Leadership Thought: Working for Good and Bad Bosses

Dear Friend, 

Tom Harper, who oversees Biblical Leadership, a digital resource for those interested in improving their leadership, shares an excellent message on his experience working for good and poor bosses. 

Tom suggests you think about the worst boss you've ever had. "Despite their autocratic, unkind, or incompetent ways, did you still somehow benefit from working under them? I bet you did, even if you learned what NOT to do.

Now search your memory for the best one. Maybe you're even working for them now!

My worst boss made me feel like an idiot and took credit for things I did. My favorite boss still brings a smile to my face. In fact, I still run into him in coffee shops. He'll probably even read this post. (Cheers, Steve!)

Steve was my boss over 30 years ago. He was full of good humor, modeled a tireless work ethic, fought for us both internally and out in the market, and was wildly creative. We celebrated our wins and laughed a lot.

He rooted for me even after we parted ways. I was sad to leave him as I progressed in my career, but I've always tried to lead like him. He's a great encourager and still has a smile for me whenever I see him.

If you've had a great boss, too, you and I have models to build our own leadership on.

If you haven't found a great one yet, be on the lookout for him or her. And when you find them, learn all you can for as long as you can.

Great bosses are rare.

Why not be one of those rare leaders yourself?"

Thanks, Tom, for your excellent message.

I would love to hear from those Leadership Thought readers what you feel makes for a good boss, and I will consider printing your responses but only with your permission.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Three Words to Remove from Your Vocabulary

Dear Friend,

Never doubt the providence of God. One of my favorite stories of God's amazing providence is revealed in the following story.

A British family went to Scotland one summer for a vacation. The mother and father were looking forward to enjoying the beautiful Scottish countryside with their son.

But one day, the son wandered off by himself and got into trouble. As he walked through the woods, he came across an abandoned swimming hole, and as most boys his age do, he took off his clothes and jumped in!

He was totally unprepared for what happened next. Before he had time to enjoy the pool of water, he was seized by a vicious attack of cramps. He began calling for help while fighting a losing battle with the cramps to stay afloat.

Fortunately, a farm boy was working in a nearby field. When he heard the frantic cries for help, he rescued the English boy and brought him to safety

The father of the boy who had been rescued was, of course, very grateful. 

The next day, he went to meet the youth who had saved his son's life, and the two talked. The Englishman asked the brave lad what he planned to do with his future.

The boy answered, "I'll be a farmer like my father."

The grateful father said, "Is there something else you would rather do?" 

"Oh, yes," answered the Scottish lad. "I've always wanted to be a doctor, but we are poor and could never afford to pay for the education."

"Never mind that," said the Englishman. "You shall have your heart's desire and study medicine. Make your plans, and I'll take care of the costs."

So, the Scottish lad did indeed become a doctor.

The intriguing part of the story is that years later, in December of  1943, Winston Churchill (the English boy), became deathly ill with pneumonia. While in North Africa, his life was saved for a second time by the same Scottish boy, Sir Alexander Fleming, who had become that doctor. 

This time he was saved with a new drug Fleming had invented, the first antibiotic, penicillin. 

Two years later, under the unshakable leadership of Churchill, Britain and her allies would defeat Hitler and the Nazis, ending the most diabolical regime in history. Holy Moments, Matthew Kelly, p. 165-67)

One never knows how the providence of God is shaping events of history to conform to his will.

It is so true  that "The King's heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. (Proverbs 21:1)."

Genesis tells about Joseph, who was sold by his brothers to be a slave in Egypt, but who eventually became the prime minister of the land.

Paul and Barnabas had such a bitter quarrel about taking John Mark on a missionary journey that they wound up going their separate ways, resulting in two successful preaching expeditions instead of one. 

Charles Swindoll suggests, "It is time to remove three words from our vocabulary as we add the word providence to our communication. They are chance, fate, and luck. Those humanistic terms suggest there are blind, impersonal, and spontaneous forces at work in the ranks of humanity. NOT! Only One is at work in you, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" Philippians (2:13)."

Swindoll continues, "Take heart my friend. God is in full control. Nothing is happening on Earth that brings a surprise to Heaven. Nothing is outside the scope of his divine radar screen as he guides us safely home. Things that seem altogether confusing, without reason, unfair, even wrong, do indeed fit into the father's providential plan. The Finishing Touch, Charles Swindoll, p. 140

Aren't you glad He's in control?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: A Pastor's Episode of "Stinkin Thinkin"

Dear Friends,

A man walked into a fortune teller's tent at a carnival and paid his money to have his palms read. The fortune teller said, "I see many things." 

