Book Review: QBQ! The Question Behind The Question (John G. Miller)

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

How’s that for a statement?

Seriously, I just finished reading QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life by John G. Miller, and I thought it was great.  I had heard about the book from several people before, but I didn’t pick it up until recently.

I read a lot of books about leadership.  I’ve read books which tell me how to lead my team through this situation or that situation.  I’ve read books which tell me how to handle difficult team members and team members with different types of personalities.  These books are good, but this QBQ! took it to another level for me.

QBQ! is all about leading myself.  The book is not terribly long, and it’s broken down into bite-sized chapters which make it easy to get through.  I’m a slow reader, and I read through QBQ! in a few sittings.  It kept my attention and left me with lots plenty to ponder.  I underlined and highlighted many parts of this book, and I’ll be referring to it again and again to help me become a better leader and a better person.

QBQ! challenges readers to stop complaining, procrastinating, and blaming.  It stretches readers to practice personal accountability by asking the right questions.

Here are some of the questions I took away from QBQ!:

• What can I do to make a difference?
• How can I support my team?
• What can I do to help out?
• How can I provide more value?
• How can I adapt to the changing world?
• What could I have done differently?
• How can I learn from this experience?
• How can I let go of what I can’t control?
• How can I appreciate people’s gifts and strengths just as they are?
• How can I practice the principles I espouse?
• How can I set a better example?
• How can I set good boundaries?
• How can I be a more effective coach?
• What can I do to better understand each person I manage?
• How can I build a stronger team?
• How can I be a better leader?
• What can I do to show I care?
• How can I communicate more effectively?
• What can I do to be more productive?
• What can I do to develop myself?
• How can I become more engaged?

I learned so much through QBQ!, and I would recommend this as a resource for anyone who wants to take their leadership and their relationships to the next level.

Have you read QBQ!?  If so, what was one of your biggest lessons learned?

If you could ask any question of yourself, what would it be?

(Please note:  I received a copy of QBQ! for free as part of a giveaway.  I was not required to provide a favorable review.  I truly believe this book can be a helpful reminder to any reader in helping them to take steps to become better leaders – at work, in the community, at church, and at home.

Also to note:  There are affiliate links in this post.  Should you purchase QBQ! by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase.  These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala.  Thank you!)

Ten Things Every Leader Should Know

I am a student of leadership.  I want to be the best leader I can be.  As a result, I read books about leadership; I read blogs about leadership; and listen to podcasts about leadership.  I have a lot to learn still about leadership.  But there are several things about leadership I’ve picked up so far.  Here’s my list:

Ten Things Every Leader Should Know

1. Leaders read.  Leaders keep learning.  One of the best ways to learn is to read.  There are many great leadership books and blogs out worth reading.  I have a leadership library on my desk which is a great resource and reminder.  If you want to lead well, read well.
2. Leaders serve.  Leadership doesn’t mean you should stay in your plush office expecting to be served.  Leaders get in the trenches, and they lead by example.  Great organizations serve others.  This happens when leaders lead by example.
3. Leaders encourage.  Solid leadership is marked by encouragement.  Leaders are the biggest cheerleaders for those in their organizations.  This means helping others see a vision for the future.
4. Leaders give credit.  The best leaders give credit where credit is due.  Successes come because people worked hard.  Leaders give credit to those who deserve it.
5. Leaders take blame.  When something goes wrong, leaders step up and take the blame.  They don’t look around trying to pin the blame on someone else.  They take responsibility for the failures of an organization.
6. Leaders appreciate.  And they express the appreciation in their words – written and orally.  If you are a leader, you need to join the Thank You Revolution.  You have the power to shape the culture of your organization by expressing gratitude.
7. Leaders lead regardless of title.  You don’t have to be president, king, or CEO to lead.  You don’t have to be a supervisor, manager, or director.  If you are a leader, you lead.  It doesn’t matter what position you hold or what people call you.  Don’t wait for the next promotion.
8. Leaders recognize their roots.  Someone believed in you somewhere along the line.  They mentored you.  They encouraged you.  They provided an example worth following.  Leaders remember those who paved the way for them.
9. Leaders never fully arrive.  A leader still has things to learn.  A leader still has room to grow.  A leader cannot rest on his laurels.  Otherwise, he is destined for downfall.
10. Leaders pave the way for the next leaders.  At some point, leaders retire or leave organizations for another reason.  Leaders mentor up and coming leaders.  Leaders leave things in good shape for future leaders.

