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Leadership and Ambition

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julius-casar_l“When the gods wish to take vengeance on a man for his crimes they usually grant him considerable success and a period of impunity, so that when his fortune is reversed he will feel it all the more bitterly.”

Julius Caesar

Ambition is among the strongest and most creative forces in the arsenal of human psychology and frequently the reason that things get done. It also is one of the most dangerous – that drive to grab the biggest slice of the pie before anyone else and sometimes even the entire pie. Julius Caesar (101-44 BC) had plenty of ambition. Early in his career he happened upon a bust of Alexander the Great. Comparing himself to the great king, Caesar lamented that he was the same age as Alexander had been when he died but that by age thirty-two Alexander had conquered a world and so far he had done practically nothing. Vowing that would change, Caesar entered the Roman political arena and the rest is history.

Is ambition required for leadership?

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Advice to a Thirteen Year Old Boy

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 My youngest son is turning thirteen years old in February.

As a family, we perform a Manhood Ceremony for our boys.

Two years ago, we had a very intimate family gathering where we presented our oldest several items signifying his journey into Manhood.  These items are reminders of his role as a Man and some were challenges as he grows in adulthood.

The evening was amazing.  Parents and grandparents prayed and bestowed gifts to our oldest on his birthday.  As a father, I passed on the blessing to my first born.  I gave him permission to pursue Biblical manhood and I promised to be there to guide him.

One item I gave my oldest was

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Financier, Friend or Father — Part Two

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Friend - JumpWe recently looked at the role that we play as a financier for the family.  And that role is important.  But consider part two of this three part series.

Friend – “Hey, who is your buddy?”

One of the other traps we fall into is the trap of trying to be a buddy or pal to our child rather than being their father.  And the reason we do is fairly obvious.  It is much easier to be a friend than it is to be a father.  And besides, who doesn’t want to be a pal or to have a pal?  The problem is

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Is Leadership Static or Dynamic?

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Static vs DynamicI have been asked recently if my approach to selling or leading a sales team has changed due to my recent change in jobs and the new “products” that I am representing. As I thought about the question, I tried to apply it to LeadershipVoices and the following paragraphs are what my feeble mind has produced.

Based on what my collegiate creative writing professor claimed, a static person or character in a story or piece of literature is someone who never changes.  They stay the same. As I consider and compare that to leadership, I wonder if that is a good trait for a leader to have.

When I think of static, I think of

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Listening – A Secret to Leadership Growth

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Talking into a Large EarOne of the top ways that a leader can grow is by listening.

Think of this as a follow up to my article that looked at whether leadership is a quiet or loud activity.

It is somewhat counter-intuitive. Leadership feels like it should be a speaking activity. But it advances well when it exercises a listening posture. That reality can be hard to accept. It feels like it ought to be the other way around. But then again, leading by “feelings” is rarely a good idea. A leadership position often makes us think that we should be doing most of the talking. Not true. Leadership positions make us think

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Careful! You might get what you ask for.

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Escalator Going UpIt has been quite interesting watching the employees within organizations strive for what they feel, is a well deserved advancement within the company. I can think of at least five different situations where a great salesperson was intent upon becoming management – only to later discover that the advancement was confining and not in harmony with his skill sets or need to be publicly rewarded. An advancement in the hierarchy of the corporation does not always lead to an advancement in our level of job fulfillment, quality of life or even earnings.

It seems natural and logical in many ways to assume that corporate job growth is vertical. But in real life, our relational landscape is

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Financier, Friend or Father — Part One

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Money TreeAs Dads, we have a lot of roles to play as part of our overall responsibility to the family.  This is especially true when it comes to the relationship that we have with our children.  In a brief three part series I plan to consider three particular roles that we play in our children’s lives.

Financier – “What am I made of?  Money?”

I think one of the things that is the hardest for us to understand early in the life of our family is understanding what level of importance to place on the role of money within the family.  And one of the traps that young fathers fall into is the trap of

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The Opportunity of Leadership

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 “Another time [Benaiah] chased a lion down into a pit.  Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.”  2 Samuel 23

In scripture, we read of a valiant warrior turning the tables and chasing a lion into a pit, and, then killing the large feline.  Picture it in  your mind…maybe lace it with the cinema scope of a motion picture.  Benaiah notices the impression of lion prints in the snow.  The cold bites his lungs as air fills his chest with anticipation.  His muscles tighten and his eyes narrow as he spots the lion.  The lion growls and groans.  The lion’s ears are back and hair on its neck is twitching.

At this point, some folks would think this is a very bad thing.  Then there are others who would see the lion and think-

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Passenger Van

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Passenger Van SeatsConsider for a moment that we are all on a journey and we are travelling in a van.  There is seat for everyone.  With this in mind, think about what seat you would choose to sit in if you could choose any seat that you wanted?  Would it be the driver’s seat,  the passenger’s seat, the middle seats, or the back seats?

The passenger’s seat would allow you to co-pilot the van, hold the map, and give guidance in reaching predetermined destinations.

The middle seats allow you to be surrounded by people so you can be the life of the party.  You have many opportunities to socialize with everyone.

The back seat allows you to be secluded to an extent.  No one is behind you and you can take it easy.  There is more time for observing and thinking while seated in the back.

The driver’s seat is

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Leaders, Who needs ’em?

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three-stooges-pointing

Why do I need a leader? They just get in the way, I don’t need anyone telling me what to do, or leading me. I am the master of my own universe; I decide what I do, when I do and how I do it. If I want someone else’s opinion I will ask for it.

I spent 18 years trying to get away from my parents leadership, now I got cops, politicians, God and a boss setting rules, who needs another one. I follow my own rules, I follow my own path, I don’t need you.

I’ve read stories about great leaders like General Custer who LEAD his troops to a slaughter, and I have read in the Bible where it says in Luke chapter 22, verse 26: “…Let the greatest among you become the youngest and the leader as the one who serves, “ and didn’t Lot let his wife get turned into a pillar of salt? As I look around the world, it is full of

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