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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Honest Thief

A Reel Leadership Article

It’s been a long time since I’ve stepped foot in a movie theater (except seeing The New Mutants at the Getty 4 drive-in). Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, theaters have been shut down in Michigan for close to 7 months. That’s a long time when you see one or two movies a week.

This week, I decided to go back to the theater because they recently reopened. The experience was surreal. It felt different. It was different. It was okay, though.

Liam Neeson as Tom in Honest Thief. Holding a gun.

We decided to see Honest Theif starring Liam Neeson. As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Liam Neeson. His work on the Taken series, The Commuter, Cold Pursuit, The Dark Knight Rises, and other movies always fascinates me. He typically plays the same role, just a different movie. That’s okay. That’s why I love Liam Neeson!  Read more...

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How To Cast A Compelling Vision

What is vision? Vision is a critically important piece of any leadership plan. It is something you must create and share with your team over time.

Vision is a strong mental picture of what you would like to see you or your organization accomplish. Your vision could be:

  • To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline. – Southwest Air
  • To spread the power of optimism – Life Is Good
  • A just world without poverty – Oxfam
  • For clean water and fullness of life – Team World Vision
Man sitting and staring at a cloud covered expanse

Photo by Joshua Earle

Your vision statement can be long or short. For the examples above, I share 4 short vision statements. Each statement clearly communicates what the organization wants.  Read more...

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Your Employees Want To Know You Care

Caring isn’t a word you hear often in leadership. You hear more powerful words. You hear words like: Results, Return On Investment, Strengths, Action-orientated, and more.

The words you often hear in leadership have to do with getting results and taking action. They make you think of doing something powerful.

man and woman hugging against a cloudy background

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

I’ve learned one of the most powerful things you can do as a leader is to show care. You, the leader, need to let your team members know you care about them.

Your Employees Want To Know You Care

I’ve experienced this first-hand multiple times. My father is getting up there in age. He’s currently 92 years old.

I’ve shared a little about my dad previously on this blog. You can find that article here. He’s a manly man who has had trouble with his health over the last couple of years.  Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Midnight Special

A Reel Leadership Article

I recently checked out the movie Midnight Special because of an article on Inverse. The article stated Midnight Special was the most underrated sci-fi movie on Netflix (also available on Amazon Video). This statement piqued my interest, so I added it to my Netflix watchlist.

I’m glad I did. Midnight Special told a strange but touching story of a father and son on the run as they try to save his life.

Jaeden Martell in Midnight Special as Alton Meyer

Alton (Jaeden Martell) is a special young man. There’s something wrong with him and he needs to get to a specific location by a specific date. His father, Roy (Michael Shannon), believes his son and kidnaps him from the cult he’d been living with.

Along with Roy, Lucas (Joel Edgerton) is helping them flee. Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) is Alton’s mom and eventually joins them on their crusade.  Read more...

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Help Your Team To Thrive

Leaders have a really cool opportunity to help their team members in a way many other people cannot. Leaders are able to help their team members realize and thrive in their zones of brilliance.

I was reminded of this because of something our church does. The Assemblies Of God have a program called Fine Arts.

Man riding a black Harley Davidson motorcycle

Photo from Unsplash

Fine Arts is a program to help students discover, develop, and deploy their talents. It’s an amazing program that has helped launch students on a course they never thought possible.

Fine Arts allows students to perform in multiple areas of interest. Some of the areas students can perform are:

It is amazing to see our students get excited and perform in the categories that bring them alive. I’ve seen shy students crush a short sermon or come alive singing a vocal solo. This year, we saw students in our youth group perform comedy, exhibit photography and videos, and worship together as a worship group.  Read more...