What others things should leaders know?  How have you seen the above characteristics in leaders around you?

Book Review: Next Up – 8 Shifts Great Young Leaders Make

At some point, the leaders in your company, church, or organization will step down.  They will retire.  They will leave the organization.  And they will leave a vacancy in leadership.

Who will step up and fill the leadership void?

Maybe it’s you!

I’m excited to announce the release of a new book by Jonathan Pearson.  Next Up: 8 Shifts Great Young Leaders Make provides insight and advice for those who will fill the leadership gaps left by those who have gone before us.

I read Next Up with a keen interest.  The book was an encouragement for me as I consider my own future opportunities to move further up the leadership ranks in my own endeavors.  And it was also an encouragement as I consider how to encourage the future leaders of my organization.

In Next Up, Pearson provides 8 key shifts that every person must make to advance in their leadership mindsets.  For example, he talks about the importance of shifting from unreliable to consistent and from passive to passionate.

If you are a leader or you want to be a leader, you need to pick up a copy of Next Up.  It’s a powerful, quick read.  You can pick it up, by clicking here.

What are you doing to prepare for the next step in your life and in your leadership?

(Please note:  I received a copy of Next Up for free as part of a giveaway during the launch of this book.  I was not required to provide a favorable review.  I truly believe this book can be a helpful reminder to any reader in helping them to take steps to become better leaders – at work, in the community, at church, and at home.

Also to note:  There are affiliate links in this post.  Should you purchase Next Up by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase.  These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala.  Thank you!)

3 Keys To Developing Your Team

One of the things I like most about my job is the fact that I have the opportunity to help people succeed.  I am an operations manager for a construction company in the Philadelphia area.  An important part of my job involves meeting company targets for revenue, cash, and operating margin.  Another important part of my job involves developing my team.  They need to keep growing – learning new skills, preparing for future opportunities, and taking on more responsibility.

Developing your team members does not happen by accident.  It takes intentionality.  If you are serious about helping your team members grow, here are a few ideas worth considering:

3 Keys To Developing Your Team

1. Give them your time.  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  (John Maxwell)  It’s easy to get caught up with meetings with other managers.  It’s easy to get lost in the details of spreadsheets and emails.  And it’s easy to close the door to your office to avoid the people who need you the most.  A good leader is intentional in spending time with his team members.  By spending time with your team members, you get a good sense of what is working well and what is not working well.  This means stopping by their office or cubicle from time to time just to say hello.  This means eating lunch with your team members once in a while.  And it means meeting with your team members one on one on a regular basis.  I meet with my team members twice a month for 30-60 minutes.  One of these meetings focuses on project specifics.  We talk about the financial details of the projects.  We talk about the resource requirements for the projects.  We talk about the risks and opportunities associated with each of the projects.  And we talk about customer satisfaction issues related to each of the projects.  The second meeting focuses on the employee.  We talk about their development plans and needs.  We talk about their families.  And we talk about anything they might need from me to help them succeed.  (For more about one-on-one meetings, check out my guest post over at Matt McWilliams’ blog – Do You Want to Know My Number One Leadership Tool?.)  Developing your team starts by spending time with your team members.
2. Show your appreciation.  Employees need feedback, so they will know how to improve.  They also need to know what they need to keep doing right.  Silence is not an option.  Lack of feedback to an employee is like telling them everything they are doing is wrong.  Employees do need feedback on what they need to work on.  More importantly, employees need to know when they are doing the right things.  This is best expressed through appreciation.  This is why I recommend joining the Thank You Revolution.  Writing thank you notes to your team members when they are doing things well provides great encouragement.  This type of encouragement often propels team members to develop themselves.  (For more information about the power of appreciation, check out another one my guest posts over at Matt McWilliams’ blog – The Power of Gratitude.)
3. Keep developing yourself.  Just because you are a manager does not mean you have arrived.  There is always still more to learn.  Listen to leadership and coaching podcasts.  Read books about leadership.  Take an on-line course or seminar, or pursue an advanced degree.  Find someone to mentor you.  These steps will keep you growing, and they will show your team how important it is to keep learning.

