One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to help others feel valued. This is true whether your leadership position is at work, as a parent, or as part of a peer group. We've all worked with people who devalued those around them. It might have stemmed from insecurity or poor training. Regardless, the results are the same. Over time, devalued people become demotivated and demoralized. Simply put, everyone suffers. When a person feels valued, they work harder, with more passion, and the overall team is strengthened. Over the next few blog posts, I want to share a few simple ways we can communicate to people that they matter. These aren't graduate level instructions. In fact, most of life doesn't require graduate level instructions (unless you're studying brain surgery!). #1 - Pay Attention to People It's OK to not pay attention to people ... when no one is…
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At some point in life, everyone will face a difficulty. It might be an illness, unemployment, or the break-up of a family. This raises an important question: How do we rise above difficult circumstances? It might surprise you, but researchers who study resilient people agree with Jesus: We must have something larger than our circumstances that we are living for. That’s the premise behind our passage in Philippians 1. The Apostle Paul is writing to a church he helped start – and he’s writing from prison. He’s literally chained to a Roman soldier! He might be in prison but that hasn’t changed his perspective. How is that possible?Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click…
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The most effective people I know share at least one thing in common: they want to be better. They want to be a better mom or dad, a better listener, a better steward of their finances, a better friend, a better coworker, a better leader. In other words, they not only want to improve - they know they need to. I'm sure you've met the person who acts like they've already arrived and have stopped growing. It's not a matter of age, whether you are young or old. It's an attitude. But maybe it's even more than just an attitude. As I've worked with people (and done my own fair share of soul searching), I've become convinced that this desire to improve is more a belief than just an attitude. Do I believe I can be a better version of myself? Not a better version of someone else, but a…
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Growth in the natural world is all about looking forward. A sapling becomes a large oak tree by growing slowly over time. An infant grows into a child, who eventually becomes an adult. Hope works in the same way – it looks forward. When a person has hope, they can imagine a better future. It is hope that allows you to look past your present circumstances and see through faith a better future. Without hope, a person feels stuck. A spiritually vibrant life is the result of faith-filled anticipation.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here. Professor at Warner University church planter with Stadia former former president, Church Planters of the Rockies masters in…
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Having worked in the people business for nearly 30 years, I've come to believe that shame is one of most destructive forces in our culture. Unlike godly sorrow, which is based on truth, shame is based on lies. Guilt is believing you did a bad thing. Shame is when you believe you are a bad person. Believing this lie then leads to all sorts of faulty thinking: I’m a failure I’m not important I’m unlovable I have seen shame drive a 14-year-old girl to an eating disorder because she didn't like how she looked. I've also seen shame keep middle-aged men from relationships for fear of self-disclosure. I believe there is only one permanent, lasting solution: The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Only the gospel can remove our shame and restore our proper identity as children of God. My freshman year of college, I signed up for a class…
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