Tag Archives: leadership

The Every Day Leader: Footprints on a heart

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“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”  Billy Graham

Our days are numbered.

It is something we all know, but struggle with really knowing how to make that concept come alive in the midst of our busy lives.

 How can we possibly be concerned with leaving a legacy and making our days count, when often we are simply trying to survive and get everything done that we need to?

 Many times we think that leaving a legacy means that we have to be older and mature or having done something great to be able to pass on.  I love what the quote above says:

“The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives”

Age doesn’t matter.

 Experience doesn’t matter

 Knowledge doesn’t matter

 What you own doesn’t matter

 The amount of wealth doesn’t matter

 Your accomplishments don’t matter

 

What matters is how we intentionally live each day to make a difference.

 We all have the opportunity to begin leaving a legacy today.

It is in the how we live. 

We as every day leaders choose to invest in the life of another through what we model, how we love, and how we walk each of those numbered days. It is daily that we can make a difference in the lives of others.  It may even be a difference  that can impact generations. 

This is how we make each of our days count.  This is how we leave a legacy, the legacy that is not based on your age, your experience, your knowledge, your possessions or wealth, or anything great thing you have done but instead based on…

How you live.

 Your legacy is the footprint you leave in the lives that you touch

Everyday leaders know that our days are numbered. This is why we intentionally live our lives and take advantage of every opportunity God gives us, to leave a legacy.

Intentionally making each day count.  Touching lives.  Making a difference.  That’s what everyday leaders do.

The Every Day Leader: Not Quitting

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Did you see Penny Palfey, who at age 49, was attempting to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys?  I was amazed at the incredible drive and endurance she displayed even though she wasn’t quite able to make it the entire distance.  As I saw clips of her swimming hour after hour I wondered just how she did it. 

 

There are days when everything seems to turn out much differently than planned. 

Life gets messy.  On those days there is a fleeting thought that…

I just can’t do this

I am ready to quit

 If we are honest with ourselves, there are probably many times that many of us get discouraged on the journey we each face.  There is the unpredictable of life,  we may be hurt deeply along the way, life just wears us down and entangle us at times.

Finishing the race feels overwhelming

Everyday leaders know that quitting is not an option and neither is running away

 We know that there is purpose in going through the journey of our lives.

 We know that even on the hard and long days we have the chance to make a difference. 

Where are you on the journey? 

Are you in the middle of one of those long and hard seasons of your life? 

Are you wondering if you can make it?

Hope is an incredible thing.  When we hold onto the hope for tomorrow we are renewed.  We can take that extra step, we can run a little farther, swim another mile, knowing that each moment offers a new beginning.  Each moment is a new opportunity.

 Don’t give up 

Hope for tomorrow 

 The Every day leader intentionally makes a difference. Intentionally chooses to keep going and to hold on to hope.

The Every Day Leader: Finding Meaning

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Work. We all have to do it; in fact most of us will spend 35-40% of our day working. I recently read a quote that read: “life without meaningful work is meaningless”. I have been thinking about this quote all week, it has made a huge impact on me.

Are you just going through the motions each day?

So many people work at jobs that they are not passionate about. Can it still be meaningful? Can any job be meaningful?

No matter where we are or what we are doing we can intentionally choose to find meaning. As we do this we are not only impacting those around us as an every day leader, but we are also enhancing our own lives! We begin to embrace every moment that has been given to us. Our lives take on a new meaning because we know we are being used to make a difference. This happens in our jobs, at home, wherever we are.

As every day leaders I believe that when we are intentional we begin to think differently. Our eyes are opened to the many places and ways that God can use us to make a difference.

It starts with us.

It starts with a willing heart and an attitude of wanting to make a difference, to make our lives count, to have purpose in each day.

The Every day leader chooses to find meaning in their work and have purpose in their lives. Living differently, seeing life differently, choosing to make a difference.

