Duane Rollins

I’ve been reintroduced to Influence by Robert Cialdini recently. It’s usually described as a book about persuasion, but that framing misses something essential. This isn’t really about manipulation. It’s about how people respond to who you are being over time. Most of the principles only work

A good quote from Kevin Kelly: “To transcend the influence of your heroes, copy them shamelessly like a student until you get them out of your system. This is the way of all masters.” From Founders: #410 Excellent Advice for Living. I've been reminded in the last week

I was challenged recently to look for the through lines in my life. The moments that connect the dots. The patterns that explain how I ended up here. One kept showing up. Leadership. Or more honestly—running from it. Most people know they have something in them. Talent. Capacity. A

2025 was fun, right? RIGHT??? (Note: It wasn’t fun.) This year has been chaotic, and I can't remember a time with this much uncertainty since I became a professional. It felt like every week brought a new crisis. This year has made me loathe other humans at

Going bald? No need to fret, I got you. Here's my guide on how to shave your head with a razor. This tried and true method has been honed by me over the last 17 years. I've made the mistakes already so that you don'

Self-awareness without action is a wasted miracle. I heard this today from my coach Rick Scruggs. I hope that it hits you the same with it hit me (like a Mac Truck). Been working on the recap of my year... I'm pretty proud of what's

If there is a gap in your execution, it's probably because you're doing too much. Doing a little bit well goes much further than doing a lot mediocre. What do you need to cut back on today? Some things that have inspired me this week: * A

Most people have no idea what they’re really worth. But companies do. Banks do. Insurance carriers do. They’ve already done the math and here’s the truth – you are a million-dollar asset. From an actuarial standpoint, your life is worth 20 to 40 times your income. If

Neil deGrasse Tyson was recently on an episode of Diary of a CEO (DOAC) sharing some wisdom that I wanted to capture here: NDT: Do we have free will? Ask me that — do we have free will? SB: Do you have free will? NDT: What choice do I have? No.

To accomplish anything of meaning, break down your big ambitious goal into more manageable decisions, the types of decisions that need to be made correctly along the way in order to improve the odds of achieving the type of outcome you desire. - Stephen Duneier This video is a good reminder