When I was a senior in high school, I worked with a group of representatives from our class to build a float for the homecoming parade. We spent hours building our float at my friend Will’s house. We framed the float on a flatbed trailer with chicken wire and filled the structure with colorful tissue paper. The float looked great, but there was a problem. Whenever we moved the trailer, some pieces of tissue paper became loose and fell out. The guys in the group weren’t bothered by this. We just thought it was part of the texture and aesthetic of the float.

However, the girls hated it. In fact, they insisted we cover the float with Saran Wrap, so the pieces of tissue would hold in place. We all went along with it and covered the float in Saran Wrap, and the problem was solved, no more loose tissue paper. But to me, there was now a bigger problem—the float was hideous. In the moment, I didn’t have the strength to stand up, to use my diplomacy skills, and lead the group to a different decision. So, instead of suggesting a reasonable fix for our ugly float, I hatched a plan. Through my scheming, I got some of the guys together and suggested we sabotage our own float on the morning of the parade.

We’d spray paint it to say things like, “Seniors Suck!” This plan would accomplish two goals: 1)  It would make it seem like the juniors were behind it the move, abdicating us of any responsibility, and 2) It would force our group to take the Saran Wrap off the float without enough time before the parade to replace it. The float would look just like we wanted, and the juniors would take the blame.

The plan worked perfectly—so perfectly, in fact, that the juniors were kicked out of and disqualified from the homecoming parade. I was thrilled! Our float looked amazing, and our greatest competition for the float building contest was no longer a threat! But my friend Will felt guilty. He, being a better man than I, went to our school’s administration and confessed that we sabotaged our own float and asked them to not kick the juniors out of the parade. I ended up in Mr. Richardson’s office. Mr. Richardson was a teacher and advisor known for shooting it straight and telling the truth in the most relatable way. In the midst of reprimanding me for organizing and executing such a stupid plan, he said something that changed the way I think about myself. He said, “Kevin, you are obviously a leader, but you have to decide if you are going to use this gift for good or bad in life.”

Honestly, I just thought I was being a troublemaker, but in the midst of discipline, Mr. Richardson spoke life into me. He exposed a personal gift and challenged me to use my ability to lead for good. In that moment, Mr. Richardson helped me see my potential, and I’ve been working to leverage my leadership ability in positive ways ever since. When was the first time you realized that you had potential? Was it the English teacher that affirmed your writing ability?

Was it the coach that made you a team captain?

Was it the boss that gave you your first promotion?

Was it the parent who praised your communication skills? Was it the pastor who pointed out your gift of encouragement?

If someone has helped you see your potential, have you taken the time to thank them personally? A small word of thanks goes a long way to encourage the people that have invested in your life. Because of the leaders that have impacted me, I’ve been inspired to encourage leaders at all levels. That’s why I write this blog, and why I helped create ADDO.

Do you encourage the people around you and help point out the potential in others? Let the people who have impacted your life inspire you to speak life into others.

Let the people who have impacted your life inspire you to speak life into others.

Never miss an opportunity to thank the people that have encouraged you to become who you are today, and vocalize the potential you see in others. Your words may have a greater impact on another person’s life than you realize.

Truett Cathy, the late founder of Chick-fil-A, is known for building one of the most successful fast food chains in the nation, but he is also equally admired for the way he cared for people through his generous spirit.

Had it not been for one major decision, we may have never witnessed the full scope of Truett Cathy’s generosity through an organization that has changed thousands of lives—the WinShape Foundation.

I love this story.

Truett Cathy was invited to speak to classes at Berry College in north Georgia, and during his visit, he and his wife Jeanette were shown a beautiful piece of property—lush green hills, a magnificent chapel, stone dormitories, a library, a gymnasium, and a classroom building. Unfortunately, it all sat empty and unused. With a cost of $2 million a year to maintain that area of campus, Berry College desperately needed to sell it. This piece of land was the original site of Martha Berry’s vision—a boarding school for children who had no other access to education. Jeanette Cathy said that “she felt like she was on holy ground,” and both she and Truett felt God calling them to purchase the land and use it to help others.