The Every Day Leader: Inside Out

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Remember getting cotton candy?  It smelled so good you could almost taste it before you ate it.  It was such a treat for me as a kid.  It only came around one time a year at the county fair.  I always looked forward to it!  But every time I got it, I was almost always disappointed because it would disappear so quickly.  Sometimes it seemed to disintegrate before it even made it to my mouth!

How about biting into what you thought was a chocolate chip cookie, but turned out it was raisin? 

Clearly, what is in the inside does count!

Have you ever heard the saying “it’s what ‘s inside that counts?”

Have you ever met someone, who as you got to know them, you discovered that they are not the person you thought they were?  Much like the chocolate chip cookie!   It  may seem to be someone who cares on the surface, but when the time comes when you need help, they are nowhere to be found.  Perhaps they speak some great words, but like the cotton candy, the words come across empty – nothing more than hot air because their behavior doesn’t align with their words.  

What are you like on the inside?  Do your words match your actions?

Everyday leaders  are consistent.  They know that who they are on the inside is important.  They know to be a leader of influence means that people can trust WHO they are as a person.  It is not their position, their money, or any other thing.  It is because who they are on the inside matters.

How would someone describe you?

 Are people surprised when they get to know you? 

An everyday leader lives a life where the inside and outside are the same.  They know that being your best self matters, so that you can make a difference. 

Everyday leaders lead a life of consistency,  choosing to live intentionally as they invest in the lives of others.

 

 

 

 

 

The Every Day Leader: Serve

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Growing up on the farm, I saw serving as a way of life that was modeled before me every day. There were chores to be done, animals that needed caring for, and it took everyone in the family doing their part to make sure they were completed. We all had to take care of the garden, help with the canning and whatever else needed to be done.

Today, at age 79 and 82, my parents still model servant leadership. My mother still cooks and serves at the local soup kitchen, while my father makes the giveaways for the farm shows that reach out and build relationships with the local farmers.

Today we hear a lot about servant leadership, it seems to be the latest buzzword. It is a concept that people talk about as if it is something that we need to learn. While I am 100% for this concept, I am often amazed that we have to be taught this. As leaders this should be a natural outpouring of who we are. We should always be thinking of, caring for and loving others.

Serving SHOULD BE in our DNA as people.

The Everyday leader knows that serving comes from the heart.

It is the real deal.

We serve because we care.

We as every day leaders know the difference caring makes in the life of another. Every day leaders intentionally serve those around them; this is what sets us apart.

I am thankful for my parents who modeled servant leadership before it was the latest fad. I want my life to model this to those I have the privilege to influence.

The everyday leader is a servant leader. It is about being the one who is willing to intentionally serve others. It is having a servant attitude and making a difference in the lives of those around us.

 

 

 

The Every Day Leader: Beep. Beep. Beep…

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Beep. Beep. Beep……

I won’t look… it can wait.

My thoughts immediately wonder… what if it is something important?

The temptation often proves too great and I look at my cell phone to read the text. I can be sitting in a meeting, maybe even lounging with family and I hear it.  I am wondering who it is, what is going on, and whether it is something I need to respond to.   I am immediately distracted and my attention is immediately divided.  Today’s generation of kids – my kids– are a generation that have their cell phones on them at all times…. It is like it is an extra appendage!

I wondered… when in the world did I become the same way?

Is undivided attention something that is a thing of the past?  Do we even remember how to be totally engaged with others anymore?

Where are you?

What are you doing?

Are you focused?

Do you pay attention?

Each moment you are with another, are you engaged? 

Are you present? 

Are we talking with them and actively listening?

What kind of life are we really living?

Be present NOW.

As everyday leaders it is up to us to purposely live with others.  To think with them, talk with them, to listen to them, to love them, and to let them KNOW we care.

What does this look like?

It means savoring every moment you have, without being distracted or multitasking.  It means that those you are with know you care enough to give them all of your attention. It is being intentional and behaving in ways that show that moments matter. 

Every day leaders, intentionally engaging in the moment to make a difference in the lives of others.

