LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time." Steve Jobs

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to look at some words from the late Steve Jobs. While much of his life was focused on building Apple, he has a lot to say about leadership, culture and perseverance.

I love this quote today from him.

In a world of instant communication, a world of comparison marketing and a world where we can say anything we want, it's pretty easy to jump to conclusions about someones journey or story.

On one hand, we assume that people are sharing the whole story, when they're really just sharing the highlights.

We also assume because they're we're only seeing the success side, that there wasn't any failure or struggle along the way.

Jobs quote is a reminder that there's no such thing as an overnight success. Most great stories are a part of a journey, and it takes work, dedication, perseverance, resilience and discipline to keep moving forward. It doesn't usually JUST HAPPEN.

I was recently talking with a young leader, and my challenge to him was to start small, build a working model, then scale it little by little, adjust along the way, and if it works, continue to grow it.

This is a pretty standard formula but in a day when people can achieve some quick success without much effort, we are often looking at the easy way to build something, not the best way to build something.

Think about something you built or created in your life and leadership... Take a moment to revisit the process you went through to see that thing grow and work.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice." Steve Jobs

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to look at some words from the late Steve Jobs. I'm an "Apple Guy"... there are Apple People and Non-Apple People, however I think there are some things that Jobs said and did that can potentially impact all of us.

This quote was so timely when I found it this past week.

We're living in a time of FEAR.

• We're afraid to share what we believe because it might offend someone else.

• We're afraid to have an opinion, so we remain quiet.

• We care, but we choose not to engage because of the noise.

Basically we're paralyzed because we're not sure what we should or shouldn't believe.

I love this quote from Steve Jobs, because he reminds us what is really important.

We are surrounded by noise... all kinds of noise. Some of the noise is really good noise, and some of it is just distracting.

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I go on a walk, I put my headphones in (Airpods) and instead of listening to a book, a podcast or music, I just enjoy the silence!

There is noise all around me. Often I leave a meeting to jump in my car and either make a phone call, or listen to my favorite radio station. I then will watch the news or a tv show at night, and many days the first thing I listen to in the morning in a news podcast.

I go from noise to noise constantly.

I'm not saying those things are necessarily bad, but to Jobs quote, sometimes the noise around me is louder than my own voice, or the Spirit who lives within me.

How would you define your life as it relates to noise? Are you operating at FULL VOLUME? 1 - 10?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Living in a constant state of balance is mostly impossible." Russ Cline

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Well, I had a birthday milestone this month and turned 60 years old. I don't think it's that traumatic, however being whisked away to a beach in Mexico by my wife for a few days helped a lot!

60 Years.

This month, I want to share some things that I've learned over the years by sharing some interpretations of some great quotes. I realize that nothing is really new, we just share ideas in new and fresh ways and it cycles around again and again. There is still much to learn from these ideas that have been around for a long time, so I'm going to share my top 4 quotes/ideas that I keep coming back to over and over again.

I'm going to close this month with a simple thought on BALANCE.

For years, I learned how to "balance my life", or better yet, how to "strive for balance". I felt that if I could achieve a level of balance in my life, then all would be well. I then taught people about how to find balance in their lives.

Listen to these definitions of the word balance:

"An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady"

"Keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall"

I don't know about you, but even though I've thought about balance in my life, I've dreamed about balance and I've worked towards balance, it's been mostly unsuccessful.

This doesn't mean that I'm out of control, it just means that if I'm going to define balance in my life, being "steady" is not the way I would define it.

My life has been a series of "living in the extremes". While this might sound bad, it's been an incredible ride!

Living in the extremes means:

• Moving from being busy to having rhythm

• Being disciplined in areas and being undisciplined

• Hitting goals and targets while sometimes failing

• Being emotionally full and energized to being drained

I don't know if you've experience this or not, but striving for balance in my life has been difficult if balance is defined as being STEADY.

How do you define balance in your life?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Don't be afraid of conflict: Trust is built in the way you lead through these times". Russ Cline

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Well, I had a birthday milestone this month and turned 60 years old. I don't think it's that traumatic, however being whisked away to a beach in Mexico by my wife for a few days helped a lot!

60 Years.

This month, I want to share some things that I've learned over the years by sharing some interpretations of some great quotes. I realize that nothing is really new, we just share ideas in new and fresh ways and it cycles around again and again. There is still much to learn from these ideas that have been around for a long time, so I'm going to share my top 4 quotes/ideas that I keep coming back to over and over again.

I think I've learned a lot about conflict from one of my favorite authors, Patrick Lencioni. He said things like:

"On a team, trust is all about vulnerability."

"Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team."

"When there is trust, conflict becomes nothing but the pursuit of truth."

And it was Max Lucado who said:

"Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional."

I have been on a journey learning about my personal tolerance for conflict and my leadership style around conflict, and it has been in transition all of the years I've had the privilege to lead.

Early on, I was a "conflict avoider" and I hated conflict.

