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What Kind of Leader Do You Want To Be? (Post #19)

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In the last post, we talked about applying intentional effort to developing the kind of person we want to BE, and starting the process by developing a BE List. Today, I want to take that idea one step further and apply it to leadership.

How often have you considered what type of leader you want to be, the type of legacy you want to leave or for what you want to be known? In the course of our busy work lives, we barely have time to think at all let alone consider something so intangible and seemingly nonurgent. However, who you are to those you lead – wherever you lead – is critically important. In the next post we will discuss how this question supports the productivity and effectiveness of what you are leading. Today we will focus on you.

Consider your retirement. Whether you have a big party or quietly fade into the sunset, you will leave a legacy. Either a positive legacy or a negative legacy. When you retire, what do you want people to truthfully say about you? This is not about whether you made friends at work, this is a question of integrity and who you are personally as a leader. Will you be revered for your integrity, fairness, and innovation? Or will your team be counting the days until they’re free of your tyranny?

Now, let’s think a little closer to the present day. Since the old norm of working for the same employer for one’s entire career is now generally unheard of, most of us will work for multiple employers during our work lives. So, when you move on to your next opportunity, what do you want people to remember, and say about you (because you know they will talk)? Do you want them glad you left or left feeling the loss? Do you want to be hard to replace, or not needing replacement at all?

Regardless of the reputation you have built thus far, today you can reinvent yourself and begin building the legacy you truly want. Spend some time this week – literally set aside time on your calendar – giving genuine thought to designing your leadership character.

Oh, and remember…leadership isn’t limited to the workplace.

What’s on your Bucket List? (Post #18)

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The new year is well under way and I trust we all managed to stay clear of those pesky New Year’s Resolutions – a list which leaves us with nearly certain regret. 

Today I would like to talk about a different kind of list, the Bucket List. As you likely know, the Bucket List represents goals for what one wants to see or do before ‘kicking the bucket.’ This phrase, which is a euphemism for death, may seem morbid but is actually most often used as a means of motivating one to live life to the fullest and as a reminder of how fleeting life may be. 

Bucket Lists include doing things like the following:

  • See the sunrise from the top of Diamond Head (ahem…note the featured picture, it was spectacular!)
  • Have dinner at a 5-star restaurant
  • Go on a missions trip
  • See an actual Broadway production
  • Experience the historic architecture of Paris, France
  • Climb Machu Picchu

The Bucket List is generally understood to represent our life accomplishments, our DOings. However, I can’t help but wonder if the Bucket List of our life experience is really the right approach. Oh, I think these items are okay, but does this list really represent our most coveted accomplishments? 

What about the deeper qualities of life? Shouldn’t there be a place, perhaps a list, of the character qualities we want to exhibit in our lives – who we really want to be? After all, we are not human doings, we are human BEings.

Now please hear me, I am not saying there is anything wrong with having a Bucket List. In fact, I have one myself. I’m just saying we maybe should add another list to our notebook, and maybe this list should take priority. 

Why do we have lists of activities we want to experience but rarely talk about the qualities of the person we want to be. Why do we invest time and energy yearning for places to visit and experiences to have, yet spend comparatively little time and energy on developing the person we want others to experience.

I always think it’s interesting to visit famous places and see little carvings or etchings of initials people have left behind. We humans instinctively want to leave our mark on the world. Even in these small ways, people want to leave evidence that they have existed, they were ‘here.’ We all want to leave a legacy. Yet our most profound opportunity to leave a mark on the world for all time and for future generations is to develop our character and sow into the lives of others.

I submit to you that our BEing in this life means more than the sum total of our DOing in this life. Our personal attributes, character and principles have a much greater impact on those around us than we may initially realize. Certainly our experiences impact who we are, but the mark our character and actions have on the world and those around us is a much more indelible mark than the scratch we could possibly leave on the places we visit.

So, I ask you, “Who do you want to BE?” What do you want people to say about you when you have kicked the proverbial bucket? This BE List may seem a lot less exciting, but it will yield a much better return on your investment of time and energy. It will most certainly be a more powerful legacy to leave those around you. When you pass from this earthly life, do you want people to just be glad you’re gone or do you want people to say that the world was a much better place because you were in it? 

Take some time today to start your BE List. I think I’ll revisit mine too!