 

 

 

The Every Day Leader: Going for the gold

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I watched my oldest son march in formation.  He graduated this weekend from pilot training in the Air Force….a dream he has had ever since he was a little boy .  I should have known when he refused to take off his flight suit when he was just a toddler! I saw how he went after his dream doing what ever it took to get there. Committed enough to work twelve-hour days and come home only to study another four hours.

He was committed to his dream.

 If you have watched the Olympics, you have seen the results of commitment by Ryan Lochte beating out Michael Phelps in swimming the 400 IM.  Michael admitted that he only trained nine months for the most grueling swimming race. Ryan on the other hand trained four years and even tossed around 675 pound tires just to warm up!  Ryan knew what he wanted and narrowed his vision to the target and achieved his goal. He was committed and won the gold medal.

His commitment won him the gold.

 Being committed takes effort and hard work.  There are times when we want to throw in the towel, to walk away  We think it just seems easier to give up than to press on. Commitment is what sets us a apart and in the end helps us accomplish our dreams. Commitment also helps us have success beyond what we could have imagined.

 Commitment shows our team and those who support us that we have what it takes to lead, that when times get tough we are going to do whatever is necessary to guide the ship.  Commitment helps us be our best selves; to use our time and resources wisely, to lead – even if we didn’t want to! 

An Every Day Leader is committed to sticking with it, knowing that by doing so you are making a difference in the lives of those around you.

 

 

 

 

The Every Day Leader: One is the Loneliest Number

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I laid down beside my grandkids in bed, tucking them in for the night.  It had been six  days since their parents had left, and they were all feeling it. The two-year old was crying out for her mama, it seemed she especially missed her at bedtime.  At first her sister had asked her to be quiet. Yet as the little one continued to cry out, I watched something beautiful transpire. In the semi-darkness, I could see the four-year old reach over and offer her hand to her little sister.

The moments that followed were priceless.  The hands locked fingers, no words were spoken, but the silence was golden.  The littlest one seemed to understand that her older sister was there for her.  She was missing her mama and so was her older sister. In that moment of need, she knew she wasn’t alone.

She knew someone understood.

There are times that we all feel like my sweet little two-year-old year old granddaughter.  We wonder if we are alone.  We wonder if anyone knows how we might be feeling.  We feel isolated.  We keep our feelings stuffed down deep…what would others say?  What would others think? Almost always if we are a leader by position, it is especially a lonely road.

If you are in a position of leadership you often are in a place where you do not have the privilege to share openly your struggles, your frustrations or your fears…so we tend to keep quiet.  Sometimes we cry out in the quietness of our own solitude, where no one can hear us.

We all need that hand that reaches out to us, like that little hand in the darkness with my granddaughters.

We need to know someone understands us and someone cares about us.  We need to know that someone is there to listen, to comfort, to advise, and that we have someone we trust.

We were never meant to be an island, that lifestyle is only sustainable short-term. Success and longevity comes with having a strong trusted confidante who does not change or waver based on YOUR circumstances.  Someone who will speak truth into your life and not just tell you what you want to hear.

If you don’t have someone like that, you need to find that person, TODAY.

It is not enough to have that person, you must be willing to accept the gift they are offering. We must accept the gift of themselves to walk with you and to speak truth into your life, the gift of that hand in your darkest hour, their gift of support in your loneliest times, the gift of trust as you lead. God gives us the gift of others so we don’t have to walk this journey alone.

The every day leader, living a life of intention, making a difference in the lives of others by never walking the road alone.

Be intentional to find someone who will help you be the very best YOU that you can be!

The Every Day Leader: Who Is Shadowing You?

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There is always at least one person that is in my life that I know God has placed there for a reason.  The timing may not always be convenient, it may not always be in my plans, but somehow it always works out.  Somehow God knows just what I need, just what they need.  And always, when I take the time to invest in that person, I get out of it way more than I put into it. 

                                       Happens every time.

