Browsing Tag

leadership

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 …

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 …

Junkyard Management, Leadership,

Vulnerable Leadership

“The kind of trust that is necessary to build a great team is what I call vulnerability-based trust. This is what happens when members get to a point where they are completely comfortable being transparent, honest, and naked with one another, where they say and genuinely mean things like “I screwed up,” I need help,” “Your idea is better than mine,” “I wish I could learn to do that as well as you do,” and even, “I’m sorry.”

The quote above is from Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage, and it reminded me of something from thirty years ago.

D’Aun …

Leadership,

Leadership Lessons From Sudoku

Everyday I play 2-3 games of Sudoku. It’s a way to relax while also giving me a mental challenge. The only competition is against myself with a goal to have my best time. Simple. One would think that would be the end of it, right?

Well, there’s a trick in the game: when I’m stuck there’s a button for hints. You can use it to complete one square, or check your work, or just give you a clue on what to look for.

This is what is interesting to me: when I’m stuck it can take a few minutes to …

Family, Leadership,

Working the Angles

It’s County Fair season around here, and I’m reminded how carnival games can teach you to work the angles. Hang with me for a moment…there really is a fun lesson here.

There are lots of childhood memories of tossing darts to pop balloons, throwing rings over hooks, or shooting a basketball. More recently I laughed when my adult children visited a local amusement park and sent pictures of themselves throwing balls at bottles to win a prize.

All of which reminded me of the time my parents took me to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The place is famous for …

Junkyard Management, Leadership,

Please, Shut Up and Listen

The little voice in the back of my head kept whispering, “Tell this guy to shut up and listen!” It was yet another business meeting, late in the day, and the self-righteous leader condescendingly lectured me and my team about all the foolish things we were doing. He was partially right, largely wrong, but so convinced of his correct position he didn’t even take the time to hear my perspective. Thankfully I had the sense to keep my mouth shut. But boy was I tempted to unload on the guy.

One reason I didn’t go ballistic is because, honestly, what …

Junkyard Management,

Prophets vs Leaders

A friend of mine is sometimes described as more prophet than leader; he’s excellent at preaching truth in cultural context, but weak at organizational leadership. He can cast a vision and challenge us, but he can’t implement that vision.

You probably know people just like this. A lot of them are in ministry. Like prophets, they make passionate and loud calls for change. But they aren’t so good at actually leading people into making the change.

You know what the cheaper and less impressive modern day version of a prophet is? All those people who describe themselves as thought leaders.…

Junkyard Management,

Six Ways to Motivate

Last year I was invited to write an article for Outreach Magazine about how to motivate your team. I’ve reworked the article to make it a little edgier and shorter for my Junkyard Wisdom audience.

Oh, and the photo of our new puppy Holly above? No connection at all to this article. I just liked the photo and thought you’d enjoy seeing her!

Anyway, here goes:

1. Don’t Make Lists of six or ten or any number. Seriously. Who wants to feel like they are being managed by a list? Nobody. The thing about lists is that they’re always linear, …