What a great European vacation! Colleen and I spent over two weeks just seeing things we had only read or heard about, and now we have a completely new perspective and appreciation. Now that we are back, it seems as though we never left, and yet I am changed forever. First, thanks to Tom Mangan…
Author: John Rodgers
Time Out!
The pronoun “you” triggers an emotional response. It is powerful when you are sharing or giving a compliment such as, “Jack, you are thoughtful in your decision making.” The pronoun “you” becomes destructive when taking corrective action. For example, “Jack, you are wrong in how you process payroll.” The top-down or autocratic leader who is…
Time Out!
How can we unlock the abilities of others to get things done? I heard it all from my coaching encounters this past week — safety, quality, productivity, cleanliness of the shop floor, compliance of basic company policies like showing up on time, and a firing due to sexual harassment. Then I had a call with…
Mid-Week Mentor
I grew up on a dairy farm in Central Pennsylvania. My father invested in the Ayrshire breed, and today my sister, Gay, has an Ayrshire farm where she milks 25 head to sell milk and make cheese and other specialty products. She also runs Hameau Farms Camp, a summer camp for girls ages 9-13 who…
Time Out!
I just received a text from a senior vice president who wrote, “Seems like my world is caving in.” Hmm…if you knew the back story you might agree. Now can you put on your servant lenses? As impossible as it might seem, the only way to stop the personal “cave in” is to focus on…
Mid Week Mentor
Time Out! The art of becoming a servant leader. Just back from a great vacation in St. Croix with my wife, Colleen, where I successfully hit the pause button on work, but not life. One morning, we drove across the island and toured the Cruzan Rum Distillery. Here was my servant leadership takeaway —…
Time Out!
This past week, a friend asked me if I could choose one word for the year 2017, what it would be. After thinking for a few minutes, I concluded “helpfulness” because it is so challenging. I want to be helpful in my head, but often my actions and words fall way short. Helpfulness is the…
Time Out!
Christmas week. It happens every year, yet it still seems to sneak up on us. I do respect all people of faith and recognize not all who read this are of the Christian faith, though an attribute of servant leadership is to be open and respectful to all people of faith. In my teen years,…
Time Out!
Planning is a process and an effective tool for the servant leader. An executive recently asked if one plans right and follows the process, why does one need to be concerned about contingencies? May I refer to a quote by Mike Tyson, a noted management/leadership guru…smile! In an interview, he said that everyone has a…
Time Out!
Having a personal ownership mindset versus a victim mindset is a characteristic of a servant leader. Food for thought. Onward! John Rodgers Tweet