Every great man is always being helped by everybody; for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons. "John Ruskin"

Greatness is rarely achieved alone.  While it may start with a single person or solitary idea, true achievement always needs help.  Great leaders understand this concept. Too often great leaders have "Great Egos" that result in the failure of both the leader and the idea.  If the leader does not know how to get "good" out of those they lead, they get no help when they need it most.  No one wants to help the leader who always acts like they need no one's help in achieving success.

The leader who has created an environment of "help" has figured out how to focus on the good within the team.  Balance strong leadership with an openness that that allows the team "to help" you push uphill towards success. If you are making the achievement about your success then the team may not be inclined to help when it is needed the most.

There is a saying "drop the hammer and pick up the shovel".  If your leadership style is one of beating the team with a hammer to achieve your greatness, over time the hammer becomes very heavy and there will be no one to help you lift it.  Greatness is achieved by being able to pick up the shovel and lead by example. Show the team how to take their "good" and make it great.   With this attitude, the team will advance with you to the top of the hill called success. When you stumble (and you will) the team is there to help you succeed. Because they know your success is their success and together you all win.

What lifestyle am I showing everyone I have?

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6: 6-7)

Looking at these verses as a whole in today's words, they guide us to a christian lifestyle. A lifestyle is defined as a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.

God gave us rules and told us to put them in our hearts. We are to impress, on our children. We are to talk about them ALL the time. What our hearts and minds are focused on define our lifestyle. What lifestyle are we projecting to our fellow works, our neighbors, and the "one anothers" we come into contact with.

Does the word of God permeate all of our actions from morning to evening. Is your last thought at night about God and the first thoughts when you wake up to acknowledge God. Thats what these verses are talking about. These commandments were the ten commandments, as a follower of Jesus Christ these commandants were expanded to include loving the one another's. When combined and followed they produce a lifestyle that flows out of our hearts.

If someone looked at my "lifestyle" what would they see? What would they observe based on my words and actions. Would they say, He is a Christian, you can tell by his lifestyle. I rather doubt it. Many people try to obtain a lifestyle by acquiring stuff and showing it off to everyone. Few believe that following God is a lifestyle, its simply religion.

God tells us in these verses that lifestyle flows out of your heart. Your kids will follow the lifestyle you model. Lifestyle is something you are passionate about because you are focused on it 24/7.

Watch a persons attitude, follow what they are passionate about, where they spend their time. There you will see their lifestyle. For me its a simply question. Do I want to follow the lifestyle God has provided for us, or do I want to follow the lifestyle of my wants and desires in the flesh. Where is your heart today?

“A salesman is the act of one, on behalf of another, for the benefit of both.”

This is an unknown quote I came across many years ago.  While we do not know who wrote this quote, I am pretty sure that they had to have been a very successful sales person and rock pusher.

I challenge anyone to come up with a more descriptive definition of a selling in a fewer number of words.  While this quote applies to selling, I would argue that it also applies to life. Taken at the simplest level it is summary of a philosophy for selling and for life. 

Every great action starts with one person.  It may be an act of service, a product, or a passion to change the world.  It starts with the act of one.  Then as “one” comes together with “others” who are like-minded, they now act as a group.

For a great action to succeed it requires a motivation, through out history when one person acts on behalf of another, it creates a selfless path to success.  When the focus is not on “you” but on “them”, a culture of greatness is created. 

For this greatness to grow and multiply, the act of one must benefit both parties.  The “one” and “the another” must both feel that they have benefited during the process.  In sales this is pretty easy to measure.  Did the sales person use good judgment and provide a product or service that benefited the customer, if so they probably made a sale.

An act of one, on the behalf of another, for the benefit of both

Most of us know how to say nothing; few of us know when.

God gave us two ears vs one mouth for a reason.  We need to learn to listen more and talk less.  Too often we decide that to take control of a situation we need to talk. One might argue that the one who knows when to say nothing and let others talk is really in control. 

