tedegly.com

Psalms 19: 1-3
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

Notice what the psalmist really does here.  He speaks of Creation as a language.  Notice what the text is asking us to do…it is enforcing God’s handiwork…it speaks to us in a language of its own!

I found the below description of God found “in” Creation.  I believe a teenager wrote the paragraphs below.

Very Powerful!

“I have been asked by some how I can be so certain in the existence of a good God, and I have asked them in return if they have eyes to see.  God has woven himself irretrievably into Nature; left his fingerprints behind to show us where he’s been.  His signature is smeared into the curls of the Milky Way, forever circling above the rim of the world.  God has scattered fragments of himself about the earth like a father hides eggs in the yard before his son’s very first Easter; hiding behind a tree with laughing eyes and waiting to see which of the treasures his child will uncover first.

God is crying out all around us.  He is present in the breathless silence of the snow-smothered mountains; he is dancing with the sunlight that shatters on the ocean’s waves; he is hiding in the decaying moss and crumbling shale in the old forgotten places in the world.  No jagged mountain throws its sharp weight against the sky that is not a testament to his goodness.  The entire sum of Creation, each private and individual act of nature, is God waving hello.”

What does a “Winning Formula” look like in today’s economic landscape?

Tom Peters (aka: Management Guru) has an insightful formula for those who are in the workplace, who are choosing to be winners!

Tom Peters says:

People who are 100%, everybody, no exceptions, Receptionist to EVP R&D:

Committed.
Engaged.
Growing.
Learning.
Fearless (unfailingly encouraged to try new things).
Respected.
Trusted.
Appreciated.
Independent-minded.
Team focused.
Focused themselves, even when fresh caught, on the growth of others
Passionate about their work, their mates, and their customers.
Informed.
Open (fanatic about sharing).
Caring.
Committed to EXCELLENCE in everything they do.

And, in turn, that demands 100% “servant leaders,” to shamelessly steal from Robert Greenleaf, who are 100% devoted—as Priority & Job #1—to developing people, in good times or bad—100% of people—who are:

Committed.
Engaged.
Growing.
Learning.
Fearless (unfailingly encouraged to try new things).
Respected.
Trusted.
Appreciated.
Independent-minded.
Team focused.
Focused themselves, even when fresh caught, on the growth of others
Passionate about their work, their mates, and their customers.
Informed.
Open (fanatic about sharing).
Caring.
Committed to EXCELLENCE in everything they do.

Well said, Tom!

Recently I finished another leg of my journey toward my MBA.  This past weekend I finished a beta class called, Servant Leadership.  The class consisted of people from both George William University and Aurora University.  The group comprised of 6 MBA, 6 Masters of Social Work, and 6 Doctoral of Education students.  What an eclectic group of individuals who contributed a great amount throughout the course.

Below are some pictures of our last class from Lake Geneva, where George William University is located.

Former CEO of Service Masters, Bill Pollard…and me

Bill Pollard and a few MBA students from both Universities

Last class photo…taken on the porch overlooking Lake Geneva

Currently I am re-reading Ken Blanchard’s book, Leading at a Higher Level.  Below are 8 insightful reasons that Ken gives as to why some change efforts might fail in an organization.

1. People leading the change think that announcing the change is the same as implementing the change.

2. People’s concerns with change are not surfaced or addressed.

3. There is no compelling reason to change.  The business case is not communicated.

4. A compelling vision that excites people about the future has not been developed and communicated.

5.  Those leading the change aren’t credible - they undercommunicate, give mixed messages, and do not model the behaviors the change requires.

6. Progress (this is HUGE) is not measured, and no one recognizes the changes that people have worked hard to make.

7. People are not held accountable for implementing change.

8. People leading the change fail to respect the power of the culture to kill the change.

Can you think of other reasons why change might fail?

Profound words spoken by John D. Rockefeller Jr. regarding his own philosophy, during a radio program in 1941.

“I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty. I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master. I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living. I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs. I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order. I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man’s word should be as good as his bond; that character — not wealth or power or position — is of supreme worth.”

Recently I came across an old journal with the following equation:

Personal Purpose x Passion + Collective Momentum = Maximum Impact

What is the impact you are trying to make at work, in your relationships, community, neighborhood, and the world around you?

I love the subject of leadership.  Below is a list of leadership lessons that I read awhile ago, and was recently re-introduced.  They are lessons given by one of the most brilliant and pragmatic leaders of our day, whom I have a lot of respect for, Colin Powell.

Lesson 1:  Good leaders sometimes make people unhappy.

Lesson 2: The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of a relationship.

Lesson 3: Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world.

Lesson 4: Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.

Lesson 5: Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant.

Lesson 6: You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.

Lesson 7: Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find.

Lesson 8: Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.

Lesson 9: Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing.

Lesson 10: Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.

Lesson 11: Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.

Lesson 12: Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Lesson 13: “Powell’s Rules for Picking People” – Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.

Lesson 14: Great leaders are almost always great simplifier’s, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.

Lesson 15 Part I: Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.

Lesson 15 Part II: Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.

Lesson 16: The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proven otherwise.

Lesson 17: Have fun in your command. Don’t always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you’ve earned it: Spend time with your families.

Lesson 18: Command is lonely.

I have been a religious subscriber of Fast Company for many years now, and recently ran across an article which described the likes of David Kelley.  David Kelley is the founding architect of the design firm Ideo.

The article is a must read!

The article brilliantly and tantalizingly lays out several tidbits, as we (for a moment) get to peer closely into the life of David.  You will learn about…

…a recent personal challenge

…design thinking

…redesigning organizational cultures

…’taking a step back before forging ahead’

…and much more!

Take the time to read the article in FastCompany, here.

What were your thoughts about the article?

Peter Drucker, the father of “modern management,”  had some great questions he asked, when assessing one’s own organization.  In fact, recently a book was launched called The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization.   Peter Drucker tackles 5 essential questions when discovering what is at the heart of an organization, and at its core, what drives them to be better?

From the help of modern day thought leaders (like Jim Collins and Jim Kouzes), the book takes a look at the following questions:

1. What is our Mission?
2. What is our Customer?
3. What does the Customer Value?
4. What are our Results?
5. What is our Plan?

In gist, the questions should lead an organization and individual to action!

You can go here to purchase the book…or here.

I need your help with a project.

What are your top 5 leadership books?  

(If you can’t think of 5 books, then list as many as you can.  Even if you haven’t read the “whole” book, please post anyways.)