Executive Leadership

Admitting Guilt

2022-01-01T14:40:50-06:00November 1st, 2021|Tags: , , |

Former Department of Defense head, Robert Gates, was featured on 60 Minutes recently. When Anderson Cooper asked him if he believed President Biden would ever admit to being wrong in how he withdrew us from Afghanistan, Gates laughed. He said, “I’ve worked for eight Presidents, and I’ve never heard any of them admit to being wrong.” When asked if they ...

No Regrets Living: Part IV

2021-12-31T15:46:15-06:00October 21st, 2021|Tags: , , , |

In this series, we’re discussing the different seasons of life and how to live them with purpose and no regrets. The 4th quarter of life is typically those who are 60-80 years old. This is the season to turn your attention from yourself to others. It’s time to leave a legacy. Leaving a spiritual and financial legacy is a worthwhile ...

CARDS: Part IV

2021-11-18T13:33:12-06:00August 12th, 2021|Tags: , , |

Coach Tommy Bowden developed a system to help shape the character of his football players called CARDS. The D stands for Discipline. Many interns or younger employees have not had as much opportunity to apply discipline to their life. This can require patience on your part. By helping your team members to establish good habits, you will help them to ...

RARE Leadership: Part IV

2022-04-15T21:12:33-05:00July 15th, 2021|Tags: , , |

In “Rare Leadership in the Workplace,” authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder unpack RARE as an acronym for how to become a mature leader. The E stands for Endure Hardship Well. James Parker was named CEO of Southwest Airlines just months before 9/11. Most airlines immediately began laying off people and slashing expenses. Parker didn’t lay off any employees, nor ...

RARE Leadership: Part III

2022-04-15T21:16:16-05:00July 14th, 2021|Tags: , , |

In “Rare Leadership in the Workplace,” authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder unpack RARE as an acronym for how to become a mature leader. The second R stands for “Return to Joy.” Years ago, I asked an employee how she was doing. Although she answered, “Fine,” I could tell she wasn’t fine. Looking into her eyes I said, “How are ...

RARE Leadership: Part II

2022-04-15T21:20:36-05:00July 13th, 2021|Tags: , , |

In “Rare Leadership in the Workplace,” authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder unpack RARE as an acronym for how to become a mature leader. The A stands for “Act Like Yourself.” A former boss of mine modeled this quality when a customer began bullying one of our bank employees. My boss stepped in, confronted the customer, and when the argument ...

RARE Leadership: Part I

2022-04-15T21:23:31-05:00July 12th, 2021|Tags: , , |

In “Rare Leadership in the Workplace,” authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder unpack RARE as an acronym for how to become a mature leader. The first R stands for “Remain Relational.” While in public accounting, a manager thought I had undermined her authority. Instead of rebuking me personally and appropriately, I was called into the office so a partner and ...

Developing Mature Leaders

2022-04-15T21:26:51-05:00July 9th, 2021|Tags: , , |

In the book “Rare Leadership in the Workplace,” authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder contend that maturity is the core leadership quality. They define maturity as a “collection of skills and habits we develop over time.” When thrust into leadership, our past skills of self-management are important, but incomplete. For now, we are charged with leading others as well. Relationships ...

Carpe Diem

2022-04-16T21:43:00-05:00June 25th, 2021|Tags: , , |

Do you remember the 1989 movie, “Dead Poet’s Society”?  Portraying an English teacher, Robin Williams teaches his students the Latin phrase, “Carpe Diem.” It simply means to seize the day or make the most of the present time. As Biblically principled leaders, it is imperative that we Carpe Diem, but do so with God’s will for the future in mind. ...

Eat the Frog

2022-04-16T21:51:03-05:00June 24th, 2021|Tags: , , |

One not so positive thing I’ve learned about myself as a leader is that I sometimes procrastinate on the things I don’t want to do. One of those procrastinations involves having difficult conversations with staff. Can you relate? Mark Twain said, “If you ever have to eat a live frog, it’s best done first thing in the morning.” If you ...

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