#TuesdayT – Leadership is about Disappointing?
Challenging truths for life and leadership I heard the following quote during our church service this weekend: “Leadership is about disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb.” Notice, leadership is not about being popular. Rather, it is about taking people from their comfort to their discomfort. From “here” to “there.” Which, will […]
Learn well
I’m suspicious when I hear mottoes like these: Fail fast! Fail often! Failure is a good sign! We need more failure! Not all failure is created equal. Failure, after all, shouldn’t even be the focus. Learning should. Learn fast! Learn often! Learning is a good sign. We need more learning. See the difference? The postscript: […]
#TheoThursday – Sabbath
Theological thoughts on the workplace “Remember the sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Exodus 8:20 I’ve led a couples community group for ten years and the most push-back I have ever received was over challenging the group to observe the Sabbath. I’ve led a sales team the last five years and some of the strongest […]
#TuesdayT Goals
I recently heard Jay, and Wendy, Papasan interviewed on the Entreleadership Podcast. In the podcast, Jay delivered this #TuesdayT on goals: “Most people know how to set goals, they just don’t know how to have relationships with them.” Let that sink in this week. And take your goals out for a date while you’re at […]
The Problem with Autonomy
I believe in giving people I lead autonomy. I fear micromanagement. I trust people to perform, especially those that I know can. That said, like everything else in life, too much of something is a bad thing. In the written portion of my 360 review, completed in November, were these competing lines: “Alex does not […]
#TheoThursday – Accountability
Earlier today I met my accountability partner at Starbucks, like we do every two weeks. As followers of Jesus, we aim to live according to Scripture. We both believe that Scripture is pretty clear that we are NOT saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Still, out of love for Jesus, we want to live according to […]
#TheoThursday – Hope
“Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of their power comes to nothing.” Proverbs 11:7 While watching George W. Bush’s touching eulogy of his father last week, I was struck by the visual of all the former U.S. Presidents sitting in the front row. At the risk of sounding trite, these “former” […]
Another Year Complete
As cliché as the expression has become, it is amazing that another year has flown by. Today not only marks my last post of 2018, but it also is my last post on the current webpage. Besides working this week, I will begin transitioning the website! Don’t worry, you can find me starting on January […]
Embrace Bald, Stay Bold
Growing up, I feared losing my hair. Combine the constant advertisements about hair replacement with the internal self-doubts about my own appearance, and I was convinced that I would never be accepted. As I have grown, I have come to realize that living “bald” is perhaps even more frightening than being “bald.” Living “bald” means […]
I Never Looked, nor Should You
The file is green. I suppose it is somewhere inside my desk. As for its contents? Well, I have never looked. I received the file from a team member leaving the company. One of their direct reports wasn’t going to make it. Or, at least that is what they believed. Taking the file, I thanked […]