The next day, Truett was so excited to pitch his idea to the Chick-fil-A Executive Committee, but they had the opposite reaction he had hoped. When he could see they weren’t catching his vision, he personally took them to Rome, Georgia, to see the property. After seeing it firsthand, the committee seemed more encouraged by Berry’s decision to sell the land than the Cathy’s desire to buy it, and they discouraged him from purchasing the property.

Truett expressed his gratitude for their honest opinion and insight, but he decided to buy the property anyway. In doing so, Truett and Jeannette created the WinShape Foundation, with a mission to “create experiences that transform,” and that’s exactly what they have accomplished since its inception. From summer camps to marriage retreats, WinShape works to teach truth and equip people from all walks of life. The goal of Winshape is simple: to shape winners. Had Truett Cathy followed the advice of Chick-fil-A’s Executive Committee, WinShape might not exist today. Truett understood that your calling is not left to a consensus vote.

Think about this: How many dreams have died on the altar of consensus-driven decisions? Please understand me—I’m all for consensus, when possible. When we can align people and gain agreement, it’s always best. However, consensus decisions are often the lowest common denominator of decision-making. We water down things enough that no one is mad, but we fail to accomplish what’s most important. If you have a vision, you can’t allow the goal of consensus to keep you from your calling. As a leader, a parent, a pastor, or a business owner, you will sometimes see things differently than others around you. You have a unique position and vantage point, so you might see things others simply do not.

If you have a vision, you can’t allow the goal of consensus to keep you from your calling.

Consensus-driven decision-making might increase your popularity but may decrease your potential. As you compromise to please specific people in the larger group, your vision becomes less focused and less effective. It becomes more about collective agreement than lasting impact. Consensus is a good thing, but your vision as a leader might not make sense to everyone else in your business, church, or family.

The Chick-fil-A Executive Committee was full of people whose hearts were in the right place. They loved Chick-fil-A and the Cathy family. However, God entrusted Truett with a special vision. I’m so glad he did what was best, not what was popular.

If you sacrifice your vision on the altar of consensus, the world will miss out. Answer your calling, take the next step, and trust that your God-given passion has a purpose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utAOfNfI_vE

The Bucket List is one of my favorite movies. It tells the story of two men, played by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, who come from very different backgrounds. The two are brought together through sickness and end up spending time in the same hospital room. They develop an unlikely friendship and decide to do some amazing things together before they die. Some of these experiences are heartwarming, others are heartbreaking, but the most compelling aspect of the movie is the way they both grapple with questions of life and death.

In the clip above, they consider two difficult questions that the ancient Egyptians believed they would be asked after death. They thought that if you gave the right answers, you would enter into heaven.

1. Have you found joy in your life?

2. Has your life brought joy to others?

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While this is not my personal view of what it takes to get into heaven, these questions are thought-provoking and worth asking every day. They have helped me pose the questions below and think more intentionally about my personal and professional life.

Read the following questions, reflect on your answers, and be open to making changes in your own life.

Do you find joy in your work?

Do you add value, even in the mundane aspects of your job?

Do you know why your work is important to your clients, colleagues, or employees?

Do you take time each day to have personal and meaningful interactions with your colleagues?

Do you know what drives your employees or coworkers?

Do you see your work as an opportunity to encourage and connect with people?

At the end of each day, are you satisfied with the work you’ve done? Do you make a daily effort to support and encourage your family and friends?

Do you find opportunities to connect with people who are different from you?

Have you found ways to consistently serve others?

Think about these questions. Are there others you would add to this list? Whether you are a landscaper, a salesperson, a manager, or you stay at home with your children, you can find meaning in what you do each day.

The most important aspect of your life is not your job description—it’s how you choose to care for the people around you.

Have you ever noticed how good we are at solving other people’s problems? If only it were up to me, I could make it better.

It’s so easy to see a situation from a distance and think we know the best solution, but in reality, we can’t possibly see the full picture of a problem until we take a step closer and interact with the people involved. This takes time, intentionality, and vulnerability, so our natural inclination is to keep a “healthy” distance. However, this distance doesn’t solve problems—it actually creates them.

