Modeling REAL Success
One of my favorite teachings from John Maxwell is his principles on How to be a REAL Success. The foundation of this teaching came from John realizing critical components for success that were not overtly taught in the educational system. Through reflection, John realized that successful people excelled in four areas: • Relationships • Equipping…
Read MoreWho’s the Best? Putting Talent to the Test
What do Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and Lionel Messi have in common? Second-place finishes. Manning’s Broncos were crushed 43-8 in the Super Bowl, the San Antonio Spurs handily defeated Lebron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, and Argentina, led by Messi, lost 1-0 to Germany in the World Cup Final. Each athlete…
Read MoreIs Your Environment Holding you Back?
When I was much younger, I found myself in a job situation where the environment wasn’t conducive to growth. This frustrated and discouraged me. I had always been focused on growth and improvement. From basketball as a kid to speaking professionally, I was always looking for ways to get better at what I was doing.…
Read MoreAre These Four Things Keeping You from Reaching Your Potential?
Wilma Rudolph, the Olympic track and field champion of the 1960s, said, “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” Like Wilma, I believe that we all have potential. God has designed each…
Read MoreInsecurity: An Explosive Quality in the Life of a Leader
Insecure leaders are like fireworks with a lit fuse. It’s only a matter of time until they explode, and when they do, they hurt everyone close to them. During a time when Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, it seems fitting to examine the drawbacks of insecurity through the life of a brilliant, yet flawed,…
Read MoreThe King of the Forest Can Still Be a Cowardly Lion
In the classic film, the Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion famously lacks courage. He’s scared of his own tail, and skittish at the slightest sign of danger. His companions constantly have to encourage him to keep going on their journey. In one scene, the Cowardly Lion imagines how much better his life would be…
Read MoreComedy or Tragedy, How Do You View Life?
For comedian Stephen Colbert, the date September 11th carries even deeper significance than it does for most Americans of his generation. On that day, when Colbert was ten years old, Eastern Airlines Flight 212 crashed into a muddy cornfield outside of Charlotte, NC, skidding for hundreds of feet before bursting into flames. 72 of the…
Read MoreSooner or Later?
Sports teams at the University of Oklahoma are known as the Sooners, one of strangest nicknames in collegiate athletics. The story of how their peculiar nickname originated highlights a key ingredient to success in leadership: initiative. In 1889, the U.S. government agreed to open up public lands in Oklahoma to aspiring homesteaders. Anyone who agreed…
Read More9 ways to overcome fear
In a speech in 1933, American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addressing a nation mired in a Depression and on the verge of a world war, famously stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” During the first century A.D., Epictetus said, “It is not death or pain that is to be dreaded,…
Read MoreDon’t Let Broken Trust Rust Out Your Relationships
When you’ve broken a teammate’s trust, don’t let the relationship rust; take action immediately to repair and restore it. As a leader, you’re out in front casting vision and giving direction. You’re vocal and highly visible; your words and deeds affect a lot of people. Eventually, you’re going to say or do something that violates…
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