Executive Leadership

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 ...

Leading Like Jesus

2022-04-16T22:00:04-05:00June 23rd, 2021|Tags: , , |

Wikipedia defines leadership as “the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal.” Usually that goal is surrounded in selfish gains like success, power and the love of money. Christian leadership is defined as “the act of influencing and or serving others out of Christ’s interests in their lives, so they can accomplish God’s purposes for and ...

Returning to the Office

2022-04-22T21:15:39-05:00June 2nd, 2021|Tags: , , |

As business leaders navigate bringing their people back to the office, it may be hard for businesses to develop a one-size-fits-all policy for remote vs office work. My friend, Paul, collaborates with an architect firm. Paul said, “Many businesses can work remotely, but these architects are collaborating on designing a building. Remote work has been disastrous for them.” Another friend ...

Empty Threats

2022-05-06T22:37:56-05:00April 28th, 2021|Tags: , , |

In reading “The Moralist,” a Woodrow Wilson biography, I observed the futility of bluffing. Early during World War I, Germany’s submarines sunk multiple British ships with many Americans on board. President Wilson sent Germany letters and threatened them publicly, but the Germans believed, correctly, Wilson’s words were just a bluff. The Germans became so brazen that they eventually sank nine ...

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