Servant Leadership: A 10-Point Refresher
From time to time those in positions of authority and those aspiring to lead need a refresher course on the basic, fundamental principles of servant leadership.
What Does It Mean To “Teach”?
I remember cramming for early college exams with vague fondness. Somehow pizza and a large social group facilitated recovery from skipped classes, partially completed homework still in my binder and chapters unread.
Visioning
As a fifth-grader, I read a book that impacted my life. I read a lot of books, including Bible stories, that influenced and shaped me. This one book, however, made me dream.
You Have to Fall 12 Times
Why try something new if you know you have to fail before you will succeed? We were privileged to help with a teen lake outing last weekend. My job was to drag kids around the lake while avoiding spontaneous combustion.
Nice Guys Finish First
About 30 years ago Dad and Mom took Mary, our infant daughter, Danielle, and me to the first ever Dallas Mavericks game. Danielle was outfitted for the occasion with a cute basketball uniform stretched over her diapers.
Heroes Die Without Quitting
This weekend America honored our current and former warriors, especially those who have given their life for country. Words can express deep appreciation, but cannot fill the void left by one precious human life.
Is Contentment the Enemy of Ambition?
Are you content? To be content means to have peace of mind; a state of mental or emotional satisfaction about the way things are.
Finishing Harder Than We Start
It is the uninterrupted walk of 1,000 days that brings real, sustainable growth; the accretion of tiny layers of knowledge and experience.
Choosing a Winning Team
One of my fondest memories from elementary school is playing Prisoner’s Base, our school’s version of Capture the Flag.
Buy-in
Late one night a few years ago I mumbled, “I think I’m going to buy a motorcycle.” Mary said, “Hmmm,” turned over and went back to sleep. I heard, “Honey what a wonderful idea! You have worked so hard this tax season.
Small Steps, Huge Gains
As the ball descends in Times Square it is natural for our spirits to lift—the beginning of a new year presents the illusion of a clean slate, a fresh start.
Does Leadership by Committee Work?
My wife, Mary, and I decided our marriage was strong enough to redo our bedroom. It has been years since we went with the green that George Washington used in his sitting room.
A Fish Tale
The view from my window was like a multi-pane travel postcard. Parts of the mountain still had slashes of yellow, but the orange and red fire that glows when aspen turn had faded.
Power
When I was young we moved into a home on a busy street with a ‘huge’ backyard. It felt like several acres when I had to mow the yard with our yellow push-mower.
Winning as a Cultural Habit
Winning and losing can become habits; self-fulfilling prophecies. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys. All teams make mistakes, suffer the occasional mental lapse and endure bad breaks.
Groupthink
Have you ever gone along just to get along? It can be a wise course. Sometimes it is foolish with very dangerous consequences.
Rules for Effective Feedback
Conflict sells. It is everywhere. From semi-reality shows where people, their self-respect wearing as thin as their mental acuity, stage mock arguments (for money) to cable news shows where educated pundits stage real “debates”…
The Eagles Work Hard
Last weekend Mary and I had a getaway trip to Dallas. I like to say we escape the stress of Hawkins by hitting the Metroplex—actually, change of pace does relax.
Encouragement, the Lost Art
As humanoids, we are wired to need an occasional jolt of encouragement; it acts like a shot of adrenalin before a big game. I remember playing small college basketball.
Are Great Leaders Born or Made?
Primitive, actually stone-age, leadership thinking supported the ‘great-man-theory’: effective leadership is the result of genetics and a privilege reserved for DNA lottery winners.