One of the blogs I regularly track is Mac Lake's. Last week he posted a great reminder about how we need to minimize the "friendly fire" that happens in a work environment, be it church or business. Here it is: Hit by Friendly Fire Just months after the September 11 attack on US soil Pat Tillman, safety for the Arizona Cardinals, turned down a 3.5 million dollar contract in order to join the US Army and defend his country . While serving on patrol in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident. Friendly fire is a strange term isn’t it? It means to fire inadvertently on someone on your own squad. It isn’t intentional, they don’t purposely cause harm, it happens because someone isn’t paying attention. Unfortunately there are people in offices all across the country who are struck by “friendly fire” everyday. Leaders…
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An old Russian proverb states, "Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan." Nearly everyone I've met wants to be successful -- though the definition of success may vary, the desire is there. I've met few people who aspire to be failures. Because of this, there is a great temptation to take credit where none is deserved. When an idea goes well, it's everyone's idea. "I knew that would work." Of course, at the time they may have thought it was the craziest idea out there. On the other hand, when an idea or project fails, it's like dropping a skunk in the middle of a party -- everyone scatters. No one wants to own the smell. This is where great leaders (and spouses and parents and coaches) stand out. They are content to let others get the credit and are willing to accept the blame. Perhaps the most…
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When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:13-18) For many years, I viewed this passage as an affirmation that no matter how bleak things got, no matter how dark the world became, there would always be a church somewhere. It might…
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It's tempting, but don't do it. Never confuse activity for accomplishment. Just because we're busy doesn't mean we're being effective. Although we might be buzzing around from event to event, commitment to commitment, busyness itself is not a guarantee that our quality of life (or quality of work) will be better. In fact, it could be counterproductive. An injured muscle needs time to heal. Without enough time to rest, our best ideas may give way to just OK ideas; even worse, they might give way to really bad ideas. Make it your goal to be effective, not just busy.
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From Alvin Toffler via The Speed of Trust: "The illiterate of the future are not those that cannot read or write. They are those that cannot learn, unlearn, relearn."
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