Search results for: vision
Gratitude: The Origin of Service
As a struggling comedian, Danny Thomas was discouraged and felt as if his career was headed nowhere. While attending mass, Thomas turned his attention to Saint Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. He whispered a prayer for guidance, vowing to give back if ever he was blessed with the ability to earn a living…
Read MoreThe Undercover Millionaire
“These people cannot be millionaires! They don’t look like millionaires, they don’t dress like millionaires, they don’t eat like millionaires, they don’t act like millionaires–they don’t even have millionaire names. Where are the millionaires who look like millionaires?”~ VP of a trust department, after dining with several first-generation millionaires The above quotation opens Thomas J.…
Read MoreOvercoming Barriers to Communication
On May 10th, Microsoft announced its whopping $8.5 billion-dollar purchase of Skype. Why would the software giant pay such a princely sum for a company that had suffered $689 million dollars worth of losses in the previous year? Put simply, because Skype has lived up to its stated purpose: “to break down barriers in communication.”…
Read MoreBurying Your Ego
BURYING YOUR EGO Best known to Americans as the Mexican general at the Alamo, Santa Anna consistently made catastrophic political and military blunders. During the course of his public career, Santa Anna lost 1/3 of Mexico’s territory in warfare, and sold another 30,000 acres to the United States to finance his attempts to suppress revolt.…
Read MoreQuestions to Ask Before You Say “Yes”
Accepting a position as pastor of a local church is like getting married. It’s a huge commitment. People on both sides are often a little unsure and maybe even nervous. It is a profound relational covenant. It’s about trust and respect and hope for the future. It’s a calling not a job. This may now…
Read MoreFrom Making Cabinets to Making Millions
As a college junior, Harrison Ford decided to take a drama course in the hopes of meeting girls. Sure enough, a love affair ensued, only not of the variety Ford had envisioned. Rather than falling for a beautiful woman, he fell in love with acting. Like so many aspiring actors before and after him, Ford…
Read MoreExcellence: Taking Your Leadership to New Heights
As a child, did you ever wish that you could fly? The longing to escape gravity seems ingrained in our imaginations. Fictional characters from Superman to Mary Poppins to Aladdin have soared across the sky on adventures. Michael “Air” Jordan’s fame rested, in part, on his seeming ability to glide above his opponents on the…
Read MoreCorrecting Our Shadowy View of Success
Have you ever watched a dog chase its shadow? It can be a comical sight. Mistaking the shadow for something concrete and catchable, the dog yaps at it and tries to chase it down. Time after time, the dog dramatically pounces on the shadow, expecting to pin it to the ground. Yet, no matter how…
Read MoreWho Needs Encouragement
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. houses the personal belongings Abraham Lincoln was carrying the night he was assassinated. Among them is a well-worn newspaper clipping lauding Lincoln’s achievements as president and describing him as, “One of the greatest statesmen of all time.” Now, President Lincoln was by no means an egomaniac. In fact, he…
Read MoreThe 5 W’s of an Encouraging Leader
For 13 seasons, Tony Dungy spent Sunday mornings giving pregame pep talks to star football players in the NFL. Two years into retirement, he still gives motivational speeches regularly, but his audience has morphed dramatically. Instead of addressing locker rooms full of millionaire athletes, Dungy now speaks at cafeterias packed with felons at correctional facilities…
Read More