Monthly Archives: February 2013

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What People Will Remember

Our culture has taught us to love the larger than life events. Grand proposals aired on the Jumbotron at Madison Square Gardens. The Christmas bonus that’s half of your annual salary. A midnight release of The Hobbit.

Great events, sure. Memorable? Of course! But, in all honesty, they’re not what most people will remember.

Over the last couple of months friends have posted pictures of our former church secretary (but she was more than a secretary. She was an amazing woman). These pictures made me think of what I remember about her.

Her name was Eleanor Sonnega. And she was a quiet woman.

Mostly in the background. Never wanting much attention. But she did one thing that drew attention.

She had a tradition she would carry out for our church members. Every birthday she would mail a birthday card to the congregants of the church. On top of that, each birthday card contained something special.  Read more...

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Create A Decided Heart

There’s been many times I’ve started a new adventure or chose to learn a new skill. Only weeks latter to see I had made no progress.

My interest had waned and I no longer pursued what I thought I was passionate about.

Why?

Because my heart wasn’t in it. My heart was undecided.

I have a decided heart is the fourth decision for success in Andy Andrews book The Traveler’s Gift. This may be one of the most important keys to success you will ever learn.

What Is A Decided Heart?

Having a decided heart is simple in theory. Difficult in practice.

You’ve come to the point of having a decided heart when your passion meets your heart. You then put forth the effort to chase after the passion with all you have.  Read more...

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Silence Is Golden

I remember growing up and seeing leaders who would yell, scream, and shout to make their point. Sometimes they were even red in the face.

Do you remember leaders like this?

Mouth of person shouting

Image By Alisha Varga

True, they were passionate about their cause. They wanted to share what they knew with the audience. Yet something about them was off-putting.

Nothing about them made me want to get to know them as a person.

What Shouting Says

There’s a lot of noise in our world today. Many people think the way to get over the noise is to shout their message even louder. Crank up the volume and make sure others hear you.

When you begin to shout your mission, you begin to send another message.  Read more...

  • You’re desperate
  • You just want to be heard
  • You’re disruptive (in a negative way)
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It’s Time To Jump

Your leadership journey will bring you to places you’ve never imagined. Choices will be placed in front of you. And you’ll have to make decisions.

The time will come when you’ll have to decide whether or not you’ll jump.

Last summer I was able to experience my first trip whitewater rafting. It was an amazing time in West Virginia. Good friends, a great guide, and a crazy storm made the trip memorable.

And there’s one more event during the trip that made it memorable. During a stop, we were offered the chance to climb to a ledge jutting over the river. From there, we could jump.

At river level, the ledge didn’t look high. Maybe 20 feet. As I ascended the rockface the ledge seemed to grow further and further away. Once I got to the ledge, it seemed I was over 100 feet in the air.  Read more...

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An Easy Way To Implement Change Within Your Organization

Your organization is ever changing. New technology. New employees. New techniques.

But getting the buy-in for change can be difficult. I want to give you an easy way to implement change within your organization today.

Image of Change Mural

Image by Nana Agyei

Sometimes changing course in your organization can seem impossible. The ship is already on it’s predetermined path and there’s nothing you can do.

That’s where you’re wrong. You can bring new ideas to the company and it’s easier than you think.

Who You Shouldn’t Start With

Implementing change is all about who you start with. Start with the wrong people and you’ll sabotage your chance at success.

Many times we think we need to start with our top performers. Those A-players who are knocking it out of the park.

This is where we often go astray. The A-players find it much harder to adapt to change. They’ve already got their winning strategies and they like to stick to what works.  Read more...