"Like what?" he asked.

"You will be poor and unhappy until you're 45," said the fortune teller.

"Oh," he said dejectedly. Then he had a thought. "What will happen when I'm 45?"

"You'll get used to it." 

Negative thinking often sets the tone for our life. If we expect things to be bad, that is the way they will be. On the other hand, if we expect things to be good, that's the way they will be.

In Alcoholics Anonymous, people often talk about "stinkin thinkin." 

A few years ago, I had an episode of "stinkin thinkin." It was at a time when we were pre-recording sermons during Covid. I was working on a Sunday message and trying to record it while speaking into a computer screen. Preaching to a video camera was a new and challenging assignment for me. It was not an easy or natural undertaking for me, and I had continually reinforced that belief by telling myself again and again how difficult it was.

I had just spent four excruciating hours trying to record a 25-minute message, with Pastor Nick, who was overseeing the taping. Again, and again, I would make a mistake and have to back up and start all over again. Finally, in exasperation, I cried out, "This is impossible," and guess what?  It would continue to be impossible as long as I persisted in reminding myself that this is the way it would continue to be.

I told Pastor Nick that my mind was so filled with negative thinking that I needed to go home and reassess my attitude. When I arrived the next day to repeat the taping, I possessed an entirely different attitude. I attacked the challenge, believing that I could accomplish the task and within an hour I had completed the recording.

What had changed? It was my attitude. In the intervening 24 hours, I had realized that my attitude was impacting my actions. My negative expectations had become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In between recordings, the Holy Spirit had reminded me of one of the first verses I memorized as a new believer: Philippians 4:13, which proclaims, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Shame on me. I had found myself giving up when I should have been looking up. I had succumbed to "stinkin thinkin."

Ben Franklin once said, "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall receive it," and nothing was just what I had received.

Dwelling upon past negative actions and experiences will always get us in trouble. Reminding ourselves of our own inadequacies and insufficiencies will keep us from achieving those significant things God wants us to accomplish. Shame on me for forgetting this and reminding myself of my weaknesses rather than His strength, and my past experiences rather than His present power.

We need to be like the little engine that could, who kept climbing to the top of the steep mountain all the while repeating, "I think I can," "I think I can," "I think I can." And then when we make it to the top, we can relax, enjoy the feeling, look back down the mountain and proclaim because of God's power, "I knew I could,"  "I knew I could,"  "I knew I could."

Let us always remember that what seems to be the end may really be a new beginning,

Yours in faith and friendship, 

Tom

Leadership Thought: A Message for Everyone, Especially Fisherman.

Dear Friend,

It has been said that “nothing is too small that it can’t be blown out of proportion.” As believers we need to be truth tellers. We need to be extremely careful that we never “blow the truth out of proportion”

We need to be careful with the things we say with our lips, so that we develop a reputation for always being honest in every aspect of our lives, unlike the chairman of a local chamber of commerce I read about. 

He had to introduce a speaker of the organization’s annual black-tie affair. He introduced the speaker with the following words. “The man I am about to introduce is someone I know you are going to enjoy listening to. He is the most gifted businessman in the country. He  made one hundred million dollars in California oil.”  

The speaker came to the podium rather embarrassed. “Mr. Chairman,” he said, “Thank you for the wonderful introduction. However, the facts need some clarification. It wasn’t oil, it was coal. It wasn’t in California; it was in Pennsylvania. It wasn’t one hundred million dollars. It was only one hundred thousand. And it wasn’t me. It was my brother, and he didn’t make it, he lost it.”

Hopefully, unless we are fisherman, not any of our conversations are as untruthful as this man’s introduction.

Paul writes in Col 3:9-10 “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

Solomon reminds us “ lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” Proverbs 12:13.

As believers we are called to be truthful in every area of our life. Let us never give anyone reason to question our truth telling ability.

When we speak, let us “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). And if we can’t speak it in love, then it is not yet ready to be spoken.

Speaking the truth and always being honest has several advantages. You will never have to remember your lies, which often takes more energy to remember than it does to be honest. And secondly you will earn the trust and respect of others who will know they can always trust you and your word.

