As you go through our Life and Career Planning process, you’re investing time in personal development. A great supplement to this journey is to take in some of the experience and wisdom of others.

Encouraging Creativity

The educational system you were brought up in started early with art and music and other creative arts when you were in Kindergarten. As you got older, your studies quickly shifted away from creative activities to math, science, social studies, computers.

Leadership Lessons from G.K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English Apologist. His sharp writing style made him a prominent figure in earth twentieth century literature. Among his works were Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man.

One Thing About Meetings

Standing meetings in the workplace have a tendency to meander. Often the opening three minutes of social “catching up” becomes 20 minutes. Then there are the tangents we invariably wander off on.

Knowing Names at the Men’s Table

Calling people by name is a fundamental act of respect and dignity. It’s the first thing we ask someone when we meet them.

The Table Leader's Library

Here are some great books that will raise your level of effectiveness and impact as a Men’s Table Leader. Click a book to purchase directly from Amazon.com.

Leadership Lessons from Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is an American billionaire. He is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, and has run it since 1975. Dalio is the author of Principles of Life and Work, a 2017 New York Times bestselling book.

The Curated Life

Why do we curate our lives? Perhaps it’s because we don’t really believe in others’ concern for our welfare. When someone asks, “How are you doing?” are they really interested in the answer, or just being polite?

A Lesson on Priorities from the Apollo Guidance Computer

The smallest computer in 1962 weighed about three tons and consumed enough power to light up a city block. So NASA commissioned the engineers at MIT to do something unheard of.

Begin Relationships with An Offer

According to the Association for Psychological Science, your first impression is made within the first 60 seconds of meeting you. It doesn’t take long for someone else to determine whether or not they believe you’re worth knowing.

The Power of An Invitation

An invitation is an important and powerful leadership tool. It may set the stage and create anticipation. In business, at church, on a social occasion—an invitation communicates to another that you like them, enjoy their company, and honor the relationship.

Leadership Lessons from Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is a former professional basketball player and businessman. He played 15 seasons in the NBA and won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.

Are You a Narcissist?

How highly do you think of yourself? Or even, how often do you think about yourself? Narcissism is a mental disorder.

Action Versus Reaction

We all know the physics lesson: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Often we apply this not only to the physical world, but to leadership, decision-making and management.

The Plank In Your Eye

A powerful means of leadership development and personal development is introspection—the skill of looking at one’s self, and determining areas that need adjustment or improvement.

Building a Drama-Free Workplace

Workplace drama is everywhere. A recent study found that the average employee spends 2 hours 26 minutes per day on workplace drama and emotional waste. That’s about 29%—a third—of total work time.

Avoiding the Abandoned Cart

You’ve clicked through a website, selected products, filled your online shopping cart. All that remains is to enter your card info and select shipping details. But you don’t.

What Motivates You

Your life and work will rise or fall based on your motivation. The reasons behind why you get up each morning and go through the day will direct your steps and eventual outcomes. Movation is the internal drive that compels you to act.

Does Faith Make a Difference in Business?

As a business leader you might be looking for an advantage, any “edge” you can use to move your company. Do your religious beliefs and practices affect how you do your job—and might that deeper faith play a role in your business success?

Leadership Lessons from John Glenn

John Glenn was an American Marine aviator, test pilot, businessman, politician, and one of the seven Mercury astronauts. He was the first person to orbit the earth, circling three times in 1962.

Discerning Questions for the Hiring Process

The cost of a bad hire includes time—four to six weeks on average. A bad hire can affect productivity, with failure to meet expectations, slow work or errors. Teamwork can suffer. Morale can suffer. Client relationships can be damaged.

Managing Meetings Well

The average employee will spend 392 hours per year in meetings. Each workday in the US, an estimated 11 million meetings are held—a total of more than a billion per year.

Leadership Lessons from Frank Sinatra

Frank Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular entertainers of the Twentieth Century, with a career lasting over 60 years. He sold more than 150 million records globally.

Hugging the Cactus

A cactus is generally unapproachable. You know this because most of them are covered in prickly spines that pierce the skin and hurt if you grab them. You wouldn’t want to hug one—it’ll leave scars.

Benefitting from Hard Lessons

Easy lessons are the ones where the stakes of failure don’t affect your ability to learn them. But not every lesson in life is easy. James 3:2 reminds us, “For we all stumble in many ways…”

Adapting to Change

Today leaders often lecture on “embracing change” or being “change agents” in an organization. But the reality is that most people—employees and leaders alike—hate change. We value stability and predictability.

Leadership Lessons from The Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright were two American aviation inventors who are credited with the world first successful airplane. They made their first controlled flight in December 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

You Can Fix Stupid?

“You can’t fix stupid!” In other words, you can’t force someone to make a good decision. Ancient history’s greatest leaders often did the stupid thing.

Loss of Integrity

Integrity in a bridge structure is not unlike integrity in a leader. A leader of integrity is known for being honest, for having a strong moral foundation, and conducting himself ethically and in an upstanding manner.

Forming Meaningful Relationships

The single most important element of leadership is forming meaningful relationships. It’s not “who you know”, but rather that you have the capacity to really know others.

Hearer Doer / Faith and Works

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