The World’s Most Powerful Tool…

…is really small.

…is extremely effective.

…is something everybody can use.

…doesn’t require a permit.

…can destroy others in a matter of seconds.

…can build others up just as quickly.

…can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

…is nearly impossible to “undo.”

…is sharp like a sword.

…and blunt like a hammer.

What is it?

The world’s most powerful tool…

…is your tongue.

Your words can destroy or build up.

They can hurt or they can heal.

You can train your tongue to say good things or you can let your tongue loose to tear others down.

How do you use this powerful tool?

What can you do to use it better?

andy ::

Creativity

I’ve always wanted to be a very creative person.

I get very excited when I come up with a new idea or think of something in a way that I’ve never heard it presented before.

Then, there are people I know and work with who make me feel like my creativity is so elementary compared to theirs.

But, that’s good. It’s good to be around people that are more creative than I am. It challenges me, stretches me, forces me to expand my own creative boundaries.

What are some things that you need to be stretched in?

A Little Garfield Morning

So funny.

How many times have you made adjustments to the wrong thing just to make everything a little bit easier?

Enjoy this holiday season everybody, don’t let it go by to quickly.

How Bad Is It?

Life is good.

That’s a statement I work to remind myself of.

I know that things don’t always work out the way I want them to and I’m sure if that’s true for me, it’s true for everybody else too.

I have a co-worker at Aero that always seems to be in a negative mood. Not always a bad mood, but always seems to get frustrated quickly, always sees the bad in a situation. At least that’s how they communicate it.

It’s important to remember that life isn’t as bad as it can be. If you’re reading this, it means you either have a computer… or you have access to a computer. That’s one good thing. It mean’s you have electricity and the gift of sight, if it’s being read to you it means you have the gift of hearing.

It could be worse.

Please don’t ever forget that even if life is handing you a lot of nearly impossible situations, it’s not only raining, it’s pouring – understand that you can choose to find something positive in the midst of the most negative of situations.

It’s important that you always – at the very least – do your best to see the positive in things.

Life is good.

Enjoy it!!

Is Silence the Enemy of Integrity? part 3

We’ve already established that as a leader, integrity may be your most valuable resource.

Without it, you have no foundation with the other leaders in your organization, no influence with your followers and not a lot of sustainably opportunity with people you have the opportunity to serve.

Today’s post touches on a simple concept and we’ll investigate it more over the next couple of days.

Integrity does not equal perfection. You do not have to be a perfect person to have a high level of integrity. For some reason, I feel like those two categories get lumped together.

Let’s get one thing straight, Integrity does not equal Perfection. Along that same line: Perfection does not equal Integrity.

I define integrity this way::

Integrity is not perfection, it’s being honest about your imperfections.

Which means that we need to be honest with ourselves and with others about the things that we don’t do right. It’s impossible to be a leader of great integrity without knowing your limits and living within them while trying to stretch them.

You can’t stretch yourself without having people around you to challenge you.

Where can you be honest about your imperfections?

Where can you challenge yourself and others in the area of integrity?

Stretch far…

andy ::

What A Day

Today was an interesting day.

I write this at 9:22 in the evening, my FRIENDS dvd plays in the background and my lovely fiancé is playing with her new jewelry box. Today, I worked at Aeropostale – a job I picked up for the holidays to get some Christmas gift money and to save a bit for our wedding next year.

I went in at 11:50 AM thinking to myself, “I’m getting there early! I’m excited to get settled and prep for a work day.” I was supposed to start at 12 noon.

Today was the day that the big honcho for Aero corporate was going to be there checking things out, all the managers were on edge, ready to get to work and impress the big guys from the offices.

I walk in, wearing my best Aero scarf and jacket, greet my co-workers, introduce myself to the big man and walk to the back room.

Before I clock in, I double check the schedule and to my horror and surprise, the schedule says that I work from 10 AM – 3 PM today, Dec 11, 2009.

I was officially 1 hour and 50 minutes late to work.

On the one day that the guy from corporate was visiting. I was waltzing into work incredibly late. They had to call in a co-worker early to take my place because they had no idea where I was.

I was SO FRUSTRATED! It was a wild morning that turned into a good day.

I really could have let that one incident ruin my whole day, but I was able to shake it off and to be honest I only remember the frustration of showing up late after I really sit down to think about it.

What should you try to shake off?