Investing in the life of another takes time, effort and a huge part of me and it won’t happen unless I take the time to do it.  It means I have to be willing to sacrifice, I have to be vulnerable, and transparent to share my life with another…my whole life.  There are parts of my life that I am not so proud of, there are times of my life I had to learn lessons the hard way.  When I invest in the life of another, it means sharing those times too. It is truly sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly, because lessons can be learned from every area and all of our life experiences.

The funny thing about investing… those relationships you put your heart and soul into mentoring, they are the ones that never fail to teach me something new about me.  Of course, I sharpen my skills and learn patience and understanding as I learn to work with someone new.  But it is so much more than that.  True mentoring makes me take a hard look at me.  As I teach and share, I also have to evaluate, I have to intentionally seek to understand myself better.  I learn the why’s of the past and begin to  see things from a different perspective.

Most of all, I am taking the time to think things through instead of plowing ahead with the business of life. 

If someone is following in my shadow,  I need to look at the person they are following.  How am I really?  Am I doing all the things I say?  Do I practice what I preach?  Do I lead others in such a way that I am worthy for another to want to be my shadow? Am I patient in answering questions?

Have you ever tried to copy someone’s shadow and anticipate their moves exactly?  It is almost impossible.  It is a pretty big bill to fill to have someone look up to you and want to be mentored by you. You have to be selfless, patient, and giving, even when you are tired or busy.

I look at those who have and who are mentoring me.  I am so thankful for them, for the time they have taken to invest in me and to make me a better person.  They have modeled for me the importance to do the same for another.

Who has God put in your life?  Is it someone who has never had a mother?  A Father?  Someone who needs to learn how to run a business?  Someone you are teaching spiritual principles to? Or maybe it is just someone who seems to be always clamoring for your attention by asking questions about everything you do and have done. They seem to be so eager to learn and soak up like a sponge anything you share.

Mentoring does not have to be lengthy and involved. Do you have an hour a week, twice a month, or a month? Scheduled times of mentoring help focus but there are also many informal times that conversations are had and lessons are imparted.

There are endless ways we can mentor another and endless opportunities to do so. Don’t miss a  chance to invest in another, you just may be surprised at how valuable they are to you!

The Everyday Leader.  Living a life of intention.  Mentoring another, always investing in those around you.

The Every Day Leader: STAND OUT!

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Ever pick out your favorite colors in M&M’s when you eat them?  Are you drawn to a particular color?  Statistically, the company puts the highest number of blue in each container…in fact 24% in each bag.  Can you guess the least amount?  Yep, brown, an average of 13%.  Any guesses as to why blue is favored over brown?  I don’t have the answers, but have my own theory.

Blue stands out

We are drawn to people for the same reason. We are often drawn to those people who stand out. It may not be because they are loud or outgoing, or because they are some great leader by position, or because of their following or even their money.  It might be because of their gentle quiet spirit, or maybe it is how they consistently love people.  They may stand out because of their guidance and leadership to those around them.  Whatever it is, we all see it.  They are different.  They are the everyday leaders around us that stand out because of who they are and not for what they do.

These every day leaders are leading and influencing those around them in powerful ways.  Perhaps it is by mentoring another.  Maybe they are influencing someone by tutoring a high risk child.  They may be the leader in a ministry or a business,  leading a few or leading many; regardless, they are making a difference in the lives of others.

Go ahead try it…Stand out. 

We are drawn to those who stand out  by how they behave, how they think, how they respond, their integrity, their words, and their discipline. We know we  can trust them, they have a servant heart and model it. We can count on consistent decisions and a strong confidence.

 We are drawn to their character.

Just like the blue M&M’s stand out, I long to be that everyday leader that people are drawn to because of my character.  I long to be someone who people can count on,  someone who influences the people in my life.  I want to make a difference today.

What about you?  Are you willing to settle to be among the brown M&M’s or do you have the courage to stand out and be bold like the blue M&M’s?  It is never to late to be the best you can be.

Start today.  Stand out. 

Be the Every Day Leader living a life of intention and make a difference.