Are You Mentoring Unaware?

I was thinking about my mentors this morning. I have several people who speak into my life on a regular basis (whether I want them to are not). There are those who call, check on me, and ask me engaging questions. Then there are those that I have asked to hold me accountable. I value there input greatly.

As I look back over my life I realize that I have had mentors who did not even realize they were mentoring me. I was learning, gleaning from, and endeavoring to be like them. Today, I have mentors who do not even know I exist. People like Michael Hyatt (blogger) & Craig Groeschel (LifeChurch.TV) who mentor me through their; books, blogs, videos and tweets. I learn from their passion, have similar vision, but most of all respect who they are as men.

Who are you purposefully mentoring? Who is watching you? Is your life worth following? Can you say follow me as I follow Christ?

Good vs Great Customer Service

I get my haircut at a popular hair cutting chain. At first I tried them just because of a coupon. Why did I go back? Because they offered something that my old place did not.

It wasn't the scalp massages and steamed towels that did the trick. After all those cost extra so they can only detract from the experience if the towel gets cold to soon or the hair wash is rushed so they can get to more customers.

What did it was the fact that they keep track of what haircut I get. They know the length of the guard and the way they thin it out so it will stand up better. And everyone there has access to the same information so it doesn't matter who I get.

Or does it? You can't replace great customer service. Good customer service is personalized, but the great is personal.

After getting the same girl three times in a row and having the same conversations (what I do etc), I wasn't known. In fact on the fourth visit she asked if I had ever been there before. Despite the fact that I am 6'7 and always have my son with me.

The person who cuts my hair now asks about my family, remembers my kids names and that I opt out of the massage chair during the hair wash because it makes itchy.

There is no substitute for great customer service. Is your church, business, or website personalized to the type of audience or customer you have or is it personal. The good will attract but the great will connect.

10 Ways to Be More Effective as a Leader

      Here are a few things I have learned about leadership from being in ministry for the past ten years. These are not all new concepts and any truth that has been gleaned from life and/or experience was true before me. I pray this list helps you think through who you are as a leader. We can all grow as a leader whether we own; a company, lead a Boy Scout troop, teach a Sunday school class, or parent a child.


  1. Always model loyalty: Have the back of those in authority over you and your followers will have
      yours.
  2. Do not criticize an individual in front of others (even constructively). Do it in private and you will
      gain appreciation rather than resentment.
  3. When a staff member or volunteer is having a crisis write it down, commit it to prayer, and ask
      about it periodically. This communicates that you care.
  4. Do not micromanage: If you believe that your organization would be better if you could only clone
      yourself then perhaps leadership is not for you. Leadership is about empowering people. If you
      can't trust your people to run with an idea then they either need training or replacing.
  5. Notice exceptional achievement:  If a job is well done do not miss an opportunity to let the
      individual know. This simple accolade will hopefully lead to a trend in a higher quality of work.
  6. Admit your own mistakes. Others already see them anyway and it will help them appreciate and
      relate to you.
  7. Pray for your staff or volunteers daily.
  8. Explain your vision: If your vision is unclear to your followers then it will only be rooted in your
      mind but never gain legs in the real world.
  9.  Public appreciation for staff or volunteers: Never underestimate the benefit of this small gesture.
10. Pull up the anchor: Occasionally you will have to let someone go because they are holding your
      organization back. Do this with kindness but do it nonetheless. Do not put it off. Your
      effectiveness be limited until you do. Leaders must make the tough decisions.

     What principles are missing? What would you add to this list. Leave a comment and pass this article on to those it may benefit. I look forward to gleaning from what you have learned as I continue to grow as a leader.

The Power of the Word 'NO'

I remember when my family first bought a microwave.  It was a beast.  The thing weighed more than our oven and an entire turkey could fit in there.  Ours was a Magic Chef sporting two giant dials and a loud bell sound when the timer finished buzzing.  I am pretty sure it was a warning sound due to the radioactive fallout left behind in its wake.  Once we came out of our bunker and threw back the heavy door we were thankful for the twenty minutes saved by the quick nuke.

It is now a dinosaur laying in a landfill somewhere completely intact (I am pretty sure it cannot be destroyed).  What still gets me after all this time is all of the accessories that vendors were selling.  They had food containers to microwave anything in.  There were containers shaped like eggs, potatoes, bacon and many more.  Everyone thought they needed a separate container for each job.  We know now that the microwave can do its job just fine without all of these extra items.  The Wii accessories remind me of these relics of yesteryear.

Do you have a lot of small commitments clamoring for your time.  Yes, you have gifts.  No, you do not have to do everything that comes along just because you are gifted in a certain area.  Your time is precious.  Free yourself up to do what you are truly passionate about.  A powerful word to have in your vocabulary is 'NO'.  You will save time and be more effective at what you do.  Isn't that why the microwave caught on in the first place?

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