Monthly Archives: January 2013

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Why I Lead

My wife and I are part of a team which helps leads young students in our youth group. Sometimes they’re angelic. Other times you’d think they were possessed.

And yet we return week after week to help teach and lead these students.

Person passed out on couch

Image by HackNY

Over the years I’ve cut back on my TV viewing. We’ve become more intentional with how we spend our time and watch we watch.

This has led us to cut our cable and purchase a Roku2 XS box. One of the cool features is the Roku allows you to subscribe to “channels.” A channel I’ve grown found of has been the TED channel.

This allowed me to watch a talk by the late Coach John Wooden. In it, he shared a poem called Why I Teach.

They Ask Me Why I Teach  Read more...

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Great Leaders Do This

Leaders are leaders for a reason. You and other leaders are willing to take the first step and guide others.

You’re the one people look to in times of trouble. You’re the one to give direction.

sheep on a cliff

Image by Stephen Jones

I recently came across a story from 2005 about sheep in the town of Gevas, Turkey. Here’s what happened:

Shepherds were watching the flock as they grazed on a cliff. Breakfast came and the shepherds decided to take off to eat, leaving the sheep to themselves.

Shortly thereafter, the first sheep took a step over the cliff, falling to it’s death. Then nearly 1,500 of the other sheep followed him over the cliff.

When all was said and done, there were 450 dead sheep at the bottom of the cliff. Thankfully, for the other 1,000 sheep, the bodies of the first sheep cushioned their fall enough to survive.  Read more...

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Can Your Team Make It Right?

We all make mistakes. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be human.

Sometimes the mistakes bring dire consequences. Others seem less important.

The challenge comes in whether or not your team can recover and make it right.

Houstan Texans and Dallas Cowboys football fumble

Image by AJ Guel

The Fumble

Have you ever watched a football game where the offensive throws a pass and makes the completion only to be hit hard by the defensive squad? During the hit, the receiver loses control of the ball and fumbles it.

Do you know what happens after the hit and fumble? Both teams scramble to recover the ball. The offensive team goes especially hard, knowing a mistake was made. They’re attempting to make it right.

Now It’s About You

Now, what does your team do when a mistake occurs? Do they scramble hard to rectify the situation or do they sit on the sidelines pointing fingers and saying “It’s his fault! He didn’t do his job.”?  Read more...

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Casting A Leadership Shadow

Do you remember making shadow puppets growing up? Shadow puppets were created when you contorted your fingers and hands into specific shapes. You’d do all of this in front of a light. If you had your hands in the right positions, you could fascinate your friends with the creatures you could make.

Shadow Puppet Master

Image By Tom Check

Shadow puppets were always interesting to me. They’d allow you to create an image without actually having the object. Sometimes you’d make a dog or a bat or a bird. The options seemed limitless.

It was an illusion of the light and darkness. What was there wasn’t and what wasn’t really there was. What you saw was determined by what you were looking at.  Read more...

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Giving Up On Giving Up

Ever been in a situation where you or someone you know where stuck? The solution just wouldn’t come? It seemed hopeless?

There was the desire to give up. To stay there’s no solution to this problem.

Give Up Wall

Image By Brian Carlson

What if, instead of giving up, we began looking at these type of situations in a different light? As an opportunity to learn. To discover new ways of thinking and to move forward?

How could this change your life?

Getting Away From Giving Up

Giving up can be easy for me. Do you find the same to be true for you?

Are you ready to throw in the towel when the times get tough? Are you ready to move away from the give it up attitude?

I am and I hope you’ll join me on the journey. I’m not perfect in this area, not even close. But I know that we have to get away from giving up so easily.  Read more...