Unless you are a robotic leader without any heart, you want your team to know you care for them. More specifically, you want each person on the team to know he or she is valued. When there is a healthy relationship between team member and supervisor, work is much more enjoyable and rewarding. When trust…
Leadership
The Rise of Comic Superheroes and Our Longing for One
An unprecedented 20 superhero movies are expected to come to movie theaters between 2018 and 2020. Superhero movies are on the rise and people rave about the heroes in Black Panther, Avengers, and Spider-Man. Where does our longing for superheroes come from? The ABC News story, “Superheroes, Why Are We Obsessed?” declared we need superheroes…
Links for Leaders 4/20/18
3 Spiritual Vitality Warning Signs for Pastors—Dan Reiland Putting a price tag on great training and experience is hard. They are truly invaluable. But there is also a risk. That theological training and ministry experience you have as the spiritual leader may place you ahead of many in the congregation, much like a doctor knows…
2 Possible Outcomes of Being Overwhelmed
I have encouraged leaders to look for seasons of being overwhelmed, to disregard the cliché “don’t bite off more than you can chew” and intentionally take on more than you thought you could handle so you will be forced to learn and grow. In their newest book, The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath…
Links for Leaders 4/13/18
Why Email Is So Stressful, Even Though It’s Not That Time-Consuming—Dorie Clark Each “yes” leads to more work. Saying no is a challenge for any professional: you don’t want to disappoint people, and any given opportunity may lead to positive outcomes. But analyzing the emails I received taught me an important lesson about why it’s…
One Trait That Links Geniuses Like Jobs, Franklin, Edison, and da Vinci
Walter Isaacson has extensively studied people known as “geniuses,” distinct from those around us who are just “super smart,” which Isaacson says are a dime a dozen. Isaacson has written biographies on both Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci. And the one trait that stands out in all the geniuses he has studied is their…
4 Ways Leaders Can Construct Their Lives for the Long Haul
The headline of The Ringer article successfully grabbed my attention: “LeBron James’s Life Is Constructed to Keep Him on the Court.” And the details in the article from the podcast are fascinating, such as the statement that LeBron invests 1.5M a year in his body. He has replicated the team gym at his home, has…
The Importance of Being “a Finisher”
Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work, has invested years studying the habits of successful people, and he believes the most common trait in successful people is their compulsion with completion. They are finishers. They may finish in different ways, depending on their personality or approach to work, but they are committed to finishing. He…
Links for Leaders 4/6/18
4 Ways to Be a Better Communicator and More Present in Conversations—Hayden Field Specificity is the key to unlock effective communication. The problem: Finding the right balance can be tricky. Too few specifics can mean sacrificing clarity, while too many can be seen as condescending. If you lean towards over-explaining, instead of assuming the other…
3 Warning Signs You Are Responding with Pride to a Leader’s Fall
People love to watch great and mighty buildings fall. We find it fascinating that a structure that took years to build can come down in a few seconds. Some arrive hours early for a scheduled implosion to get a good view of the devastating seconds when the building topples inward. Those who love to watch…