Posts by boblehman
The goal of leadership
President Ronald Reagan once said, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Now that’s a powerful and inspiring statement. It speaks to the core of great leadership. So many of us get our vision clouded by…
Read MoreLeadership never happens in a vacuum
Why are leaders so hard to find? Is that a legit question or is it something people say when they don’t do the hard work of developing leaders in their circles of influence? The answer is “It’s probably both.” On one hand, it’s difficult to find leaders with characteristics like patience, competence, awareness, accountability, dedication,…
Read MoreDumpster diving
I’m sitting in a restaurant looking out the window to a large construction project. There are several enormous dumpsters on the site. It reminds me of an old friend who built an entire storage unit from materials he found “dumpster diving.” For those who are not familiar with the term, let me define it. It’s…
Read MoreA forgotten virtue
There are several virtues that are admired universally. I’m sure you have your list. I’ve got mine. Let’s see if you can identify one of my top values by these examples. A CEO who decides to take a personal pay cut rather than laying off employees. A couple that remains faithful to each other throughout…
Read MoreMonsoon
I live in the Southwest. Every summer around July through September, we experience what climatologists call “Monsoon.” Clouds build up in the afternoon and then a powerful wind followed by lightning and torrential rainfall. It can be spectacular. It can be dangerous. So far, this year’s monsoon is more of a “non-soon.” There are lots…
Read MoreEnvy
This is a blog post for all of us who have experienced jealousy and envy. Let me set up the scenario. You’re a follower of Jesus. As such, you want to make decisions that are in keeping with the phrase, “What would Jesus do.” So you don’t lie, cheat, or steal. You live life with…
Read MoreTrust
Trust is one of those words we often throw into a conversation when we’re uncertain about the future. It’s a great word. It can mean belief, hope, conviction, expectation, dependence, to depend on, to count on, or to be sure about. you get the idea of the depth of this amazing word. In the New…
Read MoreHe holds it all together
It seems like every week I have a “new” favorite song. I’ll share it with you in a sec. But let me begin this blogpost stating the obvious: “It often dawns on me just how significant music is…for all of us.” I read some notable words from Albert Einstein. “If I were not a physicist,…
Read MoreExtending forgiveness
There are lots of things that help relationships. Good communication. Clarity concerning roles. Kindness always helps. But I believe the single greatest item in your relational toolbox is forgiveness. You already know what it feels like to receive it. But, are you aware of the power it has in your life when you extend it…
Read MoreThe value of training
1 Timothy 4:8 says “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” When I came into a vital, personal relationship with Christ, I was heavily involved in collegiate track and field. That verse sounded like it was…
Read MoreMotivation
I try to workout regularly. In fact, I haven’t missed a workout in 4 months. Don’t get too excited. My training times are pretty tame. But I’d like to address something that is truly a “game-changer” for me. I would guess that in the past four months there were many days where working out wasn’t…
Read MoreExpect the unexpected
“Expect the unexpected.” On a surface level, this doesn’t sound like a leadership principle. It’s more of an observation. Life has a way of throwing you curveballs. Nobody “expects” to be in a car accident or to have a global pandemic foisted upon them. But it happens. So where does good leadership fit? Well, consider…
Read More“One bell”
There is an unseen factor that growing businesses and ministries share. The fact is most people ignore it. People will look at any business or a ministry in my world and say, “Why is it growing?” They attribute growth to this or that, but one of the factors that is most commonly overlooked is unity…particularly,…
Read MoreGood leadership requires good preparation
“Tomorrow’s unknown crisis is not something to avoid in fear. It requires our attention and deliberation. We just need to have the courage to face the truth of our future’s uncertainty. We just need to be prepared.” That was a quote from Christopher Manske, an author and investment guru. Good leadership requires good preparation. Even the…
Read MoreFirst impressions
First impressions are lasting impressions. We understand this when we’re dating. But this principle applies throughout your lifetime. Years ago I took my staff to Disneyland. But, it wasn’t just to have a fun time. I wanted my team to deeply understand “customer service” in a ministry setting. By the way, how we treat people…
