There seems to be a for Dummies book for everything – over 1,600 titles and growing. They must be doing something right. For 20 years, Wiley has published “a reference for the rest of us” covering such far-ranging titles as running a bar, acne, Windows, and wikis. There’s one for Christian prayer and yes, one for leadership. The premise for each of the books is always the same: keep it simple and clear, offer cheat sheets, keep it light-hearted, and give easy-to-comprehend “get in, get out” tips.
With all due respect, maybe it’s time for a different approach. Maybe instead of presuming ignorance and moving up from there, somebody should presume that he or she is writing to geniuses.
They just may not know it yet.
Nowhere is that more real than in the area of leadership. Often both leaders and non-leaders approach the subject as if becoming a leader is a power we gain to overcome weaknesses, information we gather to overcome ignorance, or favor we gather to overcome anonymity.
But what if you already had the power, the understanding, or the favor? What if you’re already a leader, but just didn’t know it because nobody ever seems to recognize your unique genius? What if you’re beating your head against the wall trying to get better in an area where you routinely stink it up – all the while ignoring or running from areas of your greatest power and influence?
Maybe it really is time for a different approach. How about Leadership for Geniuses? [click to continue…]
“You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” – Yogi Berra
Had a blast from my past yesterday. I returned to the scene of one of my greatest personal undertakings, which I wrote about here. And it was an interesting reunion.
Twenty years ago, flush with vision and excitement, I began a project that many people refer to today as their Bucket List. I took three pieces of paper and began three lists – 100 Things I Would Like to Be, Do, and Have. Now 20 years later, it felt good to see some of the things that had been achieved. Earning a Ph.D. was one of those. Becoming a grandfather was another.
I also found things on the lists that still had value to me, but had yet to be fulfilled. Places to go. Things to accomplish. Roles to embrace.
In between was a lot of fluff, trivia, and some disappointments. If I intended to do anything with the lists anymore, it was definitely time for an overhaul. Some things needed to be punted. (Example: I had listed about nine different master’s degrees. Hey… it was a phase.) Some things needed to be written off as a bust (no more dreams of Rogaine or the Hair Club for Men). And some things were valid, but needed serious reworking.
Most importantly, over the last 20 years, my horizon has changed in major ways. What was important – heck what was possible back then – has changed dramatically.
In the process of some major course correction and target adjustments, I’ve learned some things about how to recognize goals that need reevaluating or reshaping. Take a look at where you are headed in light of these warning signs: [click to continue…]
How many times have you heard or said something like this:
- “This place feels dead.”
- “We have some unresolved issues.”
- “This relationship just isn’t working.”
- “I can forgive, but I just can’t forget.”
- “I don’t feel like I belong – I just don’t feel any connection with them.”
- “It’s just going to take some time before I can trust him again – if I ever do.”
These and many more are expressions of a strained or dysfunctional fellowship. And if you’ve ever been part of the church scene or had any experience with Christ followers for any length of time, more than likely you’ve landed there. Which reminds me…
Somebody once asked, “Pray for me. I’m surrounded by non-believers every day at work.”
My reply: “Pray for me – I’m surrounded by Christians every day!”
Is it any wonder that Jesus’ one explicit prayer request for this generation was that we would be one, so that the world would believe in Him (John 17:20-21)? So, Phil, how’s that workin’ out for ya’? [click to continue…]
You can’t.
You can walk it out. You can stand there and look humble while people tell you that you’ve got it. You can make corrections when you stand convicted of the need for some changes. You can use it to plead with God or The Man (whoever that is) for justice or a raise or something. You can even dare to mention it when you run for political office.
But you are not equipped to be the architect or builder of an integrated life – yours or anybody else’s.
This is no self-improvement process, friends. You can’t build integrity into your life by getting more information, imitating somebody else, or rigidly keeping a code of conduct. You can’t get it with an extreme makeover, a friendly takeover, or a cosmetic rake-over.
Integrity is an inside job. It’s the result of a transformational process that takes your dis-integrated self and changes you through and through by a power that is not your own.
That said, just as an office building is designed and constructed according to a set pattern, so your Master Designer and Builder follows a blueprint for building wholeness in you. And while you don’t have the power to do this yourself, your faith and submission to His work can help speed the process.
Each of these stages builds on the other, and I believe the order matters. And yet, these are all lifetime pursuits that we’ll never perfectly achieve this side of heaven. Designing and building a life of integrity involves: [click to continue…]
Pssst.
Over here.
I have something you need to see.
I’m not showing it to anybody else yet because I wanted you to be the first to take advantage of it. But next week it goes public. And this won’t be a secret for very long. This is a once-in-a lifetime…
(wait for it…)
…yeah, that.
Opportunity. It’s an often-used, sometimes over-used concept. Americans throw it around as if we own the copyright to the term. You can see and hear it everywhere… [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on May 2, 2012
in Consumers, Five LV Laws, Gamblers, Hoarders, LV Alter-egos, Pleasers, Principle of Abundance, Principle of Eternity, Principle of Freedom, Principle of Increase, Principle of Legacy
I have an urgent news flash for you: Just because you know something is wrong, that doesn’t mean you’ll avoid it.
