Leadership Archives - Junkyard Wisdom

A confession: I have a love-hate relationship with the church.

I love what it has given me and many others: hope, peace, joy, and love. But I am saddened by how it has left so many people confused, frustrated, sad, and judged.

That’s an uncomfortably stark contrast, but I don’t want those of us in the church to get defensive too fast. The church isn’t perfect, and it never will be. It’s a painful but unavoidable truth that the church has simultaneously served people and hurt people.

Why? In my experience, the biggest reason is the way the church handles …

The Crucibles That Shape Us

Full disclosure, I have not yet read The Crucibles That Shape Us, by Gayle Beebe. But I have lived it with the author, at least in part, so I know the lessons in this book are worth your time.

Gayle and I met nearly 20 years ago when I was on the committee that brought him to Westmont College. I’ve served on the Board of Trustees and worked with him that entire time. Actually, this past weekend marks my last meeting with the Trustees. Yes, I’m retiring from the board after 21-years.

But this isn’t about me, it’s …

Sarcasm

My blog went silent for a few weeks as the devotions were sent, so I’m overdue for a post. Thought you’d get a kick out of this story.

A friend sent this meme:

“I once got sent out of class at school for being too sarcastic. The teacher yelled at me, “What would your parents say if I called them?” I replied, “Hello?”

I laughed, and it reminded me of a childhood story.

I was about 10 years old and playing with my buddy Larry during recess. We were taking paper towels out of the dispenser, dampening them, folding them …

Trust, Church, and Golf Carts

I was ten years old when my Dad brought a golf cart home. It was a junkyard golf cart, with ugly old paint and nearly flat tires. Even then, a half century ago, it was ancient. It had two rear wheels, with one front wheel that was steered rudder style.

To my surprise Dad tossed me the key and said, “Have fun.”

Shocked, and delighted, I stood there dumbfounded for a minute. Then he gave me a brief tutorial – key goes here, forward here, reverse there, turn the rudder the opposite direction you want to turn, now go.

Laughing …

Three Junkyard Lessons

Years ago I wrote a long version of this post for a publication. I found it recently and thought it would be a good blog post (though you could thank me for cutting over 50% of the length).

The gist of the article is simple. I learned three key things about leadership while working in a junkyard, and here they are.

Leaders go home with grease under their fingernails.

Time after time I’ve watched supposed leaders avoiding the messy parts of their jobs. They over-delegate, ignore, or explain away the really tough challenges.

The junkyard was more egalitarian. The …

Conflict and Peace

This story is about conflict that ended with peace and friendship. It’s one of those (seemingly) few happy ending stories, so it stands out amidst all the doom & gloom we often hear.

It begins, naturally enough, as a disagreement about real estate. Down the street from a property I own is a vacant commercial lot. The owner — who also happened to live nearby — partnered with another company to propose a use that I considered a horrible addition to the neighborhood. It was, in my opinion, going to bring in crime, traffic, ugliness, etc. Worse, it did nothing …

The Power of Stupid Questions

I want to be as constantly stupid as the disciples. Or rather, to ask the kind of stupid questions the disciples ask Jesus.

A trademark of my writing – especially in my books – is to contradict myself. I embrace the contradiction because we need to evaluate, ponder, and understand the wholeness of an issue. Besides, it makes people think.

So this post is going to contradict one of the chapters in my book Salvaged. In chapter 10, Questioning Captain Satellite, I talk about the power of asking good questions. The line, “The best leaders ask the best questions …

Five Ways to be Countercultural

Last week I attended a conference with a plenary session featuring two Senators (one Democrat and one Republican). The facilitator, a former Governor, led them in a conversation about how our faith can inform our public engagement.

A lot of the conversation focused on how we can transcend the worst aspects of partisan politics. The idea of vilifying and demonizing those who disagree with us was rejected, and the politicians shared examples of how to disagree with respect. It was a good reminder for all of us, and the Senators navigated the conversation beautifully. They received a standing ovation.

An …