Monthly Archives: March 2013

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Accountability: I Got Your Back, Bro!

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I have had the amazing opportunity to hang out with Operators. Those amazing men who have gone to sandy places, slept in foxholes, and returned to tell amazing stories of battle.  Every chance they get they share stories of camaraderie and close calls.

In those stories, I would hear a recurring theme. Trust. How each operator had each other’s back. They were constantly checking each others “six”.   SIX-An old aviation term to look behind you (“your 6 o’clock” referring to the relative location of a threat with 12 o’clock being directly in front of you).

In my current profession, I have to constantly keep looking over my shoulder.  Fortunately, when I’m in the field, I have a partner that helps me and has my six.  And in return, I cover my partner.

In our daily lives, as we bumble through life, it is good to surround yourself with trustworthy men that will have your back.  Men you can trust to guard you from the many pitfalls of life and help you get to your next objective.

As you strive to be a leader to your family, friends, and co-workers yield yourself to the cover of others and in return cover their six.

In the weeks to come, I want to propose/share a new way of retooling men’s small groups with you.  Not a curriculum, not a program, but a methodology.  (GREAT!  A new men’s small group technique. HOLD ON, Mr. Skeptical.)    A methodology to achieve life transformation…to be a better man/leader than you were yesterday.

Don’t worry.  It may hurt a little.  But the rewards are awesome.  And I got your back, Bro!

 

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Some Things a Dad Should Teach a Son

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Some Things to Teach Your SonI have been thinking a great deal lately about things that I learned from my dad.  He taught me a lot about what it means to be a man who understands the power of commitment. There was never any doubt about his commitment to God, my mom, us kids, his church or his job.  He took the commitments that he made very seriously and did not waver.

Do I ever recall my dad sitting down with me and saying, “Son, here are some things that I need to teach you”.  No, that didn’t happen.  But I picked up a lot of things from him about how to live my life as a man, a husband and a father.  And now, as I reflect on my own experience, I remember

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Where have all the leaders gone?

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Where have all the leaders goneI “feel” (and we know how dangerous it is to operate on feelings) that there are fewer leaders now than in days gone by. It may or may not be so. But it seems that is the case. Leaders must be a lot like heroes. I wonder where all of them have gone as well.

One of the characteristics that define a leader is that they are growing and developing leaders around them.

So, what is the point and the leadership principle here?

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The Following Leader

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The Following LeaderLeadership is an issue in our culture. Too many people, men and women alike, seem to shrug off their responsibilities allowing others to either carry their weight or simply leaving those in need of their leadership wanting. There is no question this is a problem and thus the purpose of this blog; to encourage purposeful leadership back into our culture. However, in my last post I proposed leading can be done simply by being a follower. You can read the article here. I’d like to build on this thought.

I think too many of us, myself included, see the glory tied to leadership. The praise given, the accolades attributed and then pride happens. And when I’m called upon to follow, I rebel. I may drag my feet, defy guidelines, or inappropriately have the notion I could do better if I were in charge. This type of pride only helps the culture in its downward spiral. We need followers. We need to be followers. We can’t all be leaders, all the time, in every capacity. In some way, you and I are followers right now.

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Soundtracks

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Tape RecorderEvery one of us has a soundtrack playing inside our head. It is a recording of the things that people have said to us over the years. For many of us we remember what was said and how it made us feel like it was yesterday. We seem to remember them even though we long to forget them. Many things that were said to us make us sad. Some make us mad.

What does this have to do with fatherhood and leadership in the home?

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