Read MoreI love my wife
I love my wife with all of my heart. She is the most important person in my life, and I cherish her and every moment I spend with her. Cherishing your spouse is a learned skill as well as a needed component of a successful marriage. Dictionary.com defines “cherish” as “to treasure, to care for,…
Read MoreParkinson’s Law
My dad had Parkinson’s disease. You may know someone who has it. I’ll save the conversation about the condition for a later blog post. Something with the same name sounds like it might be related…but it’s not. It’s something called “Parkinson’s Law”. What is it? It’s the old adage that work expands to fill the…
Read MoreGreat athlete, poor coach
Great athletes don’t always make great coaches. It’s one thing to play a sport with excellence. It’s another thing to teach and show someone else how to do it. Wayne Gretzky, known as “The Great One” in hockey circles had major shortcomings as a head coach. Magic Johnson attempted coaching the L.A. Lakers, but was…
Read MoreBad dream
It’s the middle of the night. You wake up from a dreadful dream. You shake it off, but you just can’t go back to sleep. It’s a common experience with kids, but how about the rest of us? Sometimes those moments in the “wee” hours leave us filled with fear. Thinking about our health, a…
Read MoreWithout hope nothing works
Without hope, nothing works, at least in the “long term.” Dale Carnegie once said,”Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” One of the primary, central themes of the Bible is hope. The need for hope…
Read MoreFortune cookie effect
I read about something leaders call the “Fortune Cookie Effect”. I have never heard the phrase, but I sure have seen it in operation. So have you. Simply put, the “Fortune Cookie Effect” is a prediction that causes itself to become true. Some call it a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’re the one that makes it come…
Read MoreConnections
If you want to influence somebody, first you need to build a connection. Influence presupposes a link, a correlation, a rapport or a bond with the person. When you’re in sync with somebody, you have a better shot at leading.. The over-used word for this is “relationship.” I’m a bit reluctant to use it because…
Read MoreSeeing clearly
Is it OK to admit that I need glasses to read? I’ve been blessed to have 20-20 vision my whole life. Now I can’t read anything without help. I have to admit that it was pretty easy to take good vision for granted. Today however is a different story. As a matter of fact, you…
Read MoreThe fastest path to change
My apologies to so many books on change and there on some good ones. “Switch” by Chip Heath is one. “Who Moved My Cheese” is a classic title. They’re both must reads for any leader, but I found that one of the fastest things you can change in any situation is you. This is a huge…
Read MoreBait and switch
Bait and Switch. You heard the phrase, but what does it mean? Webster defines the phrase as “the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable.” When you’re told one thing, but are delivered something else, you feel “used” or worse –…
Read MoreMy dog died today
My dog died today. There’s not a person in my world who can’t relate with me on some level. Why so much pain? My little dog wasn’t human, so what’s the deal? Why am I feeling such loss? The simple answer is grief. The Bible speaks often and significantly to the grief we all experience.…
Read MoreSmall is the new big
“Orange is the new black”. It’s the title of the 7 season TV series that began in 2013. Interesting title. Let me clarify. The ‘orange’ in the title refers to the color of correctional uniforms the female inmates wear. The ‘is the new black’ is a fashion reference, meaning the new hot thing. “60 is the…
Read MoreLearned helplessness
Helplessness has a few sides to it. There is a “cuteness” to it. We’ll say things like, “Oh look at that poor dog, he looks so helpless.” In those situations, you’re almost compelled to act to help out. There is the side of economic and social loss where someone loses their ability to survive and…
Read MoreWait for the marshmallow
When I was a kid, I would have loved participating in a chocolate cake-eating experiment, but there was no such thing. Believe me, I would have found it. However, there actually was a famous marshmallow-eating experiment conducted at Stanford University. Children were tested to see if they could resist eating a marshmallow. If they could…
Read MoreFind the surprise
Things that surprise us are easier to remember. I was in high school at a Sadie Hawkins dance. Afterward, I took my date for a drive in my Mom’s car. When we stopped, we were leaning against the car. We both commented about how quiet the desert was that night. All of a sudden, above…
Read More