A Leadership Check-Up

A vital leader seldom waits for failure before appraising his leadership skills. These eight questions will help you evaluate your leadership strengths and weaknesses. You can then fine-tune your personal development program accordingly.

1. How and where do I have influence?

Influence—not position or power—makes a leader successful. What is my current level of influence at work? How often do others turn to me for direction or approval? Do I see evidence of my influence both above and below me on the organizational chart? Who influences me and how? Remember, we often adopt both the strengths and weaknesses of those around us, so make sure you are not being influenced in a way that leads you away from your goals. In what new arenas can I extend my influence? It may be a new department, a new market or venue, a new partnership or alliance, or a new vendor or supplier.

2. Where can I improve my people skills?

Someone can lead for a season based on position or problem-solving ability, but success in the long run depends on the ability to get along with and develop people. How can I improve my listening skills? How can I discover what motivates those whom I lead? Am I willing to ask more questions and get more input from others?

3. Do I have a positive outlook?

A positive attitude alone doesn’t identify a capacity for leadership, but a negative spirit will always diminish a person’s leadership potential. The ability to master my own emotions gives me a sizeable advantage during crisis situations. Never forget that a crisis situation is precisely when leadership is most noticed and valued.

4. Do I see evidence of growth in self-discipline?

Am I disciplined in my use of time? Do I willingly delay gratification in order to achieve worthwhile goals? Are there any evidences of lack of self-discipline in my appearance or work habits?

5. Do I have a proven track record of success in my field?

Busyness is not an accurate indicator of success. Some people work like crazy and never accomplish anything. Past success is a key predictor of future success. What have I accomplished that I am proud of? Did those accomplishments include others? How does my experience relate to what I need today? Am I willing to put forth the effort again?

6. How are my problem-solving skills?

Many people are impressed with their ability to spot a problem. Identifying a problem is easy; just about anyone can do it. Leaders must solve problems. In fact, where there are no problems, there is no need for leadership. Problem solvers don’t dwell on what went wrong or who was to blame. Instead, they spend their energies on finding a solution.

7. Do I refuse to accept the status quo?

Growing leaders value progress over security. Not only are they dissatisfied with what is; they have a vision for what can be. The person who resists the status quo is willing to take a risk, be different, and pay the price for victory.

8. Do I have a big-picture mindset?

How often do you step back to maintain perspective, especially in the face of distraction or pressure?

Keeping Up The Progress

What do elevators, leaf blowers, and car wash machines have in common? Advances in technology or modern inventions for an easier life? Maybe, but "advances" that make our lives "easier" can be thieves stealing our good health. According to recent studies, 60 percent of Americans are sedentary. Sedentary means they do little or no meaningful physical activity. Modern advances, it seems, have changed the stand-firm motto of "We shall not be moved" to "We will not move."

God created the human body with muscles, bones, and organs designed for strength, movement, and physical work. Yet technology enables us to do less physical work and rely on mechanical muscle. As we do, our health suffers with increased obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancers, brittle bones, and a host of other diseases.

In an effort to reverse the plunging health deficit that is costing millions of dollars, The National Academies' Institute of Medicine recently released new health recommendations including one hour of physical activity each day to improve health and maintain a normal body weight. This recommendation is twice as much as the previous recommendation in 1996 from the U.S. Surgeon General of at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.

Before you toss in the towel saying you don't have time, think of the hour as an investment into your current and future health. Combine small increments of movement time throughout the day and reap big dividends. Use the following tips to increase your daily activity level:

• Look for ways to move instead of remaining still. Walk to lunch. Take the stairs. March in place while on the phone. Wash the car by hand. Rake the leaves. If you can do an activity using your body instead of machines, your body will benefit.

• Design your own fitness plan. Your fitness plan is as unique as you are. When developing your plan, consider the number of days a week and amount of time each day you will commit to exercising, how hard you will work based on your fitness level, and the type of activity you enjoy doing. Combining 30 minutes of exercise with smaller moments of movement throughout the day adds up to an hour of movement without compromising your health or your schedule.

• Track your progress with a fitness journal. A journal is a great motivator. You will see progress in your fitness level as you move faster, work for longer periods of time, and get stronger.

