The Purpose Driven Life is a book authored by Rick Warren. It has sold over 50 million copies and has been translated into 137 languages. The first four words in the book are: It’s not about you. I was around the age of forty when I first read the book. The content was impactful, but in my opinion, nothing stood out more than those first four words. They struck me like an arrow at the center of my heart, and in that moment, they also released me from a heavy burden I had been carrying for years. It was a weight I had placed on myself—to prove something to myself and perhaps even seek validation from others. Although I was raised in a Christian home and was already living what many would consider a “successful” life—happily married with two healthy children—I still needed to hear those words. I remember the

The Athlete’s Mindset If you want to know how to lead like athletes, start by observing how professional athletes lead their lives. They approach everything with focus, discipline, and purpose. You should aim to lead like professional athletes who play for a team. When you begin to think about your work as athletes think of their sport, your mindset will shift. Likewise, viewing your workplace as a sports arena can completely transform your approach. See Yourself in the Game – Lead Like Athletes Do As you visualize your current work role, how does it relate to a player on the field or court? Are you the star performer? Maybe you’re the steady and reliable cornerstone. Or perhaps you’re the team captain. If you can see yourself as any of these, you’re already starting to understand how to lead like athletes. Prioritize Your Well-being Athletes care for their physical well-being. They

Leadership is like gardening. Leading a healthy life or leading others well is much like gardening. While visiting my parents in Arizona, I had the opportunity to plant three Red Tips (a bush-like plant). I’ve always enjoyed gardening and well-designed landscapes. It’s therapeutic while also useful for learning about life and leadership. Below is an example of how gardening provides lessons on leadership: Plant in the Right Place Plant in the right place (sun and/or shade exposure and in the correct region of the country) = do everything you can to make sure the new team member is fit for the job (experience, temperament, skill sets, life situation, etc.). Therefore, just like in gardening, positioning matters in leadership. The environment must be right for growth. Dig the Hole Big Enough Dig the hole big enough so roots can easily establish themselves = Do everything you can to remove obstacles from new

Acknowledgment. It’s the first step to any kind of change, isn’t it? What are we afraid of? Why are we so defensive? What are we trying to protect? Acknowledgment Starts Within As I consider the caption, my mind is directed to my personal habits, relationships, desires, and goals. Acknowledging a problem is not the solution but it is the beginning. If we don’t at least begin by acknowledging the problem, we will only repeat what we don’t admit because we repeat what we don’t repair. The Power to Change Lies Within Much of our power to change is found on the inside. We often underestimate the ability God has given us to grow and restore our lives and relationships as well as any environment we desire to influence. Acknowledgment is Ownership and Action Acknowledgment is not just about owning and embracing what is broken; it is also about owning and

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.  Proverbs 9:9 Believe it or not Friend, your leadership is either improving or declining. It is impossible to stay in the same place. You’re either getting better or you’re starting to become like a broken record. A broken record (for those too young to remember) is when the needle on your record player gets stuck in the same groove playing it over and over again. That becomes so irritating, you shut the whole thing off or you throw away the record. Growth Requires Intentional Effort Last week, I was listening to a speaker talk about personal growth. I wrote down many points and statements that struck me. Four points stood out as something I should ponder more deeply. Maybe these will inspire you as well: We cannot change

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. Proverbs 13:3 Julian Treasure is a well-known international speaker on sound communication skills. In particular, among many other topics, he shares the Seven Deadly Sins of Speaking: Gossip Most gossip is misleading or worse. Don’t participate. Judging Judging closes doors. When Lincoln disliked a person, he chose to get to know him better. This habit proved to be more profitable. Negativity The world is looking for solutions, not people who simply curse the darkness. Negativity is a fixed mindset. It almost takes a miracle to heal. Complaining Cowards complain because they are always speaking away from the problem. They believe the problem is always out there somewhere and never within their own abilities to make a difference. Excuses Owning your failures and growing from them draws people to you. On the other

“It was good for me to learn that you are a person of faith.” These words were spoken to me recently by a new client. I’ve heard similar statements dozens of times before, so it didn’t surprise me. I don’t like to use the word client because it feels transactional. My vision for each new relationship is friendship and perhaps partnership. For whatever the stated reason, we come together to seek understanding and renewed purpose and direction for the days ahead. Most of my “clients” are aware that I pray for them and our meetings. It’s what I do because I recognize we need assistance. I pray for things like trust, openness, new discoveries, courage, truth, and whatever seems to fit the context of our relationship. Sometimes I forget to pray. It doesn’t happen much, but when it does, I am often reminded of the fact during the meeting and

The knowledge worker cannot be supervised closely or in detail. He can only be helped. But he must direct himself, and he must direct himself toward performance and contribution, that is, toward effectiveness. Peter Drucker When Boards Overstep Their Role I once watched a board of directors make a decision about what they believed the CEO should be doing. Unfortunately, they got it dead wrong. Notably, none of them had ever served as a CEO. Funny how that works. More importantly, they had never learned a key principle: Leaders lead and boards govern. These are two different roles with two different purposes. As a result, the leader chose to leave the organization. He understood the truth: “Good leadership thrives where leadership is valued.” Leaders, managers, and team members all join an organization to serve its mission. However, if they must be supervised like a child playing near a busy street,

