Phi Gamma Delta’s Post

Foundations of Faith-Driven Leadership When we look to the Bible for leadership wisdom, we find principles that are timeless. Whether it's Moses leading the Israelites or Jesus guiding His disciples, biblical leadership is all about serving others and stewarding God's purpose. As leaders today, we can apply these same principles to our own leadership journeys: Servant Leadership: Jesus showed us that true leadership means putting others first (Mark 10:45). A leader’s role is not about authority, but humility and service. Stewardship: Just like the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), we are called to wisely manage what we’ve been given, whether that’s people, time, or resources. Integrity & Character: Leadership without integrity crumbles. Proverbs 11:3 reminds us that "the integrity of the upright guides them." We lead best when our actions align with our faith.

Your title daent make you a leader Here is what does:

Had a truly wonderful experience representing Something Major today, facilitating a custom-built workshop for the James Madison University JMU College of Business leadership team. Thank you to Dean Michael Busing, Brooke Goolsby, and the attendees who brought energy, curiosity, nuance, and smart questions. A few key points from the content: ✅Having a strategy for growing your #EmotionalIntelligence pays rich leadership dividends ✅Guard the power of your apologies by only using “I’m sorry” when you really mean it ✅Whether setting new expectations or reinforcing old ones, be direct in asking for support/commitment ✅While disappointing, a thoughtful, professional ”no” is not the brutal attack it is often feared to be. ✅Diplomacy is kind, clear, professional, and honest, but it doesn’t call for weakness, people-pleasing, or compromising on non-negotiables. Do you have a team that could benefit from some of this? Let’s chat! Thanks to Randi Braun , Jeanine Kaplan, MOT, OTR/L, CHT , and Faleign Garcia for all the support!

Time is Short, Too Short for Regrets (Part 2 of 6) Over a decade it has become clear that our tendency is to believe we have more time than we actually do. In our careers, the immortality of our 20’s transforms by the decade. Before we know it the reality is revealed that we have more sunsets behind us than sunrises in front of us. The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years… So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90: 10a, 12 In this scripture the Psalmist is revealing that it is the wisdom of God to realize that life is finite and our days are numbered. It also teaches that coming to this understanding makes us wise. My experience tells me this: The earlier we learn to live in the reality of these verses - the less regrets we have. There is a tension existing between today and the future. It is renewed every morning in the constant exchange between yesterday, today and tomorrow. As a leader we battle this daily tension to accomplish all that we can. We push towards our definition of success or accomplishment. Working with leaders has exposed a significant challenge. In the beginning our push for success and accomplishment is satisfying. But slowly, in a manner that we do not often detect, the things that fulfilled and drove us initially start to lose their luster. All too quickly, a couple of realities sneak up on us. One, we come to the point where we must face the truth that life is indeed short. Two, we are confronted with the stark reality that success does not guarantee significance. That the two words are truly different. To embrace the real joy in having an impact over having an accomplishment is a freeing lesson. In my world, I’ve experienced leaders coming to this powerful revelation. It has occurred when leaders gather with other like-minded leaders in an ongoing, relationally connected setting. I’ve watched regrets avoided and erased through a combination of time invested, challenges shared and ideas challenged in a high-trust environment. Our exact scenario is played out within Truth At Work Round Tables. Christian business owners gathering month after month trusting God will be present and speak through the leaders around the table. That’s part 1.  Time is Short, Too Short for Regrets

Leading Alone is Shallow & Dangerous (part 4 of 6) Leadership is lonely by definition. Regardless of your style, your team, or your organization - eventually a leader has to make a decision. Whether it’s the ‘buck stops here’ or a ‘consensus leader’ mindset. Someone has to break the ties when they occur. And that person is the leader. At Truth At Work we talk about the reality of the environment or context of leading is the acronym L.I.O.N. L-onely I-solated O-verwhelmed N-ever been through this But wise leaders learn that the conditions above, while real, only persist by making the decision to stay in them. I’ve learned that wise leaders make the choice to move, connect, and bond. Lions don’t hunt the weak, they hunt the prey that is alone. The dangerous part of leading alone is that our enemy is prowling around looking for who he can devour (1 Peter 5:8). And the lion eats the isolated animal. Our enemy eats the person all alone. He doesn’t know or care if that prey is weak or strong - because he knows that even the strongest prey is weaker when it is alone. It occurs to me that you get alone or isolated in three ways.  First, you can lag behind the team or tribe you are called to be connected with due to tiredness or depression. Second, you can get alone by wandering off course via distraction, disinterest or deception. And thirdly, you can get isolated and lonely by running off so fast by yourself that no one you are leading can keep up. Sadly this is true in business and family. Pretty soon you can be so far behind, so far left or right or so far ahead - you actually aren’t leading anyone. Embrace the truth that James Bond is a shallow myth. The solo hero is a lie and ruse of the enemy. When the real bullets fly you want a team (Ecclesiastes 4:12). This is why special forces soldiers never work alone. They are even known as ‘the teams.’  A strong, tough team has more resources, a greater field of vision and a healthy variety of experience or perspective. That’s why they don’t call them ‘the soldiers.’  Teams have leaders and leaders have teams. Our context is one of gathering Christian owners and leaders of companies/organizations together.  We do this because great leaders realize there’s more wisdom, experience and talent in a room full of other leaders than alone. “Lonely, Isolated, Overwhelmed and Never been through” will occur. Dive deep out of the shallowness and out of danger by choosing not to stay alone. Don’t stay under the hungry hunting gaze of the LION. Next up will be You Are Smarter, Stronger, Sharper in Fellowship

"How did you become such a good leader?" someone once asked Nelson Mandela. His profound response? "Because I learned to speak last." This wisdom stemmed from his childhood experiences with Jongintaba, the tribal king who raised him. During meetings, Jongintaba would patiently listen to his men before sharing his own insights, fostering an environment of respect and open dialogue. This approach not only allowed him to understand different perspectives but also empowered others to contribute meaningfully. Leadership is not just about commanding authority; it's about listening, learning, and facilitating conversation. Let's embrace this principle in our own leadership journeys! Same narrative is explained by Jeff Bezos #subhansharif #canvassoftskills #attitude #values #Training #Success #Leadership #Listening #jeffbezos #Empowerment #NelsonMandela #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #CommunicationSkills https://lnkd.in/dHKmjSC4

In case you missed it, here's the recording of the webinar on The African Leadership University with Veda Sunassee. (...actually, the most entertaining part of the event was before the webinar, when Isak Frumin and Veda were discussing Mauritius' philatelic culture. Alas, that didn't make it to the recording.) #InnovativeUniversities [Note: Views in this post are the author's own and not her employer's]

Reminder: we have one hour left before today's first Biannual Research Colloquium presentation. Dr. Johnson's presentation, "Drawing Attention to the Detrimental Side Effects of Toxic Leadership in Public Education", will be focused on the behaviors that create a toxic environment in educational leadership and how to combat those behaviors. Join Dr. Johnson here: https://loom.ly/a2zxOSY #aspenuniversity #aubianuualresearchcolloquium

On lessons learned from academic leadership. As an academic leader, I often encountered combative association members. I soon learned members were not looking for combat - they were looking for confirmation that they had been heard and their opinions mattered. As I have progressed in academic life, that lesson on listening has had a profound impact on my career - leading to less conflict and more learning over time. Best of luck! #academiclife #conflict #listening

How to nurture true Leadership