Young Leaders

How many of you when you think about young people immediately have negative thoughts? How many of you think their work ethic is lacking? How many think their level of respect is well below the standard? My guess is that many feel this way.

I was asked to speak this morning before school to a group of student-athletes at Sylvania Northview High School (my alma mater). These kids gather together every Tuesday morning at 7:00 to honor God. They make up the school's huddle for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

As I was interacting with this group, it dawned on me. These students are light years ahead of where I was at their age. I mean, there really is no comparison.

At that age, I was so concerned about what everyone thought of me. I knew nothing of God. I knew nothing about respecting and loving others. Here they are meeting early in the morning, to honor Christ. I'm sure they catch some flack from other students, yet they get together anyway. They are showing that they play to an audience of One. They are true leaders.

I am sure they asked me to come in to share something with them from my past experiences that might have a positive impact on them. I hope that happened. But I know for sure that they had an impact on me!

One thing I was reminded of is that I need to not be so quick to judge others, especially those younger than me. I don't know about you but that encourages me today and gives me great hope about the next generation!

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

Leading By Example

In college, I played basketball for The University of Toledo. When I was a freshman, I was much like a scared kitten. I tried to just stay out of every one's way. I didn't have a clue about much of anything, especially leadership.

UT has a freshman on their team this year who amazes me. Jake Barnett's playing ability is not the thing that impresses me (although he is very good). It is his leadership that I marvel at.

As this article in The Toledo Blade shares, Jake was named by his teammates as a captain of the team. The first time a freshman has held that mantle in school history.

"There was a respect factor there for us as a whole group that we have for Jake," junior forward Justin Anyijong said. "That's why we did that. We don't look at him as a freshman. We look at him as one of our leaders."

Jake is the first one in the gym before practice and the last one to leave. Now I found out that after games, he goes back out on the floor to work on his shooting. Amazing. After practice, I think I was the first one in the locker room!

I was talking with one of the assistant coaches at UT and he told me that from day one, Jake has been a leader. In fact, he said that he came in and organized a Bible study for the team and has changed the entire team atmosphere. That sort of thing from a freshman is unheard of. And, it's very cool!

It's clear that Jake Barnett is not only going to have an impact out on the floor during his career at UT, but also in the lives of many!

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

The Right To Lead

John Maxwell is one of my favorite leadership authors. He has a great knack for making the complex easy to understand and remember. This segment from his book, The Right to Lead is no different:

WHAT GIVES A MAN OR WOMAN THE RIGHT TO LEAD?

It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.

The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

1. Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."

2. Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.

3. Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.

4. Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

5. Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

6. Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.

7. Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

Good stuff!

Influence

My son, Robbie, and I watched the movie Rudy last night. I have seen it a couple of times while it was his first. As I have each time I've watched it, I got extremely choked up near the end of the film as this over-performing, marginal athlete finally achieves his goal. I'm not even close to being a Notre Dame fan but this is a great movie.

The obvious theme to the movie is about perseverance, grit, determination, attitude and overcoming incredible odds. This is all very inspiring stuff, yet during the show, I was saddened by two scenes.

In the first, Rudy is at the bus stop, ready to leave for South Bend to chase his dream after his best friend's funeral. His father stops by to tell him about his grandfather who had a dream to be a dairy farmer during the Great Depression. He explained all of the heartache his grandfather and others suffered. He then said something like, "Chasing your dream does nothing but cause problems for you and everyone around you."

The other scene occurs when Rudy is talking with one of his teammates, also a walk-on player. This player states that he hates playing football here and that the only reason he does is because his dad played here. He, in fact, had scholarship offers from two Big Ten schools but came here because of dad's pressure.

How sad. Both of these fathers missed opportunities to speak love and encouragement into their son's lives, yet they chose to squelch their dreams. The unfortunate thing about this is it goes on every day all around us. Not only in families but everywhere.

