The Undivided Life Blog

“I can’t believe your team is attempting to automate part of my job. Meet me in the parking lot after work, and I’ll show you what I think of your plan.”

I was reading an...

We were several hours into a very productive exercise to establish the company’s core values, and it looked like we were headed for extra innings as we sensed that something was still...

It’s 98 degrees outside, and once again, I am drenched head to toe in sweat as I reinforce yet another section of our fence. This is the third time I’ve been called to the pasture to...

“I don’t get it. Why would Undivided Life purchase a construction company?”

That is the second most common response when people hear that Undivided Life acquired McKnight...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...