The FSL Blog

If you know me, at the beginning of each year I decide on a theme for the next 12 months that applies both professionally and personally. Last year, that intention was Make Good Trouble, in honor of the late civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis. And we got into some exceptionally Good Trouble in 2021! This year, 2022, my…

So, we’re heading into the second anniversary of the discovery of COVID-19. None of us expected to be here now, still struggling with health, controversy, restrictions, and even worry and fear. And yet, here we are. But do you know what’s so wonderful about this holiday season in 2021? There are anniversaries that are much, much older than two years!…

For the last 18 months or so, we’ve all been talking a lot about supporting local businesses. Many of us believe passionately in placing our time and money into the places where the owners live here, and the work supports local families. I hope that all of us continue to take the actions that keep our dollars close to home.…

We’re all in a hard place right now. COVID’s still around and affecting nearly everything. Many workplaces are experiencing heightened challenges—everything from worker shortages to supply challenges to just trying to keep up with all the changes. If there was ever a time to look out for the mental wellness of everyone in the organization, it’s now. We’ve talked about…

By: Our friend Van Lint Ineke As we begin to emerge from these very strange times, do you want to invigorate yourself? Do you want to feel life’s energy rushing through yourveins? Do you want to get on track, get going, finally make some real headway and cruise your way through life? Then let me tell you this: in order…

Keeping a journal has many advantages and benefits. Whether you write a few lines or pages, through journaling, you can record and track a lot of information that can be easily retained for future reference. You can actually see what you were thinking because your thoughts and experiences are in a journal. When you commit to writing them down, you…

“Our people are our greatest and most valued asset.” As we head into mental health week today, and year two of a global pandemic, it’s time to have some important conversations and make crucial decisions about how to support both our own mental health and that of all our employees. This year, organizations are realizing the toll that the pandemic…

Recently I was chatting with a few of my colleagues, bemoaning all the limitations the pandemic is putting on our relationships with our clients. We used to take clients out for lunch, dinner, or meet them for coffee, and relax while we built relationships, solved challenges, and grew our businesses. But that’s just not possible anymore. Or is it? While…

“Hello, My Name is Peter and I Make Mistakes” We all do it. We all make mistakes. We’ve all done things we shouldn’t—or wish we hadn’t. Welcome to the human race. A race made up of making small and large mistakes. I often see a sense of relief in people when they finally accept their humanity and give themselves permission…

Part 3 of 3 Don’t Let Your Business Atrophy! After talking about keeping our bodies away from atrophy in Part 1, and then our relationships from the same fate in Part 2, it’s time to talk about the shape of our businesses during this very strange time. I know a lot of you took a virtual ‘kick to the business…

Are You Facing Relationship Atrophy? I suspect at this point in the pandemic we’ve all spent more time in close quarters with our partners, children, roommates, and maybe even parents than we ever believed possible. With the exception of a few people who seemed to absolutely thrive in this new reality, it’s been hard on most relationships. After writing in…

Part 1 of 3 As we continue to live through these current days that will affect our futures, I’ve been thinking back to one of the times in my recent past that still impacts me today. I experienced a serious health crisis a couple of years ago that had me fighting for my life in the ICU for ten days.…