Category Archives: Guest Post

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We Are What We Remember

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Rabbi Evan Moffic is the senior rabbi of Congregation Solel in Highland Park, Illinois, which serves five hundred families across Chicago and its northern suburbs. You can read his blog or follow him on Twitter.

I have a tendency to rewrite history. For example, my wife Ari and I will talk about a family trip with our two kids, and I’ll say what a wonderful time we had and how fantastic the kids were.

A Photo Album - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/urbancow , Image #16811435

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/urbancow

With an incredulous look, she’ll ask me if I remember when Tam (our three-year old) woke up five times during the night. Or if I’ve forgotten when Hannah (our five-year-old daughter) refused for half an hour to get out of the swimming pool. “Really?” I’ll reply, “I don’t remember that part.”

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How Can We Solve the Man Problem in the Church?

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This is a guest post by Patrick Morley, author of The Man in the Mirror, one of the bestselling men’s books of all time. I had the privilege of publishing that book in 1989 and even came up with the title. For more than 20 years, Pat has led a successful men’s ministry called Man in the Mirror. It is committed to helping pastors and churches equip men for success in every area of life. And now, MITM is hiring. Please help us get the word out!

Everyone knows we have a “men problem.” You can hear about it on CNN, read about it in the New York Times, and watch the destruction it creates on Dr. Phil.

The stats are jarring. For example, 80 percent of men are so emotionally impaired that not only are they unable to express their feelings, but they can’t even identify their feelings. The collateral damage is staggering. One-third of America’s 72 million children will go to bed tonight in a home without a biological dad.

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5 Truths to Remember When Your Leader Falls

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This is a guest post by Lisa Whittle. She is a speaker and the author of {w}hole. You can watch the trailer for the book and download a free chapter here. You can also read Lisa’s blog and follow her on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

The platform of a leader is often visible, broad and elevated. So when a leader falls from this place, it can be a hard fall, indeed.

Businessman Falling Down the Stairs - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/viki2win, Image #16002596

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/viki2win

I know of this experience, firsthand, as my pastor-father fell hard and fast from his visible place of mega-church leadership in the early 1990s. While the eyes of the world watched pastor scandals of famed leaders on TV, I watched one of my own unfold, inside our family home.

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One Thing You Must Have to Get Fit

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This is a guest post by Doug Kelsey. He is physical therapist and performance consultant in Austin, Texas. You can read his blog and follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

When it comes to fitness and health, what I hear the most is, “I just don’t have the time to exercise.” It’s true you need the time, but there’s something else you need more.

A Woman Holding Up One Finger

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6 Organizational Myths That Sabotage Accountability

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This is a guest post by Travis Dommert. He is president of IRUNURUN, a performance and accountability platform designed to help people and organizations achieve greater results in their work and lives. For more tips on peak performance and building a culture of accountability, visit the IRUNURUN blog. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

From the days of Enron and Worldcom to more recent Wall Street collapses, Ponzi schemes, and political scandals, much has been written about the need for greater accountability in the workplace. Cultures of accountability foster trust, integrity, and sustainable performance. But the reality is that few companies do this well.

Shattered Glass - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/digihelion, Image #14247835

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/digihelion

Here are six myths that sabotage accountability in the workplace and what you can do about them:

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Why You Need to Be Building Your Platform Now

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This is a guest post by Carrie Wilkerson. She is the author of the newly published book, The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss and Achieving Financial Freedom (Thomas Nelson). You can read her blog and follow her on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” This philosophical question doesn’t seem to have an answer. I mean, there is only a sound if someone is there to perceive the sound waves, right?

A Diving Platform with Blue Sky in the Background - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/ZargonDesign, Image #14431358

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/ZargonDesign

Your message, your story, your speech, and your book are much the same way. The sound they make is—dare I say it—irrelevant, if there is no one there to watch you, hear you, or read you.

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5 Thoughts on Leadership from Someone Who Is Led

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This is a guest post by Maranda Gibson. She is communications and public speaking writer for the AccuConference Blog. She gives advice on how to improve communication skills at networking and conference events, with her own flair. You can also follow her tips and suggestions on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I’m only twenty-seven. Since I finished college and started working, I have had about five years in the “real world” under my belt. However, a lot has happened in that five-year period.

Two Cyclists on a North Georgia Country Road - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/sebatl, Image #1912776

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/sebatl

Like most people right out of college, I have held a couple of different positions since entering the workforce. It’s given me a great perspective on different kinds of leaders. It has also made me think about the kind of leader I want to be when I am finally in a leadership position.

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How to Absorb New Ideas and Become a Better Leader

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This is a guest post by Bill Hybels. He is Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. He is also Chairman of The Willow Creek Association. You can follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I believe that the local church is the hope of the world. But for it to reach its redemptive potential, it must be well-led. This means that those of us with leadership gifts have to step up and step it up. We have to take responsibility for our own leadership development.

Colorful Gears Making Up a Human Brain - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/adventtr, Image #13485370

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/adventtr

Here are four steps I use to absorb new ideas and become a better leader:

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What Drives You as a Leader?

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This is a guest post by Jim Mellado. He is the president of Willow Creek Association. You can follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I have always been driven to achieve. According to the Strengths Finder Assessment, achievement is one of my top strengths. I don’t know whether I was wired that way from the beginning, or my propensity toward achievement came out of my upbringing.

Pumping Gas into a Car - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/JamesBrey, Image #16015643

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/JamesBrey

As a kid growing up in seven different countries, I always found myself as the new kid on the block. I discovered that one of the quickest ways to get noticed was to achieve. The more challenging the achievement, the better. Most kids want to be noticed and I was no different.

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Why Your Organization Needs Diversity to Drive Innovation

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This is a guest post by Scott Williams. He’s a pastor, blogger, consultant and author of Church Diversity: Sunday The Most Segregated Day of the Week. You can read his blog and follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

What is innovation? Innovation is defined simply as “the act of introducing something new.” Innovators are not always right. They tend to have as many stories of failure as they do of success.

Still, I appreciate organizations that value innovation. They demonstrate the willingness to try new ways to share their message and ultimately get more of their products in the hands of consumers.

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3 Blogging Experiments That Might Make You a Better Writer

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This is a guest post by John Saddington. He is a professional blogger who loves sharing his blogging tips, tricks, tools, and practical teaching. He covers such topics as SEO, WordPress and making money with your blog. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Sometimes we need to stretch ourselves outside of our comfort zones in an effort to improve our writing. But it’s not natural to make yourself uncomfortable. No one willingly jumps out of box without a bit of helpful prodding or a direct challenge.

A Crazy Scientist Doing Experiments on Himself - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/RichVintage, Image #16177705

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/RichVintage

I’m here to help.