I recently read a parable called “The Sound of the Forest” from Parables of Leadership by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, initially published in the Harvard Business Review over three decades ago. Despite its age, its message remains remarkably relevant—perhaps even more so in today’s fast-paced, highly digital workplace, where leaders can become increasingly detached from the everyday experiences of their teams.

The story follows Prince T’ai, who was sent by his father, King Ts’ao, to study under the wise master Pan Ku. As part of his training, Pan Ku instructed the young prince to enter the Ming-Li Forest and listen. For an entire year, the prince wandered the forest, tuning his senses to the sounds of nature.

When he returned, he enthusiastically described what he had heard: “the calls of cuckoos, the hum of bees, the rustle of leaves, and the whisper of wind.” Pan Ku nodded but quietly sent him back, saying there was more to hear.

Puzzled but obedient, T’ai returned to the forest. T…

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When Less Is More: Business Lessons from “Addition by Subtraction”

Earlier this year, I read an excellent article in Metro Magazine titled “Making the Transition from Volume to Value” by Mark R. Aesch. It’s a well-crafted piece that I highly recommend (you’ll find the link at the bottom of this article). In it, Aesch explores how public transportation is shifting under the current administration, emphasizing a key, long-overdue theme: performance matters.

While performance and results have always been relevant in theory, Aesch makes a compelling case that public transit leaders must now embrace a performance-driven mindset that has long been expected in the private sector. In private ground transportation, phrases like “doing more with less” and “performance matters” aren’t new—they’ve shaped operational decision-making for decades.

His article, and the current climate across both public and private sectors, reminded me of another fitting concept: addition by subtraction.

You’ve probably …

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I once learned a valuable leadership lesson from something as simple as a paper sign taped haphazardly to a windshield with mismatched duct tape.

In 2005, I joined Coach America in Orlando, Florida, after nearly 15 years at Walt Disney World. Like most leaders starting a new role, I hit the ground running—drinking from a firehose, addressing urgent issues, and trying to drive improvements as quickly as possible.

One early complaint I received was that our buses didn’t display signage for a major convention client, unlike a competitor's, which featured clear, easy-to-read window signs. I shared the feedback with our team and instructed them to place signs in the windows whenever we served that client. Eventually, we made it standard for all charter trips.

At the time, electronic marquees were rare, and paper signs were commonly used, especially for conventions and charters. Sometimes, the client provided the wording; in this case, the client informed our sales team of the desired wording,…

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Have you ever heard someone say they’ll be “out of pocket”? For most of my life, that phrase meant one thing: I’ll be unavailable for a while. I used it all the time—until last year, when I learned it might not mean what I thought.

While talking with a few younger members of my team, I casually mentioned I’d be “out of pocket” for the afternoon. They exchanged a look. One of them laughed and said, “You might not want to say that anymore.” Curious, I asked why—and they explained that, in younger circles, “out of pocket” can mean someone is misbehaving or saying something off-color.

I didn’t believe them at first. So, I turned to my then-21-year-old son to get a second opinion. Without missing a beat, he confirmed it: yes, that’s what it meant to him and many of his peers.

I still don’t fully understand how “out of pocket” evolved from “I’m…

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