5 Leadership Don’ts You Should Do

“Be proactive, get it done, just do it, move forward, vision cast, make progress and look ahead!” These words all resonate with a leader, don’t they? It’s that one foot in front of the other mindset that keeps leaders moving forward. However, should we ever take a moment to think about the don’ts? How about this, should we ever think about the don’ts that we should we be doing? Here is a list of 5 to think about.


1. Don’t Be Afraid of Bad News - Embrace It

Bad news can bring us down especially when the bad news is somewhat aimed in our our general direction. I like what the Bible says in Psalms 112:7, “Bad news won’t bother them; they have decided to trust the LORD.” Allow that difficult news to transform our leadership into something great. Embrace it.


2. Don’t Allow Others to Discourage You - Ignore It

If you call the shots you will most certainly receive some from time to time. Unfortunately the shots the leader receives are often

3 C's That Can Sink Your Leadership Boat

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, one of those days when you feel like you are sinking and you feel like there is nothing you can do about it? I think each of us have felt like that at one time or another as a parent, as a leader as someone who simply has a pulse. Sometimes life just hits us and other times we create an a perfect storm through our choices and we start to go under. So, with that in mind, I want to share with you 3 C’s that can sink your leadership boat.


Control

Avoidance of certain situations or people is a form of staying in "Control." Staying away and not having that difficult conversation is a way for each

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How To Lead With A True Heart & Skillful Hand

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“He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.” Psalm 78:72

This reference to how David was to lead Israel as he had led his father’s flock of sheep paints a wonderful picture for me as a parent and as a leader.

It’s a reminder for each of us to pay attention to our heart. To have a soft, true and gentle heart, not a heart of aggravation, frustration or exasperation. We are also reminded to lead with skill which includes wisdom and understanding.

The words, “led them with skillful hands,” causes me to think about two different and unique pictures in my mind when it comes to parenting my kids and, for that matter, how I lead teams.

The first picture is one of frustration. There is a battle of the wills taking place between my son and I. Imagine a scene in which I have asked my then 4 year old son Alec several times to put down the toy he is holding and come to me. He does not

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What Should I Do When My Kids Are Rude?

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I wish rude and polite behavior were simple button choices but as you know, they are not. Let me tell you a story.

Not too long after Mary and I got married, we were quietly standing in line together at the grocery store. Suddenly, in the distance we could hear them coming––what sounded like a pack of wild animals fighting to the death. What actually appeared was a mom and her three kids, all the kids were under the age of seven, who were arguing over what cereal to buy.

A box was being passed around between the two tallest children while the younger one screamed with hands stretched toward the heavens and feet rapidly pounding the floor.
Mom was pushing the basket leisurely around the corner while reading a food label on an item she had just taken from the shelf. She appeared unfazed by the volume and the antics.

She calmly placed the item she was holding into her basket and got in line behind us. The tantrum over the cereal box had moved on to claim new territory: the gum and candy display that the horrible people at the grocery store had so conveniently placed alongside the checkout line. Now the loud dispute centered around the choice of gum and quickly escalated into a situation involving at least one headlock. Mom, again apparently not fazed by the uproar, casually thumbed through a magazine.

Mary and I were stunned. It was at that moment in my married-with-no-children brain that I not only thought, but uttered the words

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Family Time: How To Unplug & Engage

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When I make an attempt to spend uninterrupted time with my family, I feel as if I am fighting constant distractions and interruptions. The bling, hum or alarm from a text or social media app is certainly distracting; but even if I am in a location that’s quiet and with no cell reception, I find myself battling my overactive brain, which never seems to shut down.

 

The bottom line is that I need to stop interrupting myself before I can spend uninterrupted time with my family.

 

After getting myself “unplugged,” the next challenge is getting the rest of the family to unplug. Our kids are pretty good about unplugging when we have calendared family time, including doing a pretty good job of respecting the family boundary of no electronics at the dinner table.

I want our family times to be different. Of course there are times when it’s okay to play or socialize on your phone I just don’t want my kids to isolate themselves every time

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Parents: You Have To Take Advantage of This Opportunity!

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A few years ago, I was invited to be a guest speaker on a cruise ship. As it turned out, I was available! When the ship arrived at our first port of call, passengers had the option of staying on the ship or disembarking and walking around town. We opted for the second. Once we stepped off the ship, we were met by at least 50 people selling T-shirts, jewelry and food.

I guess you could say they were in the right place at the right time. Pretty smart to be in that exact location at the very moment when the ship arrived. It’s like they somehow knew. Well, of course they knew, and I’m sure they knew when the next ship was due into port as well. You see, they were “taking advantage of the opportunity

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3 Ways To Know Family Rest And No Family Stress

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As parents we have a responsibility to our families to help them find time to pause. The easy part is telling our children to slow down, be mindful and find moments of rest. The difficult part is modeling it.

Helping our family find healthy balance does come at a price. If you have teens, the prices is, well, you know. Verbal pushback, possible complaints and a general sigh of “this is boring.” The reason why we need to “Know Family Rest” is so we “No Family Stress.”

Stress in Today’s Modern Family is much different from stress in previous times in two distinct ways. First, today’s stress has increased with our accelerated pace of life and  Second, our modern technology has reduced the