Seek first to understand, then to be understood. – Stephen Covey The most underrated skill a person can learn is the art of understanding those we love. The great Stephen Covey said it best as he defined it in his book 7 Habits. Habit 5 is to seek first to understand and then to be understood. When was the last time you consciously said to yourself, “I am going to make an effort to understand this person? We don’t do it with the people we are around the most, let alone strangers we come across. Why is that? It’s because it takes a lot of work to put in the effort to truly understand someone. We have to ask Read more…
My calling is not built on a location, it’s built on a destination. – Coach Deion Sanders Check out the clip here I love the thought of Coach Prime’s response to the media as he was introduced as the new head football coach of the University of Colorado. A few layers stood out as I thought about his comments about tying yourself to a destination rather than a location. While on the surface, location, and destination are a place, they don’t mean the same thing. Your location is where you are and your circumstances at any given point. You may be in the stage of your parenting journey where you are dealing with toddlers and diapers day in and out. Read more…
“Most humans are never fully present in the now because unconsciously, they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.” – Eckhart Tolle I heard a story one time about Jack Welch. Welch was a very successful COE at the General Electric company and widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders in corporate America. For years he led one of the most successful companies in the world. The story goes that Welch had a heart attack. All the years of stress and long working hours caught up with him. As most of us would after a life-changing event like a near-death experience, it Read more…
Everyone wins when the leader gets better. – Bill Hybels I am sure each of you can remember the time they put your first child in your arms, and they looked right up at you. If you are like me, that is when the reality of being a parent sets in. I won’t say I understood the responsibility of being a parent, but I did feel the weight of that responsibility. When that newborn looks up at you for the first time, you understand you are now living your life to lift someone else. This is why we as parent leaders need to commit to better ourselves in any way we feel we need to. The greatest asset we have Read more…
From Small Beginnings Come Great Things. Proverb There is a meme that has made the rounds the past couple of years that I love. It shows a bunch of garages. They are nothing to look at in terms of beauty. The garages are not big, just the run-of-the-mill garage you would see going down most any street in America. Under each one of these garages, it shows names like Apple, Google, and even Disney. These companies that are now part of our everyday life did not start with all the glitz and glamour they have now. Great things start small and simple. It is small and simple that change the world. The real key to success is in small Read more…