Tag: leadership

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motivation

Iron Fists are Fragile!

Cartoon of mad scientist and accountant

Some believe leadership requires a plan to squash any rebellion. The temptation is to rule with an iron fist and extinguish any opposition before it gains a stronghold.

It may work for a time. You see dictators remain in power for decades. But inevitably, the power can’t be maintained. It takes a lot of resources to rule with an iron fist, or hatch an evil plot.

You can choose to rule with an iron fist and attempt to remove any opposition. It can never really be eliminated. The opposition just goes underground. A better way is to work with your team. Learn from them. Share and delegate power. Allow discussion.

You can try to rule with a fragile, iron fist. Or you can build a team and work towards the future. In the end, it’s really about The Golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated.

Categories
motivation

Unless Everything is Perfect, Embrace Change

Have you achieved everything you ever dreamed? If not, embrace change.

Does everything around you work exactly as it’s supposed to and could never be improved? If not, embrace change.

Even if things are perfect, can you guarantee they will stay that way in the future? If not, embrace change.

There is always something about our lives that can be improved. People, places and things change whether we want them to or not. Successes bring new challenges. We can embrace the change that will inevitably happen, or we can become bitter and live it a past that was never as great as we remember it.

Embrace change! It’s good for you.

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cartoon

Leadership and Responsibility

Sketch of a king holding a sign that says, “Not Responsible for any of Your Problems.”

It’s fun to be in charge. Everyone loves the perks that come with leadership. But with each leadership position, there comes responsibility.

A king that that loves to rule, but takes responsibility for nothing makes for a lousy ruler.

If you want to be in charge, What responsibilities are you willing to take on? The larger the role, the more you will be accountable for.

Charisma and seniority only takes a leader so far.

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Book Review

Book Review: “Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth”

Leadership Pain: The Classroom for GrowthLeadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was just what the doctor ordered. My wife and I have gone through two years of leadership pain. We thought following the plan God laid before us meant sunshine and unicorns. When things didn’t go the way we thought they should, a friend recommended this book. It has been very instrumental in reminding me that pain is actually part of growth and leadership. It all comes down to this equation:

Growth = Change
Change = Loss
Loss = Pain
thus, Growth = Pain.

It is not something American Christians want to hear, but it has proven true for me. The book uses testimonials from pastors and non-profit leaders from many backgrounds. The author’s story is also a powerful anecdote on what happens when leaders persevere through the pain. I fully recommend this book.

View all my reviews

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Sketch notes

Sketch Notes from 2014 Orange Conference: Public Speaking by Jeff Henderson

first page of sketch notes: Public Speaking by Jeff Henderson
First page of my sketch notes. The rest are below.
The 2017 Orange Conference is finished. I may post more sketch notes in the coming days. In the meantime, here is a set of my notes from the 2014 conference.

I attended a session where Jeff Henderson (@JeffHenderson), Lead Pastor at Gwinnett Church, talked about public speaking. 

Continue reading “Sketch Notes from 2014 Orange Conference: Public Speaking by Jeff Henderson”