“If you want to change the world, you should teach.”

That was the advice Trey Gowdy (former US Congressman) gave to young men and women seeking his opinion concerning their political careers.

As I pondered his reasoning behind the statement, my mind went immediately to the miracle of teachers and teaching.

Tonight, as I write this, my brother who has his doctorate in Cultural Anthropology, is teaching in India. He has touched the lives of thousands of people around the world.

Although my professional label is consultant, next week I begin a

2-month trek of lecturing and teaching to businesses students and at business forums in Asia and Eastern Europe. It’s a task I’ve carried out for over 30 years and I’m still “jazzed” at the prospect of doing it again.

What is amazing is that my brother Richard and I finished at the bottom of our high school graduating class in a small rural southern town in the U.S. . The miracle is that God had a plan for our lives, which became the most unexpected calling either of us could imagine.

We teach different things, but our motive is much the same, to have a positive impact on the lives of those God puts in our pathway. To equip people to become successful on the life path they are on. To impart knowledge and provide empirical evidence through our own experiences.

Will we change the world?

Probably not, but we might have an influence on someone who will.

What a mind-blowing prospect that is!!

My thoughts then went to others I know who teach for the right reasons.

Keith and his wife in NYC.

RL who is not teacher in the traditional sense, but because of his financial resources is able to facilitate a process that allows others to do so, and though he has more money than most of the rest of us, he still takes the time to regularly and intentionally visit 1st graders in a poor public school system to teach the basics of Character Counts concepts.

John who has a specific niche in the Muslim world teaching on a unique platform.

Eric who is a young up and comer in the teaching and guiding profession in business settings.

Tim my pastor who is a gifted teacher and expositor of the Word.

One of my favorites is Aaron who teaches farmers in West Africa in a completely unique way to grow crops in that arid region of the world. More importantly he walks with them in this new process while pouring himself into their lives for their personal and professional growth and development.

And then of course it’s the mom and dads who are daily guiding their children personally and intentionally, refusing to hand their kids over to the woke agenda and social media influencers.

I talk a lot about effective leadership. So, do you want to be an effective leader who can change the world?

Be a teacher.

Lead someone.

Be an influencer.

Teach and intentionally mentor someone.

Can you think of greater thing than to have someone say of you once you’ve passed from this world,

“He/She, taught me, mentored me and it impacted my life.”

That my leadership friends is the way to…

Finish Well!

 

Leadership - Courage = “Position Holders”

I’ve spent a lifetime working with or for so called “leaders”. I’ve read many, many books about leadership. I’ve attended and conducted leadership conferences and seminars. Again, this year I will travel to several countries discussing leadership issues.

 However, I’ve discovered that people confuse “Position Holders” with   true leadership.

Too often is the case that those holding positions of authority e.g., politicians, company CEO’s, corporate executives, religious officials, mom, and dad etc. lack a key ingredient to qualify as a leader. They are missing Courage!

Maybe we should have Courageship seminars!

Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger uncertainty or intimidation.

Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal discouragement, or personal loss.

Let me give you an example from British history to the differences of position holders and leaders. Consider two Prime Ministers of the UK…

 Neville Chamberlin known for his “foreign policy of appeasement” and Margret Thatcher, a self-described “conviction politician”, disliked by many she was dubbed the “Iron Lady” because she stood against conventual cultural thinking.

People may disagree about a lot of things in 2023, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is “the world is broken” its a mess and things are getting worse, not better. 

Every day we are seeing it first-hand There is a constant and pervasive cultural construct that has invaded the thinking, policies and actions in our world promulgated by news and social media.

 If a person stands firm and will not affirm much of what is deemed acceptable in our society (especially in the realm of human sexuality) then they are considered as out-of- touch, ignorant, old fashioned or bigots. 

This is not new stuff…..

“ The Russian Bolsheviks have discovered that truth does not matter so long as there is reiteration. They have no difficulty whatever in countering a fact by a lie which, if repeated often enough and loudly enough, becomes accepted by the people.”

Winston Churchill

 From the halls of congress, the executive offices of organizations, class rooms of our schools to the living rooms of our homes there are “appeasers “who are going along to get along afraid of criticism from the mob of woke culture. But remember,

 “Any dead fish can swim downstream”

 As a Christian, I will neither affirm nor hate those who have an opposing view.

 However, I will stand firm and with God's help show courage as I pray for and encourage position holders to become genuine leaders through “Courageship”

 Finish Well as you Press on....

Bill