Years ago I heard a saying that I put into action. The saying was "he who talks first, generally loses".  I was selling typewriters for IBM and had gotten to the stage with a large company where it was time to close the sale.  As I stepped into the Presidents office (who I had not met before) I was a little intimidated. I explained the contract, pushed it across the desk and said, "press hard, there are three copies."  I sat back in my chair and waited, prepared not to utter another word.  I sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity as the CEO looked back from the contract to me.  Finally, the CEO looked at me and said, "I am late to lunch young man and you must practice the same philosophy I do.   "He who speaks first loses", smiling at me as he signed the contract. 

You see too often when we have said all there is to say, we do not know when to close our mouths and say nothing.  A look or body movement, and we want to resell the situation even after we have finished and answered all the questions.  The silence makes us nervous.  

When we begin to talk, we give others a reason not to act, they are having to listen which may encourage a new set of questions.  Its those new issues that may kill a deal that was already done.

So today, take a deep breath, keep you mouth shut and enjoy the silence in the situation you find yourself in.  It means that you are closer to success than you think.

Diamonds, Bricks, Dirt-clods, or Lumps of Coal; Who do you want on your team?

Better to be a strong man with a weak point than to be a weak man without a strong point.  A diamond with a flaw is more valuable than a brick without a flaw. " William Boetcker"

Building a team is essential in the success of any organization. As you look to build a team of strength, it is important to understand who you are surrounding yourself with and what are their weaknesses. Everyone you hire is going to have at least one weakness.  It is important to balance that weakness with the strength that they bring to the team.  My definition of a weakness is simply something that a person cannot claim as a strength.  With leadership these flaws can be moved into the strength column.

Those "diamonds" may have a flaw but they are still the most valuable members of your team.  How you manage and control that flaw that exists within the diamond is the most basic key to your success as a leader.

As great as that "diamond" candidate  may appear, it is still too risky to many leaders to hire a person  with a flaw.  It is always safer to hire the average person who may not shine as bright as the diamond, but does not seem to have any weak points.  An average person will never let you down, never surprise you, never challenge the direction of your leadership. A couple of things about the average person, those "bricks" that work with/for you.

If a person is average in the role they are in, they can never be great, because they are average.  No matter how hard you try to lead them, mold them, train them, encourage them, they will remain average.  As leaders we all think we are different, we can move an average person to greatness.  Great leaders understand they cannot change average, and recognize the fact that it takes the "diamonds" to advance a company to greatness.

Please understand, I am not against average. An average person may become great in another company or even another job within your company. They are simply average in the position they are currently serving. It is important to understand you will always have more average people in your organization than diamonds.

So, evaluate your team today. How many diamonds do you have?  How many bricks do you have?  How many dirt clods do you have?  As a leader you will achieve success as you balance the team between diamonds and bricks.  A proven trait of great leaders is to constantly be replacing the dirt clods as quickly as possible with diamonds, bricks, or lumps of coal.  Because anything is better than a dirt clod. It is the dirt clods that drag down an organization to mediocrity.

Do not be afraid to hire that lump of coal into your organization because if you apply constant pressure on a lump of coal it eventually becomes a diamond.  The visionary leader is the one who can successfully identify those lumps of coal that can become diamonds.

You will need bricks on your team, but keep in mind a bunch of bricks get very heavy on the steep hill of life. Many times the leader will have to carry the "average" on their back uphill to success. Carrying "average" can be an exhausting task for those in the quest of greatness if there are no diamonds helping to advance the team to success.

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. "unknown"

Ideas. We all have them. They are up waiting to explode from the dark recesses of our thoughts.  Most times we never know when an idea is about to explode out into the foreground of our minds.  Everyday we have ideas on an unlimited number of topics.  The question is what will we do with those ideas. To advance an idea to reality you need the personal confidence to put it out on the table for inspection and comment as you push the idea forward into action.

In business, I practice the black bullet of death theory for all my ideas.  When idea emerges, I try to find the one big reason why it will not work.  Reasons like money, existing laws, time, and peoples opinions do not count as they can all be changed.  I am looking for that single reason that that the idea could not recover from.  If I do not find the black bullet I continue advancing the idea towards reality.

