Better Mondays begin on Sunday. You don’t need a perfect plan. But you do need to start with clarity about where you’re headed. Set the tone. Sharpen the focus. Most of the week’s drama is just poor planning in disguise.

Florida State scheduled an SEC powerhouse. They won a power five conference. They won all their games, overcoming adversity along the way. This isn’t figure skating, judges should never have been a part of it. #FSU #CFP

The four should be the following- *if the committee has any credibility or integrity… 1. Washington 2. Michigan 3. Florida State 4. Texas •Full disclosure…I think the committee has zero credibility or integrity.

Most New Year's Resolutions only last the first three weeks of January, but that doesn't have to be you. I'm thinking about how to turn dreams into reality this year. https://t.co/6zBpiuAqy1

Stories can help you persuade people but you don't need a library of ‘war stories’ to illustrate your point. Asking them to imagine what the future would be like or describing what you think a course of action would entail can be just as effective. https://t.co/1rBJ7on5r2

America’s True Divide: Pluralists vs. Zealots by @BenSasse Go Gators!

Remember: often what we ask people to do in a crisis, or in any high-stakes situation are things they don't want to do. No one wants to go onto prime-time TV and apologize. Or fire their COO. So how do we get them to do the hard things? https://t.co/tHjIv8AxGH

Sometimes, you know your audience is going to need a lot of convincing. That’s when you need to bring your A-game and be your most persuasive. https://t.co/uHAa6J2ay8

To be most effective as advisors and leaders, we need to be inquisitive and curious, innovative and thoughtful, employ great questions, and be deliberate in our decision-making. But if we’re not persuasive, our great ideas will fall on deaf ears. https://t.co/hSAFn9UwGu

Three things that make a big difference to your persuasiveness are your delivery, the stories you tell and how you frame things. https://t.co/4cRhxZp8L2

Complex challenges are difficult enough to solve but allowing biases, group think, and naval gazin to creep in will only make things harder. Ensure you are in the right frame of mind, and clear headed as you tackle your most pressing problems. https://t.co/ymFUbj47Kf

Seeing the sequence ‘circle, triangle, square’ a couple of times might help you identify a pattern to solve a problem. Unfortunately, complex problems aren’t so straightforward so don’t let your patterns lead you astray.

Complex problems require the right mindset and tools to solve because there aren’t any easy answers. Often, your role will be to determine the least bad option and make that work. https://t.co/697ZwfuxtS

Patterns are powerful tools and will form a major part of your toolkit as a strategic advisor and thinker. Just keep their limitations in mind and dedicate time to studying to build your pattern library. https://t.co/n1ixVakE84

Three techniques to help you cultivate a strategic mindset are daydreaming, reading the right books and asking great questions but also paying attention to your environment. A chaotic setting won’t allow you the mental space to think clearly https://t.co/UfTdRgI7V0

A pre-requisite for strategic thinking is distraction-free time. Put aside some 'thinking time' to look at your issues from a strategic perspective. But you don't need hours of Zen-like meditation: even 30 minutes each day will give you enough time. https://t.co/faownXM4e8

Protect yourself and the other decision-makers from distractions when you're trying to conduct strategic thinking. Create space between you and any distractions (and remember that a hangry decision-maker is a poor decision-maker) https://t.co/xYQSTSjzt0

A tactical frame of mind just isn’t going to cut it in some situations.

No matter what you’re doing, always keep the Central Question at the front of your mind. Keep asking “What is the key problem we are trying to solve?” to ensure you don’t lose sight of what’s important. https://t.co/k0UrKAUVTG

The Five Why’s. The ‘R’ Question. The Central Question. These are my favorite great questions: what are yours?