How has your boss helped you develop?  What is something you can do to help your team members develop?  Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.  Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter.  Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

Visiting Ray Edwards – This Is What Customer Service Looks Like

One of my goals for 2014 is to guest post at least once a month.

Today, I’m sharing 5 Ways To Deliver Customer Service in a post titled This Is What Customer Service Looks Like.  Ray Edwards was gracious enough to accept my guest post submission and I think you’ll like it.  Please head over to the post by clicking here.  While you’re there check out the other stuff Ray’s working on and consider subscribing to his blog.

To get you started, here’s a little blurb from my post:

This is what customer service looks like! Customer service looks like a jar of spiced apple rings? Yes! Let me explain…

I’m Swedish. As a child, I have fond memories of gathering around my grandparents table at Christmas time to feast on the Swedish Christmas culinary traditions. We ate my Grandpa’s Korv – a Swedish potato sausage. We ate my Grandma’s Swedish meatballs. We ate Swedish cheese, pickled herring, and Swedish breads. As part of the meal, I will always remember my Grandma setting out a dish of spiced apple rings.

Honestly, I’m not sure if spiced apple rings are Swedish. For me, the apple rings are part of the tradition.

My Grandpa passed away several years ago. My Grandma is now 93 years old, and she isn’t up to preparing the Swedish feast. Now it’s my turn. I make Korv for my family. My wife makes great Swedish meatballs. And we try to keep as many of the other traditions as possible. This still includes spiced apple rings.

The weekend before Christmas, my wife sent me to the grocery store to pick up a few final items for the feast. I found the pickled herring, the Swedish cheese, and even some lingonberry jam. But I couldn’t find the spiced apple rings. I searched everywhere without success.

Before giving up, I decided to ask an employee of the grocery store. The employee listened to my story about our family’s Swedish traditions. She proceeded to get a couple of her co-workers into the discussion as they tried to determine if the store had spiced apple rings. After searching a few places, checking a couple of lists, and calling some other employees, they informed me they didn’t have any in the store. I thanked them and headed to the checkout line.

This is where the story took a dramatic turn. [Click here to read the rest of the post.]

If you are visiting from Ray’s blog, I hope you stay for a little bit, check out a few of my other posts, and consider subscribing to The Stretched Community.  Here are a couple of posts you may want to read:

• Leap of Faith
• Less Like Scars
• Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
• The Power of the Next Question
• How To Respond To The Election Results

When you think of customer service, what comes to mind?

Don’t Lose Sight Of The Difference You Make

Am I making a difference?

I work in the construction world.  Especially here on the east coast, it can be a cut-throat, brutal experience.  People are clamoring to get ahead of the next person or to squash the competitors.  Language choice is colorful to say the least, and sometimes the content of conversation makes the Howard Stern Show seem like a visit to Sunday School.  Living and working in this environment can be a challenge especially for someone who is trying to follow Christ and to represent Him with integrity and character.

I’ve worked in the industry for nearly twenty years, and it hasn’t always been easy.  I don’t always have the right words to say, and I sometimes regret the actions I’ve taken.  I question myself wondering if I said what I should have said or if I did what I should have done.  I want others to see my faith come alive in my words and in my actions.  After twenty years, I sometimes wonder if I’m making a difference.

Sometimes it’s the simplest conversations or interactions which remind me I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

A few weeks ago, one of my team members came into my office to tell me about the struggle she was having outside the office.  Her mom had been taken to the hospital.  The doctors at the hospital informed my teammate and her family that their mother was in her final days.  I listened for several minutes as my teammate explained the situation.  As she was leaving my office, I asked her, “I know this isn’t the typical question you get in the office, but I’ll ask anyway.  Is there something specific for which I can pray for you?”  She responded very affirmatively.

Then late last week, another one of my team members stopped by to inform me his young son was being taken to the hospital in response to some type of virus or infection.  I had the opportunity to listen to him and to offer my encouragement.  He texted me a couple of times throughout the weekend to give me progress reports on his son’s improving condition.  We didn’t have a major conversation, but I still had an opportunity to let him know I cared about him and his family.