• Mix things up. To avoid boredom, periodically change your routine. Play a team sport. Change your walking path. Use different fitness equipment. When you mix up your routine, you challenge your body to continue to make progress.

• Team up with others. Exercising with another person offers accountability, motivation and encouragement for some. If you need to ask a friend or family member to join you for a walk. Join a local health club. Take a fitness class. Hire a personal trainer or wellness coach. The support and encouragement of others will help you stay on track.

• Reward yourself. Establish short-term, action-oriented goals and reward the accomplishment. Reward five consistent days of activity with a phone call to a friend. Reward a month of consistent exercise with a new book or CD. Meaningful rewards will keep you motivated to reach your goal.

Remember, no one is perfect, so strive for progress instead of perfection. Proverbs 10:4 says, "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." When our hands, feet, and bodies are active, we can avoid the physical poor house. Invest in your life by choosing daily physical activity.

Think About It

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste” was an advertisement tagline in the 70’s that encouraged young people to go to college. But, even a college-educated mind can be wasted when negative thoughts play repeatedly in that mind. All too often, we waste mental energy thinking wrongly about ourselves and then acting or feeling based on these incorrect thoughts. To overcome this vicious cycle, Paul gave us a mental check list for evaluating our thoughts so they would be correct. When thoughts enter your mind, use the following questions as a filter for whether you need to let that thought play in your mind or if you need to discard it and replace it with positive, empowering thoughts. Intentionally think about each thought and ask:

True or False? When a thought enters your mind ask, “Is that true?” Honest evaluation will give credence to how you will act or respond to the information. If the thought is completely true and in line with what God’s Word says about you (See Psalms 139 for some details about what God thinks about you), then determine if you can make an improvement or change and act on it. If not, then accept reality and move forward without experiencing remorse, guilt or regret. If the thought is only partly true or untrue either way, it’s a lie. Replace the lying thought with a truthful thought.

Noble or Degrading? Ennoblement is the old word used to describe the act of treating someone as royalty. Our thoughts should elevate ourselves and others. The opposite of noble thinking is to debase, degrade or lower. This is not a prideful elevation of us or others but a realistic view that everyone is a valuable, wonderful creation of God and deserves to be treated and thought of that way. Thinking nobly will help us avoid thoughts of comparison or competition since we are thinking of everyone, including ourselves, with high regard.

Right or Wrong? Right living begins with right thinking. When you think thoughts that are right, they are in line with God’s Word. To think rightly we must know what God says and that requires time reading and studying the Bible. Thoughts that are wrong will be very evident to you when you have the measuring stick of God’s Word for comparison. Just as partial truth is a lie, almost right or mostly right is still wrong. When a thought is evaluated as wrong, replace it with what is right.

Pure or Tainted? Pure thoughts are clean, innocent, genuine, stainless and uncontaminated. Tainted or impure thoughts are stained by improper motives, greed, pride, selfishness, or lust. When you recognize impurity in your thoughts, capture (See 2 Corinthians 10:5) and quickly discard them so they will not influence your decisions or lead to wrong actions.

Lovely or Ugly? Beauty is evidence of a creative and awesome God. “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). When our thoughts reflect beauty they reflect God. Ugly and displeasing thoughts and topics do not bring glory to God.

Admirable or Critical? When someone gives a good report or review they are speaking admirably. Admirable thoughts are positive and uplifting. Critical thoughts are negative and tear down. Recognize and remove critical thoughts before they come out as destructive words or actions.

Excellent or Poor? To excel is to reach new heights or perform at a high level. Poor thoughts are below average, back-biting, gossipy, negative, and harmful. We need not be preoccupied with only the achievements of others but also the excellent or virtuous characteristics we personally possess. Change poor thoughts into high achieving excellent thoughts about yourself and others.

Praiseworthy or Blameworthy? Great job! Nice work! Well done! All these comments of praise are fitting for quality work. Use these thoughts about your accomplishments when you have done well. Blameworthy thoughts are ones that place the responsibility for your choices or actions on someone else. Change thoughts like, “He made me so mad,” or “I didn’t have a choice; she made me do it,” to thoughts that are praiseworthy. “Great job! I can control my anger,” and “I chose to act (react or respond) that way,” are more praiseworthy from yourself, God and others. Avoid playing the mental “blame game” by replacing those thoughts with praiseworthy thoughts.