It will take courage to share your wild and crazy ideas with those close to you.  They are the ones who always care about you, and in my case they want to protect me from myself.  Take heart, all great ideas go thru three life cycles on the way to success.  1.  It can't be done, 2. It probably can be done but its either too hard or not worth doing, 3. They knew it was a good idea all along.  

So when that next big idea emerges, see if you can find the black bullet of death for the idea. If not, be prepared for the "It can't be done" comments from everyone.  This is where most great ideas die before succeeding.  The it can't be done" is not the black bullet of death, but this is where many warriors give up.  You see advancing ideas to reality are like a mother giving birth. She hears many comments and has many helpers on the topic of the actual delivery.   But in the end it is one person, the mother, who endures the final pain to allow that new life its first breath of earth's air. Great ideas are same, they can be painful and in the end their birth into reality depends solely on you.

So the key is to great ideas is action.   The birthing of great ideas is hard and painful to those pushing this square rock uphill. However,  the payoff is exhilarating to have the naysayers come to the point where they knew it was a great idea all along.

So have the confidence to release those great ideas out of your mind and into action, and do not be swayed by the unimaginative who want to simply tell you why things can not be done a different way.

Don't let the guage get under 1/4 full in your relationship tanks.

My wife of 33 years has been telling me for years not to let the gas tank get below 1/4 of a tank.  When it approaches that mark she goes and gets the tank filled up. We have had an ongoing conservation for the entire length of our marriage about this concept.

She want to be prepared for the unexpected and has enough gas to get where she needs to go. I think I will always be able to find gas even when the yellow  fuel light is blinking.  I have run out of gas at least five times over the past 30 years, my wife has never run out. 

Too often, we view our relationships like a tank of gas,  we run them so low on fuel that when we run out of gas in our relationships we are surprised.  It seems we have a lot of realtionships that have yellow flashing lights, and we are not sure where to find the fuel to power that relationship back to a full tank.

Relationships are like gas tanks.  Taking the lead from my wife, we should never let our relationship "tanks" get below a 1/4 of a tank.  The first step in this approach (men) is to understand how to read the guages. Many of use think the tank is full in our relationships and they are running on fumes. Most of the time this happens because we have been too busy to put in any fuel. Fuel can be many things: time, a hug, a gentle word, a non combative discussion, all add fuel to the relationship tank.

We all are moving so fast today, we do not see those we love needing replenishment of any kind. So the tank gets lower and lower and one day there is simply no more fuel to keep the relationship going.  Then we are forced to make mad dash and try to find fuel and get it back in the relationship tank so we can continue down the road of life.

We have all been there at one time or another trying to recharge a relationship.  Imagine if we maintained a self awareness never to let the relationship tank get below 1/4 of a tank.  Its those relationships that last because they never have to stop, they continue with momentum down the road of life.  It takes a lot longer to get down the road of life pushing a car because its out of gas versus driving with a gas power vehicle.

So today, take a moment to determine how much fuel is in the tank of that person you have a relationship with.  If it needs refueling take it immediately to be refueled.  Because if you depend on the flashing yellow light you may be disappointed , it is only an estimate of how much fuel is left. Don't take the chance with any relationship that you can make it another few miles without fuel, or you may be left alone on the side of the road without anyone with you.

I call it the 1/4 of a tank rule, its a good one for cars and relationships.  Spend today filling up the cars and the reationships in your life to a full tank and never let them go below 1/4 full.  While this is the most important with personal relationships, it also applies to business relationships. Imagine pushing big flat square rocks up the hill of life with a team who is running on relationship fumes because you as the leader were too busy to replenish the tank.

It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? Henry David Thoreau

We are all so very busy today.  Work, play, family, and a myriad of other responsibilities. So we are very busy, but are we busy with a purpose?  Too often we use being busy as an excuse for why we cannot begin a great journey.  We say, I would love to take a chance and pursue that dream but I am just too darn busy.  

When we use the "busy" excuse we need to take a deep breath and spend a little time examining what are we busy about.  Does our busy translate to the achievement of our life goals, are does busy mean we are simply in the circular loop of living out our years without a real purpose.  