Shocking, I know. And the corollary is also true: Just because you know you’re supposed to do something, that doesn’t mean you’ll do it.
Suppose you could interview Jonah – the Old Testament’s version of Gilligan – and ask him what the most important requirement was for prophets. What do you think he’d say? My guess is that he would tell you that a prophet’s number one job is to speak what he hears the Lord saying to speak.
Why, then, did Jonah have to travel from the boat to the belly to the burp to the beach before he decided to do what his own standard said to do?
Resurrect a first-century Pharisee and ask him what it took to please God, and you’d probably hear something about keeping the law and prophets, serving God and walking in humility and discipline.
Why, then, did Jesus refer to the scribes and Pharisees as unwilling to lift a finger to meet a need, doing all their deeds to be noticed by men, loving the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and insisting on being called by respectful titles in public? If serving God faithfully was so important to them, why did the Son of God warn people not to be like them?
Whenever the bad news breaks out about somebody who has shocked us with their oh-no, no-no behavior, we often ask silly questions like, “Well didn’t they know that was wrong?” Of course they did. Why, then, would someone violate their own standards of right and wrong? [click to continue…]
Somewhere not far from you, in an undisclosed location (they like to keep it that way), a group of ants is planning for winter. Methodically, laboriously, they’re hauling whatever it is that ants eat into a safe place. Though I’m sure they’re tempted to nibble on the profits, they resist the temptation to consume today. Instinctively they know that they must work now for the time when either they can’t work, or there won’t be resources available.
In the Middle East there dwells a little furry critter – something like a cross between a chipmunk and a badger. (In other words, he sings like an angel, but he’s in a really bad mood!) Seriously, this little mammal is something like a Rocky Mountain version of a prairie dog. He has no natural defenses, yet easily protects himself from predators. His secret? He makes his home in the little crags between the rocks. There he remains safe while his enemies get a sore nose.
[click to continue…]
Heart Reef - Part of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
Earl Nightingale once told of a visit he made with his son to the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches nearly 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. On the trip he noticed that the coral polyps on the inside of the reef, where the sea was peaceful and quiet in the lagoon, seemed pale and lifeless. On the other hand, the coral on the outside of the reef, beneath the surge of the tide and power of the waves, were bright and vibrant with color and flowing growth. Mr. Nightingale asked his guide why this was so.
“It’s very simple,” came the reply. “The coral on the lagoon side dies rapidly because it has no challenge for growth and survival. The coral facing the surge and power of the open sea thrives and multiplies because it is challenged and tested every day. And so it is with every living organism on earth.”
And so it is with us!
I wish I could tell you that because you are a Christian you are promised a stress-free, test-free life. But you and I both know that simply isn’t true. [click to continue…]
It’s dandelion season again. Truth be told, in some places and hearts, they never go out of season. And here this year, for some reason, they’re back with an attitude. Deep roots that say, “I’m here to stay.” Those big, ugly leaves that just invite themselves to your next salad. The bright yellow blooming heralds of spring. And of course, the seed head that remains the fascination of children of all ages and life stages.
Here’s a cure for all kinds of blues and blahs: The next time you see a dandelion in all its glory, pick it up and free those windborne seeds to sail into the breeze. So what if you’re holding a briefcase, wearing a business suit, and late for a really important meeting? Let it fly! I don’t care if you’re still snared by the pursuit of an immaculate lawn. Pull the roots if you must – but be a kid again for a few seconds in the process.
You see, dandelions are God’s version of a helium balloon or a birthday candle. [click to continue…]
The earliest known drawings of you-know-who. From the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco
Suppose you could travel back in time and witness some event as it happened. What would you like to see firsthand?
My family and I played that “what if” game on a trip a few years ago. There were the obvious answers, of course, – to see the Red Sea divided into two walls of water, the resurrection or ascension of Jesus, to hear Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.
But lately I’ve been working on another list, because it speaks not just to the past, but to my future and yours.
If I could be a fly on history’s wall, here are some things I’d like to see, in no certain order:
I’d love to see Walt Disney show his wife sketch of a cartoon mouse he drew on the train ride home – one he called “Mortimer.” Lillian had a better idea. “Call him Mickey,” she said.
I’d love to see Oprah Winfrey’s first screen test.
I’d love to hear Billy Graham the first time he ever stood to preach.
I’d love to see Norman Vincent Peale’s wife, Ruth, mail his book manuscript – still in the trash can – to yet another publisher because he forbid her to take it out of the trash. (The book was The Power of Positive Thinking. It sold 30 million copies.) [click to continue…]
There seems to be a for Dummies book for everything – over 1,600 titles and growing. They must be doing something right. For 20 years, Wiley has published “a reference for the rest of us” covering such far-ranging titles as running a bar, acne, Windows, and wikis. There’s one for Christian prayer and yes, one for leadership. The premise for each of the books is always the same: keep it simple and clear, offer cheat sheets, keep it light-hearted, and give easy-to-comprehend “get in, get out” tips.