I then learned over time that conflict is not always a negative thing, but it can also be a constructive and defining thing

Where are you on the conflict continuum? Do you "avoid conflict"? Do you engage in "destructive conflict" or are you someplace in the middle?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"You'll do great things if you don't care who gets the credit". *Russ Cline

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Well, I had a birthday milestone this month and turned 60 years old. I don't think it's that traumatic, however being whisked away to a beach in Mexico by my wife for a few days helped a lot!

60 Years.

This month, I want to share some things that I've learned over the years by sharing some interpretations of some great quotes. I realize that nothing is really new, we just share ideas in new and fresh ways and it cycles around again and again. There is still much to learn from these ideas that have been around for a long time, so I'm going to share my top 4 quotes/ideas that I keep coming back to over and over again.

The first time I heard this quote, it was attributed to Ted Engstrom, then the President of World Vision. I then learned that many great people have said the same thing...Harry S. Truman, Ronald Reagan, Mark Twain and the list goes on. Maybe that's the point: It doesn't matter who said it, but we should focus on the power of these words.

I also saw this idea being lived out around me:

• Jim Burns, a lifelong mentor of mine, was incredibly generous with his time and his training materials. I heard him say over and over again how his goal was for the materials he had developed to be used, and he generously gave away printing and royalty rights, and encouraged people to copy and get these resources out to the people who needed them. This is counter-cultural, but it left an imprint.

• Ron Cline, my dad, led an initiative to partner with some "competing organizations" to accomplish something greater together. I'm not sure I understood the magnitude at the time. I probably assumed this is what everyone was doing, later to find out that this was not normal.

• Phyl Burger, a friend and consultant that I used years ago with our growing organization modeled how to come alongside a group of people for the "importance of the work", not for the benefit you could get out of it. She gave of her time and energy generously when it probably didn't make any sense to her, but the impact on my life personally and on the organization then is unmeasurable.

So instead of trying to figure out who SAID IT, let's celebrate those who DO THIS!

I want to be one of those people that doesn't care as much about the credit as I do the value of the work and the potential impact. What about you?

Who in your life has modeled the concept of this quote: selfless generosity?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I'll say NO to some good things so I can say YES to some really good things". *Russ Cline

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Well, I had a birthday milestone this past week and turned 60 years old. I don't think it's that traumatic, however being whisked away to a beach in Mexico by my wife for a few days helped a lot!

60 Years.

This month, I want to share some things that I've learned over the years by sharing some interpretations of some great quotes. I realize that nothing is really new, we just share ideas in new and fresh ways and it cycles around again and again. There is still much to learn from these ideas that have been around for a long time, so I'm going to share my top 4 quotes/ideas that I keep coming back to over and over again.

I've heard the message of saying NO from a few of my mentors: Jim Burns, Ron Cline & Guy Adams, just to name a few. I've heard this concept taught by John Maxwell, Patrick Lencioni and Michael Hyatt, also influencers in my life from a distance through their writing. The idea isn't new, but in my mind, this is what it looks like.

Every day I am forced to make decisions. This is a part of my leadership, a part of my daily routine, and these decisions keep coming at me. How I respond in these decisions impacts my life.

I learned early on that I can't say yes to everything. There's no way to do it, even though I tried.

So, from a large collection of voices over the years, I've learned to say NO to some things, even when they're really good things.

Think of the filters you use to make a decision, YES or NO? What are those filters?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible." Robert K. Greenleaf

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Today I'm finishing a number of weeks looking at SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

When we started this series, I introduced you to Robert K. Greenleaf, who has been defined as the first person to articulate the theory of servant leadership.

I really like 2 of his other quotes because they are so simple. Greenleaf says:

"The servant leader is servant first."

and

"Good leaders must first become good servants."

Greenleaf wrote a number of papers that were pretty counter-cultural in the era of "big companies, big leaders". His simple message to leaders to focus on serving first as the highest priority.

Greenleaf also acknowledged that Jesus modeled this kind of leadership, but that the idea of servant leadership is for everyone. It's not a faith-driven theory, but an effective leadership principle that should affect people in all aspects of leadership.

Greenleaf died in 1990, having impacted leadership models for all time. The epitaph on his tombstone reads:

"Potentially a good plumber; ruined by sophisticated education."

How are the principles of servant leadership evident in your life and in your leadership?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"A leader is best when people barely knows he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." Lao Tzu

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month we're going to do a dive into SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who was born in 571 B.C.

This thought is an interesting one, because we often promote leadership as being a visible and prominent position, but the idea that "a leader is best when people barely knows he exists" is interesting.

I think the part of this quote that most resonates with me is the closing comment, "we did it ourselves."

One of the challenges of leadership is to help people take ownership and take responsibility, and many times the reason this is difficult is because we have a prominent leader who is constantly taking ALL the ownership and ALL of the responsibility, and we don't allow others to be a part of that.

Leaders have to know when to step back and when to step up. We'll talk about that next week, but in this thought from Tzu, the goal of leadership is to be somewhat invisible.

2 Questions: First, have you ever worked with someone who modeled this kind of leadership? Second, have you ever tried this? What did you see and experience?