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Leadership

Solutions of Privilege II

A few years ago I wrote about the “problems of privilege” and what the solutions might be for those problems. A recent conversation about the people on a cruise who were quarantined off the coast of California had me thinking about what we call privilege versus what we call sacrifice. So here is a redraft of the original post.

What are problems of privilege? Well in the simplest of terms, these are problems that become evident when people complain about meaningless things — my new iPhone is now outdated, the waiter didn’t bring us water when we asked, or I …

Leadership, Salvaged,

Leadership Style

My friend Steve Gumaer wrote, “After all these years of leading a multinational and motivated team, I have finally realized that what shapes my leadership style is not primarily context, techniques, or social recognition. It is love and the audacity to push into the world with a transforming idea lovingly and with others.”

You might remember Steve as the guest blogger a few weeks ago when he introduced us to Rose Mu. Well, Steve originally wanted to share his thoughts about my book Salvaged and put the focus on me. I refused. He persisted. I refused. He persisted.

And …

Family, Freestarters™, Goble Properties, Leadership, Salvaged,

Freestarter™ Awards

Over a decade ago I invented the word “freestarter” because there was no word that quite fit the kind of person I was trying to describe. Part prophet, part entrepreneur, part artist, and part leader (often without followers) it became my own concoction of traits describing a unique individual. I wrote about them in my book Salvaged and posted a list of great Freestarters™ on my blog.

Then last year our family foundation decided to honor these Freestarters™ and give them long overdue recognition. The first four were announced in December, and we hope to honor another one every three …

Leadership, Random Thoughts,

Rose Mu

One of the most fascinating people I’ve met over the past year is Steve Gumaer. Steve is the founder and President of Partners Relief & Development, which provides emergency relief for millions of misplaced people. That’s a fancy of way of saying he and his team work in war zones.

Think about that for a moment. They work in war zones. To help people who are victims of the war — the lost, orphaned, homeless, hungry, cold, grieving, and sometimes tortured people who find themselves surrounded by chaos. Into this walks Steve and his team.

When Steve agreed …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership,

Hope Is What You Do

Todd Deatherage had just finished moderating a panel discussion during which I was impressed with his insights. Several people in the audience had surrounded him and were asking follow up questions, but then I saw an opening to introduce myself. We chatted briefly and I ended up giving him a copy of my first book. And that, I thought, was the end of it.

The next morning D’Aun and I were leaving breakfast when I heard someone call my name. I turned and there was Todd, big smile on his face, walking quickly toward me. “I stayed up late last …

Belize, Jaguar Creek, Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership, PathLight, Salvaged,

Givers, Leaders, and Drinkers

Greetings from Jaguar Creek, Belize! I’m here with a dozen or so givers, leaders, and drinkers. Not necessarily in that order. The third annual Junkyard Wisdom Belize is happening and we’re having a blast talking through the challenge of being a good donor, a wise leader, and a sober … well, never mind.

Seriously though, the conversations are amazing. Most conversations about philanthropy take place in fancy hotels. Most conversations about leadership happen in large conferences or online TED Talks.

What I love about this event is we have these conversations in the rainforest of Belize, within a few …

Book Reviews, Leadership,

Unreasonable People

Fred Smith is not an unreasonable person despite the title of this post. I have invited Fred to be my first guest blogger in years because I love his quirky sense of humor, balanced perspective on cultural shifts, and genuine love for the unreasonable people who change the world. Plus he’s a great writer.

I met Fred at The Gathering, an annual conference focused on faith-based philanthropy. Fred is the founder of The Gathering and until just recently its President. Fred is a graduate of Denver University and Harvard Divinity School. He is the co-founder of Leadership Network with …

Belize, Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership, Salvaged,

Junkyard Wisdom Belize 3.0

Want to go to Belize with me in November? I’m heading there November 17 for a 4-day workshop focused on generosity, faith, and leadership. This is definitely not like any other trip before it! Read on for more information.

A few years ago, after the publication of my first book Junkyard Wisdom, a few friends suggested a retreat event based around the themes of the book. That led to the initial Junkyard Wisdom in Belize where we had an amazing event with twenty or so people. The next year we did it again.

This year one of my collaborators, …