Why is our work so important to us? We are fixated on work. The challenges and anxieties we face at work disrupt the rest of our lives. Work affects our relationships, how we sleep, the way we see ourselves. When we are introduced to someone for the first time, work is often one of the first things we talk about with them. Our work influences our entire lives. As children, people ask us what work we want to do when we are older. We... Read more
There is nothing quite like that first leadership taste in the morning. It is a wake up call that gets us going and is good to the last drop. Leadership stimulates our senses even before we taste it. We can smell the aroma of leadership in the air. There are leadership sights and sounds that get us going even before that first taste on our palate. You may like your leadership strong, or with a well-roasted aftertaste. Perhaps you prefer some added sweetness, or frothy smoothness, or... Read more
My church has a thing about fire. It is not the church in which I grew up, which was more focused on fire and brimstone. I belong to a liturgical church now. We light at least two candles every time we get together. We have special days we celebrate with a lot of candles, like Christmas and Easter. Our third great celebration of light and life and love is called Pentecost. We may not be Pentecostal, but we have Pentecost. Christmas... Read more
I have an unhealthy relationship to work. For as long as I can remember, my connection to work had been all or nothing. There is nothing quite like the feeling of working really well on something I think is important, accomplishing a goal. It is like a drug, or alcohol, or sex, or food, or anything else that can be addictive. Part of my work addiction is that I want to be perfect. I wanted to be the person who could... Read more
I have been interested in leadership for longer than I can remember. What sparked that? People told me that I had leadership potential, that I could grow up to be a leader. I had opportunities to lead people. I read about leaders. None of those were where leadership began for me. My leadership was hidden deep inside me. I had been taught that the best way for me to learn to lead was by following other people. I was good... Read more
Most of us do not enjoy feeling pain. We do our best to hide from it, and to hide it from everyone else. Pain is something to be relieved, something to be endured, something to be suffered in silence. Never let them see you hurt. We are afraid of pain. The searing heartache of being rejected or abandoned. The blinding headache that makes it almost impossible to breathe. The pain of loss; the pain of not being able to trust someone we... Read more
I was brought up to take personal responsibility for my work. Over and over I heard, “If you want something done right, you need to do it yourself.” I knew that I was the most committed, most persistent, most responsible person I could find. I was the person who would keep on working until the work was completed. Being the person who could get things done became part of who I was. I could do it on my own. I appreciate... Read more
Leading is not making sure you have covered your bases, checked all your boxes. There is always something more. Leadership is about relationships, not rules. People can help you become the leader you have the potential to be, but they cannot give you a one-page process to master leadership in a few steps. You need to be strong to become a leader. You need to be willing to learn from your mistakes. There is no checklist to being a leader, no chart, no map.... Read more
This is a weekend to remember. In the moments between sleeping in, grilling, sporting events, and retail sales, we will remember. We will remember the people who have shaped our lives. People who taught us how to tie our shoes, to read, to tell time, who showed us who we could become. People who gave their lives so we could exercise freedom, who protected us, who became examples for us to follow. We may visit people in their final resting... Read more
I spent a lot of my childhood working on growing up. I worked hard to exceed expectations and be responsible. I was the first child and the only son in a family where the parents did not think they could have any children. I grew up around more grownups than children, at least until I started going to school. I was a serious child. When I was a child, I was impatient to become a grownup. Grownups could do things that kids could not,... Read more
Strategic Monk
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