Limited Vision
In life, some people have great vision, some have limited vision. In leadership, vision is the ability to see further. Great leaders have this ability. The best leaders have the ability to inspire those they lead to run towards that vision without the ability to see the final destination. It is not limited. Miracle on Ice We generally kick off our team meetings at work with a leadership video. It could be something as simple as a speech, leadership lecture, inspirational story, or a movie clip. This past Friday, we led a meeting off with a clip from the movie Miracle. It’s the story of the 1980 United
Crossing the Line
Crossing the line into leadership is a decision that every person has or will be faced with. It is a critical point in the journey of a person’s life, whether to step across the line or stay behind it. One step across that line forever aligns us as a leader. Field of Dreams One of my favorite movies of all time is Field of Dreams. In the movie, Kevin Costner plays the star role as Ray Kinsella. Ray begins to hear voices that tell him, “If you build it, they will come.” He begins to pursue this voice that leads him to build a baseball field in the
Jerseys Tell A Story
Jerseys tell a story. One of the greatest opportunities an individual has in life is to be part of a team. In the world of sports, that spot on the team comes with a jersey. The jersey traditionally contains the team’s name, the player’s last name, player’s number, and a patch on the sleeve. Four unique chapters in the story that the jersey tries to tell us. In the world of leadership, we wake up each morning and put a jersey on. It may be a dress shirt, blouse, apron, coveralls, or a uniform. Whatever the attire, it tells the story of who we are and what we
The Spoils of Fear
What are the spoils of fear? The things that become rotten in our lives when fear consumes us. When it dominates our hearts, minds, and spirits. Bearing Fruit I have an opportunity to lead a men’s group at our church. We have met every single Wednesday, at 7:00 a.m. for as long as I can remember. It’s a group that consists of all ages, experiences, and backgrounds. Those Wednesday discussions are full of life, leadership, and faith. This past Wednesday, we had an interesting discussion. The devotional that we read talked about the need for love in this world. Love is one of the fruits of the spirit
Commitment to the Plan
Winning in leadership requires a deep commitment to the plan. Without a plan, we lack direction for ourselves and the people we lead. Lack of direction leads to losing our way and the ability to take others with us towards the plan’s destination. Commitment To The Plan It’s football season. I spent twenty-one years of my adult life coaching youth football. Our teams were extremely successful. We won two hundred and twenty-seven games and only lost thirty-one during that time span. That equates to us winning about eighty-eight percent of the time. I don’t share this to brag, but for validation of the concept. We were committed to
The Road Ahead
The destination of our life’s work lies down the road ahead. While the journey of life and leadership can be congested with busyness, the remainder of our journeys are paved with opportunity. We have plenty of good work to do before it is all said and done. The Road Ahead One of the most consistent pieces of advice that you receive as a new parent is, “it goes by fast.” That statement is grounded in such an incredibly deep truth. Time simply flies. This past week, my oldest child started her senior year and my youngest got his learner’s permit. Guess what…it went by fast! Just
Beauty in the Storm
There is beauty in the storm, sometimes it’s just hard to see. Storms can be terrifying, scary, frightening, and intimidating. They have an ability to leave a wake of destruction in their path. Sometimes we see them coming, sometimes we don’t. Prepared or not, we get Stuck in the direction of their potential carnage. Beauty in the Storm We were able to sneak away for a long weekend to the beach a couple of weeks ago. The second day of the trip, beautiful skies turned dark in a hurry. I have a fascination with watching storms out over the ocean. You can witness their strength and power at
Eight Qualities of Human Leaders
There are eight qualities of human leaders that separate the ordinary ones from the extraordinary. Countless books, podcasts, videos, and articles are available on the subject of leadership. There is one key component to any leadership style…the human element. When I think about amazing leaders I desire to emulate, I first think about the quality human beings they are. Early in my career, I had the privilege to be surrounded by great leaders. They were small business owners, pastors, elected officials, coaches, and educators. These uniquely gifted people shared their wisdom and experiences with me over breakfasts, lunches, cups of coffee, and conference room tables. They all did
When Aspirations Exceed Abilities
Leaders can struggle when aspirations exceed abilities. Effective leaders tend to bite off more than we can chew. It’s a common occurrence in the minds of us who aspire to do more and be more. Rainy Day at the Beach My family and I traveled to Panama City, Beach this past weekend. It was a larger group than normal as Grant brought my nephew and Ashtyn brought two of her friends. Five teenagers was an experience! One day, it rained for the better part of it. I offered to take the girls to Starbucks and Barnes and Noble to get them out of the condo until the weather
The Intersection of Civility
We have arrived at the intersection of civility as a country, faced with a decision of where to turn. The road to civility is congested with toxic pollutants that are suffocating our ability to treat each other as human beings. Critical junctures of the path forward are flooded with undercurrents of conflict so deep that it seems no bridge could possibly span it. A Historic Saturday I very rarely write about current events, much less politics. As an American, it is hard to ignore the happenings of this past weekend. A former United States President and current candidate for the office was less than an inch away from