Category: Leadership
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Employee Engagement Lessons: Building a Culture of Heart and Fun
Read more: Employee Engagement Lessons: Building a Culture of Heart and FunI’ve mentioned before someone I worked with who declared to me that “work must not be fun.” Safe to say Mary Kay would not have appreciated my work experience this morning. Today was another banner day at Sweetwater, with the Fourth Annual IT Talent Show. Yes, the building is filled with many award-winning, former touring…
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The Hidden Power of Glue Players: Why Teams Can’t Win Without Them
Read more: The Hidden Power of Glue Players: Why Teams Can’t Win Without ThemAll of the success I’ve achieved professionally can be traced back to the hard work I’ve put into each situation and the people I’ve chosen to surround myself with. Was I lucky? Sure—but luck is often proportional to the effort invested. It’s amazing how the harder I work, the luckier I get. But even hard…
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Five questions for Pete Van Baalen
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Read more: Five questions for Pete Van BaalenFirst published on the opinion page of the Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana on December 1, 2025 Mike Clem is the current CEO at Sweetwater, and he frequently talks about being an organization with heart. That extends internally with our employees, obviously with our customers as well as with our vendors. Being a company…
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Leadership Lessons from WD-40: What Mike Rowe and Garry Ridge Taught Me About Culture
Read more: Leadership Lessons from WD-40: What Mike Rowe and Garry Ridge Taught Me About CultureBack in 2009 when the inventor of this miracle product died, the New York Times reported that 80% of American homes have a can of this lubricant on their shelf. I have no reason to doubt that number has gone down in the past 16 years. And after listening to Garry Ridge, I have no…
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“Happy to be here” – Adopting an attitude of gratitude like the Blue Angels
Read more: “Happy to be here” – Adopting an attitude of gratitude like the Blue AngelsMy wife and I recently had a conversation about our monthly bills. Like everyone, we’ve been paying close attention to our expenses, looking for opportunities to cut expenses in the face of the inflation we’re all experiencing.
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Fight Imposter Syndrome with a simple reminder: You are enough
Read more: Fight Imposter Syndrome with a simple reminder: You are enoughA couple weeks back, I was fortunate enough to get to go to an event marking the ending of a career journey that is the embodiment of service for a dear friend of mine. It was supposed to be an opportunity for a few of the thousands of people he had impacted to say thank…
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Thankful for 15 Important Words
Read more: Thankful for 15 Important WordsThanksgiving is upon us. That one day a year we show appreciation and gratitude, when in reality we should be practicing Thanksgiving every day. Easier said than done, I realize but it is something that I know I need to get better at – and as a general rule I think I’ve been better than…
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National Boss’s Day is a celebration for all bosses, but mainly the good ones
Read more: National Boss’s Day is a celebration for all bosses, but mainly the good onesToday is National Boss’s Day – ironic that we celebrate on a Sunday, a traditional day of rest and not working. Recently I have been reflecting on the boss’s that I’ve had throughout my career. Looking back on all the people that I have called boss, they rank all the way across the spectrum from…
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Continual change is key to consistent success
Read more: Continual change is key to consistent successCal Ripken Jr. was a chameleon. OK, I know baseball fans are saying “No, he was an Oriole.” And that is true. Cal Ripken played 21 years for the Baltimore Orioles, becoming affectionately known as the Iron Man because of the consecutive game streak he achieved. Cal is probably best known for his consecutive game…
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A culture where the best ideas win, no matter the company size or budget
Read more: A culture where the best ideas win, no matter the company size or budgetLike so many people these days, NBC’s TV show from the early 2000s The Office has been an ongoing source of entertainment, comedic reference and a nearly constant companion for me. Following the exploits of Michael, Pam, Jim, Dwight and friends has become a regular part of our weekly routine. An extension of that has…
