Start with the Hard Task

Cathie Leimbach • February 4, 2025

Rory Vaden, a well-known author and speaker, highlights a common challenge many face: avoiding hard tasks or jobs we don’t enjoy. This avoidance can be one of the biggest barriers to achieving our goals. Instead of tackling these important tasks, we often find ourselves busy with less significant activities, distracting ourselves without even realizing it.


Many people fall into the trap of responding to urgent tasks and interruptions, which can lead us away from what truly matters. For example, we might spend hours answering emails or checking social media, thinking we’re being productive, but we’re actually avoiding the important work that needs to be done.


To overcome this challenge, Vaden suggests being disciplined about our time. One effective strategy is to decide to tackle important tasks early in the day when our energy and focus are at their peak. By prioritizing these tasks, we set ourselves up for success and make significant progress toward our goals.



Staying focused on what matters most is essential for high achievement. With practice, we can learn to recognize our avoidance behaviors and develop habits that help us stay on track, ensuring we use our time and energy wisely to accomplish what truly counts.

The Performance Gap: Why Half Your Team is Burning Out

By Cathie Leimbach • September 30, 2025
Based on insights from James Hewitt's "Regenerative Performance" Something's not adding up in today's workplace. While companies demand more from their teams, the results tell a concerning story. Research shows that 50% of employees now show clear signs of burnout, and an alarming 73% feel disconnected from their work. James Hewitt, performance expert and author of "Regenerative Performance," points to a critical mismatch. We're asking people to perform at peak levels without giving them what they need to recover and recharge. Think of it like a smartphone. You can't expect your phone to run at full power all day without plugging it in. Yet that's exactly what we're doing to our workforce. We pile on meetings, deadlines, and pressure while cutting back on the very things that restore energy: breaks, development time, and meaningful connection. The solution isn't working less—it's working smarter. Hewitt's research reveals that sustainable high performance comes from balancing intense effort with intentional recovery. Teams that build in time to recharge actually outperform those that push through exhaustion. Smart leaders are already making the shift. They're protecting their people's energy as carefully as they manage their budgets. Because burned-out employees don't just hurt themselves—they hurt the bottom line too. Want to dive deeper into this issue? View The Burnout Crisis to understand the full scope of this workplace challenge. "Sustainable high performance comes from the rhythm of oscillation—not from the intensity of effort alone." —James Hewitt

Why Boring Beats Brilliant

By Cathie Leimbach • September 23, 2025
Craig Groeschel's Blueprint for Real Leadership