It is the person with purpose who finds value, finds joy, and finds an inexhaustible supply of passion in pursuit of busyness.  As I have shared, we are all pushing different rocks up the steep hill called life.  As we take a moment to examine the different rocks we may be pushing, how many of them are related to those things that can advance our careers or improve the relationships in our families.  If those rocks are not supporting the purpose and goals you have established for your life, then you are simply being busy like an ant.  

We all share the common element of twenty-four hours in a day.  Use your time this week with purpose, examine your time spent and you may find you only spent a fraction of your day in true pursuit of your life goals. The rest of the time you were acting like an ant, busy without a purpose.   Focus on your purpose and you will find you have plenty of time. 

"Thoughts and Ways", that guide my life, whose are better? God's or Mine?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

God does not think like I think. If I was honest, this is a very good thing. I swing like a pendulum back and forth from living in the Spirit to living in the Flesh. So my thoughts swing in both directions.

God's ways are not my ways. Our "ways", our actions, are a result of our thoughts. I have no way to act without having a thought first, so "thoughts and ways" go hand in hand. Looking back only as far as yesterday, I am thrilled that God does not think and act like I did.

Taken at their simplest form these verses should instill a quite confidence in those who follow God. God is telling us, he does not think like us nor does he act like us. He only has one nature, Holiness. He sees things from one perspective for us, Holiness and Worship. That is where he wants our Thoughts and our Ways.

He encourages us by showing us that he has a unique perspective to look at our life, he is looking down and seeing everything from a Heavenly perspective, not the earthly perspective that I have. The saying "you cant see the forest for the trees" comes to mind from these verses. God's view is clear for us from Heaven, God's thoughts for us are Holy and want us to draw close to Worship HIm. When my thoughts are in the Flesh, my "Ways" follow, It these thoughts that get me lost in the darkness of the forest.

God does not get mired down in the earthly issues that affect our "Thoughts and Ways" He is looking down from Heaven seeing our lives and actions clearly. He has a clear perfect perspective what our "Thoughts and Ways" should be, its our job to yield out "Thoughts and Ways" to His. Easy to say, hard to do.

So today, think about it this way, as a believer we have the mind of Christ, when combined with these verses, it like having a walkie talkie connection to God. When our thoughts are confused and we do not know the way to go up our steep hills of life, we simply have to get direction from God. He is never confused, never wrong. He is waiting to provide the guidance we all need, So push the talk button on your personal walkie talkie today and get perspective from the God of Grace who is waiting to spend eternity with you.  From experience, its hard to push square rocks uphill all alone. 

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope”

As human beings when we were created, we are wired with Hope. While I forgot the name of the movie, I remember this line, "when you lose your dreams, you die".  The same thing is true with hope because it is the foundations of our plans and dreams.

There are those among us who are dead, they have lost their hope or their dreams have died. They still have plenty of food, water and air, so to those looking at them would think they are still full of life.

When disaster strikes anywhere in the world you can see this death of hope across the newscast.  We know what to do.  We send bottled water, food, and money in an effort to restore hope to nations of people struggling in tough situations. But what about those sitting at the table with you today, those you worship with, your fellow workers or employees. Do they still have their Hope, are they still in pursuit of their dreams?

As the leader, I want a group of followers who still have hope, who can still dream.  If I am too busy leading and not keeping hope alive then I may be in for a big surprise.  The attitude of hope can be squashed and lost in a single second.  It is a fragile business asset that must be protected for all the members of your team, or it can quickly become a liability.

What can we give those whose Hope is gone? Should we give them bottled water?  What we need to give them, is simply a reason to Hope again.  For some its encouragement that there is light at the end of the tunnel or they will have a job tomorrow.  For others its giving of your time to help them find another reason back to Hope. You see unlike physical death, Hope can be restored back to life.  Many times it may be a  new or different Hope.

It is from this simple act of giving your time, your encouragement, and sharing your dreams with others that can provide the restoration of their Hope.  Be on the look out today for those whose Hope is dead, make it your personal responsibility to help get them back among the living. If you work with them I can assure you a person with Hope makes a much more productive worker.  So protect your bottom line, make sure your entire company is alive with Hope. Who knows, maybe someday you will need assistance in restoring your own Hope.