One of the most watched events of 2012 was Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk across Niagara Falls.  In doing so, he became the first man ever to walk directly over the Falls. If you saw it you may remember the mist obscured image of his dropping to one knee, fist-pumping and running to the end of the rope into the arms of his family.  It was a great moment of personal victory. I’ve not seen any leadership books so far based on his feat.  Why not a best-seller titled “Five Keys For Taking An Organization Across Niagara Falls”?  I suspect everyone knows the personal skills and appetite for risk required to…

When I worked with Bob Buford, I asked him how he had become so successful in the cable television business. His quick response was they had concentrated on being a dominant supplier to a specialized niche. That meant his company was not the only game in town but was so good at what they did that people thought of them first. They occupied the mental box marketers call “top of mind.” While winning this space may not eliminate competition, it makes it harder for others to win away your customers. For decades nonprofits have occupied a similar box in the minds of private foundations and donors. I remember well an…

The test of a long life is staying vital and not drifting.  Few of the leaders of Israel were able to be good for the long run.  They eventually gave in to deceit, drift or the ever present temptation to worship other gods.  There were many strong starts but scarcely any that endured. They became isolated from challenges to their whims and foolish choices. They were seduced by power and surrounded by liars and sycophants. The circle of trusted friends grew smaller and the ring of influencers with vested interests grew larger. Living longer only increased the odds of ending badly. It’s a question for some of us as well. …

According to Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I suppose that is right for the most part. However, is it possible to have an over examined life? In the last several years, I have been in conversations with people young and old about what it means to do something meaningful with their lives. For the young, it is mostly a question of investing their future years in a fulfilling and purposeful career – or series of careers. For many, this leads them to nonprofit work or social entrepreneurship as they have serious doubts about the value of either a corporate career or “menial” work. For the older, it…

From the first days of the Church there have been competing beliefs about the second coming and end times. Yes, there were and are false teachers but most of the confusion has resulted from jumping to conclusions about certain signs, overly excited imaginations or just different readings of Scripture. Why else would we have pre/post/a millennial interpretations? Why else would we have an end times industry? From the outset there have been two major perspectives on the role of the Church in the world as we await the second coming of Christ. There is the conquering Church– the Church triumphant. There are those pursuing dominion in the world and, in…

Carol and I were in Baltimore last week, and our visits included a middle school in one of the worst neighborhoods of the city. The principal told us their students consistently dropped out long before graduation, and the teen pregnancy rate was triple the state average.  On the wall of his office, he had a chart with three columns:  Coping, Well-Being and Agency. Each column listed the school’s initiatives to improve in each area. While all three are important, it is the sense of agency – the belief that there is something you can do about your circumstances – that drives so much of everything else. You are not a…