Tag: Jess MacCallum

Jesus taught that being trustworthy in the small things leads to greater trust with the big things (Matt. 25:21). The movie Braveheart, about Scot highlander William Wallace, illustrated this value of faithfulness in the small things.

If you remain in a leadership position long enough you will have to deal with incompetence in someone at some point. Whether that means reassigning someone, redefining their role, or letting them go, as a leader the only option not available is to allow the mission of the organization to suffer.

Being a leader approved by God is different from being a leader put in a position by God. Sometimes, when God is training a spiritual leader, He will let us fall on our faces because we can see Him better from that position.

As a leader, if you don't understand the power of delegation, then you’ve been missing out on the single most useful strategy for both...

Sometimes it seems men generate mess as a byproduct of being men but thankfully we are worth more than the mess we create.

What started as a romantic bike ride had become a small intimate adventure. I had inadvertently awed her with my relaxed trust in her steering. And boy did I reap the benefits, scoring big points with my new wife. Not a bad idea on your honeymoon.

Above all, self-awareness is voluntary. The information we gain can only be applied by us — no one can force us to use what we learn about ourselves. But for the willing and the courageous, any chance to be crafted into a better leader will be welcome.

Most of us would like to think we are open-minded about our hiring, promotions, development, team-building, etc. And I would never suggest hiring someone based solely on their gender, ethnicity or other external factor. But even healthy leaders can fall into the trap of familiarity, when the talent and competence they need may be lying untapped in the unfamiliar.

If we want to live and lead like Jesus, we know this one thing about betrayal: it will show us more about ourselves than any other leadership experience we face.

Prov. 31:11 says, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.”

Speaking negatively about your wife to others shouts that you are a poor leader in your marriage. The Proverbs 31 Husband recognizes his wife’s accomplishments and broadcasts his admiration to the world. No one wonders what he thinks – he freely shares his opinion.

Marriage often changes the nature of relationships between friends. It is important for men to be proactive in making their marriage the top priority by respectfully scheduling time with their buddies that does not interfere with quality time with their spouses.

In some ways, dating has misled us men on this point. Courtship conversations were romantic, spontaneous, exciting, and everything you said was interesting to her. You just knew she was the right girl because she made you feel so “listened to.” Marriage inevitably changes the relationship dynamic, and it is wise to adapt to a different communication strategy based on listening.

The question persists strongly for those of us raised in evangelical America, where we are taught to seek God’s will for our lives in every area, especially the big decisions. So when I was head over heels in love with Anne (being a good Evangelical) I wrestled with whether or not she was “the One” God had chosen for me.

I had seven years to confirm that she was valuable as she mostly ignored me. Well ignored may be too strong: the thesaurus says disregarded, overlooked, or bypassed would be equally descriptive. Just pick one. The point is I finally caught her, and the compliment of my life was that she traded all her other options (and they were numerous) for me.

I had an eight-year head start since I was counting the quality of our marriage from the first day we met, which she didn’t even remember. Apparently, buried somewhere in my psyche, was the expectation that she hadn’t caught up yet. No wonder the poor woman couldn’t get a break.