By Waylon Bailey James Clear is a favorite writer. He has written about the power of habits and how you develop those powerful habits. Recently he wrote about adding value to other people. He said that before you ask for value you must give value to others. This fits many areas of life. Think about marriages. Most of the time we think about what our spouse doesn’t do. He/she doesn’t meet my needs, think about me, etc. James Clear would say that we have to add value to others before we can ask value from others. In other words, be sure that you are giving fully before you ask to receive. While I don’t know about James Clear’s religious beliefs, like so many other helpful people he is really expressing powerful words found in Scripture. Jesus told us to “do unto others as you want them to do for you.” Have you applied that to your marriage, your family, your friends at school, or your workplace? Have you considered the kind of difference this could make? What about what Jesus said about loving others as you love yourself? Would this turn everything around you upside down? And, what if two people in the marriage practice “doing unto others” and “loving others as we love ourselves?” Have you thought about your … [Read more...]

By John Hebert ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM)—I’ve learned a lot about leadership through the years, especially as a pastor and working with other pastors in my ministry with the Louisiana Baptist Convention. But some of the most memorable lessons, and many of the fundamentals, I learned while playing basketball for great coaches: -- Dale Skinner, the Rapides High School head coach during my freshman year, was inducted into the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame; -- Rick Huckabay was my Rapides High coach for the next three years; won the 1973 AA State Championship; and was inducted to the Louisiana Athletic Hall of Fame; and, -- LSU Coach Dale Brown, a four-time SEC Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. What was common about these championship coaches is the unique emphasis each of them placed on using each player’s strengths, or giftedness, as they put together top teams. Wise leaders always use the giftedness of others – taking inventory of the resources of the people around them and employing them on their team according to their giftedness. In a previous article on creating ownership, I discussed in depth the need for leaders to recruit capable … [Read more...]