Think about it. Wouldn’t your mind be better used thinking correctly? Memorize Paul’s check-list from Philippians 4:8 and carefully evaluate your thoughts for a mind that honors God.

Choices For Good Health

We are asked to make choices everyday. "What's for dinner?" "What should I wear?" What time do we leave?" "Where are we going?" There is a choice in every decision and every choice has a consequence; some good and some bad. Research on a wide range of health issues has proven that if we make good lifestyle choices, we have the ability to limit our risk for diseases including heart disease, many types of cancer, strokes, and diabetes. Yet, many choose to ignore these recommendations and pay the price with their health.

Given the option of living a fulfilling, healthy life or facing serious health problems and even death, here are some choices we have.

1. Choose to eat more fruits and vegetables. Five servings or more a day of a variety of fruits and vegetables are low in fat and calories and provide disease-fighting vitamins and minerals.

2. Choose to move. Exercise has many benefits: stress reduction, reducing blood pressure, weight control, and building strong muscles and bones, to name a few. Beginning an exercise program, four to five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes and maintaining an active lifestyle will greatly decrease your risk for disease.

3. Choose to eat less fat and more fiber. Fat and fiber in your diet both give you a full, satisfying feeling after eating. But fat has a lot of calories–9 calories per gram–and fiber has little to no calories. Excess fat clogs arteries. Fiber removes fat from the blood. Fat increases your risk of disease. Fiber reduces your risk of disease. Consider eating less of fat laden red meat and more high fiber pinto, kidney or black beans. However, keep in mind that healthy fats—olive oil, nuts, and avocados—do have a place in the diet.

4. Choose to be informed. Learn information about your health from your physician, nutrition consultant, or personal trainer. What is your cholesterol level, blood sugar level, and body composition percentage? Learn to develop an individualized wellness plan to accomplish your health goals.

Now you have a choice: stay where you are or feel better with wiser choices. Which will you choose? Your future health depends on your answer.

Is Fear of Change Keeping You From Your Ideal Job?

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

Exodus 16:3-4

Security can be imprisoning. The comfort of familiarity may be keeping you from new and brighter opportunities. Charles Dickens wrote about a man who had been in prison for many years. Obviously this man longed for freedom from his dungeon of despair and hopelessness. Finally, the day of his liberation arrived. He was led from his gloomy cell into the bright and beautiful and free world. He momentarily gazed into the sunlight, then turned and walked back to his cell. He had become so comfortable with confinement that the thought of freedom was overwhelming. For him, the chains and darkness were a predictable security.

For many people change is frightening. The sameness and predictability of what we have may be more comfortable than the uncertainty of change. Day after day people have feelings of being trapped in their jobs and lives. And yet, the comfort of at least knowing what is coming each day appears to be more attractive than the uncertainty of initiating change.

Many people have the "dream" of owning their own business. We hear stories about people who purchased a business opportunity, got into a Multi-Level Marketing program, or opened their own antique shop. Six months later they are begging to get their old job back. The challenges of being more independent, having to make decisions about inventory, managing employees, and dealing with new tax reporting forms have caused them to long for the old days—back in Egypt.

Remember those people? When the children of Israel left Egypt they were headed for the Promised Land. But a few days of passing through the desert (a necessary passage to the Promised Land) left them whining to go back to the familiar misery of slavery under the Pharaoh. Yet going through "the desert" is an integral part of getting to any Promised Land. Most businesspeople go through 3-4 ideas and "failures" before they reach extraordinary success.

The first step in creating positive change is to identify what you want. What would the ideal job be? What kind of people would you be working with? What skills would you be using? How would it make a difference in the world? Fortunately, you are not trapped in your job or life. You can choose to walk into new freedom—or you can choose to stay in your own private prison. Like the man in Dickens story, it's tempting to become "secure" even in negative situations. Yet freedom comes only to those who are willing to surrender the security of imprisonment.

You can't sail to new lands unless you're willing to lose sight of the shore. Do you have a secure prison that is protecting you, but perhaps keeping you from a new freedom?

