Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’
No neutrality
Throughout the Bible, one truth stands out: God’s people were known by clear convictions. Their decisions, commitments, and conversations reflected an unwavering understanding of right and wrong because they reflected an unwavering commitment to God. Our culture, however, often values ambiguity. Many avoid taking a clear stand for fear of offending someone, facing criticism, or…
Read MoreLead with your words
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 MoreHonest leadership
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’s two for a punchout list for you to consider. Don’t take credit for someone else’s work or accomplishments. I happened to…
Read MoreWhat happens when leaders don’t lead well?
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, and there is little or no motivation for anyone looking to them. It’s been said,…
Read MoreGet after it
“Act like a man.” “Man up.” “Get after it.” “Step up.” There have been more than one occasion when I’ve used phrases like those. I enjoy encouraging and challenging men. Most men possess a profound sense of purpose. While this is true for everyone, I’ve found men often need reminders. Putting it another way: We…
Read MoreInspiration and Vision
One of the thoughts that often haunts me when I step up to teach is the sobering reality that I may have just spent an hour of someone’s life that they will never get back. In a world where “time” has become the ultimate currency, every minute matters. To speak without clarity, inspiration, or purpose…
Read MoreWhat Lies Within Us
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford There’s deep truth in Henry Ford’s words. Our thoughts shape our direction. Our mindset determines how we use the one resource we can never replenish — time. If we believe our moments matter, we’ll approach them with purpose and presence.…
Read More“Farm teams”
I had the privilege of serving as the chaplain for one of the “farm teams” of the Milwaukee Brewers’ MLB organization. When discussing the development of talent and leadership, several terms can be used instead of “farm team.” But they all function to develop young players and prepare them for careers in the MLB. Developing…
Read MoreDeadlines
Deadlines. I don’t know about you, but it seems that my life is constantly driven by deadlines. I need to get this done, finish this project, read this book, and all of these things, plus a myriad of other tasks, are all pushed forward by a looming deadline. Now, let’s clarify what a deadline is.…
Read MoreWe get to choose
Growing in leadership requires personal commitment. Most people understand this. But, applying this to ‘church world’ takes it to another level. It requires a spiritual commitment and personal choices associated with it. Choices determine your character. Your character is shaped by the day-to-day decisions and challenges you face. If that is true (and I believe…
Read MoreBe a goldfish
Some of you might have heard of Ted Lasso. He was the lead character in a sports comedy-drama television series. It was based on a character who was formally an American college football coach and was hired to coach an English soccer team. Most expected him to fail miserably, but his leadership, optimism, and humor…
Read MoreLeadership and relationships
Leadership in the corporate world tends to be very sterile. To put it another way, it’s often without emotions. Here’s the premise: “Don’t get wrapped up in relationships when it comes to leadership because decisions have to be made. Sometimes they’re unpopular, people get hurt, and feelings become a factor.” However, I believe there is…
Read MoreEntitled
I’m on a flight to Portland, Oregon as I write this blog. It’s fascinating to watch people on a plane or at the airport. There’s the hurry up and wait group. There’s the anxious group. There’s the business person who’s finishing up last minute touches on a presentation. I often have a front row seat…
Read More“Atomic Habits”
Catchy book titles grab my attention. That’s the case with the book Atomic Habits. I discovered one fresh insight that was worth reading the entire book. Here it is: Whether good or bad, habits accumulate. They have a compounding influence I did not think about before. Positive habits associated with productivity, knowledge, and relationships can…
Read MoreThe Zeigarnik effect
Chances are high that you’ve never heard of Lithuanian-Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik. I never have either, but I have heard of something called the Zeigarnik effect. This occurs when an activity you’re doing has been interrupted. This principle states that the interruption will make the activity more easily remembered. Recently it has been called the…
Read MoreReflection
An important part of each day is a moment of reflection. It is the time to pause and take stock of your day. It is the time to think about what has gone well, and what could be done better. It is a time to acknowledge and appreciate the progress you have made, and a…
Read MoreMake your bed
You might have seen the viral video of Admiral William H. McRaven. He delivered the commencement address in May 2014 to the graduates of the University of Texas. He is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command. The speech’s theme was this:…
Read MorePatience problems
It would be fascinating to graph the ups and downs of my life. It certainly would not be a flatline. My graph would be wrought with peaks and valleys. Many of “my valleys” have to do with patience or more accurately, my lack of patience. I just lost it again. My wife encroached on “my…
Read MoreStrengths 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…
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