Be A Person Of Your Word

“Be true to your work, your word, and your friends.” 
~Henry David Thoreau~

Have you ever asked a friend for help, had them commit, and then at the last minute make an excuse for not showing up, or maybe a friend asked you for a favor and then took advantage of your time and willingness to help? Either way, how did it make you feel? What were your thoughts about your friend? My guess is you were probably frustrated, irritated maybe, or annoyed in some way because you were let down or taken advantage of. Whatever it might have been, my guess is you either learned not to ask that friend for help or you were more likely to say “No” the next time your friend asked you for some favor. Bottom line, a person who does not keep their word is someone who is not respected or trusted.

Right now, we are in the midst of an utter disaster with the administration of the United States. President Biden made the choice to pull troops out of Afghanistan. This has turned into absolute chaos, danger, and loss of life. However, it wasn’t just Biden’s fault. Military leadership stationed in Afghanistan were also to blame. Even though there were many problems that led to the debacle, one thing can be found true…we did not stand by our word to protect and ensure the safety of the citizens of Afghanistan from the horrific and terrible acts of the Taliban. Instead, we pulled out and let chaos ensue. Now, the Taliban is destroying the lives of men, women, and children all in the name of religious and political fanaticism. Now, we have lost respect and trust from the people who depended on us.

Respect is not given; it is earned. Respect is earned when we stay true to our word and make whatever sacrifices that need to be made to live up to our word. Respect is something that cannot be forced. Respect must be given if you want it in return. In fact, when you are a leader and expect respect from your team, you will likely find yourself alone with little to no respect. Demanding something from others doesn’t really go well from the person doing the demanding. Respect must be earned, and it usually takes time. When you give little encouragement and do more berating, you will lose respect from your team. When you give meaningless feedback and expect people to just “know” what needs to change, you will lose respect. However, one of the quickest ways to lose respect from your team is to speak out of both sides of your mouth. If you want respect from your team, then you must be a man or woman of your word. Don’t blow smoke. Don’t sugar coat things. Be honest, real, and transparent; and do all of this with humility and compassion.

Just like respect, trust is a quality that must be earned. If you don’t have your team’s respect, you probably don’t have their trust either. Trust must also be given in order to be trusted in return. And if you think your team can’t see through your B.S., you are a fool. Trust is not earned by saying, “Don’t worry. You can trust me.” Trust is something that must be proven. This comes by doing what you say you will do. It happens when your team knows that when you say something, you will follow through. You will show up and give 100% every time. When you say you will do whatever it takes to get your team what they need, then you won’t quit until your team has what they need. You will make the sacrifices to show your team that what you say is true and prove it through your actions. Truth comes from being a man or woman of our word.

Talk is cheap. Don’t be a cheap leader. Lead with integrity and do what you say you will do. If you can’t follow through, then be transparent and honest. Don’t make excuses, take responsibility. Humility will earn you more respect than trying to backpedal or push blame. In the end, “Be true to your work, your word, and your friends (team).”

As always, stay humble and always serve!

The Power Of The Pencil

Have you ever stopped to consider the power of a pencil? I mean, think about it. It has the power to give the user the confidence to work, knowing that a mistake can easily be corrected. It provides security knowing that nothing is permanent and can be redone at any time. It gives the user the ability to become better in what they are doing. The power of the pencil is truly something to learn from.

We go through life thinking that we are writing everything we do in permanent marker. We make decisions and choices that are chiseled onto our life path. We think that everything we do is permanently etched into who we are and we become defined by our choices. We write and write making mistakes left and right. And instead of correcting our mistakes, we keep moving forward, never reviewing what we have done to make the necessary corrections. We have missing punctuation, words that should be capitalized, and words that are misspelled. Our life seems to be a jumble of good writing mixed in with some awful mistakes.

