Influence Over Credentials

Throughout this look at the strength we can each gain by building great professional relationships, I’ve referenced several of the amazing leaders I’ve had the privilege of learning from. I’ve also worked with some absolutely brilliant people over the years. That said, those two traits didn’t always...

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Investing in Practical Growth

While working with a client’s leadership team about a decade ago, we were discussing their opportunities for improving processes, and by default, their overall profitability. One of the most senior team members commented on a specific function, saying “We’ve done it that way for thirty years, that’s...

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Mentoring as Qualification

One of the biggest hurdles I’ve seen people deal with as they’ve moved into new roles has been coming to terms with how much they’re willing to share with the person filling the role they previously held. Far too often, there’s a perception that if their successor performs better than they did, it d...

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Learning from Failure

In June of 2000, I was only about a month into my new role facilitating (I’m intentionally not calling it leading and you’ll see why shortly) the 5S implementation across 200,000 square feet of the facility I worked in. In case you’re familiar with the idea, Sorting everything in a work area, Settin...

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The Value of Relational Experience

I’ve often heard the phrase, “Experience is the best teacher.” While I believe that can be correct, I’ve learned that far too many people refuse to evaluate their experiences, completely missing out on some of life’s most crucial lessons. In all the years we’ve studied John Maxwell, I’ve often heard...

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Qualified, Not Just Certified: Beyond the Certificate

One of the biggest roadblocks I’ve had to navigate throughout my professional career has indeed been knowing my worth. Far too often, I’ve struggled with the self-imposed limits of not completing a college degree. Sometimes, though, the companies I was employed by actually had those limits built fir...

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Crafting a Lasting Influence

In my early teens, I failed to earn my Environmental Science merit badge as a Boy Scout because I wasn’t willing to follow through on the required 500-word essay. Most of my struggles throughout high school were due to having no interest in similar writing assignments and a complete rebellion agains...

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Fostering Mutual Respect

For more than two and half decades, Cindy and I have worked incredibly hard at coming to terms with our worth and overcoming self-imposed limits. We’ve each approached the process a bit differently but praise God we’ve been able to do it together. That said, there have been plenty of times where we’...

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Building Trust Through Self-Worth

I don’t think there’s been a topic we’ve worked through in this look at Leveraging Leadership Growth that hasn’t tied back to trust; finding a mentor, having candid conversations, maximizing the return on investment in relationships, mentoring others, displaying humility, and definitely with earning...

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Asserting Your Value with Courage

Uncovering our hidden strengths so we can get to a point where we begin to comprehend our true worth can be a grueling process. Without overcoming the self-imposed limits we’ve placed on our own value, often for years or even decades, there’s little chance of genuine modesty being involved in situat...

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Measuring Impact as Validation

I frequently share how, through all the years I worked indirectly for Rod (Kevin was my immediate supervisor and Rod was his), there was always an expectation for me to focus on how any action I took would impact productivity in each business unit we supported. While safety and human resources are g...

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Finding Strength in Modesty

Cindy and I recently adopted two (more) rescue dogs. We’ve had dogs since we got married, all of which have been rescues for the last fifteen years. The one that has been our most heartwarming success story to date had been dealing with several health issues and we had to put him down. As tough as t...

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