Stop Playing It Safe. Own Bigger Goals and the Results They Create 🎯 🚀 💪

Playing it safe is a decision, and sometimes it’s the riskiest one you can make. There are certainly times when avoiding failure is the responsible thing to do. But don’t make the mistake of believing that responsibility always means caution.

Aiming low is a clever way to avoid embarrassment. If expectations are modest, disappointments usually are too. But if you're going to act, aim high and give it your best. Once you've decided to act, the next responsibility is how boldly you act. Take responsibility not only for trying, but for what you are willing to attempt.

In my experience, that's often easier said than done.

After rejoining Wynn following the sale of Mirage Resorts to MGM, my role was to recruit a new team of executives and mid-level managers to replace those who had chosen to remain with them. These were talented people who had helped us through three previous openings. Their experience had been one of our greatest advantages, and their absence would now be one of our greatest challenges.

We could have limited ourselves to those who wanted to join us and filled positions as quickly as possible. Instead, we raised the recruiting bar. To meet the demands of Wynn's new vision, we needed an entirely new generation of leaders and team members with the skills, stamina, courage, and drive to help us create what we hoped would be our best resort yet. Many were people we didn't know, and who didn't yet know us or the extraordinarily high standards we demanded of ourselves.

If we were going to ask people to build something extraordinary, then every interaction they had with us had to demonstrate what extraordinary looked like. We designed a recruitment campaign that captured their imagination, an applicant tracking system that reflected our service standards, a recruitment center that showcased our culture, orientation sessions that rivaled the best shows and showrooms, an onboarding process that treated employees like the guests they would ultimately serve, training that prepared them to excel, and team-building experiences that helped transform individuals into championship contenders.

I was nervous. We had already achieved operating and service standards that were the envy of the industry, and expectations were that we would outperform our own reputation. But I knew that aiming anywhere but high simply wouldn't do. Not for Wynn. Not for our guests. Not for the industry. And certainly not for the employees who believed that, together, we could accomplish something special.

It reminds me of Babe Ruth in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, pointing toward the stands at Wrigley Field while enduring the taunts of the opposing team before hitting the next pitch out of the park. Whether the story has grown larger with time almost doesn't matter. What endures is the image of someone willing to publicly commit to an ambitious outcome and accept the risk that comes with it.

Ownership means accepting responsibility not only for the effort you give, but also for the size of the opportunity you're willing to pursue. There are times when restraint is the responsible choice. But there are other times when your experience, preparation, and potential demand something more.

Know the difference between reckless risk and worthy ambition. Then, when the moment comes, swing for the bleachers. Starting today.

Bruce Lee[b] (1940 – 1973): Hong Kong and American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker regarded as the first global Chinese film star and one of the most influential martial artists in the history of cinema.

Own the Change ⚖️ Accept the Risk 🔥 Lead the Way 🚀

Nothing changes while you're waiting for something to change. Choice without action is merely intention. Don't just hope for change, take responsibility for creating it.

You can't complain if you're unwilling to move. Sometimes, however, moving forward takes courage. When an idea challenges the status quo, resistance is inevitable. The key is not to retreat when that happens, but to stay informed, listen carefully, and build support one step at a time. I've learned that people become believers when they can see progress for themselves.

That was certainly my experience advocating for and implementing a paperless HR environment. The concept was unfamiliar to many, and skepticism was natural. Success came not from forcing change, but from demonstrating it. By moving deliberately, proving what was possible, and building consensus along the way, doubters gradually became supporters.

Throughout my career, accepting responsibility has often meant making difficult choices and then having the courage to act on them.

When the question of unionization arose prior to the opening of Mirage, there were strong opinions on every side. While many favored remaining union-free, the research suggested that working collaboratively with Nevada's primary labor organization made sound business sense. Through honest negotiations, we established a partnership that benefited both sides and ultimately set a standard for progressive labor-management relations.

Later, when large-scale staffing challenges forced us to rethink traditional recruitment practices, we pioneered the hiring of first-time felons seeking a genuine second chance. Making that happen required collaboration with legal, security, and regulatory stakeholders. Rather than accepting the limitations of conventional thinking, we focused on finding a responsible path forward. The result was a win for our organization, a win for families, and a win for the communities we served.

In these examples, I accepted responsibility for leading significant change, but I also accepted the risks that came with it. My reputation and career were tied to the outcome. I mention that not to boast, but to make an important point. Ownership is more than having an idea. It is being willing to stand behind that idea when the outcome is uncertain.

People are far more likely to support change when they see that you are personally committed to its success. When you are willing to accept accountability, others become more willing to do the same.

The lesson is simple: stay positive, remain flexible, build consensus, and keep moving forward. Not every effort will succeed, but fear of failure should never become an excuse for inaction.

