Merry Christmas… When you hear this phrase, what do you think?

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Does your heart perk up a little? The celebration of the King is here! It’s time to open all of the presents people have gotten me!

Does your heart drop? Ugh, another Christian holiday. Or maybe it’s the dread of another holiday missing a loved one.

Whatever your response to the term Merry Christmas, one thing I know. It is a holiday I will be celebrating. It is a great celebration of God coming to earth. Of God sacrificing his life for the redemption of mankind.

While we may not all celebrate the day, I want to wish every reader of the blog a Merry Christmas. May your day tomorrow be filled with good cheer, good tidings, and the knowledge that there is more to life than business or your job.

By the title of this article, you may think I am going to write about the reopening process of businesses and churches after COVID-19. That’s a good thought, especially in this day and age. However, this is not the topic I want to share today.

I want to share about opening up in the workplace. This is in terms of emotionally opening up.

Photo by Evelyn Semenyuk on Unsplash

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. With my father’s death, I realize we need to open up and share the struggles we are going through. We also need to be available and open to hearing from those we lead.

Opening Up In The Workplace

Before we get into the meat of this article, I need to preface it with a word of caution. We can be too open in the workplace. We can overshare and that leads us into dangerous leadership territory.  Read more...

We all know relationships are important. The relationships you build today may be the relationships that get you the next leadership position in a new organization, move you up in your current organization, or help you with a pressing problem you’ve been dealing with.

Relationships are also a struggle. I’ve struggled long and hard over relationships that feel way too transactional and not enough relational. The relationship always seems to turn toward business talk and what we’re doing to grow our businesses.

Photo by Annie Spratt

It makes me tired and sad. It feels like it is not a real relationship. But it is. It’s a different kind of relationship. These relationships are strategic relationships.

A strategic relationship is one that:  Read more...

• Benefits both parties
• Helps you grow your business or yourself
• Encourages you to do better
• Keeps you focused on your goals

Four years ago I wrote about my father in a tribute article. My father was the kind of man I dream of being. If I can be half the man as he was, I would be honored.

I haven’t opened up on my blog about what happened just over a month ago.

After over a year of major health struggles, my father passed away. It was a rough time as we watched his health slowly decline.

Dad always had that great smile.

My father was a fighter. He fought long, hard, and valiantly to stay with us. In the end, he left us.

Today, I want to pay respects to my father via my blog. I hope you’ll entertain me.

A Tribute To My Father: Part 2

I don’t even know where to begin this tribute. All I know is that my father was the kind of man I strive to be.  Read more...