In the end, everyone’s simply looking for a way to sweeten their deal. This is what our trainer at Bartell & Bartell shared while teaching us about personality assessment. He meant that if most people were honest, they’re just looking for a way to make things a little better for themselves. It was in this context […]
3 Complications with Looking for Church Volunteer Leadership
Where are the Leaders? Churches, like most organizations, are always looking for leaders. I recently read an interesting article meant to help church leaders determine whether congregants are leaders or simply doers. Although I agree developing leaders is one of the greatest challenges any organization faces, I disagree with placing people in these two categories. […]
3 Essential Leader Types for a Great Team
It Takes a Team There’s something about leadership teams. Whether in cartoons, sports, or in real life, we somehow instinctively get that we need the various gifts and strengths of others to succeed as a leader. It may be easy to understand this need as an essential concept, but it’s a lot harder to think […]
Why Can’t Everyone Lead Like You
Law of the Hammer Have you ever noticed how easy it is to view your leadership style as superior to others? If you lead with your gut and make quick decisions, it’s difficult when others take their time. But, on the other hand if you lean towards facts and figures, it’s frustrating when those around […]
360 Degree Parenting Leadership Feedback
Greater personal insight leads to better leaders. The better we understand and develop our strengths, while facing and working on our weaknesses, the stronger leader we’ll become. We understand this at work, so many jobs offer a 360 degree feedback loop where peers and subordinates have a chance to rate a co-worker in certain categories. […]
What is Thorne Inc.?….from my weird family to yours: part 2
What is Thorne Inc.? Thorne Inc. is an imaginary company based around the everyday happenings of my family. As I write about leading my family, it gives me a place to apply leadership principles I’m learning in my leadership master’s degree and also an outlet for humor. You can read more why I created Thorne […]
Making Decisions that Won’t Make Your Kids Crazy
How does your family make decisions? I’m talking about things like: what kids should wear to school, eat for breakfast, haircut to get, sport to play, what the family will eat for dinner, do on the weekend, and do with their free time? Families make a lot of decisions. One study on leadership determined there are 4 main […]
Every Family Needs a Vision
Every great company begins with a vision. A vision is an inspiring but simple word picture of a future you hope to create. I love how John Maxwell explained, “Vision is everything for a leader. It paints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward…Show me a leader without vision, […]
The Most Important Question a Leader Asks
I recently began a management and leadership degree and realized something very important about leading others. I’m working on two classes and both challenge me to grow by answering a critical question, possibly the most important question- Who am I? The better I understand myself as a leader (strengths, weaknesses, personality, leadership style), the better […]
I Believe in Leaders Who…
Last week I was meeting with a group of 15 leaders from Velocity and I asked them to finish the sentence, “I believe in leaders who…” I thought I’d share the list of characteristics they came up with. I believe in leaders who… Listen Don’t ask people to do things they aren’t willing to do […]