We all have tremendous influence over others, whether it be in our office, in the community or at home with our families. We have a choice to make, will that influence be positive or negative? Let's do our best to make sure that we are influencing others in a positive and uplifting way.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Getting the Best From Others

Yesterday I shared with you some insights from John Maxwell on why the great leaders are great leaders. In a nutshell, John said the best leaders give their best to their people and they get the best from their people. Today John shares how the best leaders get the best from those on their team:

The Best Leaders Get the Best from Their People By...

1) LISTENING
The smartest leaders realize the limitations of their wisdom, and they listen to their people in order to capture invaluable insights. However, leaders don't just listen to gain knowledge, they also listen to give their people permission: permission to challenge the process, permission to test assumptions; and permission to take risks. Nothing turns off an up-and-coming leader like the deaf ear of a superior. The best leaders don't simply listen to incoming ideas; they proactively draw them out of their people. They listen actively, not passively.

2) RELATING
Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. To touch a heart, a leader has to be open to disclosing his or her identity by sharing personal stories and owning up to professional weaknesses. Mysterious or aloof leaders may be successful decision-makers, but they won't get the heartfelt loyalty that comes from authentic relationships.

As simple as it sounds, making a person feel known correlates powerfully to their job satisfaction. In fact, Patrick Lencioni lists anonymity as one of the top indicators of a miserable job. Leaders dignify their people by studying their interests, learning about their families, and finding out their hobbies. Conscious of the power of connection, the best leaders refuse to be barricaded inside of an office, and they take responsibility for relating with others on a regular basis.

3) TEACHING
Gifted teachers have a way of making students out of disinterested bystanders. The best leaders have an infectious thirst for knowledge, and they take pride in cultivating knowledge of their craft and awareness of their industry. A leader's teaching ability depends upon ongoing personal growth. As Howard Hendricks said, "If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow."

4) DEVELOPING
The best leaders understand the differences between training people for tasks and developing people to be better leaders.

Training
Focus is on the job
Adds value to specific things
Helpful for a short time
Changes a performance

Developing
Focus is on the person
Adds value to everything
Helpful for a lifetime
Change the performer

The best leaders view their people as appreciable assets and prioritize investing in the talent on their teams.

5) MOTIVATING
After one of my presentations, an audience member approached me who was visibly indignant about my speech. "Why is motivation last on the list?" he demanded. "Well," I replied, "because if you listen, relate, teach, and develop your people, then they will be motivated!"

Sustained motivation comes by creating the right environment for your people and by doing the right things consistently to nurture them. Consider a flower. It cannot grow in the Arctic; it requires a climate conducive to growth. Yet, even in the right environment, the flower must be planted in hospitable soil, exposed to sunlight, watered, and freed of weeds.

REVIEW
The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People by...1. Growing 2. Serving 3. Modeling
The Best Leaders Get the Best From Their People by...1. Listening 2. Relating 3. Teaching 4. Developing 5. Motivating

Corn Maze Leadership

Last night, my wife and I went to an event for small group leaders through our church. At the conclusion of dinner we went to a corn maze which was a first for me.

We split up into teams with the men on one team and the women on the other. The men were given a map and the women were not; however, they were given a five minute head start.

Even with the map, we got lost several times. Without a map I can see how you could spend a lot of time in there totally confused.

Well, even without a map, the women soundly beat us (I know that is not a surprise to many of you). But I discovered something interesting. Afterward, we discussed our experiences. The women seemed to bond and grow closer through this experience. Each of them experienced a chance to lead and they each found themselves trusting one another. They said they really felt like they were on the same team.

While we had a lot of laughs, our group did not really experience that. We spent most of our time following the guy with the map. As a result, we didn't bond as a group like the women did and we certainly didn't feel like teammates. Pretty interesting leadership illustration, huh?

As a leader, are you just charging ahead while looking at your map or are you getting everyone involved and building a team?

You Know You're A Bad Boss When...

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant? as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." (Matthew 20:26-28)

This morning in a devotional I read the above verse. Then I read a fun article in the Syracuse Post-Standard that shared in a Jeff Foxworthy-like manner, ways in which you know you’re a bad boss.

