Engaging Others Outside Your Box

Girls Looking At Each OtherI am the kind of person who enjoys being in the presence of people who see life from my point of view. When I am with these people, I am happy, calm and in control. No tension or emotion is rising because all our conversations are agreeable. I don’t have to think outside my box because everyone is in the box with me, no disagreements. I like living like that. I suspect the same is true for you.

But if I want to grow as a person, and more so as a leader, I cannot afford to surround myself with only those who see things like I do. I must have some people around me who see things differently. People who can challenge me in my ways of thinking and doing things. This can be uncomfortable, painful and challenging.

Seeing and Embracing Our Weak Places

MigraineI am dyslexic and as a result, reading and writing are very tedious for me. I naturally struggle to comprehend what I am reading, and trying to capture my thoughts in writing is a real struggle.

While these are real issues of struggle for me, I have lived most of my life trying not to let others see my weaknesses. I tried to appear as I perceived others to be: without weaknesses.

Being Kind

Boy sharing a appleTwo of the most dominant attitudes driving actions in our society today are anger and hostility. We could use much more kindness and gentleness. We have a choice of which ones we want to characterize our lives. The challenge is that anger and hostility seem to arise naturally, but showing kindness and gentleness require us to be intentional.

The Leader and Prayer, Part 3

Woman pray and readFor the past two weeks I have been focusing on the leader and prayer. First we focused on the importance of prayer in the life of the leader. Then we identified some reasons why the leader needs to pray. I want to conclude the topic this week with some practical suggestions leaders can apply with the aim of improving their prayer life.

Make time for your personal prayer life.