Leadership

It is June, 1944, and the largest military operation in history is about to begin. There are over 5,000 ships and 156,000 soldiers about to storm the beaches of Normandy, France. If you're familiar with history, then you know we're talking about D-Day. Not long before the start of the invasion, General Dwight Eisenhower wrote a letter addressed to the “Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.” In the letter, he described the grand purpose of their endeavor and the importance of their mission. It's what you would expect from a General who is about to send 156,000 people into harms' way. But it wasn't all that he wrote. He also didn’t want to mislead them: “Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.” Was Eisenhower trying to discourage his troops? Of course not! But…

You can be the world's worst dancer and still have good rhythm. While I'm not sure how one gets crowned "the world's worst dancer", I have learned a few things about rhythm. In fact, I've learned more about rhythm than I have dancing - which, in the eternal scheme of things, has been a more beneficial path to take. But to be honest, it has taken me over 25 years to get a good sense of rhythm. In musical terms, rhythm is the placing of sounds within the space of time, creating a discernible pattern. It forms the foundation upon which the music is able to build and flow. The rhythm I'm talking about has nothing to with musical talent, eye-hand coordination, or the ability to keep steady time on the drums. Ironically, you could be a fantastic bass player that holds the rhythm together for the rest of the…

Not long ago, a leader in another church asked me a question about how to handle a situation in his church. They are in the process of relocating to a new location and have been raising money for the new building. The question concerned how much information to divulge to the congregation regarding the sale of their current property. In an expected twist, they were able to sell it for more than expected and without the use of a broker. They had raised money for the location based on the expected income from the sale -- not the unexpected bonus. In an act of generosity, the board wanted to make a financial gift to the purchasing church - one that is smaller and reaches a growing community of immigrants. My response: you can never go wrong with being honest and transparent. It's one thing if you are transparent with people…

Below is an excellent article written by a fellow I knew in San Diego during my church start-up days. Back then, he was a SEO expert and a fantastic electric guitar player. He's still both of those and much more! ******************** I recently spoke to 400 restaurant managers, supervisors and store owners from 260 McDonald’s stores in the Midwest. It was a great experience, in part because they were such a positive and organized group. And because of what I learned in the process! #1 Clear values create clear leaders. Unclear leaders are tough to follow. And organizations with unclear values have weak cultures. McDonald’s has really clear values. And makes them clear to their leaders. Which makes it easier for their leaders to lead the culture in the direction that McDonald’s wants to go. They teach three major things to their managers: Customer obsession Better together Committed to lead…

Author Jennifer Schuldt tells the story of taking her children to an aquarium while on vacation. Like many aquariums, this one had a tank where you could pet different types of sea animals, including small sharks. Noticing the sharks, she asked the attendant if the sharks ever snapped at people's fingers. Seems like a logical question to ask before you stick your whole arm into the water (as most kids will do!) and a finger might be mistaken for a floating sausage. The worker assured her that the sharks wouldn't bite because they had just been fed. Then he added this insight: if the sharks were still hungry ... that would be different! Hungry people, like hungry sharks, don't always make the most discerning choices. One of the wisdom writers in the Bible put it this way: "A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet…