I've never liked the term "networking." It's what computers and machines do. It seems manipulative, impersonal, and utilitarian. When leadership gurus urge us to network, it evokes images of business-card-swapping or data collection so we can leverage these relationships later.... Continue Reading →
Today's quotes explore the idea that leaders serve as key decision makers in organizations. Peter Drucker, in his book Managing the Nonprofit Organization (2005), offers the following: The least effective decision makers are the ones who constantly make decisions. The effective... Continue Reading →
Inauguration day has arrived. Regardless of where you stand politically, today offers a reminder that those who aspire to leadership must also cultivate the ability to graciously follow. I offer two quotes from my all-time favorite book: Romans 13:1 -... Continue Reading →
Ask most any older, ‘wiser’ person, and they will likely indicate that “young people just aren’t what they used to be…” The canvas in my mind depicts an old guy in a rocking chair on his front porch, hound dog... Continue Reading →
Learning is experienced as personal transformation. A person does not gather learnings as possessions but rather becomes a new person….To learn is not to have, it is to be. Gib Atkins, University of Virginia As you reflect on last year,... Continue Reading →
The growing leader grows from the inside out. But sometimes growth opportunities go unheeded. We don’t see the connection between seemingly unconnected things. In 1993, Belle Linda Halpern and Kathy Lubar launched a dream to combine the art of theater... Continue Reading →
I am convinced that the most powerful location from which to lead is not in front of, above, behind, under, or on a cell phone with the people God has given us to lead. It is among them, in their... Continue Reading →
Leaders typically have demands on their time that others do not. Young parents (leading families) find themselves stretched to meet the needs (and wishes) of their children. Volunteer leaders find themselves making phone calls and spending hours organizing and serving.... Continue Reading →