Instead of realizing that our life is written in pencil and can be changed at any time, we continue writing our life as if we were using a permanent marker. Please don’t misunderstand me, there are decisions that have a lasting impact in our lives, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change. The original lines that were written by pencil are still on the paper, but those lines can be written over with new graphite. We might make poor choices in life, but we don’t need to continue to make those choices. We can erase the character traits that led us to those choices anytime we want. We can change our attitudes, our motives, and even our mind set. 

Not only can we change our attitude, motives and mind set, we can also correct mistakes in relationships. It’s amazing what happens when we realize that we are writing our life in a pencil and not a permanent marker when it comes to relationships. As human beings, we tend to make mistake after mistake. Those of us who are attuned to the pencil we are writing with, when we make mistakes in our relationships, we quickly turn our pencil over and make corrections when needed. We say things like, “I am sorry,” “I was wrong,” or even “I forgive you.” We seek to correct the mistake and reconcile our relationships. If you are always thinking your life is written in permanent marker, you might miss the opportunity to mend broken relationships and burning bridges, and you might write off valuable relationships in your life. 

If you think you are writing your life with a permanent marker, I encourage you to put down your marker and start using a pencil. We are not stuck in a life that is non-correctable. All we need to do is turn our pencil around and start making corrections.

Stop Sacrificing The Truth

It seems that our society has decided to disregard most forms of truth. Instead of standing for what is right and what is true, society will manipulate the truth to cater to the emotions and feelings of others. The more we choose to sacrifice the truth for others feelings and emotions, the more we approve of a reality that is nowhere near real. When reality becomes too distorted, humanity will become a people of destructive habits and society will no longer be able to properly function. 

So what is “Truth”? I consider truth as anything that has been tested and proven over time to be true. For example, the sun will rise every morning, if you jump off of a cliff, you will fall to the ground, or putting your hand on a hot stove will burn your hand. Now, these may be simple examples, but each of these have been tested and proven over time and are considered truth. Here’s another one: A biologically born male is a male and cannot be a female without a medical procedure. The same applies to a biologically born female. This is truth. 

Can truth be questioned? Absolutely. However, how we question the truth determines our willingness to accept it or not. Utterly denying the truth because we don’t like it doesn’t mean we question the truth. It just means our feelings got hurt and we are not mature enough to accept it. The proper way of questioning truth is to use the scientific method. Start with a question, research everything you can about your question, develop a hypothesis, test your hypothesis, try and prove your hypothesis wrong, draw a conclusion, and report your findings. Have others check your work for fallacies and accept what you find. PS…your feelings don’t matter when questioning the truth. To ignore truth is to give up integrity. 

Truth isn’t what we say it is. Truth is proven through testing and time. Truth doesn’t change just because we don’t like it. In other words, truth doesn’t change based on how we feel about it. So what happens when we cater to the feelings of others rather than speak and hold to truth? The answer is we help develop a false sense of reality which in turn leads to destructive habits. Psychologist Dr. Victoria Dunckley said, “Seeking artificial validation not only results in addictive, destructive behaviors, it also displaces the very experiences that would otherwise offer us authentic validation.” Bottom line, when we allow feelings to trump truth, we blatantly encourage delusional living.

Truth should NEVER be sacrificed to appease the false reality of others. With a society struggling with multiple forms of mental health, all we do when we disregard truth for feelings is continue the problems we have with mental health disorders within our society.  If we truly care about other people, we should compassionately and respectfully speak the truth no matter what; especially if we are working with youth. Anyone who ignores truth and facts to appease the feelings of others is hindering more than helping. Ladies and Gentlemen, truth is not always easy to swallow, but that doesn’t mean we ignore it. 

No matter who you are, who you work with, or what you do, do NOT sacrifice the truth to appease the feelings of others. Stand strong, be honest, be compassionate, and live with integrity. And as always…stay humble and serve well.

Living In Fear Is Not Living At All

Over the past two years, with the development of COVID, I have become more aware of how the vast majority of the population fears death. Because of this fear, people tend to focus more on preserving life through limiting how they live. This preservation of life tends to lead people to feel the need to control others’ way of life to ensure their safety. This need to preserve life also leads to irrational, panicked decisions based on emotions rather than logical, well informed decisions. By trying to avoid what is ultimately inevitable, people limit their ability to truly live, which, in turn, invites an early death. Overall, living in fear is not really living at all.