Let’s all work together to stop "truth decay.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

 

Leadership Thought: Everyone of Us Should Learn the Donkey Principle  Dear Friends, Everyone should read this story: One day, a Donkey and a Tiger got into an argument over the color of the grass. “The grass is blue,” said the Donkey. “That’s ridiculous,” replied the Tiger. “The grass is clearly green.” When the argument grew more and more intense, they decided to find the Lion, King of the Jungle, to settle the debate. When they approached the Lion, the Donkey exclaimed, “Your Highness, isn’t it true that the grass is blue?” “Yes,” the Lion calmly answered, “The grass is blue.” Not yet satisfied, the Donkey continued, “The Tiger disagrees and argues with me. You must punish him.” The Lion nodded, “I will. The Tiger will be punished with a year of silence.” The Donkey walked off into the jungle, celebrating his victory. Before the Tiger turned to leave, he looked up at the Lion. “Your Highness, why have you punished me? After all, you must see the grass is clearly green.” The Lion nodded, “Yes, of course the grass is green.” “Then why am I being punished?” asked the Tiger. “Because someone as wise as you should never waste time proving anything to a fool.” Let’s call its lesson The Donkey Principle: There will be times in your life when you’re drawn into a discussion with someone who has no capacity to act in good faith. They have no intention of listening to your position or changing their mind. They just want to argue. In those moments, you can choose to opt out. Stop justifying your position to people who show no willingness to hear it. Stop trying to create understanding with those who appear determined to misunderstand. Stop chasing rational outcomes with irrational opponents. The older I get, the more I realize peace has a price. You buy it by saying no. No to drama. No to noise. No to arguments. Each no creates space for the yes that truly matters. Actor Keanu Reeves said it best: “I'm at the stage in life where I stay out of arguments. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right. Have fun.” We live in a modern world where social media makes it easier than ever to get pulled into pointless fights. No matter your views or beliefs, someone will make it their mission to drag you into the metaphorical mud. Before you enter any debate, ask yourself two questions: 1. Does this person show a willingness to listen and change their mind? 2. What evidence would cause me to change mine? The first question ensures good faith on their part. The second ensures it on yours. As the old saying goes, “Never wrestle a pig in the mud. You both get dirty—but the pig will enjoy it.” Perhaps this is all best summarized with one simple line: If you argue with a fool, you become one. Your in faith and friendship, Tom  P.S. Thanks to Clint Hurdle who shares the truth of This Excellent Lesson

Leadership Thought: Did You Ever See a Turtle on a Fence Post

Dear Friend

I heard about a pastor who was voted the humblest pastor in America. And the congregation gave him a medal that said, “To the humblest pastor in America.” Then they took it away from him on Sunday because he wore it.

Humility is an important quality in the development of our Christian faith. It’s a characteristic that can strengthen our faith, deepen our relationship with God and impact the lives of those around us. It helps us recognize our limitations and reminds us of our need for grace.

D. L Moody was right when he reminded believers to, "Be humble or you'll stumble.”  A lack of humility can get you in a lot of trouble.

I wish I could say that I have learned that lesson, but I can't. Unfortunately, there have been more times in my life than I would like to admit, when I failed the class on humility.

I still remember the game which took place  20 years ago. It was definitely one of the most embarrassing moments  in my life. For many years I have umpired high school baseball and one year while in South Florida I chose to accept a few college games involving teams making  their spring trips from the north to get out of the cold weather. I felt like I had done reasonably well in the previous few games I had been assigned, and there was a dangerous sense of pride developing in my heart. “This isn't that difficult,” I thought. “Play is a little faster than high school, but I can handle it.” Overconfidence had set in. Then it happened. 

It was the Rutgers versus Kansas State game. I knew some of the players on Rutgers as they had played on a high school travel team on which my son had played.  I also knew their parents who had traveled south to watch them play and there was a part of my prideful nature that wanted them to see how this pastor they knew from New Jersey had progressed as an umpire. I became overly concerned about impressing them with my ability, and suddenly it happened.  I lost my focus, not a good thing to do in any game, but especially in a closely contested one run game when the tensions and emotions were high.

I called a pitch a strike that was obviously far out of the strike zone, and the third base coach erupted in anger and started yelling at me. I knew the moment I made the call that I had badly missed it. The next inning the same thing happened, only thank goodness my equally poor call was on the other team, and by now both coaches were angry and yelling at me. At this point, I couldn’t wait for the game to be finished so I could walk off the field, get into my car and drive away. When the game finished, I apologized to my partner for my performance, quickly sped off for home, never again to do another college game.