I have a habit of starting each day with thoughts of gratitude. As I looked at the blank page of my journal, nothing came to mind. How sad is that? Then I asked myself, “What’s wrong with me?” As I pondered, a current disappointment stemming from unmet relational expectations came to mind. Relationships that matter can hurt. That’s draining. Then I remembered my mom’s recent fall resulting in a fractured hip and surgery. That was hard. I also peeked at the last seven days of my calendar: fifteen coaching or speaking appointments and two podcasts. Okay, that’s a lot for even the most gregarious person of whom I am not. For me, that’s a really stupid schedule. I know better. I coach leaders to schedule better. Here’s the thing, even during these last seven days of pedal to the medal, I have maintained my quiet times and exercise. That’s simply

Last night, I finished up a podcast recording with Erin Porteous, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver serving thousands of children across the city. While we touched on a variety of topics, I was most impacted by four values she holds dearly: Hard Work     Humble     Humor     Honest We didn’t get a chance for her to define each of these but for the most part, they speak for themselves. Let me share with you why I love this set of core values. Less is More. Just like goals, the greater the focus the better return. We all have dozens of values. That’s why this work is so important. We need to elevate a set of values that have the ability to cascade over many good ideas. Easy to Remember. The small number of values aids our memory but so does the iteration

“On your worst days, wear your best suit, walk with your head held high, show no weakness, and project that nothing has changed.” Shinzo Abe Former Prime Minister of Japan One of my mentors tells of a time he was hired to pastor a church of 1200 people. One year later, the church shrunk to 600. I asked why this happened. His answer was straight to the point. “They didn’t like me.” At the time of our conversation, he was still serving in the same role at the same church but now had over 5000 attendees. That’s leadership. Even for the most hard-working, professional, and faithful leader, sometimes you’re a hero and sometimes you’re a zero. When you’re going through tough times, try to ride it out. Trust God for the long haul. Keep working on the right goals. Keep moving forward. Finally, don’t be afraid of hard conversations about

Three things in my early days shaped me most: My parents, the Christian faith, and my first year at Bank of America back in 1980. Management Training Program I was twenty years old, still in college, but was selected and hired for the bank’s Management Training Program. It was a year of intense training. Here’s a snapshot of the subjects: How to dress (professionally, according to your height, body type, and occasion) How to dress (professionally, according to your height, body type, and occasion) How to write a letter (style, grammar, and editing) How to shake hands, smile, and make eye contact How to have hard conversations and deal with conflict How to tell the truth while honoring the person How to behave at formal gatherings, including the use of utensils, napkins, etc. How to listen to others and say back what you heard How to identify suspicious behavior inside

“If you start doing what you’re supposed to do, you won’t have time to do what you shouldn’t be doing.” Jonathan Moore These three good habits create an advantage. They fill you, empower you, and make you better. When you get better as a leader, EVERYONE benefits. Reading If you didn’t read last week’s blog, go back and read it. It’s important. If you can’t find it, let us know and we will resend it to you. Prayer I have identified “Pray” as one of my five professional core values. What is a professional core value? It is something I commit myself to practice once I walk out the door of my home (virtually or physically). My definition of this value is as follows: “I partner with God in every moment of life, enjoying his presence, help, and guidance.” I believe a relationship with my creator does not start nor

A Weird Habit That Helps Me Stay Accountable I have a weird habit. After every day is done, I go back to my calendar and make sure it is an accurate accounting of what actually happened. I delete appointments and time blocks that didn’t happen, increase or decrease time to the appointments that lasted longer or shorter, and add appointments that were not planned, etc. I do this to better evaluate the effectiveness of my week. Measuring Discipline, Not Just Planning And even more importantly, my discipline to follow through on my plans. After all, it does no good to plan your best day and then allow it to be hijacked. Most of us talk about priorities. We say we have them, but our calendar often points to a different conclusion. In fact, many leaders can articulate their chief aim—their big goal for the season or the year—yet their calendar seems to

“Insecurity” That was the answer Johnny Sirpilla gave me during one of my recent podcasts. I was asking questions about conflict. Unnecessary conflict. Why do so many leadership teams struggle to work together? To get things done? Insecurity (noun) Uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence: She had a deep sense of insecurity | he’s plagued with insecurities. The state of being open to danger or threat; lack of protection: Growing job insecurity | The insecurity of wireless networks. Both definitions help us examine ourselves and our leadership skills. I don’t think insecurity by itself is our greatest threat; it’s the lack of conscious awareness of its presence. When we operate from unconscious insecurity, we: Sense a threat that most often does not exist We speak too quickly or not at all We are slow to take responsibility We blame Anxiety increases along with our heart rate We are not