alex hoffer with family integrity service and trust in background

Special Post: Health, Humility, and Faith.

November 30, 2020

Occasionally, I pause from leadership topics to write a more personal post. This is one of those. What follows may seem fictional, but I can assure you that it is not. My ask is that you share this post with someone if you think it will give them encouragement. My story begins with a small […]

thankful sign on wood

Thanksgiving 2020

November 23, 2020

2020 has been a year unlike any other, except, there HAVE been years like 2020. Wait, how can that be? In reading John Barry’s, The Great Influenza, I discovered how the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 was horrific in ways unmatched since. Racial, and even political divisions, have also been greater in our history – years […]

woman walking down center line of road

Leadership Essentials – Predictability

November 19, 2020

This last month I have focused on some of the essentials of leadership: accountability, vision, and courage. There are countless other traits necessary for a leader to be someone worth following —integrity, positivity, humility, to name a few—yet today, I want to wrap-up this mini-series with something that I think is often overlooked: predictability. In […]

man holding sign that says do not wait for leaders become them

Leadership Essentials: Vulnerability

November 16, 2020

Craig Groeschel ends each podcast charging leaders to: “Be yourself. People would rather follow a leader who is always real rather than a leader who is always right.” Authenticity is vital to leadership and the only way to be fully real with others is to be vulnerable. I make this assertion because vulnerability is the […]

mountain climbers climbing mountain

Leadership Essentials: Courage Through Conflict

November 9, 2020

People worth following are leaders and, as I have written the last two weeks, these people are worth following because they are both accountable and have a vision. The next essential component of leadership is courage. If the buck stops with the leader (accountability), and the leader is the one that helps move the organization […]

man on top of mountain looking at clouds below him

Leadership Essentials: Vision

November 2, 2020

Leadership is about moving from Point A to Point B. If the organization, person, or entity does not have to move from Point A to Point B there is no need for a leader. The leader, after all, is the one initiating the movement toward Point B. The leader is worth following for multiple reasons, […]

small black dog starring at pie on table top

Leadership Essentials – Accountability

October 26, 2020

Over the next four posts I want to turn our attention to the essentials of leadership, starting today with accountability. Here is today’s assertion: You cannot create a culture of accountability while being unaccountable yourself. I write these words the morning I am going to lead a meeting to discuss what went wrong with a […]

man carrying leather briefcase

The COVID Edge

October 19, 2020

What I am about to say should be read with the knowledge that I believe every person reading this should consult with their doctor in regard to their own risk profile. We all have different health situations. With that being said… COVID-19 should give leaders an edge. It is the ultimate “us” vs. “them.” Risk […]

couple talking on sofa

How to Stop Socially Acceptable Gossip

October 12, 2020

Not all gossip is created equal. Talking about someone’s personal life is unproductive, unhealthy, and divisive. It is a problem and should not be tolerated. But, this kind of gossip is not what I am going to talk about in today’s post. Today, I want to talk about when interpersonal conflict leads person A to […]

blank open journal

Digital and Analog: How Using Both Can Make You More Productive

October 5, 2020

This week I want to take a quick break from leadership topics and write about organization. Living in the “Information Age” has almost everyone overwhelmed. This is especially true for the leader. Without focus, the leader is scattered. With focus, leaders can pour their energy into what matters, most notably connecting with other people. There […]