NexStep Leadership

https://nexstepleaderntc.com/2019/06/13/proverbs-12-day-12/

Proverbs 12 (Day 12) Read Proverbs 12: 1-28 All 28 of the verses are worth putting in to practice and to memory. Or, perhaps even printed on an assortment of refrigerator magnets.  The two verses that resonate wit…

Communication - Life is not all about things. Life is all about relationships. It's about connecting and being with other people. I have nothing againist social media or the other forms of electronic communication, but if they are our primary forms of communication we'll have a real problem understanding what love and relationships are all about.

If you cannot communicate and listen properly, you can't love. If we learn to communicate properly and respond in the right way they will develop us, and we'll get to experience genuine love.

Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs. Proverbs 18:4 (MSG)

Give a Dog a Good Name

What do you do when a person who has been a good worker begins to turn in shoddy work? You can fire him or her, but that really doesn't solve anything. You can berate the worker, but this usually causes resentment. Henry Henke, a service manager for a large truck dealership in Lowell, Indiana, had a mechanic whose work had been less than satisfactory. Instead of bawling him out and threatening him, Mr. Henke called him into his office and had a heart-to-heart talk with him.
"Bill," he said, "you are a fine mechanic. You have been in this line of work for a good number of years. You have repaired many vehicles to customers' satisfaction. In fact, we've had a number of compliments about the good work you have done. Yet, of late, the time you take to complete each job has been increasing and your work has not been up to your own old standards.
Because you have been such an outstanding mechanic in the past I felt sure you would want to know that I'm not happy with this situation, and perhaps jointly we could find some way to correct the problem." Bill responded that he hadn't realized he had been failing down in his duties and assured his boss that the work he was getting was not out of his range of expertise and he would try to improve in the future.
Did he do it? You can be sure that he did. Once again he became a fast and thorough mechanic. With that repuation Mr. Henke had given him to live up to, how could he do anything else but turn out-work comparable to that which he had done in the past.

"The average person," says Samuel Vauclain, then president of Baldwin Locomotive Works, "can be led readily if you have his or her respect and if you show that you respect that person for some kind of ability.

In short, you if you want to improve a person in a certain respect, act as though that particular trait were already one of his of her outstanding characteristics. Shakespeare said, "Assume a virtue if you haven't not." And it might be well to assume and state openly that other people have the virtue you want to do them to develop. Give them a fine reputation to live up to, and they will make prestigious efforts rather than then see you disillusioned.

This is an excerpt from Dale Carnegie Book - "How to Win Friends & Influence People."

Self-control is the quality that allows you to stop yourself from doing things you want to do but that might not be in your best interest. For example, without self-control, you might flatulence or curse nonstop.

Have you ever had a hand full of popcorn and pretty soon you’ve eaten the whole bowl? Eating an entire bowl of popcorn shows little self-control. Not reacting when a situation triggers an emotion takes self-control. Getting up early for work takes self-control. Without self-control, it's hard to get far in life and build trustng relationships.

A couple of my favorites scripture verses that remind me to maintain self-control:

"I will not be hot-tempered, stirring up dissension, but I will be patient, calming a quarrel." Prov. 15:18

"I seriously consider what I am doing before taking on new projects. I expand prudently and I do not court neglect of present duties by assuming too many new ones." Prov. 31:16

"By my steadfastness and patient endurance I shall win the true life of my soul." Lk.21:19

"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." - Louis L'Amour

Proverbs 23:12 - Apply your heart to instruction,
And your ears to the words of knowledge.

The first person you have to lead is You! And the first thing you have to master is the soul; that's where our mind, will and emtions are contained.

How attentive is your soul after hearing the instruction and knowledge of this proverb? What changes will you make today? Have you read God’s word for instructions for increase of your knowledge? Mastery of the soul is a lifelong process - we need the help from God's word, and the counsel of wise friends who are further along in that process. Have you asked your parents’ or mentor for advice in a matter that's bothering you?

One summer morning my best friend and I came upon a skiff on the rocky shoreline that apparently came lose from its mooring. The oars were on board; the fact we didn't have premission to take the boat wasn’t enough to deter a pair of preteenage boys. We shoved off and drifted with the out going tide for a bit and started rowing for the breakwater and the lighthouse station which was about a mile away. Talking, joking, carrying on. I’m not sure how much time passed as we rowed and drifted away from shore towards our heading, but we knew we were in trouble as the out going currents took us further away from the breakwater and into the outer harbor where the commercial fishing boat traffic was heavy; surely if we didn't get back to shore we're going to get in collision with one of these boats if they don't see us.

Our panicked actions of rowing in circles got the attention of a lobster fisherman returning to harbor and he towed us back in. What started out as pure fun nearly ended in disaster.

That’s happens to many people today. What begins as fun and pleasure ends in shipwreck because people go along with the current, neglecting to think ahead or notice how fast they’re moving away from the safety of the Lord’s plan. According to the prevailing attitude of modern society, God isn’t needed as long as we feel capable in our own strength and things are going smoothly. In other words, when income is good, the family is safe, and health is stable, going with the flow seems fine. But in reality, a drifting man is being swept along by the world’s currents, which are dangerous without Christ.

Proverbs 14:14-15 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied from above.
The simple believe every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps. (NKJV) This passage reveals that the wise look to the future to avoid ruin. Let me put it another way: Drifting is foolish. In countless arenas of life—including marriage, family, vocation, and finances—we need to have a goal and navigation plan if we expect to be successful. Thankfully, God provides both in His Word. (Also see Prov. 3:5-6.)