Why is death something to be feared? For some, it’s the fear of leaving loved ones. For others, it might be the fear of the unknown of what comes next. Whatever the reason, I feel it is fair to say that there are reasons to fear death. But, death is inevitable.  As the saying goes, “There are only two guarantees in life; death and taxes.” Death will happen whether we want it to or not. We may think we can “prolong” life, but in reality, all we are doing is postponing the inevitable in ways that keep us from truly living.

Life is precious. Life is fleeting. When we understand these concepts, instead of boxing up our lives, we should enjoy every minute we get. Life is too precious to limit our ability to live because of our irrational fear of dying. I call it an irrational fear, because dying is inevitable. I compare it to someone who is afraid that the sun might kill them, so they constantly shut themselves in their house, draw the blinds, and never see daylight.  Over time, they limit their body to life giving vitamins and minerals provided by the sunlight. Ultimately, their fear brings a quicker  death than if they just got over their fear of the sun and lived their life. 

If life is about living in a box with padded rooms and having irrational fears, then life is not worth living. But that’s not what life is about. Life is about enjoying what we are given: the opportunity to explore, have adventure, pursue happiness, and most importantly build community and relationships. Life is about bettering those around us through positive encouragement, support, and most importantly love. When we stop focusing on ourselves and needing for ourselves to feel safe, we no longer worry what happens to us and the idea that we might die. 

Fearing death creates an attitude of control and limits one’s ability to live in freedom. Instead of accepting the inevitable and living each moment as if it was a gift, people who fear death try to force others to comply with their irrational thinking and turn something sweet and beautiful into something miserable and limited. As Bill Keane said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” We would never keep a present in a box in fear that it might get broken. Instead, we take the present out of the box, knowing the risks of doing so, and enjoy the present we have been given. Fear limits our ability to enjoy what we have been blessed with.

In summary, fearing death keeps you from truly living. Instead of fearing what will inevitably occur, embrace the opportunities and time you have been given now. Don’t allow fear to keep you from truly living. Embrace what may come, pursue happiness, and don’t hinder yourself or others through irrational, emotional fear. After all, living in fear keeps you from living at all.

As always, stay humble and serve well!

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE WRONG?

Being wrong is an uncomfortable feeling. Most people take being wrong personally, because it places them in a vulnerable state. There are many ways people handle being wrong, but if we are focused on becoming a better person, we should see being wrong as an opportunity for growth. Being wrong can be humiliating, but if we live our lives with integrity, it should lead to humility. 

There is nothing wrong with being wrong. In fact, being wrong means you made an attempt at something and failed. Whether that attempt was an action or way of thinking, it was still an attempt at something. The problem comes when we need to be right, no matter what, even when we know we are wrong. This usually leads to a character of pride and arrogance rather than humility. Being wrong provides us an opportunity to change and become better. However, we must have a mindset of growth and humility if we are to turn being wrong into something better.

As a father, husband, friend, colleague, and all the other titles that I might hold, I have been wrong on multiple occasions. As a younger, less mature individual, I felt that being wrong meant I had to try harder at being right. This led to arrogance, ignorance, and broken bridges. The older I get, I have learned, and am still learning, that being wrong means I need to humble myself, educate myself more, and admit my errors. Being wrong is an opportunity for learning, growth, and change. It can be humiliating at times, but ultimately it is freeing to acknowledge when I’m wrong and accept my areas of weakness. 

Please understand. I don’t always get it right when it comes to admitting when I’m wrong. There are still times that I struggle with becoming arrogant and pushing my “rightness” even when I’m wrong. I am a work in progress, but who I am today is better than who I was before. The goal should always be to become better than who we were yesterday. This takes a willingness to learn and a spirit of humility. 

