Patrick Lencioni encourages you to develop the courage to step into difficult situations.
Life Habits – Enter the Danger
Month: January 2020
The Biggest Need for Systemic Change? Good Leadership
In October 2019, I traveled to Johannesburg in South Africa with the Global Leadership Network, where I met Joe Mabuela, who took me to Soweto, the large township southwest of Johannesburg (this is where Soweto gets its name…South west township). Soweto is a densely populated township with 5-7 million people living in challenging conditions. Joe grew up in Soweto and his mother still lives there, so he knows it intimately.
As we walked through a section of Soweto, I asked Joe, “What’s the biggest need here: infrastructure, education, health care, clean water, security…?” Joe stopped, turned, and said without hesitation, “The biggest need is leadership. More leadership, better leadership. All of those other things are important needs, but they are mostly symptoms of too little leadership, ineffective leadership, corrupt leadership.” I was struck by his answer and the conviction in his voice.
A few days later, I read a summary of a global Barna Group study of Gen Z and Millennials, who “perceive deep, wide, systemic problems facing the world’s future.” Four out of five (82%) agreed with this statement: “Society is facing a crisis of leadership because there are not enough good leaders right now.” It was one of the most widely endorsed statements in the entire survey.
Society is facing a crisis of leadership because there are not enough good leaders right now.
A shortage of good leadership, not just on a local level, in places like Soweto, where the effects are in plain view, but also on a global level, as seen through the eyes of the generations who will inherit the future and are looking to take on a bigger share of the leadership roles from their Gen X and Boomer colleagues. As they do, they should be readily welcomed.
As Joe Mabuela noted, good leadership is critical because of the amplifying, multiplying effect is has on everything else. Adding more good leadership to the mix translates to better outcomes across the board. True locally in Soweto. True globally when applied to the big challenges facing the world today. True in every organization I’ve ever been a part of.
Life Habits – Take Action
Thought leader Jia Jiang explains why you should be action-oriented.
Millennials
Jason Dorsey, and expert on generations, shares the characteristics of Millennials, those born between from the late 1970s through 1995.
Life Habits – Inspire Yourself Every Day
Thought leader Todd Henry describes the importance of inspiring yourself every day.
Advice to Young Leaders – Be A Trustworthy Person
Social entrepreneur Pete Ochs describes why you should make trustworthiness the foundation for your future leadership.
Why Dreaming is Essential for Your Leadership
Leadership is about taking your dreams of making this world a better place and turning them into reality.
As John Lennon famously sang in his hit song, “Imagine,” “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.”
Much too often, as we grow older, our leadership journey becomes more about playing it safe, rather than living out those dreams.
Dreams. We are all born with them.
This is place where leadership becomes, at best, stagnant, and at worse, toxic and depressing.
I believe one of the keys to healthy, vibrant leadership, is to return to a child-like wonder and faith, and to dream again.
As children we had no limits. We colored outside the lines, we dreamt of dangerous adventures, we pretended to be super heroes, rather, we WERE super-heroes, saving humanity from evil villains.
Our minds were sponges, absorbing new languages, embracing different cultures and crossing forbidden boundaries created by fearful adults who had been put in power.
Just like the largest box of crayons, as children we loved the kaleidoscope of hues that represented this miraculous, diverse world.
Dreams. We are all born with them.
History is filled with dreamers who have changed the world.
• Joseph, with his coat of many colors, dreamt about saving his family and country. When he shared his dream with his family, it nearly got him killed and it put him in prison, but in the end, through many trials, injustices and errors, his dream came true, and he saved a nation.
• Thomas Edison claimed that all of his great inventions started with dreams—from the phonograph to the light bulb to the motion picture camera. People called him crazy, but we are all thankful for this inventor who followed his dreams.
• Paul McCartney said that a dream created one of the most successful songs in the massive catalog of Beatles hits. He tells the story that he woke up with these words flowing out of his head and through his pen onto a sheet of paper, “Yesterday, All my troubles seemed so far away, Now it looks as though they’re here to stay, Oh, I believe in yesterday.”
• Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that one day his four little children would live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. His dream cost him his life, but it changed the trajectory of this bigoted world, and his dream will forever be the foundation of human rights.
Leaders must fight courageously to remain curious, adventurous, fearless, dream-filled children.
In Jo Saxton’s talk at The Global Leadership Summit 2019, she challenged you to build wellness into your leadership. The regular practice of dreaming is essential to a leaders well-being. Let me paraphrase two of her questions:
1. What did you dream about as a child before anyone told you who and what you were supposed to be?
2. Who are the people in your life who remind you to keep dreaming?
The Bible teach us to have faith like a child.
When leaders have courageous faith, they are not afraid to dream.
When a child ventures outside, the world has no limit
Fantasies, impossibilities, new trails where no one has seen it
The day lasts forever, not wanting it to end
“I’m the king of the world!” with sun-blistered skin
The potential of a child
One day the president, the next day a queen
No hesitation, no debate, just fearless dreams
No regret of yesterday, no thought of tomorrow
Skinned knees, surface tears, short-lived sorrow
The dreams of a child
Every child an artist, every child an engineer
A CEO, a movie star, a scientist, a musketeer
A world traveler, a hero, an all-star athlete
Almost always win, yet not afraid of defeat
The courage of a child
I sleep impatiently on a plane, hoping to get quickly from here to there
A child presses her nose against the window, staring, spellbound by what she sees in the air
Every moment a chance to learn, every second fully alive
Enraptured by the present gift, while I’m anxiously waiting to arrive
The curiosity of a child
The world says, “Grow up, sober up, don’t think so wild,”
Yet a very great man said, “You must return to the faith of a child.”
