I once did an exercise for a leadership coach where he asked me to write out a vivid description of my ideal life in the future. It was one of those visioning-things, which is supposed to force you to come to grips with your enormous potential for achieving super-sized goals in life. I obediently wrote it all down, and upon reading it, my leadership coach simply said, “It all sounds very nice, but where’s the fun in this?” “Fun?” I replied with a... Read more
The first job I had out of high school was as a dishwasher for a white-tablecloth Italian restaurant during the late seventies. My industrious best friend worked there, and he said it would be a good place to earn some spending money. Plus, some foxy girls would be waitressing, and maybe we could get to know them better. I instantly fell for his delusion and diligently applied myself to the job. I was delighted to receive my fifty dollar-paycheck at... Read more
I sometimes feel as if I have been skipping along some superficial turf for the past several years. The frenetic pace of my brain has been like a pinball machine rather than grounded, fertile well-plowed spiritual soil. That hamster wheel in my head is constantly churning, getting things checked off the never-ending to-do list with a growing resistance to stop all the doing and just be. It’s like I’ve been a mile wide and an inch deep. My prayers have... Read more
A new study was reported recently in the Wall Street Journal which followed the exploits of 24 freshly minted MBA’s over a ten year period as they entered the investment banking field. Typically these ambitious folks enter their jobs working 100-hour weeks, convinced they have the ticket to the big leagues. Within four years, every single one of these over-worked investment bankers developed a host of ailments, including allergies, weight gain, eating disorders, heart palpitations, insomnia, and substance addictions. Further... Read more
Next week, May 6 and 7, I will be participating in the fourth annual Leadership & Spirituality Summit at Princeton Theological Seminary, sponsored by A New Equilibrium. I know its late notice, but would sure love to see you there if you can make it. There’s still time to sign up! The promotional blurb follows. ———————— We associate many things with leadership: commanding, visionary, hard-charging, motivating. We like these words, because they are action-oriented with promise of a grand future –... Read more
My friend Jeff is a buttoned-up finance guy in his late thirties who manages a business unit for a large corporate behemoth. We go to the same church, I see him and his wife occasionally in social situations, and he is all of what you would expect from someone with a career in accounting: introverted, smart, quiet. But get a glimpse of his CD collection, as my daughter did one day while babysitting his two little boys, and you will discover another... Read more
Remember that fish-shaped thing, that cute little symbol that is supposed to be associated with Christianity? It is called the Ichthys,which is an anagram made up of five Greek letters that mean “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” The Ichthys apparently dates back to the first and second century, when Christians had the misfortune of being hunted down, tortured and killed by Roman rulers. Those fish symbols were like a secret code, letting them know when they were safe among... Read more
A couple weeks ago, my wife texted me, “Don’t forget to buy Megamillions tickets!:)” Upon learning of the $656 million jackpot, we couldn’t help ourselves from fantasizing about a potential windfall. We’d quit our jobs. Pursue our dreams. Finally, we’d do what we loved. When the lottery numbers were drawn, ours, of course, did not come up. I like my job, but other creative passions run deep that I don’t have the luxury of pursuing. There are bills to pay,... Read more
My friend George, who runs a substantial company, received a call last week from a former employee he hadn’t seen in thirty five years, right out of the blue. “What did he want to talk to you about?” I asked. My friend shrugged his shoulders. The last time they spoke, George had fired him for stealing petty cash from the office till, and he gave him a good talking-to. There were “character issues,” is how George put it. “I bet... Read more
I worked as a management consultant for fifteen years before settling down with the company I am currently with. Like attorneys and used-car salesmen, consultants are subject to their fair share of derision and ridicule. I honestly couldn’t tell you why, since it is such a fine and upstanding profession. The truth is, being a management consultant rocked – it was stimulating, challenging, and you got to see the direct results of your work. I recently developed an even greater... Read more
Shrinking the Camel
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