As many celebrate Maundy Thursday, it’s a great time to remember that part of this celebration relates to Jesus’ washing His disciple’s feet. This humble act has been the cornerstone for many modeling the business approach called servant leadership. During Jesus’ time on earth, a humbling act was to wash the feet of others after they had been out ...
Recently, my friend, Jim, shared with me a message he communicated to his employees in 2008. Instead of talking about layoffs and cost cutting, as many were during the Great Recession, Jim told his employees that they wouldn’t be participating in the recession. He committed that performance-based raises and bonuses would continue. While others were devastated by the economy, ...
A common misunderstanding, especially in younger leaders, is that a newfound job title has some sort of magical appeal that will encourages others to willingly follow them. In an address to the officers of the Virginia Regiment, George Washington said, “Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more ...
The football game was tied with less than two minutes to go in this year’s Super Bowl when Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon could have scored with the game winning touchdown, but he didn’t. Instead, McKinnon made a split-second decision to stop short of a touchdown. If he had scored the Eagles could have come ...
While doing research on “Servant Leadership,” I stumbled across a quote credited to a seminary professor named, J. Carla Northcutt. She stated, “The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves.” The Apostle Paul understood this ...
Recently, I interviewed actor and movie producer, Alex Kendrick. I asked, “If we truly want to follow God, how do we know what size problems to take to God?” Alex gave me a word picture as an answer. He said, “God is not a spare tire. Instead, God needs to be your steering wheel.” Many, including myself at times, ...
Because of God’s favor, King Solomon was blessed with wisdom that resulted in tremendous wealth and power. Solomon was accustomed to his subjects humbly bowing before him out of respect and reverence for his power. When Solomon finally dedicated the temple, he called everyone to experience this monumental time with him. What the king did next was one of ...
Kathy and I recently witnessed an educational performance on shepherding by a shepherd from Ireland. He mainly highlighted his sheep dogs and their amazing talents, but he did share some interesting insights about the sheep themselves. He highlighted three qualities about sheep that I found instructive. The first quality this shepherd highlighted was their defenselessness. Without a shepherd, sheep ...
There’s an old saying that “You only get out of something what you’re willing to put in.” When it comes to networking, there are many groups we can join, but the best fruit typically comes from the second step to fruitful networking; Becoming Involved. Networking groups, Rotary clubs, and other community-minded groups need leadership. Those who are willing to become ...
If you knew for sure that today was your last day on this earth, what would you do? On the day many call Maundy Thursday, Jesus knew it was His last day. Instead of finding his mother and brothers or going off in solitude, Jesus chose to invest His last day serving and training His leadership team. Jesus humbly served ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
