Ryan Stephens

The Open Office Lie: How We Killed Focus and Collaboration

Ryan Stephens — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:36:45 +0000

For two decades, companies have worshiped the open office. Tear down the walls, they said. Collaboration will soar. Innovation will flourish. We’ll be one big happy, creative family. It was a seductive story and an expensive mistake. The truth is, open offices were never about collaboration. They were about cost. Knocking down walls meant fitting more people into less space…

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Independence as the Invisible Compass

Ryan Stephens — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:57:52 +0000

Morgan Housel recently wrote about independence. His story was about his shy son working up the courage to buy ice cream on his own. Small moment, big breakthrough. The lesson wasn’t about ice cream—it was about independence. Housel wrote: That line resonates. I’ve recently explored the compass guiding my choices, stared down some of my own shadows, and wrestled with what “freedom”…

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Facing My Shadow: Why I’ve Been Stalling on Freedom

Ryan Stephens — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:23:03 +0000

I’ve always prided myself on being intentional—living dialed in. My days are structured, I try to be a good husband and father, and I spend a lot of time writing about how to juggle work, family, and fitness. But lately, I’ve been sitting with a question: What would happen if I stopped optimizing? If I stopped striving, stopped chasing goals, and just let myself be? Part of me thinks I’d be…

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The Invisible Compass Guiding My Choices

Ryan Stephens — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 21:40:53 +0000

Recently I ran a little experiment on myself. I wanted to see if I could uncover the quiet, underlying belief that shapes my decisions—especially the ones that matter most. To do it, I borrowed a prompt designed for deep self-investigation. Here it is: I answered the questions in sequence, and by the end, one belief stood out. True success must not come at the expense of the moments…

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20 Timeless Mentorship Lessons for Career Growth

Ryan Stephens — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 19:30:49 +0000

Years ago, I attended a mentorship program where senior leaders shared their best advice. At the time, I jotted down as many notes as I could. Revisiting them today, I’m struck by how relevant they still are. Whether you’re just starting your career or you’re in a leadership role yourself, these lessons are timeless reminders about how to learn, grow, and guide others.

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What Game Are You Really Playing? Lessons from Graham Duncan’s “The Playing Field”

Ryan Stephens — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 13:14:55 +0000

Graham Duncan’s article, “The Playing Field,” explores what separates great investors from everyone else. He argues that exceptional investors approach their work like a game—and not just any game, but one they deeply understand, shaped around their own temperament and values. It’s not just about playing well. It’s about knowing what game you’re playing in the first place.

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8 Habits of Highly Creative Communities

Ryan Stephens — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 02:06:26 +0000

In the mid-1980s, David Ogilvy and Ogilvy & Mather created an internal memo titled The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness. This 65-page document wasn’t meant for public consumption—it was crafted to inspire creativity and maintain a culture of excellence after Ogilvy himself stepped away from daily operations. One of its core ideas is divine discontent, a trait shared by top performers and…

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Rest in Peace, Papa (Sonny Sikes Tribute)

Ryan Stephens — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:32:06 +0000

On September 19th, 2023, one of the greatest collegiate cowboys and rodeo coaches of all time, Sonny Sikes, passed away. He was my grandfather. The next day, the following words poured out of me: I knew the days were numbered so we took the kids to visit. It was pure chaos, so I took them down to my parents and came back for a 1:1, and we got to visit, one last time, for over an hour.

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L.N. “Sonny” Sikes: A Legendary Cowboy and Coach

Ryan Stephens — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 02:36:45 +0000

“Sonny” Sikes was a trailblazer in the National College Rodeo Association and a renowned collegiate rodeo coach at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). His life and career impacted countless students, athletes, and admirers of the rodeo. Beyond his professional achievements, Sonny was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

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How to Stop Being a Leadership Bottleneck

Ryan Stephens — Sat, 21 May 2022 03:27:20 +0000

Most leaders don’t realize it, but they often become the biggest obstacle on their own teams. You hire smart, capable people — then insist on reviewing every draft, approving every decision, or signing off on every detail. It feels like protecting quality. In reality, you’re slowing everyone down and eroding trust. Here’s how to recognize the problem and what to do instead.

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