Do I believe the best in others? This is a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. Because believing the best in others is not something to be assumed; you must be intentional in checking the lens you’re looking through when viewing others. John Maxwell teaches a simple exercise to help cultivate the…

Read More

Decisions. Choices. Selections. Whatever word you want to use, a leader’s day is filled with opportunities to go one way or another; to create this or that; to push forward or pull back. And that’s just the easy stuff. Years ago, I wrote a book on decisions called Today Matters. The thesis of the book…

Read More

In my book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently, I share one of the most overlooked aspects of leadership. If you’ve read the book, you know where I’m going, but if you haven’t read the book, let me tell you—you don’t want to miss this thought. In fact, it’s the…

Read More

I’ve never met a leader uninterested in learning how to accomplish more results. On the other hand, I’ve met plenty of leaders who lack the discipline it takes to get there. Let me start with the good news: You can increase your capacity for production. Sure, talent and natural ability are important, but anyone can…

Read More

It’s true. You need to focus–and so do I! I chose to write on this topic this week because I have discovered that the more opportunities I’m involved with, the more difficult it is to engage in focused thinking. We must face this hard truth about success: you will not achieve it if you are…

Read More

If you’re human, you are going to make mistakes. I love Denis Waitley’s perspective: “Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.” John Maxwell says there are two kinds of people in regards to setbacks: splatters, who hit the bottom, fall apart and stay on…

Read More

No matter how talented people are, there is no success without perseverance. Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It’s not an issue of time. It’s about finishing. Talent provides hope for accomplishment, but perseverance guarantees it. Today, I want to give you four statements about perseverance that I’ve found to be true and ask…

Read More

Like most of the world, I’ve had my eye on the Olympics for the last week or so. While I’ve not caught every event, I’ve certainly enjoyed stealing as much time as I can to watch as the world’s greatest athletes take their place on the global stage. And as I watch each event, from…

Read More

Everything worthwhile is uphill. I’ve been saying this for a while now, but the more I think about it, the more I know it’s true. Whether you’re talking about personal growth, personal health, business or some other aspect of life, nothing of value is easy. The precious things in life require something in exchange. It…

Read More

The year was 1969. Fresh out of college and newly married to my long-time love, Margaret, I stepped into the sanctuary of my first church, in Hillham, Indiana. To say Hillham was small would be an understatement; when Margaret and I first moved there, the town consisted of eleven houses, two garages, and one grocery…

Read More