Leadership Lessons
One of the most important lessons of leadership is being played out in American politics right now. I want to highlight it, and I trust you not to see any political motive in what I say. In the current contentious US presidential race, candidates are defining themselves by what they are against rather than by what they are for. This is due to a number of factors: nationwide disappointment with the current administration, the verbal assassination tactics of Donald Trump, and the desperate issues facing the nation. All of these have moved the tone of the campaign toward the negative,[read more]
True Nobility
One of the great maxims of true nobility came from the pen of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Roosevelt. She once wrote, “Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas.” Have you ever sat through a conversation that felt like a trip through a desert? The people around you buzzed with fascination over the latest stories and gossip, but it left you dry, even thirsty, for conversation that nourished your soul. You would have given just about anything for a long, stimulating discussion of things that matter. On the other hand, have[read more]
Ancient Words
There are some ancient words that come back to me often as I strive to live and lead. They help me live in balance and wisdom. They help to make me a man of elevated perspective. These are those words: “The wise man avoids all extremes.” I’m amazed at how often these words arise from the pages of history. The ancient Romans and Greeks pondered them. We have their writings as proof. King Solomon urged them upon us when he wrote, “The man who fears God avoids all extremes.” (Ecclesiastes 7:18, NIV) Indeed, most of the great leaders of the[read more]
Pilgrims
If you’ve been walking with me for a while, you know that I find deep meaning in the celebration of Thanksgiving. Now, I love all the food and football that most Americans enjoy on this holiday. Yet I also love the heritage behind Thanksgiving and the power of that heritage to impart some of what we need for the struggles of our time. So, though I won’t make it a common practice, let me once again do what I did last week: let me make this week’s Leading Thoughts a link to a podcast I’ve just recorded. This time, it is a podcast in[read more]
WWW III
This past weekend, the Pope movingly said that we are now living in World War III given the recent terrors in Paris. I've recorded a podcast offering my view of this and also making some recommendations about how we ought to live in the era dawning upon us. I think what I said in this podcast is more important than anything I might write on this page. So, allow me to offer this week’s Leading Thoughts in audio form. Allow me also to urge that you forward this email to others by using the Forward option below. Not only will they[read more]
“Get Low”
“Get low.” That’s what a friend said to me years ago. He was telling me what to do in case of an emergency. Then he applied the words to my life. I’ve never forgotten it. I was about to speak at a church in a major U.S. city. My friend was briefing me in preparation. Like many church leaders today, my friend and his team had been forced to think about what used to be unthinkable: someone opening fire during a service. Fortunately, there were a large number of police officers in that church. They knew what to do if[read more]
I Was Born For This
There are few more powerful words a person can say to himself than these: “I was born for this.” The sheer force of believing such a thing, the galvanizing strength it brings to all the currents of life, makes it a certainty we should settle for ourselves once and for all. It is primarily a spiritual belief, of course. To conclude that we were born for a moment in time and for a given purpose requires that we believe in a God who decides such things. It means recognizing that we aren’t accidents, that our lives aren’t ruled by chance[read more]
A Citizen or a Tourist?
I have made a decision about my life. I want you to make the same decision. I made this decision because of something I started to notice about human nature. Most people go through life like tourists. They have the manner of those just passing through. Some of what they see delights them; some of it distresses them. None of it matters over time. They live collecting experiences the way a visitor to a foreign land collects photographs. They are also just as passive. They remind me of a tour group on a bus. They exert no control over what[read more]
Calm
There is a condition that I’ve learned to value deeply. It’s the condition of calm. In fact, I call it the power of calm, and I’m eager to see it more fully permeate my own life and the lives of the leaders I influence. By calm I do not mean stoic. I do not mean “shut down” or unemotional. Instead, I’m referring to a state in which a person is fully engaged and at the same time fully at peace and balanced. They are rightly poised to handle anything that comes their way. When I envision a leader in this[read more]
Our Warrior Culture
I’m at home in warrior culture. I am the son of a US army officer. I spend a lot of time with members of the military. I am around athletes a great deal. I’m drawn to people given to great causes. Though I’ve never served in uniform myself, I’m most at home in warrior culture. It has served me well, for I believe that life requires us to be at war in some arena of our lives nearly all the time. Our society tells us otherwise. It tells us that the presence of battle and discomfort means something is wrong.[read more]