Matt Heemstra 
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison We’ve spent a lot of time on change over the past few weeks. Purposefully looking for change, pushing for change, etc. That’s great, one of our loyal readers said. But change is hard, and quite often it doesn’t work out … Read more
“Most people prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.” – Virginia Satir Last week in this space the conversation was about purposefully looking for change, seeking out change, and how even the best and the brightest will fail if they can’t make change, and how being the best and the brightest today … Read more
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it’s the one that’s most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin I’ve been around a number of leadership teams lately that are extremely impressive for their intelligence. These are people who’ve got years of experience, and they’re extremely knowledgeable about what they … Read more
“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso Many hours have been spent over the years trying to define what characteristics and behaviors define great leaders. Some things show up over and over again – work ethic, intelligence, integrity, etc. Those kinds of things will always matter. The world is always changing, though, and … Read more
“Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” – Mahatma Gandhi Today’s conversation is about something that’s both obvious and incredibly difficult. I’m not sure I have anything wise to add, and I know I don’t have any magic bullet to make it easy. Every human being is unique. Each of them has different … Read more
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu I’ve had a number of conversations lately with leaders whose organizations are going through some chaos. There are lots of reasons for that chaos – changing industry, changing personnel, etc. – but each of them is dealing with … Read more
“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” – Benjamin Mays Leaders are busy. In my entire career I can’t remember ever talking to a leader who was bored, or who said they just didn’t have much to do. Whether business is booming … Read more
“You don’t have to become something you’re not to be better than you were.” – Sidney Poitier Continuous improvement is something that every great leader strives for. They understand that performing at the same level in the same way today that they did ten years ago won’t work. They need to develop new skills, and … Read more
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou Last week in this space the conversation was about how the choices we make are typically not permanent. We can choose, and if things don’t go the way we like, or even if they do, we … Read more
“Life is a series of commas, not periods.” – Matthew McConaughey I recently was fortunate enough to work with a small business that has been experiencing incredible growth. As with all growth, it came with a number of challenges. Those challenges have caused the business to have to come to terms with a number of … Read more
Get to know our proven, forward-thinking accounting, planning and business consulting experts.
1008 Third Avenue Sheldon, Iowa 51201 • (712) 324-4614 & 5130 E. 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108 • (605) 610-4611
© 2025 Cain Ellsworth & Company, LLP
Sheldon:
1008 Third Avenue Sheldon, Iowa 51201 • (712) 324-4614
Sioux Falls:
5130 E. 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108 • (605) 610-4611
© 2017 Cain Ellsworth & Company, LLP