There are many ways in which we might be wrong. We might treat others erroneously, we might believe and speak opinions that are wrong, or we might lead others incorrectly. The circumstances of when we’re wrong doesn’t matter as much as what we do when we are wrong. If the goal is to learn and become better, then we need to humbly acknowledge the error of our ways. Being wrong is a part of being human. However, if we are not careful, we can allow our pride to keep us from becoming better.

Whatever role you might play in your daily life, live it in humility. When you are wrong, admit it, learn from it, and do your best to become better. Don’t forget, being wrong is a part of life. Do not allow pride to take over your life, but rather allow humility to change you and make you a better person. Being wrong is an opportunity for growth. Embrace it and become better than the person you were yesterday.

As always, stay humble and serve well!

Hypocrisy Has No Place In Leadership

One of the worst habits leadership can get themselves into is the need to point out everyone else’s faults while making excuses and exceptions for their own. When leadership puts more emphasis on others’ faults and failures, all the while ignoring their own, leadership loses. A good way for leadership to lose credibility in their team is to look at others’ mistakes, faults, or errors before leadership addresses their own. I heard a saying once that went like this, “Don’t come clean my house until you have your own put in order.” This simple statement is a good reminder for anyone, but especially for those in leadership.

Please don’t misunderstand me. This doesn’t mean leadership is expected to be perfect. Rather, leadership should be sure to hold themselves to the same standards they hold others. If your house is dysfunctional, out of order, or lacks respect of any kind, then don’t complain about others who may show the same signs as your own team. If you allow your own team to do nonsense activity and actions, then you have no right complaining when others do the same thing. The hypocrisy you show is a mirror of your own character and insecurities.

I once sat under leadership who would allow for disrespectful and inappropriate actions and conversations to occur during meetings. That leadership did nothing to correct the crew’s behavior, nor did they stand up for what was right. Instead, some of the lower leadership chose to join the inappropriate conversations and behaviors, while others chose to remain silent and say nothing about the crew’s actions. This same leadership then went and complained about another agency’s team member who spoke poorly about said leadership during a mutual aid effort. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter what was said. What matters most is that this leadership chose to hold someone who is not a part of their team to higher standards than they hold their own team. 

Leadership that leads with a character of hypocrisy leads nothing more than a house of cards. It won’t be long until their hypocrisy will be their downfall, but more importantly, it will be the lasting impression people will remember most. Being a hypocritical leader does not establish an environment of trust, respect, or integrity. However, I would assume that hypocritical leadership isn’t really leading with any of these qualities anyway.

I want to encourage you to keep yourself in check before you put others in check. If you don’t want your team to act a certain way, then you better not act that way. If you want your team to show specific qualities, then you better represent and be an example of those qualities. Bottom line, don’t call out others’ actions and behaviors if you are doing the same thing you are calling out. Hypocrisy has NO place in leadership.  

“Don’t come clean my house until you have your own house in order.”

As always, stay humble and serve well!

Stop Validating Every “Feeling”

We live in a culture where whatever we feel must be right. We are told to validate others feelings and accept people for who they are. We are called haters, phobics, and many other lovely names when we choose to stand for truth rather than fiction. Society demonizes anyone who speaks truth these days, which in turn has allowed for a culture and society that follows lies and false rhetoric. Just because someone feels a certain way about something doesn’t mean they are right. Instead of validating wrong ideology and fearing being ostracized from culture and society, we must boldly, yet humbly, speak truth into the lives of the people around us. Otherwise, we will passively lead our culture and society to destruction. 

We all have an innate ability to distinguish between right and wrong. What determines what we choose is the voice we choose to listen to. We either choose to listen to the voice of fear and allow for what we innately know is wrong, or we will listen to the voice of truth and risk being treated poorly for standing for what is right. There are no other choices in life. We either choose between what is right or what is wrong. 

