Day one of Opportunity Camp is drawing to a close - at least for me. Our cleaning crews are just now hitting the bathrooms, rubber gloves up to their elbows. Our theme this year is about the stories of Jesus. I'm retelling different parables in the morning and then applying them at night. Today's parable was about the sower and the soil from Matthew 13. I spoke this evening about three ways to prepare your soil/life for God's involvement: plow the soil put down roots pull the weeds At any given, we may be doing all three. Spiritual growth and development is rarely linear. In other words, it's not as easy or straightforward as doing this, then this, then that ... and here comes the growth. But spiritual growth does require intentionality. It also requires action. We can't just think our way to a better, more meaningful spiritual life. For…
Read More
(How to) Make less meaningful work more meaningful. Take all the senseless BS out of people’s jobs – unnecessary tasks, paperwork, and CYA-related nonsense. When you ask someone to do something, use what they’ve done, or quit asking them to do it. Ask people to develop their own best ways to accomplish results, hold them accountable, and reward them for hitting targets. On the premise that we all need to see the needle move once in a while, give them some opportunities for quick wins. Source: Contented Cows
Read More
Contented Cows is a great blog about how to facilitate cooperation in the workplace. The premise is simple: contented cows produce more and better milk. While not looking to produce milk, as a leader I am interested in how to create an environment where people can be productive, feel appreciated, and accomplish great things. In that spirit, I pass along this post entitled "Stop Being Ordinary!" ****************** Have you seen the YouTube video of the Thomson Airways (a UK carrier) safety video? If not, click on it (above), take 3 and a half minutes to look at it, then keep reading. Sure, it’s cute. The kids are really good. Adorable. And the creative team that put it together is brilliant. But what makes it work is that it’s anything but ordinary. Thomson passengers actually watch the thing, and I have to believe that retention of the material is off the…
Read More
“How do you know if a man needs encouragement? If he is breathing.” -Truett Cathy, Founder, Chick-Fil-A
Read More
Do you have stray gift cards laying around (or in your wallet) that have small balances left on them? Instead of throwing them away, considering sending them to GiftCardGiver.com and let them route them to a non-profit that can use them to benefit others. Here's an excerpt from their story: Four friends had an idea to collect gift cards and give them to people in need. They went to a gathering and asked 8 people how much money in unused Gift Cards they had in their wallets and walked away with $50 in Gift Cards to help people in need. GiftCardGiver.com was born. Gift Card Giver is a new form of giving. The Gift Card industry has risen to be a 60 billion dollar industry. Ever wonder how many gift cards are unused? More than 10%. That means billions of dollars are waiting to be used for good on Gift…
Read More