When we think of leadership, we think of lots of “one to many” activities: speaking. Vision-casting. Edifying. Informing. Directing. But one of the often-overlooked “many to one” activities is that of listening. Leaders must listen....
Before you’re too quick to scold a volunteer for something that they didn’t do (but you wanted ’em to), or something that they did do (but you didn’t want ’em to), maybe you should start...
At the time of this writing, I’m a little over a month into a new (temporary) gig as a Guest Services Director (GSD) at our newest campus. We’re still trying to hire an actual GSD,...
…but I can carry you.” So goes the tear-jerking line spoken by Samwise the Brave near the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. As a part of this summer’s...
I am the veteran of three teenage drivers, and – at the time of this writing – just four short years from the fourth. State Farm has happily taken dump trucks full of my money...
In the last post, we began to unpack the statement “Your alternate agenda is not welcome here.” While it may sound like the epitome of arrogance, I listed three reasons why alternate agendas can’t fly....
“Your alternate agenda is not welcome here.” At first glance, that statement sounds like the epitome of arrogance. The ultimate exclusionary tactic. The words of someone fearful of losing power or influence. Especially if those...
One of the books on my summer reading list is The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. While I’m not quite finished with...
Many of us carry the title of leader, but we don’t often hold the posture of a leader. In other words, we’re more comfortable doing rather than developing. But a real leader will intentionally develop...
In work and in life, we are going to have to deal with stuff that frustrates us. More accurately, we’ll have to deal with people who frustrate us. Maybe it’s their work style, or their...