Pride and over-confidence had caught up with me, and yes. I stumbled and yes, I was humbled. and I know it will happen again whenever I take my eyes off God and begin trusting in my own strength, ability, and experience.

I contrast my experience with that of William Carey, who is known as the father of the modern-day mission movement. For much of his life, he was a humble cobbler until God called him to the mission field in India. His mission work became well known throughout the world. He became one of the finest linguists  the church has ever known, translating the Bible into 24 Indian languages. 

But not everyone appreciated him. Some disdained his lack of education and were quick to ridicule his rudimentary educational background. One evening at a dinner, a rather distinguished man, in an effort to embarrass Carey, said in a loud enough voice for all to hear: "Carey, I hear that you were a shoemaker before you became a missionary."

Carey looked up and humbly responded, "No sir that is not true. I was a cobbler. who only mended shoes, not a shoemaker who makes shoes."

Carey recognized his value to the Kingdom was not based upon anything but his moment-by-moment dependence upon the Lord. You see when we humble ourselves before the Lord, a vacuum is formed, and when it does, God always steps in to fill that vacuum. 

Jesus in referring to himself said: "I am meek and humble of heart." What accounted for that humility?

Jesus' humility came from his dependence on the Father. He could have used his own power, and his own position to secure whatever he desired, but instead, he depended completely on the Father to provide whatever he might need.  And when we depend completely on the Father, we too will find that we don’t need to depend upon personality, performance, power, or position to secure whatever we might need.  Our faith in Him will free us from pride, and we will discover in the process that "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18. Yes, God will always bring down the proud and exalt the humble.

Alex Haley, the writer of Roots, the classic piece on the development of slavery, has a huge picture in his office. And it’s the picture of a turtle on a fence post. He said it was there to remind him of a valuable lesson he once learned: "If you ever see a turtle on a fence post, you know, he had some help."

May God help each one of us to learn this lesson.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: The Story of the Pit

Dear Friends,

It is so easy to talk about helping and caring for people, but it is another thing to become involved and do something specific to help and care for them.

The struggle we all have as believers is translating knowing what to do into doing what we know 

Years ago, some of us wore WWJD bracelets reminding us to ask,"\What Would Jesus Do?"  Today there is another bracelet available with a more appropriate word change- DWJD-"Do What Jesus Did." 

I believe that this message more accurately addresses how we should live out our neighborly love.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that we are to do good to our neighbor, who is defined as anyone in need. 

The religious leaders who should have helped, walked right on by their neighbor, while the religiously despised Samaritan chose to stop and help. He saw his neighbor's need and decided to do something about it, and so should we.

He invested his time and money and sought help for the man because he valued him as God valued him.

The religious leaders disagreed spiritually and politically with the man, and as a result they ignored his need and walked on by.

Jesus wants us to value and care for all people. He teaches  that we should unconditionally love everyone regardless of who they are. If they are in need, they are our neighbors, and we should strive to meet their needs, rather than ignore them.

John Maxwell says, "If I see you hurting, I will help you. If I see you broken, I will fix you, but if I see you as valuable, I will serve you.” Jesus teaches us that all humans are valuable and deserve to be loved and served.

As believers we are to be salt and light, to make things better and brighter and this means we must always be willing to "do as Jesus did." We are to love everyone unconditionally, regardless of our differences politically, spiritually, socially, or relationally.

The story of the Pit is a good reminder of this lesson: 

A man fell into a pit and couldn't help himself out.

 A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there."

An objective person said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there."

A Christian Scientist came along, "You only think you're in a pit."

A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit."

A Mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit.

A Rockhound asked him of any rare specimens in the pit. 

A News Reporter wanted an exclusive story on his pit.

A Fundamentalist said, "You deserve your pit."

A Realist said, "That's a pit"

A Geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.

An IRS man asked if he was paying taxes on the pit. 

The County Inspector asked if he had a permit to dig a pit.

A professor gave him a lecture on the Elementary Principles of the Pit.

An Evasive person avoided the subject of the pit altogether. 

A Self-Pitying person, said, " You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit." 

A Charismatic said, "Just confess that you are not in a pit."

An Optimist said, "Things could be worse."

A Pessimist said, "Things will get worse." 

Jesus seeing the man took him by the hand, and lifted him out of the pit, and so should we!

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom