Categories
motivation

The Powerful Leadership Skill No One Wants to Use

Cartoon of two boys staring at a manhole. One says, "Sorry Mister. At least you can say you were part of a home run."

What is the most important leadership skill?

  • Is it the ability to ram your idea through your team?
  • Perhaps it’s Powerpoint skills? (Let’s hope not!)
  • Or maybe it’s the generosity to bring in doughnuts when your team has put in the hours on a big project?

No, one skill is a superpower that many souls value, but very few leaders have the courage to use it.

When I read this article by Josh Aten on Inc.com the other day, it struck me how simple the concept is. Then I thought about how rare of a quality it is. Frankly, many of us are scared to even consider it because we think it makes us appear weak. What is that quality?

it turns out that one of the most important leadership skills is admitting when you’re wrong.

Josh Aten on Inc.com

It’s so simple and obvious. Yet, I can see how it would have a stigma in many workplaces. After all, aren’t leaders supposed to be right all the time? Many leaders think that’s the case. Like my cartoon in 2009 showed, apologies can appear to show weakness and open us up to liability.

We Know Better

But we all know better. Nobody is right all the time. Anybody who has been in a relationship knows there are times they were wrong. We may not admit it, but we know there are times we should apologize, admit we were wrong and move on. It’s good for loving relationships. It’s good for all relationships, including professional ones.

I have had to use that skill recently. My wife and I have had some animated discussions about attitude. I’ve had to admit I can be the problem. It’s humbling when I can see the blind spots everyone else has but have no clue about my own. No wonder Jesus talked about the speck we see in a brother’s eye while we have a plank in our own eye. Yes, I’m guilty of that and I was wrong.

A sincere apology is a leadership skill that we rarely see in a business school curriculum. If we search for a good example in the media, we will probably be disappointed. Don’t expect to find a good example with politicians. We would even be hard-pressed to find a good example with journalists who have experienced a very unfortunate incident with a Zoom call.

Cartoon of two boys staring at a manhole. One says, "Sorry Mister. At least you can say you were part of a home run."
Categories
Christianity

Article: California Churches Rally in Wildfire Response

Churches rally during Creek Wildfire
Photo Credit: Nate Nielsen

I had the opportunity to interview two pastors about the California Creek Fire in Fresno County and how the churches have rallied together to bring relief efforts in the area. The article appeared on the Church of God News Blog on October 1, 20202. Here’s a link.

California Churches Rally Together in Wildfire Response

The fire began over a month ago. As I write this on October 7, 2020, the fire is still only 49% contained. Thankfully, most of the fire is in sparsely inhabited areas. Largely, this fire is no longer in the national news cycle. It’s no wonder. When I checked The LA Times map of current wildfires, there were twenty-nine active California wildfires. That’s a lot to keep track of!

However, the way the churches rallied in this wildfire response inspired me. Here was a group of people that under normal, prosperous times may have eyed each other as competitors. But as the fire endangered their community, they knew they had more in common than not.

So it can be hard to remain an optimist when things are literally burning around you. But it is so helpful to remain positive and to give help where needed. I loved the outlook Pastor Shawn Beaty displayed.

God uses traumas, trials, and transitions to bring people to him.

Shawn Beaty: Clovis Hills Community Church

Some relief workers had to evacuate. No doubt, relief workers were concerned they could lose their own property. In the early days, the fire was unpredictable and it was a very fluid situation. But the pastors observed the members that were in the best frame of mind were those who were helping others. Instead of despairing, the churches were aiding those who may have been in similar or worse situations.

Sure, we can see the troubles all around us as obstacles worth complaining about. Or like the churches in this article, we can put our resources together and do some good in tough situations.

Categories
motivation

The Successful Fail

scientist working in laboratory
Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels.com

Yes, successful people fail. Not many people want to acknowledge that, including this author. It’s uncomfortable. Successful people are willing to work at mastery, even if it is ever elusive. It’s not that the successful never fail, it’s that they know how to keep going when failures and setbacks take down other people.

