Over the years, I've been privileged to sit down with many great leaders. High school football coaches, nonprofit executives, church planters, entrepreneurs, and CEO's of multibillion dollar companies. Just this past week, I enjoyed coffee with a fellow who has led several publicly-traded companies. I've discovered that great coaches, CEO's, and parents have one thing in common: they never stop learning. When I find a person who has stopped learning, I'm not surprised when I find they have also stopped growing. Even worse, they might actually be regressing in their abilities to lead and motivate people -- especially those who are continuing to expand their knowledge and skill set. Intellectually curious people ... Read books inside and outside of their field Ask more questions Ask better questions Aren't embarrassed to ask for help Debrief and deconstruct what worked and what didn't Readily share what they're learning with others Besides being…
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When it comes to handling feedback, Henry Cloud talks about 3 kinds of people: wise, foolish, evil. Wise people. Because they want to get better, they thank you and take action. Foolish people. Instead of listening, they'd rather talk about your problems. Evil people. How do you handle them? With money, guns, and lawyers, use this useful reference for more. Here’s the main thing we’re going to see in today’s story: How you respond to admonishment and adversity will determine your influence and impact. Over the last few weeks we've been looking at the family tree of David. We started with Solomon, a wise man who made some bad decisions. These decisions led to further trouble. Then came Rehoboam, the king who acted on bad advice and kingdom was divided. Today is one of my favorite names in Bible (and in the opening line of a John Prine song): Jehoshaphat.…
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Back in 2016, Jimmy Fallon asked viewers to tweet examples of bad advice they had received. Here are just a few I pulled from the hashtag #badvice. Here are two things I’ve learned in my nearly 50 years of living: Not all advice is equal. Being entitled to your opinion doesn’t make it right. Getting older is automatic; wisdom is not. As we continue our series on Old Testament characters, today’s story is about a King who acted on bad advice. The end result was not only disastrous for him on a personal level but also led to the Israelite nation being divided into two kingdoms. His name is Rehoboam and he is the son of Solomon, the grandson of David. He would reign for only 17 years. Our story is found in 1 Kings 12:1-20. It's at the beginning of his reign and Rehoboam is asked to compromise on…
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David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord and even made preparations for it before his death. But God had told him, “You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name.” David handles this with grace and a commitment to helping his son succeed.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…
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Over the past few months, I've been spending a lot time reading through the life of King David. The life of David is fascinating because it represents the best and worst of people -- not just all people, but especially those who follow God. It's fair to say that David is a flawed -- but passionate -- follower of God. As you get near the end of David's story, he sets his heart on doing something special for God: to build a temple in which to house the Ark of the Covenant. It's a noble desire. And it's one that God doesn't allow. In fact, the prophet Nathan runs ahead of God and simply tells David to do whatever he has in mind. That night, God speaks to Nathan and tells him otherwise. (As an aside, that is a great reminder to those of us who speak on behalf of…
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