The Champion’s Brew is a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership. I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well. Any of the points especially impact you? Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going! I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’! Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!
Here is this week’s drink:
- Read More – Just finished reading Love Works by Joel Manby, and well… I loved it!! I thought Joel’s story was profoundly Uncommon. His story wasn’t all that uncommon early on. He would have considered himself a driven, successful leader who, after graduating Harvard Business School had moved ten times in fifteen years as he accepted new leadership positions of increasing responsibility and pressure. He travelled all the time and his wife, finally woke him up: “When you’re home, which isn’t often, you’re not really home.” Ouch. That was a conversation that changed the course of his life forever. He was fortunate enough to get a call from an Uncommon leader and organization that would help him with his family situation. I don’t see that as an accident at all. He stepped away from big corporations and sexy start-ups to be the CEO of a small, family-owned company that valued family and led with LOVE. In the introductory part of the book, the author defined the four types of love:
- Eros – The romantic love when a teenager busts through the door saying, “I’m in Love”
- Philos – The people you want to hang out with (think, “brotherly love”)
- Storge – The natural affection felt between family members (think, “blood is thicker than water”)
- Agape – The 4th kind of love is unconditional. It is a decision, a matter of will, a VERB. The inspiration for using agape love as a leadership principle actually comes from the Bible. If you have been to a wedding, you have probably heard these words uttered: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dis-honor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7)
This is agape, and those are principles that WILL transform an individuals, newlywed couples, families, communities, teams and organizations.
Love is:
- Patient – To have self-control in difficult situations
- Kind – To show encouragement and enthusiasm
- Trusting – To place confidence in someone (I love his story about a teacher or his, Miss Pray, who called him out at an early age on not being a good listener, and thus, eroding trust!
- Unselfish – To think of yourself less
- Truthful – To define reality corporately and individually
- Forgiving – To release the grip of the grudge
- Dedicated – To stick to your values in all circumstances. This was one of my favorite chapters. The author talked about having both DO goals and BE goals. “We all have to-do lists, but how many of us have to-be lists”. BE goals are about defining the kind of people we want to be instead of what we want to accomplish. At Growing Champions, I encourage my clients to set both do goals and be goals for it is the be goals that will outline the greatest story ever told…. A story that results in people writing about you in their book when you have a positive impact on your life…a story like the one about Miss Pray, a seventh-grade teacher in her seventies who cared enough to call him out and made him a better leader going forward.
The book is chocked full of stories like the one about Miss Pray. I believe that living by these love principles CAN help organizations, communities, and families be successful. This book impacted me. I have already gifted it once. Keep reading for a chance to win a copy of Love Works.
- Quote – “True contentment comes when we act in alignment with ONE set of values at work, at home, and in the community.” – Joel Manby I think a good BE goal would be true contentment!
What you need to do:
Call to Action: So many reflective questions that you could act on that come to mind for me. Here are two of them:
- Do you have BE goals to go along with your DO goals? Do you need help in setting those goals or getting support in achieving those goals? Maybe we need to chat. Reach out to me via email [email protected] with BE GOALS in the subject line. Let’s see if coaching may be for you.
- Do you believe that living by the 7 Love principles really works? Respond to the blog post, or send me an email ([email protected]) and let me know why you do or do not believe it. I will choose one of the replies at random and send out a free copy of the book for you to enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with a friend who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time, go and Grow Champions!
Season 2 of the Uncommon Leader Podcast is in full swing!! Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!
One Response
Good stuff again this week. Examining each of the seven principles, I can see the challenge personally and professionally. Most of the time, no problem, but every now and then…
Thanks for the reminders and challenge.