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Category Archive: Church Scattered

What Makes You A Different Kind Of Leader?

Posted by on July 13, 2018

There is always some new tool to help us find our greatest strength or develop in an area of weakness. The mistake we often make is to either lean into our strength or obsess over what we don’t do as well. My conclusion is that both areas are important but the best approach is to be effective in all the critical path areas of leadership. This Forbes Council post gives you that list:

“Let’s face it: We’re all engaged in a rat race. We want to make our mark, to be known for something, forever competing, chasing, challenging, outthinking, outpacing and outdoing the next guy. Why? Because if you think outside the box, it will make you stand out and make it easier to mark the territory that you wish to claim.”

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Your Cause Is Not Your Purpose And How To Know The Difference

Posted by on July 11, 2018

This was a great post by Nick Craig that helped me clear up some confusion in my own life. With all the conversation around finding your Why, it is as if there is only one correct answer to what I want to accomplish in my life. The clarity around one purpose with many causes brought a lot of clarity:

“The notion this supports, that “purpose equals cause,” has become so pervasive, in fact, that many of the leaders I encounter seem to believe that some version of “saving the world” is the only worthy purpose. It sounds admirable, but the notion is flawed.”

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Why Emotional Courage Is So Essential To Great Leadership

Posted by on July 9, 2018

I hear all the time in working with clients the concern that we are taking too much work home. I rarely hear from leaders the acknowledgement that we also bring home to work everyday. The emotional awareness we have personally is a combination of both worlds. How we feel about that is important but what we believe is critical. This Forbes post is helpful:

“In my work as a career and leadership coach with mid- to senior-level leaders each year, I’ve seen that the vast majority of the “leadership” or “career” challenges that my clients are facing are actually not career-related or professional in nature at all.”

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It's Time To Redefine Executive Presence

Posted by on July 6, 2018

I am a passionate believer in Situational Leadership as the best way to lead anyone based on the context of the person and the challenge. However, just as daily leadership challenges are constantly changing so is the market context in which we lead. So today with disruption everywhere, the old leadership best practices need to change as well. This post by Forbes provides much needed clarity:

“If an executive recruiter or anyone else suggests you need executive presence, stop and ask, “How do you define executive presence?” Traditionally, executive presence has been a hard-to-describe, elusive characteristic. It’s how individuals package their looks, style and demeanor to give them an advantage for being considered for a promotion into the executive ranks.”

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5 Behaviors Of Smart Leaders

Posted by on July 4, 2018

One of the most significant changes in executive leadership is moving from being the person who has all the answers to the person who knows how to ask the right questions. In reality, this is not a diminished role for the leader but an expanded one that maximizes the potential from every leader present. This post by Jeff Boss is a great read:

“Some of the best experiences in my life have come from perceived failure. I use the term “perceived failure” because where others see failure as a roadblock to success, I tend to see it as a pathway to get there. Failing is about putting in your time and learning hard lessons along the way–lessons that shape you as a person and as a leader.”

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Five Questions To Uncover Your Purpose

Posted by on July 2, 2018

I wasted years trying to do the right things without clearly defining what those things actually are. The volume of inputs is increasing daily and how can we possibly know what to do and what not to do? The only way to consistently say No to the good things, to be able to say Yes to the best, is to know and live according to your purpose. This Forbes Coaches Council is excellent:

“In the quiet moments, when you’re truly honest with yourself, you aren’t even sure why you are doing what you’re doing today (beyond just paying the bills). You have no idea how you ended up here. But above all else, you crave more and you know there is more out there — more meaning, connection, consciousness and growth.”

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How To Get A Life Worth Living

Posted by on June 22, 2018

All of us have things in our lives we would like to do differently. We tell ourselves that someday we will make the changes that will produce the kind of life we really want. Then outside demands increase and we buy into the this is only temporary lie again. If you don’t have the courage to write your own script, someone else will for you. This post by Jeremy Lott was great:

“For my first job in Washington, DC, I worked very long hours. One night, a rare dinner date was lined up. “What time do you get off?” my date asked to coordinate. A long, awkward pause followed. “It’s kind of a philosophical question,” I finally admitted.”

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10 Hardships In Marriage And How To Overcome Them

Posted by on June 20, 2018

I was married at the age of nineteen and had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time. After being married for a long time, I am still trying to figure it all out. One think I know is that there are many things in this life that threaten any marriage and if you are not committed to work through those things it will not last. Mark Merrill has a helpful list and good advice:

“Every marriage faces hardship. It’s a given. This list covers most of the common troubles, but your situation is unique. The key point here is to face the difficulty – whatever kind of struggle it is – together with your wife.

Do you remember your marriage vows? “For better, for worse…” “In sickness and in health…” “For richer, for poorer…”

These promises presuppose tough times. We went into our marriage with our eyes open, so there’s really no excuse for not bringing everything we have to the table when things – once in a while – get dicey.”

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Seven Daily Rituals That Will Help Leaders Dominate Their Day

Posted by on June 18, 2018

The ability to consistently accomplish great things is not found in complex project management but in the daily routines that prepare you for every day. When I find myself loosing margin, I always return to the short but very powerful list of my daily priorities. Consistently accomplishing this short list helps me be able to deal effectively with all of the major challenges. This Forbes Coaches Council was great:

“My to-do list is always too long to accomplish in one day. The key to being effective is rating each item A, B or C. The A’s are the priority: Everything that will make a sizable difference in my business or life.”

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Signs You Are On The Verge Of Burnout

Posted by on June 15, 2018

The two high profile suicides this past week should cause us all to take an honest look at our emotional margin. We blow off all the seemingly temporary cycles of discouragement and frustration. What we miss is the chronic pattern of negative behavior that are clearly warning signs of a much deeper problem. This Forbes post was timely:

“However, just because society tends to look at burnout as going hand-in-hand with working hard doesn’t mean that it must become your reality. If you find yourself heading down the road to burnout or you believe the warning signs are creeping in, now is the time to stop and act.”

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