The Limits of a One-Man Show
“John, we have a problem.” As a leader, you get used to hearing those words. Challenges are a daily part of leadership. However, when this time when I heard them, I felt my stomach drop. I was young and had just left the church in Hillham, my first position as a leader. I had moved…
Read More5 Lessons I Learned When Just Starting Out
The year was 1969. Fresh out of college and newly married to my long-time love, Margaret, I stepped into the sanctuary of my first church, in Hillham, Indiana. To say Hillham was small would be an understatement; when Margaret and I first moved there, the town consisted of eleven houses, two garages, and one grocery…
Read More10 Great Quotes for Entrepreneurs
I love a good quote. I’ve been collecting them for over four decades now, and it still blows my mind how powerfully other people’s words can improve my understanding of certain ideas. Lately I’ve been thinking about ways to help entrepreneurs with their businesses, and from my files I’ve pulled out some quotes that I…
Read MoreThe key to gaining influence is earning it, not borrowing it
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Leadership is influence — nothing more, nothing less. The more I speak to leaders of all stripes, the more I’m reminded of the truth of this statement. No matter who you are, no matter where you serve, if you have influence with people, you can lead them.…
Read MoreThe Three Types of Mentors Every Person Needs to Help Them Grow
A self-made leader doesn’t make much. I first wrote that statement in 2008, in my book, Leadership Gold. Eight years later, I still believe it. After all, I’m not a self-made man. It took a lot of people investing in me to get me where I am today. You may wonder: Who helped you, John?…
Read MoreThe Season of Increased Returning – Will You Hold Back When It’s Time to Give Back?
For the past few weeks I’ve been writing about the seasons of life everyone goes through. I introduced you to the three seasons in my first post, and then wrote about the season of learning and the season of earning. And what’s made me so excited to share with you is the level of engagement…
Read MoreAre You Earning to Your Maximum Potential?
For the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing my thoughts on the financial seasons of life that we all experience. The first week, I introduced the seasons: Increased learning (usually ages 0-25), increased earning (usually 25-55), and increased returning (usually 55+). Last week we delved into the Learning Season. And today I want to discuss…
Read MoreLearn for a lifetime – starting today!
Last week I introduced you to the idea of financial seasons in your life. Thank you to everyone who commented on the post. I can’t wait to address the seasons you emphasized and give you my thoughts on maximizing them. This week, let’s focus on the first financial season – the Season of Increased Learning.…
Read MoreWhat Financial Season Are You In?
It’s officially March, which means that winter is almost over, and the most anticipated season of the year is right around the corner. Many of us spend the better part of the winter planning for this time. Some people scramble like maniacs to get themselves into good shape. Some have been preparing for it since…
Read Morehow do you help kids turn a loss into a win?
If you’re a grandparent, what do your grandkids call you? It seems like that’s one of the first decisions that people make when expecting their first grandchild: What do we want to be called? In our case, Margaret knew right away that she wanted to be called Mimi. But I wasn’t sure about what I…
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