Our resistance to get proximate to problems results in us creating solutions that seem good on the surface. However, we often fail to ultimately solve the needs or desires of the people we’re trying to help. Effective problem-solving requires us to know the people we serve.

The closer we are to a need, the higher our level of empathy, and the greater our ability to solve it effectively.

This proximity principle applies to every environment.

Take business, for example. Our proximity to the customer helps us understand and meet their needs. As a leader, connecting with our employees helps us know their goals. In a nonprofit organization, the closer we get to the beneficiary, the better we are able to solve their challenges. In church, our presence in our community helps us meet specific needs and love people well.

It’s actually one reason that government often fails to solve challenges. Bureaucracy creates layers, layers create distance, and distance inhibits our ability to understand and provide effective solutions.

We’re never going to serve people well if we don’t know them.

We won’t solve the race relations challenge from a distance.

We can’t improve the customer experience from the corner office.

We’re not going to fully understand our employees needs from answers on an annual survey.

We will never reach our community if we stay inside the church building.

Get outside. Connect with your community. Get close to the people you want to serve. Proximity to people means things might get messy, but the results will always be worth it.

What does profit mean to you?

Your immediate inclination is probably positive. Profit is good. It’s something we want. It’s hard to succeed if we’re not profitable, right? So it’s essential to growing a business.

However, I’m not asking whether profit is good or bad. (I think we all agree that profit is good.) But how do you define it?

Today, I want to explain how each of us can have a proper perspective of profit. In order to do this, we need to define each of these terms.

‍Proper: If something is proper, it is suitable, appropriate, or right. It is the correct way of doing something, or in this case, it is the correct way of viewing something.

‍Perspective: Our perspective is the lens through which we view things. It’s our attitude or disposition toward something, and it’s our point of view. Our perspective is important, because the way we view things changes how we do things. Therefore, our perspective is essential to understanding and applying this definition of profit.

‍Profit: Profit is a term that has evolved over time. If you look at some dictionaries from the early 1900s, profit is defined as payment for value added. Historically, it was about the money earned for creating value. Only in the last 100 years has the definition evolved to simply be the difference between revenue and expenses. Too often we oversimplify and undervalue profit by only asking, “Did you make more money than you spent?” In doing so, we fail to recognize the vital importance of adding value.

A couple of years ago, Volkswagen was caught cutting corners in vehicle production to save money. Some of their diesel-engine models contained software that allowed them to cheat emissions tests in the US. Volkswagen confessed to cheating, and in this effort to save money, lost billions of dollars. Because Volkswagen was more concerned with earning money than adding value, they lost dollars and their reputation in the process.

The best organizations, companies, and leaders have a proper perspective of profit. Sure, they understand that we need money, income, and margin to survive and thrive. But, when we view profit through the lens of adding value, the result is better products for our customers, enhanced experiences for our clients, and positive environments for our employees.

If you’re adding value, dollars will follow.

Do you have a proper perspective of profit?Seek ways to add value to your work this week. Your profit will have a greater impact than a simple dollar amount ever could.

Catch the foxes for us,

the little foxes that spoil the vineyards,

for our vineyards are in blossom.

- Song of Solomon 2:15, ESV

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‍Recently, I heard Johnny Foster, a pastor and friend of mine, preach a message from this passage, and it surprised me. I had never heard a sermon on this particular verse before. Come to think of it, I rarely hear messages on this book of the Bible, at all.

However, Johnny’s message resonated with me. If you and I apply the life lesson from this verse, it might just save us from making a major mistake. A little bit of context would be helpful: Song of Solomon is a love story. The takeaway from this text can help us with our love lives, but I believe it can help us avoid other potential pitfalls, as well. This simple verse serves as a warning to heed the little things that can spoil our personal and professional endeavors.

In the Song of Solomon, this little warning interrupts a love story in its early days. Things seem blissful and exciting for the happy couple, but then we get this image of little foxes spoiling a vineyard. Foxes forage gardens for food, and often, this happens before the plants reach full bloom. If a farmer is not careful to catch them or keep them away, these little animals could destroy an entire crop and have a huge impact on the farmer’s livelihood.

There is a reason that the verse uses the word “little” to describe the foxes here. Let me ask you a few questions to help put this in perspective.

