About Michael Hyatt

If you’re an entrepreneur, corporate boss, or ministry leader, chances are good you’re not getting enough sleep. In fact, I’d bet money on it. The national average is short of seven hours a night. And that number, already below the recommended eight, is probably overstated. Why do I think that?

It’s popular to say the customer is always right. It’s also not true. Whether you run a business, nonprofit, or ministry, your team comes first. Get the right team, and you’re off to the races. Hire the wrong team, and you’ll likely move slowly—maybe even backwards. So what’s the trick for getting the best people […]

I am a habitual nap-taker. I take one almost every day and have for years. I used to feel a little guilty about it—like I was slacking off or something. Then Sam Moore, my predecessor at Thomas Nelson, admitted to me he too was a napper. “Every day after lunch, I lie down on the […]

As a leader, the health of your marriage directly affects the impact of your leadership. I have witnessed this time and time again. Being effective at work or in ministry begins by being effective at home. Here’s why.

Recently, my daughter Mary mentioned that she would like to begin speaking professionally. As an accomplished businesswoman and popular blogger, she was routinely on stage, but she was ready to turn pro. She asked for my help. As an amateur-turned-pro myself, I sat down and deconstructed how I got started. I emailed her a simple, […]

If there’s one thing most entrepreneurs don’t lack, it’s ideas. I dream up new products and businesses every week. You’re probably the same way. The problem is lots of ideas aren’t worth pursuing, are they? One major facepalm for me was when we launched the Best Year Ever Leaders Edition last year. Best Year Ever […]

I once had a boss who with the reputation of being very harsh. He could be hard on people. But that wasn’t my experience. Why? I knew the secret. My boss was definitely tough. On a few different occasions I saw him chew a person’s face off. But here’s why: He hated it when someone […]

It’s a little hard to believe, but my new book, Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, is almost here. I wrote it with my friend Daniel Harkavy to help people get from where they are now to where they really want to be—in every area of life. […]

About 150 million Americans make New Year’s resolutions every year. That’s a lot of disappointed people. A quarter of those people will abandon their resolutions in just a week. Fewer than half will still be on track by summer. Ultimately, only 8 percent will be successful. But don’t think about the percentages. Think about all […]

Steve Mura was a Triple-A baseball pitcher. He was starting one night in an away game, but he almost lost before leaving the dugout. Why? “I can never win on this mound,” he told his pitching coach and shook his head. For Mura, the game was already over, and he hadn’t even thrown the first […]

What does it take to accomplish your goals? Some people think it’s mostly about luck, smarts, good looks, and social connections. Nope. Researcher Angela Lee Duckworth studied West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee contestants, teachers in tough schools, and sales peoples, asking who would succeed and why. “In all those very different contexts one characteristic […]

We all dream of great things for our lives, don’t we? A fulfilling marriage, happy kids, a meaningful and profitable career. We all know people who have achieved those things, so we know it’s possible. And the truth is most of us have already experienced more success than we realize. But wherever we are, most […]

We are almost in the holiday season, and that means a lot of great things: fun memories, good food, and more. But it also means a few challenges. You know one of my big ones? Let’s visit the Honest Planet for a minute. It’s awkward conversations. You probably know what I mean. With all the […]

Last week I took my entire team on a Caribbean cruise to mark a major accomplishment. Celebrating success is something I really believe in. Family is also something I really believe in—and that’s why we included not only our employees and key contractors, but also their spouses on the trip. That meant accommodating more than […]

I’m always surprised by what I learn at the movies. I go to be entertained. But many times I walk out of the theater with insights I can put to work in my life. Over the weekend Gail and I saw the new Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway comedy, The Intern. It was great.

Sometimes the best things that happen to us come totally out of the blue. We don’t plan them, seek them, or try to make them happen. They just show up. So how do we make the most of these happy accidents? One of my team members was telling me about a biography of the essayist […]

If you’ve ever worked in retail—and even if you haven’t—you’ve probably heard the phrase, “the customer is always right.” But just because you’ve heard it doesn’t make it true. My daughter Megan enjoys the BBC show, Mr. Selfridge, about pioneering retailer Jeremy Selfridge. Supposedly, he was one of the people to popularize the phrase that […]

I hear from people all the time who feel stuck in bad jobs, bad habits, and bad relationships. And when it comes down to it, I have one single piece of advice. It’s pretty simple, actually. Ready? Here it goes: Stop thinking about it. No, I don’t mean live in denial. What I do mean […]

We’ve all felt it. Right before you try a new idea for the first time, there’s always that moment of panic. Is this really going to work? Is it too late to back out? I say “panic,” but let’s call it what it is: self-doubt. Deep down, whenever you put yourself out there, you secretly […]

I create a lot of content across my blog, podcast, online courses, books, and membership site. And sometimes readers and other content creators wonder about my strategy. The other day I heard from a reader who not only follows my blog and podcast, but is also a Platform University member and follows #VirtualMentor. When he […]

During his recent trip to America, Pope Francis addressed the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. And the truth is leaders of all kinds have a lot to learn from him. Francis is enormously popular. But whatever we personally think about this particular pope—pro or con—or the Catholic Church, it doesn’t change the fact that […]

Is there anything more frustrating than trying to accomplish a big goal with someone who’s negative, unimaginative, and defensive? Thankfully, it’s been a while since I’ve tried. But I’ve had my share in the past, and I can tell you that nothing will kill an organization’s productivity and vision like a can’t-do person. But if […]

When you think about leadership, what’s one word that matters more than almost any others? In his new book, H3 Leadership: Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle, Brad Lomenick says “habit” is the key. More than 40 percent of the things we do throughout the day aren’t the result of decisions, he says. They’re habits. […]

It’s been fascinating to watch Dr. Ben Carson’s recent rise in the polls. Whatever your political bent, he deserves attention. What’s his secret? The deck was certainly stacked against him. He grew up in dire poverty, raised by a single mom in Detroit, Michigan. Success wasn’t even on the radar. I had the honor of […]