Recently, I read that 70% of pastors don’t have any close personal friends. I have quoted this figure publicly and several pastors have confided to me that it is true for them. They admitted that they don’t have any close personal friends. This made me very sad. I think it is also true of CEOs and other leaders as well.

Why is this true?

Our words carry enormous weight. More than we sometimes think. They often impact people for decades, providing the courage to press on or one more reason to give up.

When I was fourteen, my family moved from Nebraska to Texas. It was the middle of my ninth-grade year. Junior high is always an awkward time, but the move during this critical year made it even more difficult.

Holding a position of authority requires a keen understanding of how to use it effectively. Authority should be used for the good of the team. I worked for a Marriott hotel when I was nineteen-years-old. My job was to check every room service order before it was served to the guest and to help deliver the trays.

As a leader, you have an effect on people. When you leave the room, people ether feel taller or smaller. This is an almost super-hero power, but, unfortunately, leaders are often unconscious of it.

Yea, you. You realize that you have an impact, right? You don’t just waltz into a meeting and waltz out. Everything you say has an effect.

Even the things you don’t say—your attitude, your facial expressions, and your body language. All. Have. An. Effect.