1. Have you or anyone you know ever been bitten by a lion?
2. Have you or anyone you know ever been bitten by a dog?
3. Have you or anyone you know ever been bitten by a mosquito?

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Most likely, you haven’t been bitten by a lion. (If you have, and you lived to tell about it, that’s a story I’d like to hear!) You may or may not have been bitten by a dog at some point in your life. But I’m willing to bet that you, and everyone else you know, has been bitten by a mosquito.

Think about it—A lion is so large and apparently dangerous, that you’ll take extra precautions to avoid being attacked by one. On the other end of the spectrum, the mosquito is much smaller. However, the smaller mosquito, one that doesn’t pose as severe of a threat, is one that we sometimes struggle to protect ourselves from. Just like the little foxes in the vineyard and the pesky mosquitos at your backyard barbecue.

It’s often the little things that pose the greatest threat to our personal and professional endeavors.

In everything we pursue, we need to be resolute in protecting the things most important to us. To do this effectively, we must keep out the little things that threaten to destroy us.

In the office, it’s keeping the little disagreements from causing deep divisions among your team.

In our work day, it’s preventing seemingly small distractions from taking you away from the important project at hand.

In church, it’s stopping yourself from talking only to those you feel most familiar with and unintentionally creating a culture that’s unwelcoming to new people.

In marriage, it's preventing a few busy weeks without time together from turning into busy months and years of feeling disconnected.

It’s easy to put up safeguards against the big, obvious threats to our endeavors and relationships, but most often, it's the little things we overlook that sneak in and destroy us.

Can you identify some small threats that could potentially hinder your personal and professional endeavors?

Work to catch them before they cause major damage to you and those around you.

‍“Pity the leader caught between unloving critics and uncritical lovers.” - John Gardner

In this quote, John Gardner uses simple and precise words to explain the two kinds of people we most often encounter in our personal and professional lives: the unloving critic and the uncritical lover. The problem is that we need a different kind of person—one who cares enough about us to affirm us when we’re right and correct us when we’re wrong. These people are rare and hard to find. But if you’re in a leadership role, you’ll find plenty of the other two.

1. The Unloving Critic:

If you’re developing something new, you will always find people quick to criticize, critique, and condemn. There will be no shortage of people who think your idea is dumb and strategy is stupid. These people don’t care for you or the well-being of your organization. In fact, they seem to be more concerned about being right than being constructive. As a business, we have a goal to inspire people today to impact tomorrow. It’s amazing how quickly people outside of our organization want to offer their opinion by letting us know that “real businesses” won’t care about our mission, vision, and strategies. They seem more eager to discourage than to offer helpful feedback.

2. The Uncritical Lover:

On the other hand, there are plenty of people who just want to be part of the action and will tell you exactly what you want to hear. We all like being encouraged, so it’s tempting to surround ourselves with an echo chamber of people who tell us how great we are. That presentation was spot on. Your writing is perfect. You are such a great leader. Wow, that’s such an incredible idea. However, when we surround ourselves only with people who tell us what we want to hear, we likely won’t hear some of the things we need to hear to be successful. As a result, we risk confidently strutting our way into failure.

Neither the unloving critic nor the uncritical lover help us improve and become who we need to be. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17, ESV). Try to find the rare third type of person, the loving critic. We each need people who care about us enough to encourage us when we’re right and correct us when we’re wrong. Surround yourself with these people, listen to them, and learn from what they have to say. You will treasure these few friends who both encourage and edify you.

We each need people who care about us enough to encourage us when we’re right and correct us when we’re wrong.

But don’t just surround yourself with loving critics; be one. This is a struggle for me. Because I want people to feel good, I find it difficult to offer correction when it’s needed. However, I have to remember that if I truly care about people, I’ll tell them what they need to hear even when it’s not easy.

I think Peggy Noonan said it best: “Candor is a compliment; it implies equality. It’s how true friends talk.” I want to be part of true friendships, ones that sharpen me and those closest to me. Do you have these kinds of friendships? If not, work to be a loving critic, and find other friends who are eager to help you become the person you were meant to be.

Recently, I was in a meeting with some members of our team, and we were discussing a sales goal.

