LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." C.S. Lewis

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Thank you Chuck for sending me a number of C.S. Lewis quotes. I'm going to share a couple of these in the coming weeks.

This quote from Lewis has been used to encourage people to look to the future, to not give up and to live with an optimism for tomorrow.

This is all true and we should take these words in that way.

But when you dig deeper into where this quote comes from, it's from a letter he is writing to a friend who is dying, and Lewis is encouraging her with the hope of eternity, not just with a better and more productive life.

Lewis died 5 months after he wrote these words and he believed that his future was going to be so much greater than anything he had experienced on earth.

Do you believe that there are better things ahead for all of us? Do you dwell on the past and live with regrets?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The best is yet to come"

Frank Sinatra

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Frank said it best in his song, The Best Is Yet To Come, but many people have talked about what is to come.

I like Zig Ziglars thoughts when he said:

"Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come."

Jesus says it best in Matthew 6:34:

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." MSG

It's a New Year, and we're all looking forward with anticipation.

Start by Looking Back: Begin the New Year with some perspective from Last Year. What did you learn, what were you challenged by, what do you NOT want to repeat? Spend some time looking back before you move forward.

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King." Joy to the World

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Remember, teamwork begins by building trust, and the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." Patrick Lencioni

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I thought I'd leave this last Lencioni quote with you heading into the end of the year.

In all of Lencioni's writing on organizational health, I think the foundation of everything has to do with vulnerability.

In his words here, he calls "building trust" as the foundation of any successful team, and the best way to build that trust is by being vulnerable.

Vulnerable can be defined this way: "Being vulnerable means being in a position where other people can hurt you. It often means expressing the sides of yourself about which you have the least confidence or certainty, and allowing others to respond to them."

Vulnerability, while it's risky, is also a sign of courage.

Here's the question: Are you leading from a position of vulnerability? You're being real in who you are, but you're also taking a risk to expose your true self to those you work with and lead. Answer that question...

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"When there is trust, conflict becomes nothing but the pursuit of truth, an attempt to find the best possible answer." Patrick Lencioni

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I used to avoid conflict.

I assumed that if there was conflict, then something was wrong. Why would people who work together ever disagree?

Much to my amazement, early in my career I found conflict everywhere and there weren't many models where conflict was managed well.

What's your personal experience with conflict? Do you run from it and avoid it or do you embrace it?

I've learned over the years to not say "if conflict comes", but I say, "when conflict comes" because it ALWAYS comes.

Lencioni focuses on organizational health, and the idea of building trust is the foundation of this, and it helps leaders and teams manage things at a whole new level.

Think about a time you FAILED in your management of conflict. What did you learn from that experience? How have you changed as a result of that?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time." Patrick Lencioni

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We spent 4 weeks looking at some Drucker quotes, and I want to spend the next 4 weeks looking at one of my favorite authors and organizational consultants, Patrick Lencioni. His thoughts will challenge you and they can be applied to any organizational setting.

The Lencioni quote above might sound great, but in reality it's much more complex than just rowing in the same direction.

I think he's talking about vision, goals and purpose. If people can be aligned around those things, then they could "dominate".

The reality is that "rowing together" isn't a simple thing. People push and pull, and sometimes you want people on your time heading in a different direction, however if you take away the simplistic metaphor, I love the image.

Have you ever been on a team that is moving TOGETHER in the same direction: vision, goals & purpose? What was that like?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." Peter F. Drucker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

So many good Drucker quotes, but this will be the last one at this time.

I'm getting ready to take some time to do some planning, thinking and dreaming for 2023, and this quote is something I have taped up on my computer screen!

This should be a great reminder to all of us.

Sometimes, we spend so much time perfecting the way we are doing something, or working on something that really doesn't make a difference.

Stephen Covey talks about this in his Time Management Matrix and he's talking about Quadrant III and Quadrant IV. Learn what this matrix is HERE.

Sometimes we get lost in things that might be "good" but they're not "important".

I'll give you some examples from my life below, but this isn't that difficult for us to examine.

What have you learned to do in your life to be focused on the RIGHT things? What triggers have you found that pull you away from those things?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Peter F. Drucker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

So many good Drucker quotes, so I want to share a couple more with you.

Last week, I shared Druckers quote on "MEASUREMENT" and had a couple of people push back with these comments:

• "I'm not sure all things can be measured. Those things that can't be measured are often important to evaluate even if their value is only anecdotal."

• "It's difficult to measure things that are internal, and not seen on the outside."

I agree with both of these comments, and thank you for responding...

My goal is to get us to think and to be willing to ask ourselves some questions that take us deeper.

This new quote from Drucker above, is also attributed to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

I don't think the idea behind this is of FORCE. I think it's of OWNERSHIP. We need to take responsibility for our lives and the future we want to live.

This begins with our current reality and our ability to think forward positively instead of being overwhelmed and in a spiral of negativity.

It's not just our thought patterns, it's the fact that we have been created for a purpose and God has called each of us to pursue His call and purpose in our lives.

Ownership and Responsibility begin with us giving our lives to Him in obedience, and then trusting Him each step of the way as we live our the call and plan He has for us.