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the problem you dealt with before.

It is wise to see and hear well, but to say little. You learn by listening, not by talking. When I was young I didn't say a lot but was a great listener and observer. The compliments I most often received were for the maturity for my age and the ability to have conservations with adults. I applied this wisdom, before I knew the Proverbs (18:21); that you should not talk until necessary or profitable. Your silence indicates careful observation and deep consideration of the topic and a deep search for the right thoughts and words before speaking.

You can’t get to solutions quick enough and a big enough scale without partners.

Every person has a right to his or her opinion, but no one has the right to speak wrong about the facts.

The greatest danager for most of us is not that our aim toward goals is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we reach it.

Be thankful if your job or task is a little harder than you like. A razor can't be sharpened on a piece of velvet.

A person's character and thier garden both reflect the amount of weeding that was done during the growing season.

Character does not reach its best until it is controlled, harnessed, and disciplined.

Whenever someone hurts or frustrates us, we can decide whether to react in a godly or worldly fashion. No matter how much blame we attempt to offload onto others, the Lord is not misled by our maneuvering. He looks at the heart. Each of us is accountable to Him for both our attitudes and responses.

Whenever someone hurts or frustrates us, we can decide whether to react in a godly or worldly fashion. No matter how much blame we attempt to offload onto others, the Lord is not misled by our maneuvering. He looks at the heart. Each of us is accountable to Him for both our attitudes and responses. --Charles Stanley

Be a F.A.T. leader today, and everyday.

Professional-Grade. I admire the self-taught that rise to the level of a pro. I love baking and making tasty treats to share with family and friends. I'm not a pro in the culinary arts, but I do approach it the same way as a professional: willingness to learn and be taught, follow a plan, move beyond the failure, share your work space, and add the personal touch that is uniquely you. The skill of a pro whether it's in the kitchen, the garden, or at the day job, he or she crafts master work from a comprehensive set of learned building blocks. Whether you're a beginner, [baking] enthusiasts, or a pro - Be Professional-Grade.

Yesterday I had the privilege to be on a phone call with Bonnie St. John. She has an incredible story, a true champion and leader.

Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, Bonnie St. John became the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Olympic competition, taking home a silver and two bronze medals at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria. In recognition of this historic achievement, Bonnie was quoted on millions of Starbucks coffee cups and was honored with her portrait in the Main Hall of Trinity College at Oxford as a distinguished alumna.

Bonnie shared last night the importance of, "stay focused on the essentials."

I highly encourage leaders to get her book, "Micro Resilience."

REFLECTION The John Maxwell Team is a group of Maxwell certified coaches, trainers, speakers, mentors and professionals, offering workshops, seminars, keynote speaking, and coaching to aid in personal and professional growth to individuals, organizations and companies worldwide.

Margins

Bobby McLellan
In school you probably remember the teacher saying, “remember children stay inside the margins,” in business we asked to increase or maintain the margins. In living life, we can let things drag us outside of the margins which lead to us being stress-out, over scheduled and always in a rush.

This year I’m committed to leaving more margin, this way I can better plan for the unexpected things, like, expect the unexpected. Unexpected has a negative overtone, but it doesn't have to, expecting the unexpected leaves room for opportunities to seize.

Back to an earlier point, if you find yourself rushed and always in a hurry, find the source of the problem. It could be just a bad habit, or procrastination. When I was in middle school the teachers had a nickname for me, “Rapid R0bert,” it was because I also seemed to be moving fast and in a hurry, this was really just a bad habit I developed and even carried over to adulthood. Being rush was because I would put things off to the last minute; played first worked later, not planning ahead, and yes, procrastination.

If what I describe resonates with you, make a change this year: Plan more, play less, tackle the one thing you’ve been procrastinating about for far too long, and slow down a bit from the regular routine.

Margin: A measure, quantity, or degree of difference. I’ve learned and continue to learn that frustrating days are days I can look back on and quickly realize, I didn’t leave enough margin. Let’s learn a new method, leave some margin.

Therefore, see that you walk carefully…making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence]. – Ehp. 5:15 (amp)

The very best to you in this New Year!

Words to Remember from Santa Claus - "...
Once a reasonable plan is made, we immediately implement it...We get things going fast, and then we make midcourse corrections as necessary. And the way we know how we're doing, as well as what adjustments we need to make, is through continual monitoring and measurement.

From: The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus, by Eric Harvey.

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Lessons from Santa Claus "Profit is the applause you get for creating a motivating environment for your people and taking care of your customers. “People first” must be the heartbeat of every leader. - Ken Blanchard

Like everyone else, great performers don't like to be ignored or taken for granted. Even though some may not admit it publicly, in private, most realize that they need to be worked with, involved, recognized, and rewarded. In other words, they need to be coached.

Taken from: "The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus" - by Eric Harvey.

Words to Remember from Santa Claus - "...
it seems to me that what makes a workshop wonderful is not walls and ceilings, but what happens inside those walls and under those ceilings...it's not how a workshops stands, but what it stands for that makes it special."

From: The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus, by Eric Harvey.

When it comes to problem solving or finding a solution to a complex puzzle, my experience has been the closer you get the answer, the less options you have in front of you. This is where you need to focus like a laser on the remaining options. If the process of finding a solution to a difficult problem has been long and arduous, you might find yourself wanting to give up from the mental exhaustion. But this is really the time to push forward, call for help, collaborate, seek wisdom, and remain positive, because your solution is within reach. The right angle to approach a difficult problem is the “try-angle.”