Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’
Strengths and Weaknesses
Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. This is no great insight. What is interesting to investigate is how we use our strengths and weaknesses in leadership situations. I was taught years ago that it is important to know what you do well, but not to work at making your strengths even stronger. I was taught to…
Read MoreThe 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 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 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 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 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 MoreWhat do I need to focus on?
With every “smartphone” update, there are new features to try out. My latest update features a way to “focus” your attention on a specific project without distractions. This is really helpful for me given my propensity to wander. But, it reminded me of the importance of figuring out “what do I need to focus on?”…
Read MoreWant to improve your leadership?
Most of my real estate friends would agree with this statement: “The three most important words in real estate are – location, location, location.” To be sure, location is huge in both residential and commercial sales. That being said, “What might be the three most important words in developing and growing in leadership?” Most experts…
Read MoreWith words, leaders lead
I attended a Bible study with CEO’s and other leaders from the Phoenix area. The theme of the study was this: “Words are the most powerful tool of leadership.” That thought has stayed with me. With words, armies march. With words, peace starts. With words, love begins. With words, relationships end. And with words, leaders…
Read MoreAvoiding the wrong things
Leadership understandably means doing the right things and making the right decisions. But have you considered that equally important is making sure you don’t do the wrong things? These may be obvious, but here are two for a punchout list for you to consider. Don’t take credit for someone else’s work or accomplishments. I happened…
Read MoreWhen character is lost
Billy Graham said many profound things, but among them was this statement, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.” Why is it that character plays such a huge part in leadership? Character is fundamental to effective leadership because good character builds…
Read MoreLead like a shepherd
What happens when leaders don’t lead well? It’s a great question. You can see it all over the place. It doesn’t take great insight to see the results. Usually, there is a lack of direction, decisions are delayed or avoided, there is little or no motivation for anyone looking to them. It’s been said, “Everything…
Read MoreFrustrated
Life is fascinating. It doesn’t always seem to turn out the way you expected. My dad and I went camping every summer. I can remember the preparation checklist for camping…tent, lantern, sleeping bags, food, and fishing gear. One summer, we checked all the boxes preparing for our trip…except one…excessive rain. It rained so much, that…
Read MoreGeneration to generation
Christine Caine shared this story at Catalyst West Coast. In the 2000 Olympics in Australia & 2004 Olympics in Athens & 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 4×400 meter Women’s Relays, the American team should have won each time. They had the best individual runners and had the best record of any other team. They lost…
Read MoreUnchecked power
The Godfather was brought to life by Francis Ford Coppola. It was a fascinating case study on how power corrupts. Michael Corleone’s rise and fall is a case in point. His character starts off as an average soldier, and slowly he gets pushed by family business into a merciless murderer with no moral compass. Although…
Read MoreLead, follow or get out of the way
You’ve probably heard the quotation before, “Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way. Pretty bold statement. The quote is widely attributed to Thomas Paine but most scholars disagree because the quote doesn’t appear in any of his writings. However, it is attributed to General George S. Patton and the former Chrysler executive Lee Iacocca.…
Read MoreWhat’s the minimum required?
Most of us think that in order to make a big impact in our world, we must graduate at the top of our class. Or we must have extraordinary talents. Or we must have a large bank account. Those are great things and they can certainly be used to make a difference for good in…
Read MoreLoving the mundane
Love should be experienced. Let me explain. We can say we love a job. What does that mean? I believe it has to do with the joy you receive from the work you do as well as the passion you have for engaging in it. Without love, life is rather mundane. Jennifer Williamson once said,…
Read MoreRespect in the workplace
There is a myth floating around some leadership circles. The myth sounds something like this: “Once you’re elevated to a position of leadership, you no longer have anything to do with ‘small’ tasks.” Menial tasks are seen as “below” your new paygrade. It’s just not true. Young leaders can fall into the trap of “disrespect for others.”…
Read MoreSharpen the axe
As I write this blog today, I’m watching two guys dig a swimming pool. That’s right. I said, “two people digging a swimming pool.” In fact, these two people dug the entire pool in an afternoon. This is a big pool and not a little pond. Without sounding too obvious…”How did two men dig a huge…
Read MoreConvenience
Life is hard and most of us realize that. Our culture is driven to make things more convenient. Smartphones, smart speakers, smart everything :-). I’m just thinking, all these conveniences that are smart just might make you dumber. Why is that? Convenient shortcuts (and we all love them) short circuit the process used to grow…
Read MoreMoney and leadership
In today’s world you will hear the phrase “follow the money” especially as it relates to politics or corporate decision-making. That expression is a catchphrase came from the 1976 film All the President’s Men, which suggested that political corruption can be exposed by investigating money transfers between parties. Money itself is neutral but it wields enormous power. Ayn Rand once…
Read MoreCompletely humble and gentle
Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Ephesus exhorts Christ-followers to “be completely humble and gentle.” That’s a curious phrase. To be completely “anything” requires a total commitment. You see in reality, I’m sometimes humble and sometimes gentle, except…
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