“I’m just being honest.” Have you ever heard someone say this? In some cases this is good. It is difficult to work in an environment where you have to guess what people are thinking. A bit of honesty goes a long way. As leaders however, we must do more than just be honest. In fact, I have met people who state their opinions openly, without regard for others feelings or opinions. They seem to be lacking a filter. I am not criticizing them on this point, but I have found one thing particularly fascinating about some of these people. Somehow I know very little about them. How is this possible?…
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What To Do When Things Go Wrong
“I didn’t do it.” This is a common response for me when something goes wrong. Whether it be at home or at work, I want to throw up my hands, shift responsibility and even complain about someone else. I didn’t do it, after all. When I do this, I become a victim with no course of action. If I had nothing to do with the problem, I can do nothing about it. In reality, usually I play a role in the situation and some (or all) of the responsibility is mine. What I need to do, is to own up to my part and learn from my mistakes. Some good…
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Honor One Another
There are many things I learned from my Father, but I also missed the opportunity to learn much more from him. It is easier to see what you could have learned from someone after you don’t have them around. Believe me, I know. What better way to honor someone than to make a pivot with your current relationships. Who are some people in your life now that if they were gone, you would regret not taking advantage of learning from them? Could be someone, like my Dad, who is good at fixing stuff, or someone who you respect spiritually, or someone who is a great parent. Go ahead and think of…
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What Your Responsiveness Communicates to Your Team, Co-workers, and Others.
“You communicate all the wrong things when you’re not responsive.” Bryan Miles This is so true. If I can give you one piece of advice when it comes to working with others it is this, Be Responsive. If someone emails you, email them back, even if they don’t ask you any questions. If they call you, call them back. If you aren’t available when they call, shoot them a text letting them know you will get back to them. If you get a text, you should always reply. Yes, everytime. If you are not responsive to communication, it will always communicate things you do not want to communicate. Here are…
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Scars
This is the playground by my house. It is sweet! The kids and I enjoy playing on it. One time, I was running and slipped and hurt myself. It was a minor injury, but I still have a scar to show for it. On my knee, I have another scar. It came to me from falling on some bricks while at my Grandparent’s house when I was a kid. I still remember going to my Grandpa with the injury. The blood had run all the way down my leg. I was thinking about this second scar recently. For the first time, I did not stop at remembering the incident itself.…
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Be Thankful: 5 Ways to Appreciate Your Loved Ones
Who do you care about? How does this person know you care about them? I would like to suggest that if you are not intentional about showing appreciation, then you are not appreciative. Whether it is your parents, a spouse or significant other, or a best friend, you must show the person how you feel and this requires work. You may be thinking, “Well, he knows I appreciate him,” or “She knows I love her.” If you do not show how you feel, they do not know anything. Here are some practical tips for showing your appreciation to the people you care about. These five verbs can be very helpful.…
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The Opportunity of Conflict
Recently I had conflict with two individuals, one a close friend and the other a colleague. In the first case, I could have avoided the situation all together by not telling my friend about something that had bothered me. In the second case, conflict broke out unexpectedly. I could have later avoided further conflict by not showing up or if my colleague had chosen not to show up for a second interaction. These were both great growth opportunities for me. Have you ever had conflict? Perhaps someone in your family or at work did something and you cannot stop thinking about it. Everytime you run into them, your stomach turns.…
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One Thing to Remember When You Fight with Your Spouse
My wife, Michelle, is the sweetest person in the world. I have yet to meet a better servant or someone with a bigger heart. From time to time, though, we do disagree and even get into arguments and fights. Conflict is normal in any relationship. In fact, I believe you are not close to anyone you have not had conflict with at some point. Someone once told me that if you really want to know someone, you need to get in a fight with them. I do not recommend starting fights, but conflict does have its place. I was listening to a podcast by Michael Hyatt last week, titled What I…