I found it interesting how almost each of their points that showed you to be a bad boss showed the opposite of servant-hood. See if you agree:

You know you're a bad boss:

If you prefer to email your employees rather than face to face meetings, even though your office is within 10 feet of their desk.......you just might be a bad boss.

If you treat your employees like your 12 year old daughter, you are definitely a bad boss.

If you believe that your way is the only way a job can be done, you're a bad boss.

If you observe your employees sharing the phone number of a good employment attorney, you might be a bad boss.

If you copy and paste text from last year's performance appraisal into this year's, you're most assuredly a bad boss.

If your employee cuts and pastes your picture into a cartoon with hunting trophies on the wall, you just might be a bad boss.

If you see a copy of "How to work for a J3rk" on your employee's desk, you might be a bad boss.

If your employees have a mirror on their desk to make sure they see you approaching, you are likely a bad boss.

If you have an "open door" policy, but your office is usually empty, you're a bad boss.

If you leave to play golf at 3, but write someone else up for doing the very same thing, you're a bad boss.

If you have ever been quoted "if you don't like it, become familiar with the words "you want fries with that", you just might be a bad boss.

If you have ever referred to your employees as "worker bees" you're a bad boss.

If you want to read about a terrible boss I had that led to something really cool, go here.

Are You An Adder Or A Subtractor?

I am on the Christian Emphasis Committee at my local YMCA. We had our monthly meeting yesterday afternoon. Doug, our chairman led the meeting off with something he read in a book from John Maxwell.

According to Maxwell, those who build others up, who encourage people and make others better can be called "adders." They add to the lives of others.

I like that term, "adders."

Taking a look on the opposite side of the fence, I suppose those who make excuses, who don't keep their commitments and talk poorly of others could be called "subtractors." They take away from the lives of others.

So are you going to be an adder or a subtractor today?

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Leadership With Integrity

This morning in my men's group, we did a Bible study on integrity and its importance in leadership. We had some incredible discussion and I hope we were transformed.

When I got to my office, I read an article that talked about calling evil good in the workplace. It talked about seven of the ways we do this today:

1. Greed is good. This is a famous statement from the movie Wall Street. The sentiment expressed is that money is the bottom line and therefore the driving agenda of business. Even though we should be good stewards and make a profit, ultimately success—from a biblical worldview—is not denominated in monetary terms, but in the degree of alignment with the will of God (John 17:4; James 4:13–17).

2. Lying is an acceptable tactical tool. A study found that 93 percent of workers use lying as a tactical tool to accomplish their objectives. This means that truth is subordinated to results or, as is commonly stated, that the end justifies the means. John 8:32 states that the truth sets us free from the bondage of sin. Given this reality, the opposite must be true, namely, that lies put us into bondage to sin. A person in bondage to sin will not prosper (Psalms 1).

3. Pride is a sign of strength. A popularly regarded teaching is to never apologize because that would be a sign of weakness. Pride was the original sin of Satan and of Adam and Eve in the Garden. The opposite of pride is humility. When the question was posed, What does the Lord require of man? one of the key virtues was humility (Micah 6:8).

4. Cheating on expense reports is a perk. Most companies reimburse employees for expenses incurred during the course of business. Many employees discern how closely these reports are monitored and take the liberty to fudge and pocket a little extra cash. This practice is an injustice to companies and is an example of unjust weights and measures that God detests (Proverbs 20:10).

5. Deception is a competitive advantage. In an aggressive workplace, it seems that everyone is looking for a competitive advantage. For those who believe that values can be compromised for the sake of profit, truth is frequently sacrificed. Solomon exhorts us to buy truth and to not sell it, which means that truth is to be highly valued and not to be compromised. (Proverbs 23:23)

6. Stealing is an entitlement. Most workers view companies as wealthy and stingy. In other words, workers many times assume that companies make a lot of money but fail to properly compensate their workers. Hence, these workers feel entitled to rectify this inequity by stealing. Worker theft includes stealing company resources, failing to properly use time, and failing to develop and utilize talents. In addition, workers steal whenever they place personal agendas ahead of the organization's interests (Titus 2:9–10).

