Want to Be a Success? Celebrate Failure
“Failure is not an option.”Gene Kranz, Apollo 13 Unless you’re skydiving, tightrope walking, or trying to land a space shuttle, failure IS an option. In fact, the most successful people usually are the ones who have failed the most. Unafraid to take risks, they stumble frequently, but in doing so they learn valuable lessons and…
Read MoreLeading with Excellence Setting Personal Standards of Success
“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” -Zig Ziglar Wise leaders set personal standards of excellence rather than allowing…
Read MoreGreat Employee
What side of the desk do you sit on? The majority of vocational church leaders will never experience both sides. In fact, it is likely that you are either a Senior Pastor or employed by one. My vantage point is somewhat unique. I’ve never planted a church or been a Senior Pastor. I’ve always been…
Read MoreUnderstanding Excellence
How does a financial services company in a bleak economy perform so amazingly well that it can give back $1.2 billion to its customers, members and associates? That’s the question to ask of USAA, the insurance, banking, and investment provider serving military families. USAA’s revenues leaped 36% in 2009 as the company jumped 75 spots…
Read MoreQuestions to Ask Before You Say “Yes”
Accepting a position as pastor of a local church is like getting married. It’s a huge commitment. People on both sides are often a little unsure and maybe even nervous. It is a profound relational covenant. It’s about trust and respect and hope for the future. It’s a calling not a job. This may now…
Read MoreFrom Making Cabinets to Making Millions
As a college junior, Harrison Ford decided to take a drama course in the hopes of meeting girls. Sure enough, a love affair ensued, only not of the variety Ford had envisioned. Rather than falling for a beautiful woman, he fell in love with acting. Like so many aspiring actors before and after him, Ford…
Read MoreGreat Boss
If you were to describe the best boss you’ve ever had, how would you describe them? Tough but fair? Caring and a good listener? Competent and trusting? There are so many possibilities, and one of the most difficult things about being a great boss is that everyone would like something just a little different. Some…
Read MoreExcellence: More than Talent
“Excellence” may bring to mind unmatched performance, unusual expertise, or consistent high-quality performance. In our minds, we often associate excellence with talent. To be the best, surely you have to be gifted, right? Experience has taught me that talent, while important, in no way explains excellence. In fact, the primary pathway to excellence has three…
Read MoreExcellence: Taking Your Leadership to New Heights
As a child, did you ever wish that you could fly? The longing to escape gravity seems ingrained in our imaginations. Fictional characters from Superman to Mary Poppins to Aladdin have soared across the sky on adventures. Michael “Air” Jordan’s fame rested, in part, on his seeming ability to glide above his opponents on the…
Read MoreDropout with a Doctorate
A class clown who devoted more time to sports than studies, Bill Cosby flunked the 10th grade and dropped out of high school to join the Navy. While rehabbing injured Korean War servicemen as a physical therapist, Cosby took note of the ethic of personal growth in his fellow navy men. In addition to fulfilling…
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