In my last post, I discussed that ignorance is your downfall. Allowing for wrong to occur, when we know what is right, creates a society and culture of ignorance resulting in its downfall. When we validate what is wrong, we destroy morality and ethical sensibility. We can choose to ignore the right thing for the “good” of others, but in reality, ignoring what is right is NEVER “good” for anyone. It is our responsibility to stand up and speak what is true. It doesn’t matter what people may say or what people may do, we must continue to stand for the right thing no matter the cost. 

I started this post stating that society tells us to validate people’s feelings. I agree, to a point. When those feelings turn into immoral and unethical choices, then those feelings should NEVER be validated. For example, if someone is hurting due to being in a broken relationship, losing someone special, or going through a difficult event in their life, then validation is absolutely necessary. However, if someone states that they feel sexually drawn to children, then rebuke is in order. Wrong is wrong. The problem in our society is that it allows for feelings to determine what is true and right and turns a blind eye all in the name of validation. 

There is a dangerous rhetoric being spread among our culture, especially our youth, that how you feel is who you are. This ideology is not only false on all accounts, it is dangerous and destructive to the mental and emotional health of individuals. Now, I might lose readers because of this, and to that I say, your feelings about what I say does not make what I say less true. Validating someone’s false narrative is not only choosing to lie to that individual, but shows a lack of moral and ethical reasoning on the part of the validator. 

Feelings do not determine our identity, our worth, our importance, our value, or anything else. When we falsely validate someone’s feelings, we allow for the continuance of fear and lies to rule a person’s life. As Clay Scoggins wrote, “Fear will dominate your identity until you begin to stand under the unending, never-failing, ever gracious waterfall of love that your Creator has for you.” When we rely on our feelings to determine our identity, worth, and value, we mistake lies for truth. Our identity comes from knowing, understanding, and submitting to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

“But if God is the loving God that he says he is, then he will accept me for whoever I say I am.” Yes and no. God is a loving God, and he will accept you as you are, but He will not accept the sin you choose to live under. That’s the pill that’s hard to swallow. God will always accept people for who they are, but He will never accept the sin that people choose to live under. When we deny the truths of God and choose to live selfishly under the false pretense of sin, we choose to deny truth and follow after lies. Just because we feel a certain way about something doesn’t make that something right.

We must always challenge our feelings to ensure that what we feel is true. To do this, we must understand what is true. Scripture is clear about what is true and what isn’t. “But I don’t believe in the Bible or God.” Then you have already chosen to accept the lie that what you feel is right. God is God whether you feel he is or not. God is True whether you feel He is or not. God is Right whether you feel He is or not. God is Real whether you feel He is so not. Feelings do not determine truth. The sun is hot even when we don’t feel it. The wind is always blowing just because we don’t feel it. The Earth is always spinning even though we don’t feel it. Ice is cold even when we don’t feel it. Truth is not based on feelings.

This post started as a rebuke for falsely validating what is not true. Until we stand for truth, do what is right, and live with a moral and ethical conscience, we will continue down the road of destruction. Nothing good will come from the validation of lies and false rhetoric. Feelings do NOT determine what is true. We need to stop validating every “feeling” people claim to be as truth and start standing for what IS true. We must be leaders who love unconditionally but live righteously. We need to be leaders that stand for truth and rebuke false rhetoric. We must lead humbly and righteously. We need to be men and women of integrity and not sacrifice our character at the expense of “likes” and popularity. We need to start validating truth!

As always, stay humble and serve well!

Ignorance Is Your Downfall

It has been said that, “Ignorance is bliss.” Have you ever stopped to think about what that means? Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge or information. Bliss is defined as perfect happiness and great joy. In other words, not knowing something leads to joy and happiness. Not really sure I agree with that statement. Ignorance leads to problems and a lack of progress or the destruction of progress. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Ignorance can be as simple as choosing to remain uneducated, or choosing to know something and refusing to accept what you have learned. Both forms of ignorance will not lead to anything good, or should I say, it will never lead to bliss. Either way, ignorance is a choice. We can either choose to remain uneducated or ignore what we have learned.