Be proactive. Be active. Take ownership of the change you want to see. Starting today.

Octavia Spencer (born 1970): American actress and author. She is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. 

The Life You Want Begins With the Decisions You Make Today. 🚀🎯🌟

Every ‘yes’ you give your life is also a ‘no’ to something else. Be careful what you keep choosing because eventually your choices become your life. They form the basis of how others view and perceive us.

Once someone accepts ownership, they need to recognize that it expresses itself through decisions. Responsibility isn't merely accepting consequences; it's also having the courage to choose differently when the current path no longer serves them. Our decisions are consequential, not casual, and we are accountable for where they lead.

Too many people spend years wishing they had made a different choice when what they really need is the courage to make a new one.

Few decisions have a greater impact on our happiness than where we invest our time and talents. That's where the recruiter in me has a few thoughts:

• Career choices can be hard – there may not be enough information readily available to make a well-informed decision. The internet contains a wealth of information that wasn't easily accessible when I was starting out. I made appointments with professionals in fields that interested me, and many allowed me to shadow them and get answers to my questions. School counselors also helped me dig deeper and either confirm or challenge my thinking. In later years, I've encouraged employers to make presentations in middle and high schools to expose young people to the many career opportunities available to them.

• Job choices may be even more critical – do your research on the companies that interest you, ask thoughtful questions during interviews, and treat the process with the importance it deserves. Call back and ask to speak with potential managers to learn more about their leadership style and expectations. Whenever possible, talk to current employees to gain insight into the workplace and its culture. The more informed you are, the fewer surprises you'll encounter later.

It's best to go into a new job with positivity, enthusiasm, and the confidence that comes from doing your homework. The information you gain from the efforts above will help you do exactly that. But like most things in life, the satisfaction, fulfillment, advancement, and loyalty you experience will be influenced by how much you invest in your work. Ask questions, do more than what's required, and take pride in what you do.

Because we own our lives, our decisions matter. Right or wrong, they're ours. We must keep our eyes and ears open to what's happening around us and be willing to adjust as circumstances change. Don't be afraid to speak up when it's needed and remain flexible. Change seems to be one of life's constants and managing it rather than resisting it will help us continue to find joy in what we do.

You owe it to yourself to love what you do or change it. Starting today.

Charles Michael “Chuck” Palahniuk (born 1962): American novelist who describes his work as transgressive fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two adult coloring books, as well as several short stories.

Accountability Starts with the Person in the Mirror 🪞💡🚀

The hardest person to hold accountable is usually the one in the mirror. If your life isn’t going the way you want, you may need to stop looking for someone else to blame.

That immediately removes family, bosses, colleagues, circumstances, bad luck, and other excuses from center stage. That doesn’t mean everything that happens to us is our fault. It means what we do about it is still our responsibility. As with the good things that happen in our lives, we own the mistakes and what we learn from them. The good news is that there is power in that.

Before people can talk about choices, effort, setbacks, or progress, they must establish ownership as a starting point. Especially at work. Countless things happen every day, and transparency and ownership are critical to keeping things moving. Communication must move in every direction. Real-time awareness, continuous learning, and ongoing adjustments must occur. Intentionally.

That allows people and groups to shift from “things happen to me” to “what will I do about what happens?”

One week before Wynn Las Vegas was to open, Mr Big himself found something wrong. Was it in design or construction? Didn’t matter. It was one of those moments when everyone was looking at each other and thinking. Fingers could have been pointed. Instead, solutions were found. Jackhammers started later that day, and the mistake was corrected.

Effective leaders make that happen. That’s ownership.

But ownership also requires an environment where people can tell the truth. If admitting a mistake is more dangerous than hiding one, problems get swept under the rug. Psychological safety and emotional intelligence aren’t separate from accountability; they help make it possible. Otherwise, we give up on our objectives about customer experiences. And that’s not worth it.

Not just in billion-dollar casinos, but in all the small things people do every day in businesses big and small.

When something goes wrong today, resist the temptation to find the guilty party. Find the next right move. Then own it. Starting today.

Allanah Hunt:  Life Coach & Law of Attraction Coach

Turn Mutual Trust and Loyalty into Extraordinary Performance 🚀 🎯 ⭐

"A healthy loyalty is not passive and complacent, but active and critical." Harold Laski

The highest form of loyalty isn't blind agreement. It's mutual trust that fosters candor, engagement, innovation, discretionary effort, and ultimately, excellence.

It's the kind of trust that allows people to challenge one another, grow together, and pursue excellence as a team. That was the challenge when launching Mirage, Bellagio, and Wynn: bringing together an entire management team during the year before opening, many of whom had never worked together before. While each leader had specific responsibilities for their department, they also had to learn how to collaborate across functions and collectively solve the countless challenges that arise when building a world-class organization from the ground up.