It’s interactions like these which remind me I am making a difference.

I’ve been more aware of conversations and interactions with other employees throughout the office over the past couple of weeks.  People want to know you care.  They may carry around a rough exterior, but they are people who are going through all kinds of challenges and frustrations. They are crying out for someone to listen to them, and they are grasping to find the truth.  As Christian leaders in the workplace, we have a huge opportunity to show our team members a glimpse of Christ.  Will we always get it right?  Probably not.  But I’m convinced God can used messed up people like us to make a difference in the lives of others by shining His light.  We shine God’s light by being alert to others, by making wise choices, by acting with integrity, and by speaking with truth and love.

I hope and pray I never lose sight of the opportunity to serve and represent Christ right where I am.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… I Peter 3:15

How are you making a difference right where you are?

5 Reasons For Setting Employee Performance Targets

Each year around this time, I work with my employees to establish performance targets for the coming year.  It can be a little challenging to fit everything in before the end of the calendar year.  But target setting is vital to business success and individual performance.

Here are 5 reasons for setting employee performance targets:

1. Individual performance goals give employees a target.  An employee can go about every day business without written goals, but they shouldn’t expect growth without targets. If employees don’t have written targets, they will hit them every time.  Written targets help provide employees with a clear plan for how to succeed.  Targets work best when they are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time related).
2. Individual performance goals help employees contribute to overall business success.  Individual targets should be written in alignment with overall business objectives.  For example, if achieving a specific sales order intake is a business objective, individual sales people should have targets that contribute to the overall order intake goal.
3. Individual performance goals provide a fair method for comparing team member performance.  For example, I have 8 project managers working for me.  They have similar targets based on their responsibilities as project managers.  Because their targets are similar, I can evaluate their year-end performance more fairly.  Since their targets are SMART, they are measurable.  It becomes easier to measure one’s performance against another’s performance when performance targets have been developed at the beginning of the year.
4. Individual performance goals take the surprise out of end of year performance ratings.  I sit with my team members at least once a quarter to go over their performance on their individual targets.  By doing this regularly, they have opportunities throughout the year to address performance short falls.  By the end of the year, there is little surprise when the results are revealed for overall performance.
5. Individual performance goals provide an employee to communicate career aspirations to their manager.  As leaders, we should be asking our employees about their career objectives on a regular basis.  And we should work with our employees to craft unique goals which will help them prepare for meeting these objectives.  In some cases, this may mean some honest feedback – just because Jack wants to be president of the company someday does not mean he will meet this target.  Still, we can point our employees in the right direction.  We have a responsibility to help our team members succeed.

This should be a fun month as I work with each of my team members in setting their individual performance targets.

What other reasons can you provide for setting individual performance targets?  How have performance targets helped you as an employee or as a team leader?

Don’t forget to sign up for the weekly Stretched newsletter.  Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

5 Ways To Reward Your Employees

Last week, I shared 10 Essentials for Enhancing the Performance Management Process.  There was lot of positive discussion surrounding the subject of how to improve the performance of your employees.  Today, I want to tackle the topic of reward.  Rewarding employees appropriately is a key aspect of improving employee performance.  It’s essential that employees are recognized for a job well done.  Sometimes this recognition is tied to a monetary reward, and sometimes it’s necessary to find non-monetary methods for rewarding your team.

Inappropriate rewards could easily work against the overall performance of the business and it’s employees.  Rewarding employees who don’t deserve could be argued as grace, but this kind of “reward” sends the wrong message to employees, and it sets teams up for mediocrity.

Appropriate rewards push individual performance to new levels, and they raise the bar on overall company performance.  Here are a few reward types for you to consider as you seek to improve your team and company.