What has happened to you recently that you are letting ruin your day/week/month/life when you really should shake it off?

Shake well..

andy ::

Is Silence the Enemy of Integrity? part 2

Just because silence can sometimes lead to a hiccup in vision doesn’t mean that a leader has to go around just spouting off random information. There’s a difference between speaking and communicating. Sometimes it’s good to be quiet and realize it’s not all about you as a leader. There are other times when it’s important to speak up.

Times when a leader needs to speak up rather than pipe down:

1. Crisis: A leader needs to communicate clearly in times of crisis. Ensuring the followers that he/she is aware of the situation and communicate a detailed plan to help get them through the crisis.

Generally the person who speaks up the loudest during a crisis BECOMES the leader, even if they weren’t the leader to begin with. And if what they are saying is negative, it will only make the work of the leader much more difficult.

2. Vision-Casting: A new vision cannot be cast and an old vision cannot be re-cast if the leader responsible for accomplishing it doesn’t speak up to those following the vision.

3. Celebration: As a leader of integrity, consistency is the main ingredient. If you don’t speak up when things are going right and communicate positive feedback to the people that are working to accomplish your vision, then you will see a decrease in morale in your team.

They need to know that what they are doing is helping to accomplish the vision. They might not see the vision past what you’ve communicated, so as a leader you have to see the future vision as well as the current workers and praise them for what they are doing.

If you are quiet during this time, it will breed confusion and contempt. They will become distracted and overwhelmed and their execution will take a hit. They may continue on doing their work, but the passion behind it will suffer and fade because they can’t see clearly how what they are doing is making the vision possible.

As a leader never forget to verbally and effectively communicate to your team members how valuable they really are. Not just as fellow workers in the vision, but to you personally – as a leader.

So speak up leaders! And if you’re wondering, What do I need to hear this for? I’m not a leader.

Maybe that’s because you’re not speaking up. Speak up and you might just become a leader.

more tomorrow..

Is Silence the Enemy of Integrity? part 1

As a Religious Studies Minor in college I was a part of several class room debates. I learned that people can get very aggressive and crazy, even belligerent. Also, I learned that if you are quiet and wait patiently for an opportunity to speak, it’s much more likely that people will here you. If you jump right in and join in the screaming, arguing and banter, the chances someone will actually hear what you are saying are greatly decreased.

When it comes to leadership, it’s important not to take this principle too far. As a leader, you HAVE to speak up. You MUST be vocal about the vision and the mission you have been given.

If you are quiet about it, the greater potential for someone else can come and confuse and distract your followers. When it comes to your integrity and vision as a leader, you have to be loud about it.

The saying goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil.” If you don’t openly communicate your vision, your mission, your plan and your integrity is called into question, the silence could be counterproductive. And unfortunately, nobody wins when that happens.

So, speak up! Don’t let your vision become drowned out by any number of possible distractions we face.

More tomorrow…

andy ::

Integrity – A Leader’s Most Valuable Resource?

Over the past week, I’ve been faced with evidence of a principle I’ve always known:

As a leader, integrity is your most valuable resource.

You can’t be an effective leader without showing great character and integrity. You might be able to get a lot of things done, you may even be able to motivate people to accomplish a vision, but that’s not all leadership is about.

John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”

You can’t gain long term influence with people unless you show a massive amount of integrity. When the situation goes south, people look to the leader to pull them through and sometimes, as a leader when things are tough, your word, your history, your reputation as a leader is the only thing that will keep the people following you from walking away to a “safer” situation.

Never underestimate the power of integrity as a leader.

This week, we’ll talk about integrity, what it looks like, what it means and how it really could be a leaders most valuable resource.

andy ::

People of the Second Chance

I absolutely love second chances.

As a person who regularly needs them (I fail a lot) and a person who strives to give them out (I know other people fail too) I want to promote a life changing movement called People of the Second Chance.

It’s a movement created my Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite, you can find details at POTSC.com which launches on new blog on December 7. If you’ve ever needed a second chance and received it, you know the healing power of another chance.

Likewise, if you’ve been a person seeking a second chance and been denied, you understand how deeply the pain and hurt can reach.

Either way, you understand the power of the second chance. Consider joining the movement of the second chance. Give yourself a chance, give others a chance.

Over the next several weeks I want to highlight The Second Chance.

Just because. I need it. You need it. God honors it.

Join the movement.

POTSC.com