The Power of One Thing
Over forty-five years ago, László Polgár was a published author and believer in the theory that genius is made, not born. He was convinced that early and intense specialization in a particular subject produces incredible results. But he wanted to test this theory personally. He wanted a wife with whom he could partner to raise […]
A Debilitating Weakness
While I agree with the counsel and coaching for leaders to focus predominately on developing and utilizing their strengths, if a leader does not move a weakness to at least average, the weakness will become a debilitating one that overshadows the strong points of the leader. A debilitating weakness will cause the leader to lose […]
Best of All – God Is with Us
One night after teaching, a guy approached me wanting to talk. We sat down, and he told me how each night Jesus comes to visit him in a spaceship. He insisted that Jesus is a white guy with palm trees protruding from his scalp. I of course told him that Jesus is Jewish and that […]
Gospel and Holiness
Before the apostle Paul challenged believers in Romans 6:12 to “not let sin reign in their bodies,” he reminded them of the gospel and connected the imperative of personal holiness to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s point was, “Your sin was crucified and buried with Christ. Why would you want to live […]
6 Ways to Build a Culture of Feedback
Under the guise of “being nice,” many leaders fail to offer feedback to those they lead. Instead, they often ignore or work around the deficiency. Because feedback is an essential ingredient in development, teams and individuals suffer when leaders fail to provide it. So how do you, as a leader, develop a culture of feedback in […]
Four Ways Pride Destroys the Team
What can the frequency of “I” in a quarterly shareholder letter tell us about an organization’s future? LJ Rittenhouse is known for her ability to predict the future performance of a company by studying the leader’s quarterly letters to shareholders. By looking, even scientifically, at the candor of the leader, Rittenhouse hypothesizes about the culture […]
Our Part in Transformation
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18 NIV). The apostle Paul takes us back to the scene where the Lord gave Moses the new stone tablets. During that encounter, God […]
Motivation for Service
The gospel is not only the foundation for our service; it also radically purifies our motivation for service. In fact, serving others for reasons other than the gospel actually doesn’t make a lot of sense because of the philosophical contradictions beneath the surface. Take, for example, the predominant worldview of Western culture today—the worldview of […]
The Cruelty of No Feedback
Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive. (Proverbs 27:5-6) According to the proverb, it is loving to provide corrective feedback to those you love. Corrective feedback, of course, is not about being right or about making a point. The motivation […]
Bringing Great Leaders to Your Team
Every organization wants to have a high level team, a group made up of people who are the best at their respective jobs and passionate about the same ideals. But wanting that kind of team is one thing, and hiring it is entirely more challenging. Brad Lomenick, president of Catalyst and author of The Catalyst Leader, shares 10 […]