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Kevin Bowser

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I am the husband of a beautiful and wonderful woman. I am the father of two of the greatest kids on the planet. I am a father-in-law to a great young woman. And I am Papa to three very special grandchildren. In my spare time I am an active blogger and writer. And if there is any time left over, I work with small non-profit organizations and churches on the topics of change management, crisis intervention and leadership development.

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Fraud Alert

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Fraud Alert - 2 How many of you got a nice letter or email from your bank this week informing you that your debit card was possibly one of the ones compromised in the Target retail store data breach?

I got one!  But by the time I received the email notice from Chase’s Fraud Department, I had already discovered that something was amiss when I visited an ATM machine to withdraw some Christmas cash and was told that I was over my limit for the day.  There was only one problem.  I hadn’t used my card yet that day!  So, I toodled around to the lobby and inquired.  That was when I got the “good news”.  Chase’s Fraud Department had been informed by Target about the breach.  Chase then immediately went into “protect our account holder mode” and enacted limits on transactions until they could get all of the issues sorted out.  Now fortunately my bank account was safe and Chase is sending me a new debit card to be extra safe.  And I am grateful for that.

I worked for a short time in banking earlier in my career.  And although I am not an expert by any means, I know this.  Banks must stay abreast of all the latest potential hacks, attacks and attempts to compromise our bank accounts.  They do not put a system in place and then walk away and leave it on eternal auto-pilot.  They monitor the situation daily, hourly, and moment by moment and transaction by transaction.  And when a transaction is slightly different from our normal pattern, a little “red flag” goes up and the bank checks it out.

Fraud Alert - 4This became apparent to me anew and afresh recently on a business trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. 

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Leading Them to the Manger

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Leading Them to the Manger - 1This will be my last chance to speak to the fathers before Christmas day rolls around. And I want to continue the theme of my article last year at Christmas. My admonition to the fathers out there last year on Christmas Day was to “Let’s lead our families and loved ones to the manger today.”

It seems that Christmas has become the domain of the “Moms” out there. They do most of the shopping and certainly most of the wrapping. Be honest guys, how many presents have you wrapped this year?

And that is all well and good. Perhaps in your family, like in mine, the wife and mother have more time to accomplish many of the tasks associated with the gifting of Christmas. Frankly, many of them enjoy it. But, probably they do not enjoy it like we think they do in the hustle and bustle of the last few days before Christmas. But they get it all done like the wonder women that they are.

So, what is the point for Fatherhood Friday on this last Friday before Christmas?

It is to remind you husbands and fathers out there of your sacred duty to lead your family to the manger on a daily basis. I know that Christmas will be over as quickly as it came upon us. But we must keep the beauty and the simplicity of the manger ever before us. And it is our jobs as the leaders in our homes to lead our families in slowing down, pausing to reflect, sharing the gift of love, and spending time around the manger where we can look into the face of the Newborn King.

Dads – Don’t send your wife and children to the manger this Sunday while you recline in front of the big screen TV and watch yet another football game. Get up, get off the couch and lead your family in some form of worship and praise of the greatest gift ever given – the Babe lying in the manger. The one came to lead us out of darkness and into eternal light.

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Charge Ahead or Leave It Alone

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Charge Ahead or Leave It Alone - 1Question: How do we determine when we are to charge ahead as leaders or leave it alone and deal with it another day?

We have all been taught in elementary school that we should not put off a kindness until tomorrow that we can do today.  But what about a tough leadership decision?  Is there ever a situation where we would want to put that off for another time down the road?

Charge Ahead or Leave It Alone - 2When is it right to charge ahead and take the bull by the horns and lead in the midst of a difficult situation?  And when is it right to stand back and leave the issue alone and take a more relaxed and non-confrontational approach?  These are legitimate questions that I put before our audience of leaders and readers.  What are your thoughts?  And how did you make the determination regarding the approach that you would take?  Did you ever consider that taking the relaxed approach was a sign of weakness or indecision?  Did it make the situation better or worse by your decision?

I am facing several interesting and difficult leadership challenges right now and I am seeking advice on how to approach these decisions and on the relative merits of each approach.  I hope that you are gaining valuable insights from our many leaders and readers and I hope that you will share some of your own insights with us.

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Leaders and the Reset Button

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Leaders and the Reset Button - 1I was recently discussing with some colleagues the subject of leadership and the younger generation.  Now, I know that I immediately sound really old when I say “younger generation”.  But the reality of the situation is that those under the age of 30 (and even up to the age of 40) have a different view of the world because of the ubiquity of video games in their formative years.

For those of that generation who are now finding themselves as husbands, fathers, and burgeoning leaders in their jobs or at church many are finding themselves with difficulties in dealing with real life situations and the challenges of being the husband, father and leader that they have perhaps envisioned themselves becoming.  They are discovering that being a leader is a lot harder than it looks.  Being a full-time husband and father is harder than it looks.  Being responsible at work and responsive at home come with a high cost in terms of energy and emotional capital.

But these young leaders grew up playing video games.  And when the game was not turning out the way they wanted it to, or they encountered seemingly unsurmountable odds, they simply reached over to the game console and pushed the “Reset” button and instantly was granted a fresh start and new insights into the pitfalls that were just before the cause of their demise in the video game.  There were no consequences to restarting and they could begin a new and try something different this time.  They could even restart as a completely different character.