7. Self-centeredness is self-protection. Another common assumption of workers today is that "no one is looking out for me so I have to look out for myself." This creates a narcissistic environment in companies, which is counterproductive. To perform well, a company must function as a team, which requires selflessness, not self-centeredness, on the part of the workers (Matthew 16:24; 1 Corinthians 12).

Why do we do this? Why do we try to justify evil behavior and make it "not so bad?"

In our discussion this morning we talked about how almost all of us do this in one way or another. The topic of the speed limit came up and I think every one of us in the group squirmed in our seat and admitted that we speed from time to time ("But everyone else is doing it...").

From a Biblical perspective, sin is sin. Though speeding is more acceptable than say, adultery; in God's eyes, it is still sin.

Can I be honest with you? I think this stinks.

It sure would be easier if God would give us a sliding scale on the severity of our sins. Then I wouldn't feel so much like a sinner.

If that were the case though, I would probably feel like I don't need God as much as I do. Thankfully God knows what He's doing!

Beware of the Slacker

Have you ever worked somewhere where co-workers were slackers—where others didn’t seem to pull their weight or get their job done? That is a dangerous work environment as it breeds disharmony and creates an atmosphere which is anything but cohesive.

I have experienced this many times and in each case it destroys teamwork. As a leader, you must do everything you can to keep this from happening.

I recently read the following in an email from John Maxwell:

In addition to the personal toll, leaders jeopardize their relationships with all-star performers by avoiding the removal of unproductive employees. Having to rely on an undependable colleague drains a high-performance individual. Likewise, a person who pours passion and energy into their job is tremendously de-motivated when a lazy worker receives promotion or recognition. Ultimately, top talent will take flight if it perceives a leader is unwilling to eliminate mediocrity from the midst of a company.

Leaders can actively address performance issues by looking out for telltale signs of mediocre employees:

• They stubbornly resist change


• They are reactive rather than proactive


• They are habitually lazy and unprepared


• They make promises, but they don't deliver results


• They shirk responsibility and pass on blame


• They identify problems without finding solutions.

In business, sometimes a leader is forced to drop the axe. It seems harsh, but in reality, tolerating mediocrity poses greater danger to an organization than the unpleasantness of having to fire an employee.

Hakuna Matata

One of my favorite parts of The Lion King is when Timon and Pumba introduce themselves to Simba after he had run away. To cheer him up and help him to take his mind off his problems, they taught him their motto, Hakuna Matata, which means "no worries."

Simba embraces this philosophy and goes about happily living life.

I am one who has done his fair share of worrying in my life. I am much better than I used to be but I still have a ways to go.

A very wise man once said, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Jesus quoted in Matthew 6:27). In other words, worrying does absolutely NO good!

I have heard it said that when you are facing some challenges you can worry or you can pray. Phillipians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, whith thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which trnscends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Lion King Leadership Lessons

As I reflected on The Lion King performance that Robbie and I saw Sunday night, I was struck by how the story reflects what I believe about leadership. I strongly believe that everything rises and falls on leadership. In other words, how the leader goes, so goes the organization.

In the story, Scar kills his brother Mufasa who was the king. He then encourages Simba (Mufasa's son) who is heir to the throne to run away, which he does. Scar assumes the throne and unlike his brother, he is a very ineffective leader. He is looking at his leadership as a reason for him to be served, where everything is all about him.

Years pass and the pride land (which Scar is the king of) becomes bleak and desolate. Nothing is thriving. It has become a very unhealthy organization. All because of poor leadership.

As most of you know, Simba is eventually talked into returning to the pride land and he takes over as king. Because he leads in the proper way, everything once again begins to thrive.

This is obviously over-simplified, but the fact remains, everything rises and falls on leadership. And remember, we are ALL leaders!

