Authenticity

At the core, you need to connect with your personal history and identify the key events, messages, and people that shaped who you are today. A good leader has to be many things to many people. The trick is to pull that off while remaining true to yourself. While it's easy to sniff out who's authentic and who's not, it's not so simple to recognize it in ourselves. 

Generosity pays

Traditional wisdom says business is a dog-eat-dog world, but evidence shows that the people who rise to the top may actually be the most generous.  Givers are a huge asset to the companies they work for because they make others more effective.  They have larger networks that make problem-solving faster and easier.  They take the initiative to mentor and train new hires.  They pick up the slack when others are overworked; and they foster a sense of loyalty among employees and customers.  

Let’s make it a habit to be generous.

It depends on your definition of close...

Is it possible to be too close to God? It depends on your definition of close. I can be close to someone on an elevator because it's crowded and we continue to bump shoulders. I can be so close that I have to pardon myself politely before squeezing out of the open door. That's proximity. I can be close to someone without knowing who he is. I can also be close to someone who is miles away because our lives, our heart, our stories are intimately connected. My best friend can live in another state and still be my closest friend.

If your view of closeness to God centers on a relationship of obedience and reverence, then by all means, get as close as you can. If your definition of closeness is proximity, tread lightly. He is the creator God of the universe who occupies a space and a realm we cannot begin to touch. There is a way to approach God and it is not casual or light. Through Christ, we have access to God's mighty throne of grace, but it is still a throne and should be treated as such.

Don't Take Advantage

“Do not take advantage of each other.” —Leviticus 25:17

Investing our money can be scary. The financial stakes are high, and we want to be sure the seller of those investments is not hiding something or shading the truth.  In Leviticus 25, God is talking about business. Through Moses, God instructs his people on the buying and selling of the gifts he has given them. The key, says God, is to avoid taking advantage of one another and to fear God. How we treat one another matters to God and reflects our relationship with him. We can’t love God without also considering what’s best for others.

Still, it can be easy to take one another for granted. Kids think their mom is always available to run a forgotten lunch or gym bag to school. Spouses make assumptions about who should pay the bills or have dinner ready. We expect that others will always be there to meet our needs, and we take them for granted.

Or we expect that people get what they deserve. If they won’t try harder or don’t know better, they deserve to pay a higher price or go without.

But God tells us to treat others well because of him. We may not think that others deserve our consideration or have earned our respect, but God’s love for us compels us to see others through his eyes.

Who needs a new look from you today?

Teams don’t work without teamwork.

It’s one thing to create a team, but quite another to create teamwork.  Just as it’s one thing to join a team, but quite another to perform as a team member.   It doesn’t mean everybody doing the same thing or everybody being able to do each other’s jobs.  It’s more of a collaborative way of working, where the sum is greater than the parts.  I like to say 1+1=3 (or more).  Properly managed, teamwork maximizes strengths, bringing out the best in each team member.