Rather than being dispersed throughout a fully operating resort, those twelve months were spent working in close proximity. They learned about each other's strengths, experiences, and perspectives. They built cross-functional relationships, personal connections, and a shared commitment to success. Over time, they developed loyalty to one another and to the mission they were working toward together.

That mutual loyalty unleashed extraordinary performance and demonstrated what becomes possible when authentic two-way loyalty exists. People became more willing to share ideas, help one another, and tackle challenges collectively. They recognized that the strength of the team consistently exceeded the capabilities of any individual contributor.

While this was taking place, the company supported their success in a myriad of ways. In addition to providing the training, tools, and resources they needed, we maintained a steady cadence of communication about mission, vision, policy, process, and people. Employees were kept informed about major developments, milestones, and decisions, creating a sense of inclusion, ownership, and commitment. People are far more likely to invest in an organization when they feel trusted enough to be kept in the loop.

Building teams isn't just about morale-building activities or creating a pleasant work environment. It's a deliberate strategy for increasing performance, strengthening commitment, and cultivating loyalty. Whether you're hiring one employee or one thousand, the principle remains the same: engage with people professionally and personally, demonstrate genuine care for their success, and nurture the loyalty they begin to feel in return.

Apply the same Golden Rule we rely on in our personal lives to the workplace. Treat people with respect, support their growth, and show them through your actions that they matter. The loyalty you build won't be passive or complacent. It will be active, critical, and capable of achieving extraordinary things.

Starting today.

Harold Laski (1893 – 1950): English political theorist and economist, served as the chairman of the British Labour Party (1945 to 1946) and was a professor at the London School of Economics.

Build Loyalty One Employee, One Day, at a Time 👥 ❤️ 🌱

The moment leaders begin taking loyalty for granted is often the moment they begin losing it.

Loyalty isn't something leaders earn once and keep forever. It must be cultivated continuously through actions that build trust, commitment, and connection.

I'm a Baby Boomer and much has been written about how my generation stayed with employers because loyalty mattered. It was often less about how much we enjoyed the job and more about pride, commitment, and character. While that perspective still exists today, workforce expectations have evolved significantly across generations.

Today's organizations are comprised of employees with different experiences, motivations, and communication styles. Younger generations, particularly Gen Z, place a high value on authenticity, flexibility, personal well-being, and meaningful relationships with their leaders. They are independent and pragmatic, and they expect leadership to feel genuine rather than transactional.

The lesson for leaders is not that loyalty matters less. It's that loyalty may need to be built differently.

As leadership continues to evolve, loyalty is increasingly strengthened through personal relationships, meaningful conversations, and an understanding of individual needs. Leaders who develop their emotional intelligence and servant leadership skills are better equipped to create those connections. They recognize that loyalty is often built one employee at a time.

The strongest leaders understand that loyalty is never inherited from yesterday's success. It is earned through today's actions. They invest in people, listen carefully, adapt when necessary, and remain attentive to what matters most to their employees.

Don't take loyalty for granted. Continue earning it. Continue strengthening it. Continue investing in it.

Because loyalty is not a reward for what you've done in the past. It's the result of how you lead today.

Natasha Katherine Pulley (born 1988): British author best known for her debut novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, which won a Betty Trask Award.

Want Loyal Employees? Be Loyal to Them First 🤝 ❤️ 🌟

Loyalty must be intentionally developed. Employee loyalty is never created by accident; it is cultivated through deliberate leadership and consistently meaningful experiences.

You can certainly get employees started on the right foot, but building a case for loyalty should not be left to chance. Most organizations already possess the tools needed to foster loyalty. The real question is whether they are willing to make it a strategic priority. In a very competitive market, for employees and customers alike, the companies that do have a natural advantage.

Loyal employees choose to exceed expectations, deliver superior products and services, focus relentlessly on customer satisfaction, and actively contribute to their organization's reputation and success.

Creating that kind of loyalty can't be bought. Yes, you must have competitive wages and benefits, but more importantly you must have a culture of excellence where employees are wanted, treated fairly, acknowledged, trusted, and respected. That's what attracts someone to your company, and that's what will retain them. And retention is a good way to measure loyalty.

It's also a measure of your loyalty to them. It says you like, trust, and respect them. It proves you want them on your team for the long haul. Thought of that way, it's an investment with a great ROI.

This isn't rocket science. I learned this at Wynn, where our annual retention rates were above 90% and our service scores were legendary. It takes focus and discipline, but if excellence is your goal, start by building a culture that earns loyalty every day.

Craig Groeschel (born 1967) American minister, author, and speaker who is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, an American evangelical multi-site church with locations in 12 U.S. states.