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putting constraints on your business (on purpose)
putting constraints on your business (on purpose) On a recent client call, my client and I dug into their sales process. They had just finished putting a lot of time, money, and energy into overhauling their marketing. Yet, they still weren’t seeing the results they were hoping for in new business. Just as we were…
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Beating Burnout
Burnout comes in different ways for different reasons. Some practical examples: – It can be physical. It can be as simple as consistently getting too little sleep. – It can be emotional. It can be as simple as forcing yourself to chase an outcome you don’t care about. – It can be mental. It can…
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Makoto Fujimura desktop background
For quite a few years, I had a Makoto Fujimura painting as my desktop background. I can’t remember specifically which painting it was. It was something similar to Charis (pictured below). I didn’t know what drew me to his art. I just knew it resonated with me. When I recently picked up his book on…
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UNQUALIFIED Part 6: the call to ‘unqualified’ people like you & me
When I sat down to write last Monday, I hadn’t intended to share all of these stories. Looking back over them, I’m incredibly grateful for each of these experiences… Not because of the pain… Not because of the challenge… But because of the outcome. I don’t hold ill will against anyone… Increasingly, I’ve found compassion…
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UNQUALIFIED Part 5: I don’t like where the self-appointed leader is taking me
Stepping down from my role in the church created a vacuum. I needed purpose. I needed something to throw myself into. Years earlier, I had sold a Marketing & Strategy Deep Dive for my brother’s software development company. One thing led to another… – I helped him with his marketing copy, breaking into a new…
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UNQUALIFIED Part 4: fired from my first real leadership role
Fast forward a few years… My wife and I had gotten married. We had settled into a small local church. During that time, I wasn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. – I asked questions. – I challenged assumptions. – I invited change. Whether because of immaturity, ignorance, or reasons beyond my control, I ended up…
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UNQUALIFIED Part 3: trained to lead, but not a leader
I loaded my most important belongings into my beat-up white Toyota Corolla that my brother had bought from a friend for $1. I had: – a duffel bag of clothes – my laptop – and a Pearl drum kit Yep, the essentials! I had to maneuver the bass drum into the passenger seat. I barely got…
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UNQUALIFIED Part 2: When your values & talents keep you from being promoted
My first ‘real job’ was as a software developer. I’d started coding when I was 8 years old. For a kid in rural Kansas, getting a job as a software developer was a dream come true. Paid better than almost any other job. The only places I could maybe have done better would have been…
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UNQUALIFIED Part 1: When who you are isn’t who you ‘need’ to be…
This is for all of my misfit friends… For much of my life, I’ve been in environments that have demanded me to be something that I’m not. I grew up in what I would call a high control religious group & with dysfunctional dynamics. I’ve resisted saying it out loud for a long time… – what…
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why partnerships don’t work & how to fix them
why partnerships don’t work & how to fix them 1 – the overeager partner antidote: hit the brakes by getting clear on requirements & expectations If partnership is a sales process, this is where sales is a disqualification process. What are the things that MUST be true: – timeline – delivery – values – contribution…