Choosing to remain ignorant says a lot about one’s character. Ignorance is a sign of selfish ambition. Ignorance occurs when we have an agenda that we want to push, and we choose to ignore the issues that might occur just to see our agenda fulfilled. In reality, we might cause more harm than good by choosing to remain ignorant of the issues within our selfish agenda. Politics is a perfect example of this. 

Ignorance can also occur when we choose to focus on gathering information from a biased source. It is our responsibility and duty to be well rounded in our knowledge and understanding of issues. When we choose to get our information from only one source that fits our bias, we decide to remain ignorant to information that might be more factual or truthful. Sadly, today’s media has made it near impossible to gather unbiased, factual information on most anything. This means we must be diligent in our research and learning to seek out multiple sources to get the most well rounded information. 

What is more dangerous is when our ignorance leads others to remain ignorant. A leader’s responsibility is to help educate their team and be well versed in all aspects of their company or organization. They should be proactive in knowing potential issues and problems before they come to fruition. A leader must know all sides of a story, and never forget that there are three sides to every story: 1) Bias one, 2) Bias two, and 3) the TRUTH somewhere in the middle. It is a leader’s responsibility…no, it is everyone’s responsibility…to seek the truth in all situations. But how do we do that?

Ask questions and listen. The two activities that most people neglect to participate in and would rather jump to bias and ignorance. To ensure that our ignorance does not become our downfall, we must seek out truth through the act of asking questions and active listening. We must keep an open mind, be willing to grow and change, and most importantly, be okay with the potential of being wrong. On the other hand, we must also remember to remain humble and gracious when we might fall on the right side of truth. We must learn to guide others in truth rather than force them to accept it blindly; this leads to ignorance. 

Ultimately, we must learn, grow, and choose to stay educated. Ignorance is a cancer that slowly kills progress and removes the progress that has already been made. Even though we are all biased one way or the other, we must seek information and knowledge unbiasedly. Be humble, be gracious, and keep an open mind. Ask questions and actively listen. When you have discovered what is true, guide others in accepting truth rather than forcing them to accept your truth. Do not allow your ignorance to be your downfall.

As always, stay humble and serve well!

Fatherhood

In honor of Father’s Day, I wanted to take a moment and express my heart about the most important leadership role a man can hold. Fathers are a critical component to the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of their children. Fatherhood is not a title or a position that should be taken lightly. It is a serious job and should be considered one of the most important roles a man can hold. Fatherhood is more than a title in the family. It is a way of life. It is a responsibility that should be taken very seriously. 

As a father of four, I will tell you that I do not always get it right. In fact, I feel I make more mistakes as a father than I do getting things right. Fatherhood is not easy, but it is extremely worth it. My children are a blessing in my life, and they help me grow as a man, husband, and father on a daily basis. They hold me accountable to my choices and words. Even though my children may frustrate me with their choices and actions at times, my love for them and my gratefulness for them will never cease. But let me go back to my first statement; I don’t always do fatherhood right. I make numerous mistakes, and at times, I make numerous mistakes throughout the day.

I have learned to be aware of what I say, how I act, how I respond, and much more. Being a father takes a lot of reflecting. I find myself reflecting on my actions as a father almost everyday. I also tend to get down on myself knowing that what I have done or said could have been avoided if I had better self control. I have seen defeat in my children’s eyes due to the ways I have responded to them or addressed them when they didn’t make the most stellar choices. I have seen disappointment in my children’s eyes after certain choices I have made as a father. But I have seen the joy and pride in my children’s eyes when I do right by them. 

I have learned that my actions have consequences, and the older my children get, the fewer chances I have at keeping the wall between myself and my children from being built. Children want to be loved. They want to be heard and accepted. They want to be encouraged and accepted. But most importantly, they want time. My children ask me on a weekly basis when we get to have a “special date”. They don’t want to spend time with me and their siblings, rather they want to spend time with just me. They want my undivided attention. They want to know that they can have me all to themselves. They need to know that no matter how busy life may get for “Dad”, he will always make time for them. I have grown to love my “special dates” with each of my “babies”. It is during these times I have the opportunity to know and understand each of my children on a more personal level. It also gives me time to speak truth and life into my children. 

