Firehouse Church.
A true-to-the-faith firehouse swirls around one vision, to protect, defend and rescue.
Pit Bulls and Blood Hounds.
If we’re going to lead well, we don’t have time to play the victim.
A few weeks ago I had the humble privilege of engaging a dozen phenomenal seventh and eight grade students. They were part of an inaugural, three-day event called, Team Leadership Initiative. It was an honor to be asked to speak on the topic of, Faith in Leadership. When I teach or present topics I like to make the session interactive since lecture is the least effective way people learn. So, I prepared a skeleton of my presentation, leaving lots of pockets, catalyzed with questions, for discussion.
I arrived with several pages of quotes from well known and not-so-significant leaders. I was very pleased to find a few of the students were familiar with all of the quotes. It was invigorating to interact with and discuss how faith affects leadership. The topic is worth far more than one hour.
However, emerging from the back-and-forth banter was the question of what should the posture be of a leader who finds herself in adverse situations. “Leaders don’t have the luxury of playing the victim,” I said. These words seemed to roll off my tongue as though I’d been saying them for years, but I hadn’t...
Casting a Long Shadow.
Remember, success is intentional!
Well, to be perfectly precise, Sir Winston The Great! He’s our ten-year-old, West Highland Terrier. He’s quite the character. Seventeen pounds of pooch with a ton of passion. He’s the embodiment of the phrase, little body, big heart. We were on a walk the other day, and we stopped for a moment to catch our breath. It was quite warm, and the pavement radiated heat like a furnace. I saw and captured a photo I’m including with this post. It made me think of all the years gone by with this big-hearted dog.
Winston is the second of our two Westies. The older, wiser, more cautious Reilly, aka The Wonderful Mister O’Reilly (it has nothing to do with the political pundit!), is deliberate and calculated. He’s never run into a wall chasing a ball. But he has slid off the edge of the couch while sluggardly sleeping on his back. But Winston, well, let’s put it this way, if Winston were our first dog, we wouldn’t have two...
Not a Snowball's Chance!
Persistence. It doesn't come naturally to everyone. But it's an asset everyone should develop. It often makes the difference between living and thriving!
Where the Buffalo Roam. The Power of Encouragement.
But just because you’re not gifted, or it doesn't come naturally, doesn’t mean you can’t be encouraging. Encouragement can make or break your plans. Don't make excuses, get good at encouraging!
Republic, Republic!
You may not agree with the Pledge of Allegiance, but it contains a truth that many Americans learned in Kindergarten, we are a Republic.
The Cost of Change. Don’t Be A Worm!
Leadership requires that we assist people through healthy, necessary, productive change. To move from one phase to another in life, whether personal or organizational, requires two important truths about change.
How to Tame a Crocodile. Race Relations in America.
Come away from yourselves! Ignore the news reports, stop reading the memes and lock your eyeballs onto another human being! Seek to understand rather than to be understood.
Smooth Operator. The Secret to Conquering Everything!
If you can control your mind, you can control your world. Not the world around you, but the world you live internally. No amount of muscle can do this for you.
Ripe Pep-pahs! Leadership Win!
Key elements in growing ripe peppers, and healthy leaders! Properly responding to leadership fails often results in leadership wins. When we are able to properly help others in achieving their potential, it becomes a win-win! That's what we're shooting for!