I was reminded of this when I read the Inc.com article, Mastery: What it Takes to Be on Top by Tanya Prive. The article says success takes mastery. And to master something takes these three requirements:

  • It’s not about the destination, it’s about the process
  • Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
  • Be willing to fail forward

Do the Successful Fail?

Trying something and failing isn’t easy. In 2015, my wife and I took a risk that ended up hurting us emotionally and financially. I said then that I had no regrets, and that holds true today. That risk has made us stronger and caused us to depend on our faith and each other. We are better people for it.

What we have learned from the event is crucial to our next steps. Does the setback make us want to never try to make a move again, or do we learn from it and try something different the next time? In effect, do we learn from the experiment or just quit?

Across the world, scientists and medical professionals are developing a vaccine for COVID-19. There have been many failures, I’m sure. But I am thankful for the lab technicians that are discovering what doesn’t work and then experimenting to find what will work. It takes persistence and a willingness to fail in order to eventually be successful.

We wouldn’t want these professionals to give up before they find a cure. Nor should we give up if we have a calling or ambition that fires us up. If you haven’t reached mastery yet, if success has been elusive for you, keep learning from your past mistakes and failures. You never know what good it may do for you and others in the future.

scientist working in laboratory
Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels.com
Categories
church cartoons

Fashion Sense and the Video Pastor

Cartoon of a speaker in a garish outfit. He says, "For those of you joining us online, please comment on something besides my fashion sense."
©2020 Kevin Spear. Published in the September 2020 CHOGNews

Welcome to the modern world of fashion and the video pastor. It’s a challenging time for them. Not only must they learn how to post video sermons, but they can be critiqued by a world-wide audience for their fashion sense.

I have a fascination with gaudy fashion.

I suppose it’s because I would be a tacky dresser if it wasn’t for my wife. From the moment we started getting serious, she seriously pared down my wardrobe. She made it socially acceptable in no time.

I blame my fashion sense on the eighties. It was a time of hot pink, neon green, and weird shapes. It was the decade that brought us parachute pants, vinyl jackets, and leg warmers. I was way too impressionable back then.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of pastors my age that may have taken their fashion cues from the eighties as well. Social media isn’t kind to these poor souls. People will make comments on a YouTube or Facebook Live video that they would never say to a pastor’s face.

There is a bright side to the brutal honesty of social media. In a traditional, in-person service, congregants will frequently keep their comments to themselves. It is only the rare, crusty church patriarch or matriarch that would comment on a pastor’s sermon… or his/her fashion for that matter. But social media loosens the tongues of the shy congregants. Sure, a pastor may wince at the comments, but at least they know what the majority think of his new green and red, polka dot tie.

Cartoon of a speaker in a garish outfit. He says, "For those of you joining us online, please comment on something besides my fashion sense."
©2020 Kevin Spear. Published in the September 2020 CHOGNews

I drew this for the September 2020 CHOGNews.

Categories
motivation

Good News Gives Health

Photos of a sunset and the quote: "Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." Proverbs 15:30 (NIV)

According to Proverbs 15:30, it’s official; good news gives health. We want to hear some good news so often. But it can be difficult to find.

I’m a self-confessed news junkie. Yet, I constantly see how, if I’m not careful, it can put me in a bad mood. I’ve blogged about this before in Who’s going to bring the good news and How about some good news? 

To paraphrase many a politician, after reading/hearing the news, are you better off than you were four minutes ago? I confess that most times I am not. It can be depressing to catch up on the latest news about viruses, wildfires, and hurricanes. And don’t forget it’s an election year in the United States. Yes, news fatigue is real.

How can we find good news in the middle of all this?

  • Take a walk in nature. Every time I go out I am reminded life does go on without the constant blurb of bad news. The squirrels and chipmunks are blissfully unaware of the world.
  • Volunteer to do some good. Just doing something to help humanity can remind us that we are not helpless to offer healing and relief.
  • Look for the stories of heroism. They are out there. Behind every disaster, there are people bringing relief and comfort.
  • When you see some good news, share it. We could all use a little boost.

During dark times, we could use a little light. We can remind ourselves that light overcomes darkness. Every morning, the sun overpowers the dark. Look for the light in a messenger’s eyes and take in some good news.