Century News, Insights, & Stories
Discover the latest news, insights, and stories from the Century Team.
The Wolf Is Coming
Joe asked me with a hint of laughter: “You riled up?!” I was. It had been a stressful day. A competitor backed up the dump truck with a pile of money and was trying to poach some of our team as we're heading into the busiest part of our season.
What Happens When You Treat Humanity Like Strategy — Not Sentiment
Some books make you feel good. Others make you feel responsible. Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman is both — but mostly the latter.
Why Looking Weird Might Be Your Competitive Advantage
As a family business steward, here's how I respond to the outside world: “I don't care how it looks — I care that we build with care for long-term people.”
The Rhumba Approach for Tough Conversations
I was being called onto the dance floor on a Friday night. Five years of fatherhood means I have no moves, no rhythm, and I'm tired. Leave me alone with my old fashioned.
What Do You Stand For?
If we want to transcend generations, our actions must align with standing for others. Transcending generations isn't just a competitive advantage in business — it's the most incredible leadership journey you can take. It brings Sunday into Monday.
The $3.2 Billion Regret
Larry Miller confessed: “If there is one thing I'd do differently — only one — it's this: I would have been there for the Little League games and the scraped knees and the back-to-school nights.”
The Honor of Getting It Wrong
Oops. I accidentally sent you half an email. Half an email. Half a foundation. Half a message — with no takeaways.
What Starbucks Taught Me About Building With Heart
Most builders are in a hurry. But one of the best parts about leading in a family business? We don’t have to play that game. That’s why It’s Not About the Coffee by Howard Behar is one of the most important leadership books I’ve ever read.
The Question That Stopped Our Shop Cold
“Who bears the burden of your bad day at work?” Thirty seconds of silence. You could hear the hum of machinery. The shuffle of boots. The weight of truth settling in. Then, a couple brave voices: “Our families.”
Every Good Endeavor - When Your Work Becomes Your Worship
Do you have a job? Or do you have a vocation? That’s the question at the heart of Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller — a book that radically reshaped how I think about work, meaning, and legacy.
Warren Buffett’s Greatest Advantage — And What It Means for Family Businesses
If you run a family business, there’s no one more worth studying than Warren Buffett. He’s one of the greatest compounders of all time — not just of money, but of meaning.
What 8 Unlikely CEOs Taught Me About Building a Legacy
If you lead a family business, odds are you’re playing a different game than most CEOs. You’re not just chasing results. You’re shaping a legacy. And legacy demands a different kind of thinking. That’s why I love The Outsiders by Will Thorndike — a generous, clear-eyed study of eight unconventional CEOs who outperformed their peers by a mile.
Why Turning Pro Is a Mindset Every Legacy Leader Needs
Thinking in centuries requires a different mindset. One that doesn’t just reject the quick win — but learns to love the long game. That’s why Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield hit me so hard.
The Book I Needed the Day My Mom Died
A few hours after I got the call about my mom’s passing, I boarded a flight home. Numb. Tired. Hollow. I didn’t know what to do with the grief in my chest. So I grabbed a book off my shelf. That book was When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi.
This Is the Book I Reread Every December
Every December since 2021, I’ve reread the same book. Not out of routine — but because it recalibrates something in me. It brings me back to the kind of builder I want to be. The book is BE 2.0 by Jim Collins.
The Mountain I Didn’t Know I Was Climbing
Some books change the way you think. Others change the way you live. The Second Mountain by David Brooks did both for me.
Building Four Seasons with the Wisdom of The Untethered Soul
Leadership isn’t something you do to the world. It’s something you build inside yourself, because real leadership starts within. That’s why I love The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.
Insights on How Isadore Sharp Built the Four Seasons
Great things don’t happen fast. They happen faithfully. That’s why I love coming back to this story of Isadore Sharp, founder of Four Seasons.
How Morgan Housel’s Three Rules of Life Impacted Me
Morgan Housel is a prolific author: Psychology of Money and Same as Ever I’ll dive into these books in a later weekly note because these are phenomenal books helping us tap into the beauty and power of thinking for the long-term.
Michael Dell Focused on WHO not HOW
Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies, did an impromptu drop-in at someone’s house that he admired and looked up to: “Would you like to be president of my company PC’s Limited?”
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Open Heart Habits
We talked a couple weeks ago about Bill Walsh’s insight that the best leaders overflow with a positive inner voice—and they even help others improve their inner voice. Leadership is an inside job. I’m becoming more and more aware of the inner roommate that sits with me all day influencing my thoughts, which in turn influences my actions.
What Thinking in Centuries Looks Like
What does thinking in centuries look like? Imagine building in such a way that the foundation can last for those who come many generations from now— holding at the forefront how present choices compound for decades.
How Bill Walsh Unlocked the 49ers’ Potential
After two weeks reflecting on Walsh’s leadership, here’s what I see...
Bill Walsh’s Darkest Professional Moment Shaped Him
If we didn’t have setbacks and challenges we would not know what we are capable of.
What’s It Like Around Here?
Work is the opportunity to serve while being seen, heard, and accepted. I believe that is what we all want at the end of our life, I know I do.
Do Not Dim Your Light
Wear your cape this week even if that is as simple as a smile in a room of strangers. Be bold enough to be you.
Disney is Playing the Long Game
Disney is playing the long game. They are sitting on fantastic stories, allowing the tailwinds of the world to carry them forward.
Loving Those You Did Not Choose
I stumbled into a powerful quote by Arthur Brooks book, Build The Life You Want, about family relationships that I feel called to share with you today.
Without Hands or Legs, Chad Hymas Travels the World Changing Lives
2024 was a hard year. At Century, we faced profound loss—three teammates taken from us far too soon.
Steph Curry Didn’t Do It Alone
No one does it alone. I think about my journey thus far and I’m a turtle on a fence post. (I didn’t get there alone!)
Warren Buffett Stepping into a Crisis
Learn what Warren Buffett kept as the top priority amidst a scandal during an investment decision.
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What I Needed to Hear Last Week
It’s easy to forget what or who we are building for, This parable (a gift from my wife) reminds us to build wisely.
Why Hermès Is SIX Generations Strong
How do you create something that will stand a generation or two (or more) from now?
Vivid Visions: Where are you going?
With our limited days in life, a vision which requires everyone to seek their potential is a vision worth pursuing.