One colleague closed a huge sale and had been incredibly successful the week before, so I asked him in front of the others, “What did you do last week that was different from other weeks?”

He replied, “To be honest, I didn’t do anything different last week, but the couple of weeks before that, I was very intentional in my work. I just reaped the benefits last week.” His response reminded me of a quote from a great leader.

‍“Great doors of opportunity swing on the tiny hinges of obedience.” - Dr. Ike Reighard

‍My colleague chose to devote himself fully to his work by saying yes to the small, seemingly mundane parts of his job, and he reaped the benefits of a successful sale. We too will experience success if we are obedient to invest the time and effort that is necessary to reach our goals.

We must remember that the payoff does not come at the time we make the investment. Obedience requires patience and consistency to have a lasting impact on our endeavors. When we’re obedient in sewing, we have opportunities to reap in our personal and professional lives.

The opportunity for a sale starts with consistently pursuing a client. The opportunity for stronger relationships begins by investing time in the people you love. The opportunity for your team to succeed starts with creating systems and structures to enable progress. The opportunity for an online purchase is created by intentionally investing in a user-friendly experience. The company culture you want to build begins by fostering the right environment before people walk through the door. The fully committed church member develops through small groups and plugging into other activities.

The successful nonprofit makes a huge impact by consistently connecting with donors and providing strategic training for volunteers.

Each of these successful outcomes begins with consistent obedience in everyday actions and decisions. Open your eyes to small choices today that will create the opportunity you desire tomorrow.

The opportunity you seek tomorrow is created by your obedient investment today.

The opportunity you seek tomorrow is created by your obedient investment today.

You’ll close the sale. You’ll gain the trust of the most important people in your life. You’ll see consistency in your team’s performance. You’ll gain new clients through your approachable online platform. You’ll foster a healthy and enjoyable work environment for yourself and your team. You’ll develop committed leaders, eager to serve in the church. You’ll make a greater impact that you thought was possible.

Each of us desire more opportunity, but we have to remember that it’s made possible by the tiny hinges of obedience. Be obedient in the small things this week, and reap the harvest of opportunity in the future.

In the business world, we are bombarded with buzzwords and overused phrases.

Let’s circle up on that. Can we touch base tomorrow? Let’s table that conversation for later. Can we do a deep dive? Help me unpack that concept.

But there’s one word the corporate offices of America might just love more than any other: efficiency.

It sometimes hides behind questions like, How do we streamline this? Where can we cut the fat? Is there a more cost-effective solution? But we all know what’s being asked: How can we make this more efficient? I think we can all agree that efficiency is a good thing. As a card-carrying capitalist, I like work that’s done with as little time and effort wasted as possible.

However, I believe there are times when efficiency should not be the primary goal. If you’re an employee restocking an aisle at the grocery store and a customer asks where she can find something, the efficient thing to do is to tell her where that product is and point her in the right direction. However, it’s better customer service and more intentional to stop what you’re doing and walk the customer to the product.

When you walk into the corporate office, the most efficient thing to do is to keep your head down, avoid eye contact, dodge conversation, and go straight to your office. But some of the most important interactions we have with colleagues are the casual conversations that happen in the hallway. If you operate a quick service restaurant, it’s more efficient to have a separate drink station in the dining area where customers can serve themselves. However, by having customers return to the counter for a refill, you create an intentional opportunity for your frontline employees to serve them well and have a positive interaction.

As a church, it’s far more efficient to focus on the one big gathering each week that happens on Sunday mornings, but it’s more intentional and effective to create a culture of discipleship and encourage individuals to meet together in smaller groups. This helps individuals grow spiritually and have deeper connections with others.

Efficiency is good most of the time, but it should not always be the goal. In our busy lives, we are all aware of opportunities to make things more efficient, but we rarely take the time to stop, to look up, and to be intentional with the people around us.

The tougher task is identifying the times we should be intentional rather than efficient.

Take some time to think through opportunities where intentionality can be your goal this week. Efficiency is not a bad thing, but finding the right moment to exchange efficiency for intentionality will provide us a platform to better care for people, connect with customers, and change the world for the better.