Thought Leaders

Some of the pastors I’ve had over the years stand out prominently in my mind. The fondness of those memories have little — or nothing — to do with their oratory skills or deep biblical knowledge. What drew, and draws, me to them is their spirit. What about their...

Tackling tough tasks and challenging complex conundra is what leaders do. (The easy stuff is almost always handled down the hall or on another floor of the building.) Consequently, our work disproportionately carries higher risk levels for failure. No prob! Failure is...

Clarity and simplicity are NOT one and the same. The consequential problems we deal with, as leaders, are rarely simple. Thus, clarity is elusive. Rarely, if ever, are the solutions to our complex problem(s) clear. While we strive for simplicity and clarity,...

Our impact as leaders — in our families, in our communities, in our workplaces — is the downstream effect of our influence. Our influence as leaders is the downstream effect of the TRUST others have in us. The TRUST others have in us as leaders is the downstream...

Ready or not, summer flew by too fast and another school year is upon us. Each new year starts with new challenges, new roles, and new responsibilities. People who serve in education have various life experiences and paths they have taken, however, they all have a...

We ALL have values, whether we know it or not. Some of us simply adopt the values we were raised with, giving little thought to them. Others of us spend a great deal of time and thought examining our values, then carefully articulating them for clarity...

Leaders are like prospectors. Some seem focused on looking for gold. Others, however, seem busily intent on digging up dirt, detritus, and dung. Both kinds are mining in the same medium. The difference is in the leader’s perspective. De-energizing leaders look for...

I recently read Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders by Joel Manby (2020). In this book Manby frames his experiences as a chief executive officer of several large organizations against the pillars of love as articulated in 1...

I love knives, and I have a collection of pocket knives that I’m a bit proud of.  I received a gift card for Christmas, and knowing that I would be leaving Roscoe Collegiate ISD at the end of January, I decided to purchase a new pocket knife that would...

We are apportioned only so many days on Earth. For some, that window of life is tragically short. For others, it can approach 100 years. Regardless of how long we live, there is a finite amount of Life Energy allocated to us each day. We get to determine how to spend...