Leadership and Main: A Blog on Leadership in Local Communities

Fire is Dangerous, Home is Safe

James Albright 06.14.2021

Fire is dangerous, home is safe. I had made the drive down McPhail Drive thousands of times in my life. I rode the school bus home from Acworth Elementary this way, rode home with my dad from ball games this way, rushed home to make curfew as a teenager this way, and drove with anticipation of telling my parents they were going to be grandparents this way. One fateful Thursday morning, the drive down the road was very different. I was wrapping up a breakfast meeting. I try my best to not check my phone when I am in a meeting. Since it was the first day

Ike

James Albright 06.07.2021

General Dwight David Eisenhower, or also known as “Ike,” is one of the most underrated leaders the free world has ever seen. Two weekends ago, our country celebrated Memorial Day. Tucked in behind Memorial Day, unfortunately a lesser celebrated event, is the anniversary of D-Day. On June 6, 1944 allied forces under the leadership of General Eisenhower executed one of the largest coordinated military operations in world history, code named Operation Overlord. My grandfather, known to us as Paw Paw, instilled in me a great love of history, specifically World War II. A couple of years ago, I read the book by Stephen Ambrose called The Supreme Commander.

Some Gave All

James Albright 05.31.2021

“All gave some, some gave all.” Most would know country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus for his hit song Achy Breaky Heart or as the father of Miley Cyrus. He was lesser known for a song that rings so true on Memorial Day, Some Gave All. Summed up, the song is about a valuable lesson a character named Sandy Cane, a Veteran, shared with the singer of the song. Memorial Day honors those individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. They wrote a check with their lives to make advance payment for every single freedom we enjoy today. I have no greater respect than

Upward Feedback

James Albright 05.24.2021

Upward feedback is critical to a leader’s growth trajectory. It is an angle of feedback that is rare. This form of evaluation comes from an important vantage point. The most valuable resource you have. The people you lead. In my professional world here in Acworth, Georgia; I have the opportunity to serve as our community’s Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources. We have incredible Organizational Depth as an organization and have intentionally recruited and retained extremely talented people. Our department’s pace of growth has been fast and our trajectory has been steep in the arenas of people, programs, projects, and parks. With the department’s tremendous growth, I

Glue

James Albright 05.17.2021

Glue is an adhesive that holds things together. There is craft glue, wood glue, spray glue, hot glue, super glue, and may other types. We were introduced to glue in Kindergarten with the simple instruction not to eat it! Later in life we learn to use it in arts and crafts projects, to build things, and fix things. I have even used super glue to keep the sole of my shoe on to get through a round of golf. True story. As a leader in your local community, you are the glue that holds things together. As a coach, educator, public servant, entrepreneur, pastor, volunteer, or whatever role

Ann

Mike Linch 05.10.2021

For over 30 years my mother, Ann Linch, sat in a bank chair right off the Main Street in Fayetteville, Georgia. If you lived in that growing community in the late 1970’s through the early 2000’s, there is a pretty good chance that you knew my mom. She may have opened your first checking account, gotten you set up with your financials to buy your first home, or helped you set up a plan to save so one day you could retire. Her job was not about money but rather it was about people. I remember so well how she would bake a pound cake to “run” by

Haters

James Albright 05.03.2021

We live in a world where haters are abundant. Webster’s Dictionary defines a hater as, “a person who actively and aggressively criticizes and disparages something or someone.” In the Leadership and Main thesaurus, some synonyms of hater include critic, Debbie Downer, and discourager. I so wanted to call this post, “Haterade: the official sports drink of critics,” but I did not. In a quick Google search it appears there are already beverages out there with the name and some heightened sensitivity from the bigger sports drink companies on the use of it. Therefore, we will steer clear and try not to stir up any haters! I

Community Carpenters

James Albright 04.26.2021

Carpenters are known for building things. They generally build things out of wood. One of the processes they play an integral role in is the construction of a house. They are responsible for the framing (walls, floors, trusses) and finish work (trim, cabinets, doors, molding). Good carpenters are worth their weight in gold. Community leaders build things too. They prefer to build programs and projects using people as the material of choice. They are community carpenters. These people are invaluable. Let us dive into six lessons we can learn from carpenters and how to apply them to building great communities. Community Carpenters Carry Out the Vision of Others

Organizational Depth

James Albright 04.19.2021

One of the keys to being successful in team sports is to have depth in your organization. Whether you lead school, police department, local government, small business, non-profit, church, or any type of organization, this is no different for you. Spring has sprung and that means baseball is back. Therefore, we are going to settle into the world of baseball for our time together. The lessons we will discuss are all applicable to any team sport though, just fill in the blank. I grew up playing American’s past time, have coached it for several years, and love to watch my Atlanta Braves. Prior to the start of each Major League

Stuck

James Albright 04.12.2021

Four Major Causes Leaders Get Stuck at the Intersection of Ordinary and Extraordinary. All communities have a signature intersection. These intersections are typically located in the heart of that community. They are in Historic Downtowns, on Main Streets, and in Town Centers. Intersections are points of decisions for the driver. Most intersections give you a few options. You can turn left, you can turn right, or you can keep on going through the intersection and stay on the same road. The vision for Leadership and Main is to help leaders in local communities get off of the Ordinary Road and make the turn onto an Extraordinary Way. Most