5 Ways To Reward Your Employees

1. Thank You Note.  Matt McWilliams wrote about the Thank You Revolution in his eBook available for free when you sign up at his blog.  And I wrote a guest post for him titled, The Power of Gratitude.  Rewarding employees should start with gratitude.  A simple handwritten thank you note is all it takes many times tell employees that they’ve done well or done something that deserves recognition.  Last week, I wrote to many of my direct reports to thank them for their hard work in bringing our fiscal year to a successful completion.  These notes gave me an opportunity to specifically recall good things that my team members have done this year.  One of my team members took time to write me back this week:  “Thanks for the card.  It means a lot.”  His simple response affirms the power of a simple thank you note.  Don’t underestimate the power of a simple thank you note.
2. Department Meeting Shoutout.  Let’s face it.  It’s easy to get caught up in the regular business items in agenda of a standard office meeting.  Make it part of your meeting agenda to recognize employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty since the last meeting.  Maybe an employee did something to wow a customer.  Maybe they were key to a sale or project success.  Honor them in front of their peers.  It shows them their efforts are appreciated.  It demonstrates to others in the office the type of actions and behavior worth following.
3. Small Financial Reward Program.  Our company set up a reward program which permits managers and fellow employees to recognize employees who have done something special.  The rewards start at $25 and go up from there.  A small reward of this nature is a great way to show family members how their loved one is appreciated.  These rewards are often used by employees to take their spouses out to dinner or to purchase something for the home they wouldn’t have purchased otherwise.  This may not be possible for your company, but it’s something worth considering if your company can swing it.  A small financial reward of this nature rewards employees, and it encourages employees to do things which will benefit the company.
4. Merit Based Increases.  This is the time of year I decide on pay increases for my team members.  I have a fixed amount to work with as dictated by my company.  In order to reward high performers, it’s crucial I provide the higher merit increases to the employees who have earned it through their performance over the past year.  There is a market fairness factor that plays into this decision.  I am doing a disservice to my team though if I don’t reward team members based on their performance.  If I decided to give everyone the same increase regarding their performance, I would not be sending a positive message that would improve the overall performance of the company.
5. Incentive.  Finding ways to provide incentives to employees can be a great way to promote desired behaviors and outcome.  At our office our sales members are paid based on commission.  They have a huge incentive to sell profitable projects.  Our project managers receive an incentive bonus at the end of the year.  The incentive is based on individual project slip along with a couple of other key performance indicators.  And our management encouraged to work together towards overall business success as part of the management incentive program.  Managing your payment program to make room for this kind of program can be a great way to enhance the overall performance of your team and your business.

I’m sure there are some other ways to reward employees.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the above list and your ideas for rewarding employees.  Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

How do you reward your team members?  How does your company reward its employees?  Do you think rewards work?  Why or why not?

10 Essentials for Enhancing the Performance Management Process

This week, I’m in the middle of the performance management process for my team members.  This is an annual opportunity to provide feedback to my team members on their performance over the past year.  With 12 direct reports, it could be easy to rush through this process which is required by my company.  I could simply write a couple of sentences about each team member and move on to the next year.

Taking this approach doesn’t do them any favors, and it doesn’t help my team or the company get better.  A well thought out  and carefully executed performance review can be the bedrock of success for your team and your company.

In today’s post, I offer ten ways to improve the performance management process.  This is written from a managers perspective; however, this is a great reference for those who don’t manage direct reports.  After reading today’s post, you may want to suggest that your supervisor start this type of performance management process for you.  You may simply want to tweak what is already happening at your job.

Whether you are a manager of direct reports or not, I hope you’ll find this list helpful in understanding ways to get better.  Success doesn’t happen by accident.  Success happens by being intentional, and this list offers suggestions – no, essentials – for being intentional with the performance management process.

