Category: Leadership

Connie Mack will always be remembered as one of the greatest personalities in baseball.

After coaching the Philadelphia A’s for 50 years, he retired in 1950 at the age of 87 as the winningest manager in history.

Books could be written, and probably have been, on the management techniques of Connie Mack. Leaders have a lot to learn from his example.

One management technique: he refused to worry.

Early in his career, when he realized how worry was threatening to destroy his ability to lead — especially worries over past defeats — he forced himself to get so busy preparing to win today’s game that he didn’t have time to worry about yesterday’s losses.

He summed up it by saying, “You can’t grind grain with water that has already gone down the creek.” This colloquialism may be lost on many of us, but it’s Mack’s way of saying what St. Paul said …

But I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:13-14)

This works.

The act of preparing today keeps your mind off yesterday’s regrets and away from tomorrow’s uncertainties.

So give your attention to what is really pressing this day … and press on.

“There are plenty of people who want to be first violinists, but to find someone willing to play second chair, in any section of the orchestra, is a problem. But without a second, there is no harmony.” — Leonard Bernstein

Leaders, quite naturally, feel most comfortable leading. It’s where we’re gifted. There’s a certain fulfillment that comes with taking charge of a project, developing a strategy, putting a team together, and seeing it through to completion.

A problem that many organizations face, however, comes when you have to deal with those special few leaders who can’t — or won’t — do anything but lead. As in: If I’m not in charge, I’m not there.

The best leaders understand and embrace the idea that sometimes your contribution to a project is not to call the plays, but to help the play-caller execute the plan.

Or, as Mr. Bernstein might say, there are times when — no matter how gifted a leader you may be — it’s your job to play second chair and add a little harmony to the outcome.

When you find yourself involved in work in which first chair is already in place, don’t quit the band, don’t stage a coup, don’t pack your bags and go home.

Instead, seize the opportunity to be the kind of second chair you wish you had in every project you lead.

You’ll be amazed at what you can learn about playing melody when you choose to play harmony once in a while.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. (Colossians 3:23)

Is the image of success much different than the image of service?

The world has differing ideas of what makes an individual great. Most often we associate it with power, wealth and celebrity. We typically measure a person’s influence by their number of followers.

The Bible suggests a different way to greatness: the way of a servant. Greatness is found in living for others.

For most of his career Albert Einstein kept the portraits of two scientists on the wall: Newton and Maxwell. Toward the end of his life he replaced those portraits with Ghandi and Albert Schweitzer.

He said, “It is time to replace the image of success with the image of service.”

Maybe he had been inspired by Schweitzer’s words: “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know, the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

We are all on something of a self-directed journey to greatness. Let’s remember that the path is paved with service to others.

If you want to be great, learn to be the servant of all. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mark 10:43-44)

Sabina: Tortured For Christ (The Nazi Years) is a new film from Voice of the Martyrs. The story follows VOM founders Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand through the first years of the marriage, their conversion to Christianity, and the early years of their ministry to those who suffer persecution.

The movie is available to stream online for free.

You can also host a showing of the movie at your church. VOM will send a DVD, promotional materials, and a special gift to all in attendance.

More information can be found here.

Legendary football coach Tom Landry once said:

“The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”

It’s also said that successful people become successful by doing the little things that average people don’t want to do.

In your work there are probably a few little things that you don’t want to do: items that should be done, but don’t have to be done — at least not yet.

Though the items on your don’t-want-to-do list change from day-to-day, most likely they all have one thing in common: none of them are impossible.

They’re all do-able, with just a little bit of effort.

They have another thing in common: by ignoring them, we short-change ourselves.

We don’t like to call this type of delay by its proper name, but Solomon doesn’t hesitate to:

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4)

For many of us, this “L” word is all that stands between us and our goals.

Remember that’s not a mountain in front of you. It’s just a hill. A small, tedious, but completely climbable and ultimately conquerable hill.

Challenge yourself and your team today to make a don’t-want-to-do list — and tackle these items first, one-by-one. See what happens.

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Today’s post is taken from It’s All in the Dailies.

Andrew Carnegie said, “It marks a big step in a man’s development when he comes to realize that other men can be called in to help him do a better job than he can do alone.”

Along these lines, Ken Blanchard said more succinctly, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”

Leaders must walk a thin line here.

On one hand, we need to be able to think a step ahead of the crowd — to see the big picture when others can’t see past today.

On the other hand, we must learn to listen to those we lead. Their input is invaluable — and not merely because it makes them feel “as though they have a voice.” It’s invaluable because their input actually leads to a better end result.

None of us is as smart as all of us.

A verse in Chronicles illustrates this approach to leadership. David is bringing the ark back to Jerusalem, and I want you to notice how he does it:

David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds. He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide…” (1 Chronicles 13:1-2)

I like the flexibility in David’s words. I like the way he listened to others. It’s something every leader needs to develop.