A faith that trusts, a faith that asks a million questions
A faith that wakes up every day with hope, serenity and no reservations.
The faith of a child
As we grow up, we are told to become responsible, uninteresting, unadventurous, fearful, calculating adults.
Leaders must fight courageously to remain curious, adventurous, fearless, dream-filled children.
International Summit Events Reaching 11,000+ People in January
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:30 am CST, our staff gathers together to pray for our partners across the globe.
Please join us in prayer as we lift up the international Summit events happening this month. Pray for God’s anointing on every detail and that those who attend would leave feeling equipped, inspired and encouraged to lead the change they long for in their communities.
And if you have a prayer request, please share it with us in the comments. We would be honored to pray with you!
January 9
Seremban, Malaysia
January 10
Bonjor, Chad
Oskemen, Kazakhstan
Seremban, Malaysia
January 11
Naberezhnye Chelny, Russian Federation
January 14
Vyara, India
January 17
Las Tablas, Panama
Torshavn, Faroe Islands
Zinder, Niger
Ibadan, Nigeria
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Agona Swedru, Ghana
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Bengaluru, India
Surabaya, Indonesia
Merida, Mexico
Eindhoven, Netherlands
January 18
Theis, Senegal
Bengaluru, India
Petion-ville, Haiti
January 24
Rivas, Nicaragua
La Paz, Bolivia
La Habana Vieja, Cuba
Linkoping, Sweden
Mexico City, Mexico
Toluca, Mexico
Veenendaal, Netherlands
January 25
Ibadan, Nigeria
Tuguegarao XP, Philippines
Varanasi, India
Vizag, India
San Juan Dela Maguana, Dominican Republic
January 28
Dhangadi, Nepal
January 31
Gothenburg, Sweden
Igniting my Faith in the Face of Fear and Failure
My fear and ego nearly destroyed me and my business. But the God I grew up with and left behind, did not forget about me. At the end of my rope, God met me again at The Global Leadership Summit in August 2019, and I’m picking up the pieces. My passion is reignited, my vision is refocused, and most importantly, I found my faith and my fire for Him again. This is my story.
Ego
Several years ago, I made poor business decisions based in fear of what people would think, my ego and poor self-worth. I had no faith in God at that time, even though I grew up in a strong Christian home.
At the end of my rope, God met me again at The Global Leadership Summit in August 2019.
I had what looked like a very successful million-dollar practice. We ran a busy schedule, with me as the nutrition/functional medicine expert and two chiropractors taking care of the musculoskeletal side of the patients. I also employed five massage therapists and a health coach, along with three full-time employees.
Honestly, the million-dollar mark became my identity. I thought I was a successful CEO entrepreneur and doctor.
Blind spots
My Achilles heel, however, was that I didn’t take the pulse of every detail. The money and cash flow were always tight, but we grew every year, and so did payroll. So, I just kept pushing to grow and grow. My taxes were not being done properly and my accountant was basically absent. I’m still recovering from the mess today.
But I just kept pushing forward, even when I saw revenue dropping. I was afraid to let anyone go or change anything. Most of my staff were single moms and I thought, what would people think? I assumed it would get better. But it was killing me mentally and emotionally.
I tried to sell the practice a couple times, but the deals would fall through. So, instead of making the hard decisions and standing up for what I knew the Holy Spirit was telling me to do, I didn’t let people go, or run financially leaner.
Most of my staff were single moms and I thought, what would people think?
My ego was in charge. I was deep in fear, people-pleasing and afraid of letting people down. I had a poor sense of self-worth.
Exposure
I went into tens of thousands of dollars of debt to keep myself and three single moms employed. But then one of the chiropractors came in to the office in a terrible mood and quit. I learned later that day that she had been doing drugs in the office while she was seeing patients. I had missed that detail. The very thing I was trying to promote in my practice—health—got buried under my fear and ego.
That day I made the decision to close the doors of my practice. I referred out all the chiropractic patients. I took the nutrition patients and one staff member and rented space in another doctor’s office. Cash flow was extremely tight, but I was making it work.
Restart
In 2017 I wrote and self-published my first book in February of 2018, Simply Functional Medicine. I thought that would really increase my visibility. Boy was I wrong! I didn’t have the right platform. In the fall of 2018, I saw my business decreased by 20 percent; and in 2019, I am down 60 percent.
The very thing I was trying to promote in my practice—health—got buried under my fear and ego.
I started listening to God’s voice.
A friend of mine gave me a ticket to The Global Leadership Summit in August of 2019. During those two days, I had a very close encounter with God. I found my faith and my fire for Him again.
Facing fear
I am still scared—I still don’t know how I will make ends meet month-to-month. But I am facing fear and walking through all the ugly financials I ignored for so long. I have been on a money detox. It’s led to lessons my kids never would have learned.
I am dealing with the failure by reinventing my business model. John Maxwell says sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. I am starting a second book called, Slow Down to Power Up: Let slowing down be your super power to SPARK your life. I am moving away from the traditional doctor/patient model to a health coaching model that comes along side people on their health journey.
My daily fire for God is clear. I have a clear vision and passion for helping professional women, who have sacrificed their body for their kids and career, helping them take control of their health and transform their lives. I know I am meant to speak and teach about taking care of the one and only temple that houses our soul and Christ.
I have learned so much in this failure. I hang onto my faith moment by moment. I know I am loved by God more than I can wrap my head around. I know that He wants the best for me. I know that He is refining me for something bigger in the future. I know my failure doesn’t define me.
Life Habits – Reflect Continually
Jo Saxton says you need to reflect on all aspects of your life.
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