A father’s job is not just to be seen, but to be present. It is a conscious act of being present for their children. Fatherhood is not about a title or position, but how we fathers treat our children. It is our job to show them what true love and respect looks like. It is our job to teach them what it means to take ownership and responsibility for actions and choices. It is our job as fathers to show our sons how to lovingly and respectfully treat a woman; their mother. It is our job as fathers to show our daughters how a real man should treat them with honor, respect, and dignity. It is our job as fathers to instill in our children the importance and value of hard work and discipline. It is our job as fathers to lead our children in the ways that are right. It is our job as fathers to be the example of what is right, honorable, respectful, and loving for our children.

We will not always get it right, and there will be days that we will mess up more than we get it right. However, that is not an excuse to lower the expectations of fatherhood. Rather, we must rise to expectations of what a father really should be. We must humble ourselves before God and our children and try again. We must show our children that failing is part of life and is meant to teach us how to become better. We must uphold the responsibility of being a father by being present for our children, investing in them wholeheartedly, and showing them their value and importance in this world. It doesn’t matter how many times we fail, we must rise again, learn from our mistakes, and try again. 

If you are a father, I implore you to take your job as a father seriously. I implore you to invest into your children’s lives and give them an example worth following. Show them how valuable they are and love them unconditionally. Speak life into them and teach them to do what is right. Learn from them and do whatever it takes to become the best father you can be. Some of you may not have had a good example of what a father should be, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to fail as a father. Hold yourself accountable and don’t lower the bar of expectations, rather do everything in your power to reach that bar. When you make a mistake, humble yourself, learn, forgive yourself, and try again. Be a father that leads with compassion, integrity, and self discipline. And never forget how important your role as a father truly is.

Happy Father’s Day!

Service and Humility Are Not Weak Leadership Qualities

I believe that leadership is about serving others while staying humble. Some may think this type of leadership is weak leadership. To that I say, if you consider humility and service a form of weakness, YOU are the problem. It takes more strength and self control to lead with humility and acts of service than it does to bark orders and demand obedience from others. Do not be fooled. Humility and service have been proven to be effective leadership qualities.

Leadership through service empowers others to take ownership of their actions and choices and provides a positive example to follow. Leaders who serve their team show that they are no better nor are they more important than their team. It means your title and position will not keep you from treating your people with respect and dignity. Service is about encouraging your team to perform better as you work alongside them. When leaders serve their team, their team is taken care of, communication is open and encouraged, and transparency and integrity lead the way for leadership. 

Humility means you are willing to admit mistakes and be human around your team. Humility tells your team that you recognize that you will not always get it right, and when you don’t get it right, you will own it, make corrections and changes, and do your best to become better for the team and yourself. Humility encourages transparency and shows a willingness to lead with integrity. Pride comes before the fall. Humility takes pride out of the equation to ensure successful, effective leadership. When leadership leads with humility, the whole team benefits. 

Service and humility are not a sign of weakness, but rather characteristics of strength. Servant leadership is the highest form of leadership one can attain. As I have stated in previous posts, leadership is not a title or position, but how one person treats another. The act of service says that the person you are leading is more important than yourself. Leaders who serve their team ensure their team is taken care of in all aspects. Their team has plenty of quality training, opportunities for growth, confidence to ask questions and raise concerns, the ability to have difficult conversations without the fear of retaliation or humiliation, and most importantly, the encouragement to take on leadership roles within the organization with supportive guidance. Servant leadership takes the leader out of the limelight and places each team member at the forefront.  

We are called to lead courageously. Service and humility in leadership take tremendous courage. I implore you as a leader to consider how you lead, and if you are lacking service and/or humility, make a conscious effort to incorporate these characteristics into your leadership. Your job as a leader is to build up your team and train future leaders. To do this effectively, you must lead through humility and service. 

As always, stay humble and serve well!