Leadership With Integrity

Last night I led a session at our church on "Leadership With Integrity" among other topics. At the close of our time together we broke up into small groups to discuss the impact of leading with integrity and without.

One of the groups made an interesting observation. They said that in each of the situations they had experienced where a boss led with integrity, good people were attracted to their organization. In the cases where the leader did not have integrity, good people left.

It reminded me of a comment I heard at a leadership conference I attended last year. The speaker said something like this, "Healthy organizations will attract healthy people and unhealthy people will want to leave. Unhealthy organizations will attract unhealthy people and healthy people will want to leave."

How true this is.

As the group mentioned last night, one of the best ways to have a healthy organization, whether it be a family, business or church group, is to lead with integrity and by example!

The Power of Habits

Here is something interesting I came across regarding habits:

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.
Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me,
For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.
I am easily managed; just be firm with me.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a machine
and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.
And I will then...do it automatically.
I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.

What do you think of when it comes to habit? If you are like me you immediately get a twinge in your gut and think about the bad habits you have. But as the above text says, habits can be good as well.

Sometimes when we get bogged down in the details of life we can think that making a small change here and there won't amount to much. But developing good habits can be very powerful and can lead to great things.

If you have a bad habit you would like to change into a good habit, remember what English novelist, Charles Reade once said: “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

The Bucket List

Yesterday afternoon I did something out of character for me. I laid down my work and took my wife to a movie for Valentines Day. Nothing major for most people, yet it made a positive impression on my bride.

We saw The Bucket List which we thought was very good. There were some things we wished were not in the movie, yet they did get a good part of it right, even a discussion about faith.

But what stands out to me is what Connie said to me on the way home. She said, "Thanks for the date! It's not the movie that matters, it's that you gave up your time to be with me. Thank you."

Wow. That made me realize that I have not been treating her as the most important person on this earth to me. I have let my task list get in the way far too often.

I have just created my own bucket list. At the top is "Spend time with those who are most important to me and make that a priority." I probably will not always succeed at this, yet I am going to truly work on it. Perhaps I won't wait until next Valentines Day to kidnap my wife on a workday!

Love

I had something really cool happen to me earlier this week. Many will think the phone call I received isn't that big of a deal but it really made an impact on me.

One of my next door neighbors called and said, "Jim, this is Nancy. Are you OK?"

I told her I was fine and I inquired why she was asking.

She said, "Well Mike was mentioning just the other day that he hadn't seen you outside for a while and he said he was concerned. And the more I thought about it I got concerned too."

I told her I was fine and that I truly appreciated their concern for me.

After we hung up, I sat there and I really felt cared for and loved. I have some awesome neighbors but I don't know any of them really well. Yet, this couple thought enough of me to call me to make sure everything was OK. That is love. I didn't feel I deserved it, but I sure appreciated it!

And that is something each of us can do regularly. We don't have to know others well. Yet we can show them love by simply showing them we care about them.

I have heard it said that the Bible can be summarized in four words: Love God, love people. On this Valentines day, let's remember that!

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and ith all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39

Patience

So how is your patience?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Wheelchair Flips

ESPN aired an amazing story this morning about a boy named Aaron Fotheringham who was born with spina bifida and is now confined to a wheelchair. The story told of Aaron's amazing attitude, one which has turned him into an amazing athlete and person.

He competes with skateboarders on their courses and has even done a flip in his wheelchair! To see this click here to access the full story and click the video that is located there.

While that is amazing, the part that touched me was how he has used his situation to help others and how he is thankful for his situation. Incredible.

Now 16, with the broad shoulders of a football player and the scraped knuckles from his own sport, Fotheringham straddles railings, flies off ramps, does stationary spins and, of course, lands the backflip.

He also continues to touch others.

On this late January day, he is pushing 4-year-old Zachary Puddy Siggens around a skate park in Las Vegas. They carve around the macadam, up onto a ramp, and then down the other side, their helmets shining below the morning sky. The laughter coming from Zach's voice, the thrill lighting his face, suggest a joy so deep, this seems like it's one of the greatest moments of his life so far.