Mind Over Matter

“Where did I put my keys?” “What was her name?” “When did you say we were leaving?” “I just can’t remember details anymore. It must be my age.”

Who hasn’t asked one of these questions or made that statement in a moment of forgetfulness or cloudy thinking? We all let our brains get a little foggy due to overload or mental laziness but, don’t ever blame age for your mental slump. According to studies from Duke University, slow brain function and loss of memory are caused from lack of mental fitness and not merely a function of getting older. Just as staying physically fit is the result of an intentionally healthy lifestyle, mental fitness and sharpness will result from the intentional use of the brain for reasoning, thinking, problem-solving and strategizing. It really is a “mind over matter” process.

The Christian Mind: How Should a Christian Think?

To help the brain stay fit, practice the following healthy choices in your daily life.

Exercise – Physical exercise has been proven to improve mental and emotional well-being and reduce symptoms leading to depression and anxiety. Investing 30 minutes a day in a consistent walking program will increase the oxygen to your brain and stimulate creativity, clear your mind and reduce stress.

Eat brain-building food – Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and salmon are a selection of foods that feed the brain. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. Enjoy nuts and salmon (or other fish) at least 2 times a week.

Enjoy learning new things – If you take the “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” mentality, you will slowly let your brain deteriorate. Learn a new game, hobby, or subject. Read articles, novels, and the newspaper. Set a goal to learn one new thing every day and share it with someone else. When you really don’t know the answer to a question, find out. Discover the pleasure in continued learning. After all, no matter how old you are, you really don’t know everything.

Laugh a lot – The daily grind of life can get very serious and stressful. But, life can also be light and funny. When you see or hear something that makes you laugh or smile, enjoy the moment and share it with someone else. Humor goes a long way in keeping us mentally fit.

Take a mental “vacation” – Take mental breaks from regular daily life and go on a mental “vacation.” As you mentally travel to a familiar place or an exotic location found in travel posters or novels, allow yourself to slowly breathe with long inhales and exhales. Increasing the oxygen to your stimulated brain will ignite your imagination, stimulating problem-solving skills and reducing stress.

Live with awareness of the moment – As you go through the day, take in all the sounds, smells, and sights of the world around you. Awareness stimulates thinking, problem-solving and creativity.

Care for yourself – Prepare a favorite meal. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Take a relaxing bubble bath. Visit a museum. Get a massage. See an up-lifting movie. Walk in the park. Whatever you choose, do it just for you.

Intentionally choose to stay mentally fit with these and other mentally challenging activities that you discover on your own. You will ward off mental sluggishness, memory loss and dementia.

Divine Discontent

Happy is the man who finds wisdom,

And the man who gains understanding;
For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.

Proverbs 3:13-14

Ralph Waldo Emerson talked about this concept—the "divine discontent." Now I don't want this to be so "spiritual" that we can't find real application, but work has to provide more than just an income.

More and more people who are feeling misplaced, off-track, or just the angst of feeling like they are not making a difference. With the desire to do something "noble" or "significant" they are leaving lucrative positions in that search for more meaning and fulfillment. Often they are looking to discard a financially successful professional career path started on years ago. How does a person redirect from a position or profession seen as highly desirable by others?

Emerson said this: "I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. Better if they had been born in the open pasture and suckled by a wolf, that they might have seen with clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in."

Frequently, "advantages" given early in life misdirect a person and leave him or her with a strong desire to change courses in their 30s or 50s. The best medical, dental, or law schools cannot provide enough benefit to provide a fulfilling career path if that path is not a match with the unique gifts of the person involved. The process of finding authenticity is a very individualized and internal one.

Expecting the government or corporations to provide fulfilling jobs is to reverse the process of finding one's "vocation." A true vocation helps us grow as persons while we meet our own needs and address the needs of those around us. Believe that you can structure your work around your goals, meaningful relationships, and your dreams and passions. Look inward to give shape to the work that is fitting for you and the application will appear.

Expect change and workplace volatility to enhance your chances of creating meaningful work. It is often in the midst of change that we find our true direction. Emerson adds: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesman and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do."

Can you identify an area of "divine discontent" that is prompting you to make some changes… what can you do to act on that today?