I used to think, If I can achieve success, my problems will go away. The reality is that success creates a whole new set of problems.

I have just been reminded of this with the launch of my new book. I don’t know how it will ultimately shake out, but the first three days have been very successful.

I lamented that I’d let weeds take over my flowerbeds. I didn’t have garbage can space, and my composter died in a windstorm, so I was left with a pile of uprooted weeds. They screamed failure to me.

That is, until God whispered, “You can compost them right there. They can mulch the dry soil. Provide natural fertilizer.”

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.

Much has been written on the topic of coaching employees. (One of my favorites is a book we published a few years ago by Daniel Harkavy. It is called Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven System for Building Your Own Team of Champions.) But very little has been written on the topic of coaching your boss.

The truth is that most employees see things that their boss says or does that are ineffective or inefficient. Sometimes, they see these things more clearly than anyone else. The boss could profit greatly from the insight of his or her subordinates—if only they could get honest feedback.

About once a week I get an email from someone who wants to know how to work for a bad leader. Maybe their boss is a jerk. Maybe he is just incompetent. Regardless, they are not quite sure how to lead well in this kind of situation.

Though I eventually became a CEO, I spent most of my corporate years in middle management. I had my share of bad bosses. A few were jerks. I imagined myself quitting or at least giving them a good tongue-lashing. Others were incompetent. I wanted to pull my hair out or rat them out to their boss.

We’ve all heard someone say, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” We have sayings like this because delivering bad news is a difficult job. Unfortunately telling people hard things is unavoidable. Bad news is not only part of life, it is part of leadership.

For example,

I don’t like conflict. In fact, sometimes I think I am conflictaphobic. (I just made that word up.) I will do almost anything to avoid it.

Next week, we begin shipping Fearless, the new book by mega best-selling author, Max Lucado. In a few minutes, I’ll tell you how to get a copy free.

On the morning of September 15, 2008, I arrived in New York City for a series of meetings on Wall Street. When I got off the plane, I discovered that Lehman Brothers, one of America’s most venerable financial institutions, had filed for bankruptcy. People in the street, on the elevators, and in my meetings seemed stunned. They barely talked. The fear was palpable.

Years ago, Gail and I went to Maui to celebrate our anniversary. On the second day, we took snorkeling lessons. We started in the swimming pool, then progressed to the coral reef next to our hotel. We loved it. It was like swimming in a huge aquarium.

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with one of our editors at Thomas Nelson. He had just finished a new manuscript from one of our biggest authors. I asked, “So what did you think?”