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7am Saturday
May 16, 2020
Good morning from Findlay, Ohio!
Today I will take a step back from looking at the market and economy and share my thoughts about leadership. I’m not writing to you as a leadership expert but simply as a learning leader. What is a leader? A leader is anyone who has influence over someone else. Influence is the ability to move others to action. That means YOU are also a leader. It doesn’t matter if you are a Fortune 500 CEO, a stay at home mom, or a high school student. We are all leaders because we all have someone in our life that we influence.
I’ve made it part of my lifelong personal growth plan to study leadership principles (and do my best to apply them) because I want my influence to have a powerful and positive impact on others. So, I thought I’d share what I’m learning during the current crisis in the hope that I might be able to help you in your leadership too!
My Interview With Chris Baney
This past Wednesday, I had a chance to join my friend, Chris Baney, for a conversation about leading through a financial crisis. Chris is the Findlay Campus Pastor at CedarCreek Church. I have known Chris for the past five years. We regularly meet for lunch to chat about leadership. I was honored that Chris invited me to go on Facebook Live to share our leadership conversation with others. Some of the things we covered were:
- What it was like for me on March 12, 2020 when the Ohio “Stay at Home” order went into effect.
- How our team has responded to the COVID-19 crisis and related bear market in stocks.
- The advice I’d give to leaders who are leading through their own unique crisis.
- My favorite leadership podcasts.
- My favorite leadership books.
- My favorite devotional.
- What I like to do to rest.
You can watch the full conversation on Facebook. If you find the conversation helpful please share it. You can also watch the interview on my website if you’re not on Facebook.
Below you will find links to the books and podcasts mentioned in our conversation.
My Top 3 Leadership Books
I’ve read a lot of leadership books. But there are a few that seem to stand out more than others. Most likely it is because of timing. I discovered these books at critical moments on my leadership journey. They were excactly what I needed at exactly the right time. Here they are:
+ Visioneering by Andy Stanley – I read this book 20 years ago. This book inspired me to start our business. The book is all about the power of vision. Having a clear vision provides: passion, motivation, direction, and purpose. Andy explores the ordinary life of Nehemiah and his God-given vision for accomplishing the extraordinary. He shows how the life of Nehemiah, a visionary that was determined to rebuild the ruined walls of Jerusalem, reveals principles that can prepare us to find and follow God’s vision for our own lives.
+ Today Matters by John Maxwell. – I am a big John Maxwell fan, and I’ve read many of his books. It’s this one that stands out more than others for me…again because of the timing. I read this one 16 years ago. The book inspired me to live every day like today matters more than yesterday or tomorrow. It also showed me why it’s important to start the disciplines of success early in life — because the earlier in life that I made a decision to practice a discipline, the greater the compounding effect on my life.
+ Living Forward by Michael Hyatt – This is a book I read 5 years ago. Michael explains why you should create a life plan and shows you how to create one of your own. Most people don’t lead their own lives, they accept their lives. By creating a life plan you can lead yourself by creating a plan for intentional living.
My Favorite Leadership Podcasts
- Entreleadership hosted by Alex Judd
- Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
- Lead to Win with Michael Hyatt
- The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk
- Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
What are your favorite leadership resources? I’d love to hear about the books, podcasts, or other resources you have found most helpful in your life. Just hit reply to let me know!
Adam
