#TheoThursday – The Mission Statement
Much has been written about an organization’s need for a well-written mission statement. It should not only provide clarity on the driving force behind the work the organization does, but its contents should be easily digestible to everyone in the organization, as well as everyone the organization attempts to serve. Simply stated, it should simply […]
The Power of Story
Earlier this year, I was afforded the opportunity to hear filmmaker Jon Erwin talk about storytelling. His discussion of a concept I had never heard of before, called “emotional jamming,” is what stood out the most. “Emotional jamming,” as Erwin defined it, is how a narrative creates disorientation between one’s heart and head. This disorientation […]
The Rat Race is a Journey to Fool’s Gold
For the last ten years, I defined my strongest ability as my willingness to hustle. I answered emails immediately, even around the clock when I could. I returned phone calls from customers within minutes. And I always pursued “inbox zero,” the holy-grail of Outlook and email productivity. It didn’t stop with work. In addition to […]
Lessons on Accountability
Accountability is like getting a colonoscopy (so I am told!): Everybody knows it is best to have it done, yet no one wants it done to them. As I have shared before, I went through a 360-degree review last fall. Those interviewed suggested that I hold other people more accountable. Since receiving my results right […]
#TheoThursday – The Gift of Momentary Silence
Theological thoughts about the workplace “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 The last two weeks I have written about how I pray for Hoffer Plastics, and how Bible reading impacts my leadership. These “disciplines” are easy for someone with a Type A personality because both involve “doing.” Solitude, the last discipline […]
Let People Chew You Out
Leadership is about listening. In the manufacturing context, this means that you should be approachable to anyone on the plant floor. You might not agree with the feedback, it might even irritate you, but you should listen to it. Even if people feel the need to chew you out, let them. Recently, I had this […]
#TheoThursday: Mourn with those who Mourn
https://youtu.be/-N2IxxfN5Kg
The Problem Wasn’t Stress
I was in the middle of one of those projects that feels like it is the most important project ever. The irony is that I cannot even remember which one of those “most important projects” this one was in retrospect. Still, I was stressed out. The gym is where I often go to sweat the […]
#TheoThursday – How does Bible reading impact my leadership?
The Bible is often misunderstood. For starters, it is important to realize that it’s a collection of 66 books in one, consisting of various literary genres, with all 66 books telling a single story: the story of all stories. With the limited space of a blog post, today’s post attempts to answer the question: How […]
The Cost of Keeping Your Word
Have you or your team ever misquoted a job? What do you? Do you refuse to own up to the contract? Do you run the job at a loss? About three years ago, we took on some work from a customer whose molds were at a company in distress. Unfortunately, the pricing we offered wasn’t […]