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Leaders Lead – Fathers Must Also

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Leaders Lead - Fathers Must Also - 1Real leaders understand the danger of inaction – either through intention or just through neglect.

Consider this: Public monuments are never set up to honor someone who merely intended to do something.  They don’t often build monuments to honor those who started a quest, but never finished it.

Leaders act. Though they spend time in study and planning, they mostly act. For leaders, study and planning are a ramp-up for action, not a substitute for it.

Fathers must act as well. As fathers we must lead with action. And now is the time for action. Not tomorrow. Not this week-end. Not after I have had some “Me Time”. Now is the time to act and do. Now is the time to redouble your efforts to be the kind of father that your children’s mother envisioned you to be when she married you.

Moreover, real leaders never let indecision lead to inaction. When confronted with several tough choices of action, they do not shrink back. They brace themselves, consult with their wife and together choose what they judge as the best way forward, and then set to work as best they can to achieve that goal.

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LEAD – an Acrostic

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Everyone needs an acrostic every now and then to help us remember things or get a better grasp of concepts. So, today I present an acrostic to help us understand better how to lead.

LEAD Acrostic - 1L – Learn – Each of us must invest in ourselves in order to learn how to become a better leader. Although many folks are naturally gifted with leadership traits and tendencies, many are not so gifted. So it is imperative that we each develop ways to learn from other recognized leaders in our contemporary culture. And we must cultivate a good historical knowledge of leaders from our past. Read about leaders such as Jack Welch and George Patton. Do not necessarily get distracted by some of their personal or family foibles. But rather focus on the public leadership that they displayed.

LEAD Acrostic - 2E – Earn – Each of us must earn the right to lead. We must lead in the little things first before we can expect to be given great leadership responsibility. You don’t often make it from the mail room to the board room in a week. But, you will earn the right to lead through time and through trial and error. Unfortunately many in the younger generation have never experienced trial and error. They have grown up in a culture where everyone is a winner. And you are given a ribbon for just participating. The ribbon is conferred upon you and not earned by your efforts. Leadership is earned.

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Leadership and Tom Landry

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Getting someone to do - 1

Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do
to achieve what they want to achieve.
Tom Landry

Thanksgiving has been known for many traditions. Not the least of which, unfortunately, may be that there is football on Thanksgiving. The Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving Day since 1966 and that my friend is a tradition.

I grew up and became a Steelers fan in my teen years. They were awesome in the 1970s. The Cowboys weren’t bad either. But the best thing to be said of the Cowboys in those days was their coach – Tom Landry.

Getting someone to do - 2There have been some amazing coaches in pro football. John Madden, Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy are only a few of the great coaches that have walked the chalk on the sidelines. But, beyond their ability to instruct and motivate with Xs and Os, consider for a moment one of the key tasks of the football coach as the leader of the team. He must get his guys to do that which is tough and tiring in order to achieve the thing that they all really want – winning the Super Bowl.

What is the point on Fatherhood Friday on the day after the Cowboys beat the Raiders 31 to 24?

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Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

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Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation - 1Thanksgiving Proclamation

Issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

Happy Thanksgiving
from the whole
Leadership Voices Team

 

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A Thankful Father I Would Be

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A Thankful Father I Would Be - 1By this time next week Thanksgiving will have come and gone. And this Fatherhood Friday I am pausing to offer thanks to my Heavenly Father for my earthly father.

“Thank you God for a Dad who is both a Godly man and a good man.”

But I am also thankful for the many other fathers who have impacted my life. I am thankful for some young guys my age when I was a very young and inexperienced father. At that time I had the chance to observe young fathers like Rocky and Scott. These were two guys who were not much older than I was when we lived in Marietta, Georgia in the early 1980s. There were also some older and more mature guys like Bro. Searcy who not only took care of my car at his Firestone store, he also had patience with me and showed me what it was to be a Godly husband, father and business man. He probably never knew what an influence he had on my life.

A Thankful Father I Would Be - 2Later, when we moved back north to be near family, I had the opportunity to be mentored by some of the most incredible men that I have ever had the chance to know. I served on church boards with these men and watched them in the crucible of crisis and I saw dignity and grace. I knew that was the kind of man that I was striving to be. One man that I met there entered into a covenant and accountability relationship with me that still exists today – after more than 20 years.

Most have gone on to Glory and one has moved to Round Rock, TX and the other is in Florida. And I don’t see them very often. But those two and the other men played a very important role in my development as a husband, father and as a leader.

When we moved to Texas almost 15 years ago I was blessed to find some friends that have been instrumental in my continued development. A man named Mark and his wife Sue have shown kindness, grace, mercy and been a blessing like only a few have ever before.  They have encouraged us and they have made me a better husband, father and man.

So what is the point on Fatherhood Friday?

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Somebody is Watching You

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Somebody is Watching You - 1

Somebody is watching you.  Somebody is always watching every little move you make, every step you take, every vow you break.  (Wow, I broke into a lyric there for a second.)

Such is the stuff of thrillers and horror movies.  But the same is true of the daily and the mundane.

Someone is always watching you.

As a leader, do you understand the power of your influence?

Do you know the ramifications of what you say and what you do?

Do you grasp the implications of how you do what you do?

Leaders have tremendous impact on the lives of the people that they lead. This is true in business and it is especially true in our personal lives.  A good leader can make a person feel as though they can accomplish anything. On the other hand, a poor leader can destroy the self-esteem of those they are called to lead and serve.

As a leader you are always being watched. Consider that today and be careful.

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