Leadership requires the willingness and capability to speak the truth in all situations. This becomes more important when the economic, cultural, and situational conditions worsen. Recently, I was studying the parable of the ten virgins in Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. Like many passages, I had read this parable several times, but the…
Read moreDelivering Friendly, Unwanted Messages
September 7, 2023 Leaders receive information, evaluate the information, and construct an appropriate response. Sometimes, the response is a difficult message to deliver. Such is this post. I have felt God’s guidance to write all of you this letter. It is my belief that some events are soon to transpire on this earth, including the…
Read moreThe Be-Attitudes and Resisting Evil as Leaders
The Psalmist writes, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word” (119:9). Seeking God’s Word takes many forms in life depending on circumstances, the physical and emotional conditions of the one seeking, and stage of life, to name a few. But none of these reduce or constrain the…
Read moreStay out of “Oh, Well” Moments
August 19, 2023 Recently, I have been aware of more “Christians” who are satisfied with the thought, “Oh well, I will just wait for Jesus to return. There is nothing I can do.” Show me where in the Bible Jesus endorsed that approach! Spoiler alert—you won’t be able to find it. Some point to the…
Read moreTough, Kingdom Conversations
June 13, 2023 As leaders, we are sometimes called upon to tell those around us they are in a bad place, and it will worsen if they do not change. This is a challenging position in which to be placed or forced, but it is an important role. As leaders, do we care enough about…
Read moreThe Next Chapter
The Next Chapter Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, in chapter 2, verse 10, tells us that we are God’s workmanship and He has prepared work for us to do. If any of us are to be Purposeful Leaders, discovering that work is of paramount importance. I have always told my boys and colleagues, “If you…
Read moreWhat I Believe and Why, Part 2
The prior post discussed the obligation of a leader to start with why to engage and motivate his team. I used an example from my own life about explaining an important concept. Now I will expand on the history behind my “why” that I was trying to make clear to my family. Moving to a…
Read moreWhat I believe and Why I Believe it: A Leader’s obligation to present the why
In 2009, Simon Sinek penned a book and presented a TED Talk titled, Start with Why. The premise of the book and talk was that our team members will respond better and potentially embrace guidance if they first know the why behind the strategy and direction. In my 40-years as a leader I find this…
Read moreThe Leader and Truthful Communication
My last post on leaders standing against the tide also emphasized the importance of leaders communicating all information even if it goes against what is thought to be the accepted message. Granted, there are times when leaders may know an answer but must keep it quiet due to other, trickle-down impacts. There will be a…
Read moreLeaders Standing Against the Tide
On September 7th of last year, I posted a blog about leaders standing against the tide when they know something is wrong. Northouse (2019) defines leadership as a process where individuals influence others in the achievement of a common goal. This process is “not a linear, one-way event, but rather an interactive event” (Northouse, 2019,…
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