10 Essentials for Enhancing the Performance Management Process:

1. Start with regular one-on-one meetings.  It’s important to meet with your employees on a regular basis.  These meetings provide an opportunity to touch base on performance issues and other business and non-business related items.  You can read about the power of one-on-one meetings in a guest post I wrote for Matt McWilliams.  This year I started having monthly one-on-one meetings with my team, and it’s been helpful for my team members and for me.
2. Set performance targets.  It’s critical that employees have SMART targets.  Targets should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.  At the beginning of each year, I sit down with my team members to set targets.  These targets align with our overall business objectives, and they also provide opportunities for individuals to grow personally.
3. Quarterly review progress towards targets.  It shouldn’t be a surprise at the end of the year when doing a performance evaluation.  I sit down with my employees once a quarter to review their progress in achieving their targets.  Doing this once a quarter provides an opportunity for my team members to make performance corrections that will help them meet or exceed their targets.
4. Get feedback from others.  I encourage my team members to ask for feedback from their peers.  And I get feedback from other managers and supervisors regarding the performance of my team members.  Before completing the annual performance management process, I meet in a roundtable meeting which helps to calibrate my overall assessment.  This meeting also provides extra insight into developmental action items I might want to suggest to my team members.
5. Take time to write an honest and detailed assessment.  When I write evaluations for my team members, I want them to be fair, well-thought, and encouraging.  Writing this kind of assessment takes time.  I schedule time to carefully review the past year of activity.  I look at notes from my past one-on-one meetings.  I review previous results from the quarterly updates.  And I take into account comments shared by my fellow management team members.  A written record provides employees a tangible document to review as they seek to grow and improve.
6. Meet with employee to review results.  At the end of the year, it’s important to let your employees know how they have done.  Feedback provides information necessary to help them improve.  Feedback also keeps them doing the right things.
7. Remember the good things.  Make sure you praise your team members for the good things they have done throughout the year.  A pat on the back goes a long way towards encouraging the right behavior.
8. Create a development plan correcting issues.  As managers, it is our responsibility to help our team members succeed.  We have to give our team members help in getting better.  The performance review process is the perfect time to help employees get better.
9. Discuss career progression essentials.  Most employees want to know what it will take for them to get tho the next level in their career path.  It’s important to talk regularly to employees about their plans for the future.  What are their goals for the next 5 years or 10 years?  What do they need to do in order to be ready for the next steps?  These are questions that will help you help them.  Are their expectations realistic?  How can you help them?  The performance review process provides an opportunity to discuss essentials for career advancement.
10. Do it again.  It may seem repetitive, but you have to do it over and over and over again.  Doing this for only one year does not demonstrate a long-term interest in the performance of an employee.  Repeated year after year is essential to a successful performance management process.

How has the performance management process helped you succeed?  What would you add to the list above?  What do you need to do differently in order to improve your own performance management process?

Book Review: The Leadership Mandate by @dbonleadership

Today is an exciting day for my friend Dan Black.  His new eBook launches today on Amazon.

The Leadership Mandate provides 10 practical and essential elements for developing leaders.  This book is a helpful refresher for established leaders.  But this book is not just written for people in positions of authority.  The Leadership Mandate provides excellent advice for everyone who is serious about leading others or about leading themselves.

Dan Black has been blogging for quite a while about leadership.  The Leadership Mandate focuses so much of Dan’s great daily blog content into a concise guide that will help you act like a leader.  Dan presents 10 foundational things that will propel people to leading with influence and effectiveness.  The Leadership Mandate teaches, and it challenges leaders to take action – to develop the leader inside you.

The Leadership Mandate is available starting today on Amazon.com for $2.99.  Help my friend Dan out and help yourself out as well.  Go pick up a copy today.  Click the link below to get your copy today.  As a special BONUS, Dan has put together a special package of extra material for anyone who purchases The Leadership Mandate between September 30th and October 7th.  The BONUS package includes six great leadership books and tools (Vision Impact! by Bernard K. Haynes, Navigating Change by Ngina Otiende, The Little Guide To Figuring Out Your Dream by Kimanzi T. Constable, I’ve Been Promoted: Now What Do I Do? by Ernie Wenk, The Big Blog Push by Jared Latigo, and a discount on leadership coaching by Joe Lalonde).  To get the BONUS, e-mail your receipt to Dan at danblackonleadership@gmail.com.  To get more details on the BONUS, click here.

What do you think are the most essential elements of a leader?

(Please note:  I received a copy of The Leadership Mandate for free in exchange for a review.  I was not required to provide a favorable review.  I truly believe this book can be a helpful reminder to any reader in helping them to take steps to become better leaders – at work, in the community, at church, and at home.  It’s my honor to be part of the launch team for Dan’s new book.

Also to note:  There are affiliate links in this post.  Should you purchase The Leadership Mandate by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase.  These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala.  Thank you!)