And it is.

After suffering a stroke at just 18 months old, Zach has made an extraordinary recovery, according to his mother, Linda. Still, he is a little boy in a wheelchair, who wants to run and play and explore. He wants, as Aaron once did, to be included. When Linda saw the video of Aaron on the Internet, she traveled from her home in Seattle so her son could meet the teenager he has come to idolize in the span of just a few days.

They call him 'Wheels,' and he keeps on rolling . . . and flipping.Their connection is immediate and real, as Zach's laughter echoes across the contours of the park, his eyes never leaving Aaron's dashing chair.

Watching it all in front of her, Linda Puddy wipes away her tears.

"I didn't know what to do until I saw Aaron, and then I knew," she says. "It gives Zachary a direction to go."

"He's a hero," she says, watching the teenager pushing her son down a small slope. "Zach thinks that Aaron flies."

I've often heard that God never wastes a hurt. This is a great reminder of that.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

National Signing Day

It is called by many the biggest holiday on the calendar of a college football fan. Yes, it's national signing day, when talented high school recruits can sign on the dotted line for the first time, cementing their spot on the roster of the college team of their choosing.

I am embarrassed to say that I pay attention to this stuff. I follow it probably too closely. But it's fun for me. I like to see who the next Buckeyes are going to be and how the staff is working to fill positions of need. I especially like the way that Ohio State coach Jim Tressel goes about it. No promises of playing time. No special favors. He just tells it like it is. I think a lot of players respect that.

Even though this can be fun, I believe it has gotten way out of hand. Certain web sites were inaccessible yesterday due to the large amount of traffic trying to access them. Just to see what player is going where.

There are these mythical rankings of the classes each year which is rediculous. ESPN's can be found here. How can you possibly rank high school players who haven't played a down of college football with any degree of acuracy? There is no way to measure their potential--how much they will grow physically, mentally, spiritually. There is no way to predict what kind of a teammate they will be. There is no way to measure their heart.

Year after year we are shown instances of highly rated players who ended up hardly making an impact on their team. We are also shown players who were never even mentioned during the recruiting days who became key players on their teams. Yet, we don't learn--we still pay way too much attention to these future "stars."

All this foolishness of paying attention to and ranking these players reminded me of a verse from James:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little hile and then vanishes. James 4:13-14

One Bite at a Time

Do you ever get overwhelmed by projects that seem too big? I know I do.

I once heard someone ask, "How do you eat an elephant?" He then responded, "One bite at a time!" Obviously that is a great metaphor for life, especially when it seems overwhelming.

I recently received this tidbit in an email from Zig Ziglar on this subject:

There's an old saying that "by the mile it's a trial, and by the inch it's a cinch." The reason the saying is old is because it's good, it's valid. If it were not, it would be dead and buried. For 24 years of my adult life, by choice I weighed well over 200 pounds. I say "by choice" because I have never "accidentally" eaten anything, so when I choose to eat too much, I have chosen to weigh too much. Every choice has an end result.

Twenty-two years ago I decided to do something about my weight and physical condition, so I got on an exercise and sensible eating program. Until then my idea of exercise was to fill the tub, take a bath, pull the plug and fight the current - and I know you'll agree that's not much of an exercise program! It took me 10 months to lose the 37 pounds I needed to lose. During that period of time I also wrote my first book, See You At The Top. It is 384 pages long and was the eighth best-selling hardback of the '80s.

Let's explore what I just said. Losing 37 pounds in 10 months meant that I lost an average of 1.9 ounces per day. Writing a 384-page book in 10 months meant that I wrote an average of 1 1/4 pages per day. You raise positive kids in a negative world, build a beautiful relationship with your mate, become a top-performing student, a world-class salesperson, or a top executive or educator not by a few mammoth leaps but by the daily, disciplined application of doing something every day to reach your objectives in life.