scrambling to find other ways to scare current and former employees from operating in the same industry. The biggest sh...

“My kid never gets hurt. Never.”

I was squinting at this woman at the local playground as she made this proclamation and stared intently at me while I held one of my crying kids. I had six of my seve...

Instead of being just like you, do you think I could be just like me?

We were a few minutes down the road, and my daughter Lorelei had just cooled down after throwing a fit back at the house. She had...

Creating a great company culture is simple. That is what makes it so difficult.

Many people are curious about company culture, wondering how they, too, can create a dynamic workplace. They clearly se...

It's easy to get excited about the intentional culture-building concepts we share at Undivided Life, only to be brought back down to the reality of your lack of status or feelings of insignificance at...

I’m consistent with the kids. I treat each of them differently.

Leading a family with seven kids is like leading a large company.

My kids range in age from ten to just one month. If you spend an hou...