The Secret Sauce (Post #17)

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In today’s fast-paced, super-sized world, don’t we all just want to hit the easy button…you know, land that deal of a lifetime with virtually no effort, lose 10 pounds while you sleep, and create the perfect home life in 3 simple steps. Yet, we all know the old adage that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The truth is, there is no easy button. Doing the right things well takes effort and intentionality. It always has. There are natural, universal laws at play – we reap what we sow. The farmer cannot reap a harvest of soy beans if she planted a crop of peas.

And so it begs the question: if we reap discontentment, what are we sowing. Or, to frame it another way, if we want to harvest a fully-satisfied, joy-filled life (otherwise known as The Enough Life), what should we be sowing? How can we be intentional about planting seeds of contentment, satisfaction, and joy in our lives? What can we do to focus our minds on our gratitude for what we have rather than ruminating on what we lack?

Here’s one suggestion – start a gratitude or blessing journal. Spend at least 1 minute at the start and end of your day in your journal. Write down what you are thankful for, the blessings in your life, and what gives you joy. Ponder these things in your heart, review them periodically, and keep writing. You will be amazed at the harvest you can reap with an investment just 1 or 2 minutes.

Enough gratitude…that just may be the secret sauce!

Not Enough Good Leadership! (Post #16)

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Good leadership can often feel like a difficult maze of trial and error, navigating endless issues and convoluted drama. But, I contend, that nothing is as rewarding a good leadership and nothing transcends every area of life like leading well. Whether leading a major corporation, a medium-sized urban church, a rural community group, or a household, leadership pays off in big ways.

I am often saddened by the lack of good leadership I see in the world around me. People in high positions that have been grossly promoted beyond their leadership capacity and without a hunger to grow and learn to lead better. I admit, leadership is a journey. One never really “gets there” but it is in the growing that we learn to do better, lead wiser, dust ourselves off, ask forgiveness for our failures, and move forward better than we were before.

I believe we owe it to the people around us to keep learning how to lead better…the people and organizations you lead deserve the best you can give and they are worth the effort!

Join me as we explore leadership topics from the real world, so we can all learn to lead better together.

Minimalism is OK, but it isn’t ENOUGH! (Post #15)

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There is a big distinction between minimalism and living the Enough Life. Allow me to elaborate. 

I understand where minimalism is coming from, I myself even embraced it for a time. The idea is good. Most of us could use a bit of decluttering and less consumption is generally good. Yet, the movement has really become distressing to me. The problem I have with the minimalist movement is that it carries a connotation of limiting, of rules, of getting by with less, of holding back. Of scarcity. In the world of minimalism there seems to be an ongoing burden on your back. There is always a mountain to climb, another closet to go through, vigilance needed at every turn. And I believe that creates a “you have to work for it” mentality which ultimately produces shame because one cannot really ever be a perfect minimalist. And it seems as though those who are live an uncomfortable lifestyle, for which they must remain ever vigilant.

While listening to a popular minimalism podcast, it also occurred to me that minimalism is exactly like hoarding. Now before you laugh and walk away, hear me out. Minimalism perpetuates the same fixation with “stuff” that hoarding does. They are two sides of the same coin. On one side, hoarding is fixated on things, namely trying to fill a void in one’s life through accumulating things. On the other side, minimalism is also fixated on things, namely trying to fill a void in one’s life by controlling their collection of things. Sure, minimalism may appear a more noble endeavor, but I’m convinced that the root of minimalism can be as insidious as hoarding and ultimately as unkind to your soul.

The ‘things’ of life are only a part of this life, they should not be our focus. In fact, the most important things in life are not things at all.

By contrast, the Enough Life is about getting by with MORE! More joy, more satisfaction, more relief from the shame and woulda, coulda, shoulda of life! This Enough Life is freedom. It is not a hill to climb, it’s a beautiful wide open space filled with all of your favorite loves. There is no guilt in this Enough Life, and everyone’s enough is unique. Everyone gets to be who they are and decide for themselves – based on their level of peace and joy – what is enough for them.

Sometimes minimalism is referred to as a lifestyle, but it seems to me that it is really more of a ritual. In contrast, this Enough Life really is a lifestyle…which takes no effort. It is a way of thinking and approaching all of life, to get the most out of it. It isn’t about controlling life, it is about embracing life.

The Enough Life is not about taking things out of your life, its about filling your life (and home) with that which really satisfies. Not counterfeit satisfaction, real satisfaction. Real peace. Real joy. It isn’t about limiting, it is about maximizing that which truly matters and removing that which doesn’t. And the Enough Life is not limited to things, it transcends the material goods of life and actually applies to all areas of life based on what is kind to your soul and what is life-giving and peace-inducing. 

Try it….and be kind to your soul today!