Welcome to the Truth@Life Blog Site by Curtis Songer


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There are 5 threads of thought in this blog site:
1. Church Stuff - things pertaining to the evangelical Christian Church of today
2. Leadership Corner - concepts on management & leadership
3. Two Becoming One - principles of marriage enrichment
4. Train Up a Child - principles of parenting
5. Personal Thoughts - my mental ramblings on how God is growing me

I highly recommend you find an entry on one of these topics that interests you and click on that label at the end of that entry. It will bring up all the entries on that particular category. And be sure to check out the great web site links in the lower right corner of this page - Enjoy!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Communication is the Oxygen of Leadership (part 2 of 3)

Many American presidents have made an impact on our country as great communicators. Some examples are John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. But only one president was actually called “the great communicator”, and that was Ronald Reagan. Reagan was a good executive because he possessed a clear vision, made decisions easily, surrounded himself with leaders with complementary skills, and delegated very effectively. But he was a great leader because of his uncanny ability to communicate. When it came to leading the country, people knew who he was, where he stood, what he wanted, and they couldn’t wait to get on board with him. His ability to communicate effectively made him the kind of leader people wanted to follow. You may not aspire to be president, but every leader still needs strong communication skills. The success of your marriage, job, and personal relationships depend on it. People will not follow you if they don’t know what you want or where you are going. Here I continue what I started last week, the 12 great principles of communication: 4. Follow up on important communication in writing. The more difficult the communication becomes, the more important it is to keep it clear and simple. That often means putting communications in writing. It is not accidental that most marriages have vows, football teams have playbooks, and partnerships have contracts. When communications with your teammates is important, you’ll find it easier to keep everyone on the same page if you’ve written it down for everyone’s benefit. 5. Give attention to difficult relationships. Relationships need attention to thrive. This is especially true of relationships between two people with the potential for conflict. 6. Explain your intentions. Don’t presume that those around you understand your actions. In fact, often they misjudge your motives. 7. Be candid and inclusive. Open communication fosters trust. Having hidden agendas, communicating to people via third party, and sugar-coating bad news, hurt relationships. Some people hoard information unless forced to divulge it. Don’t be that person. If you can include others, do so. 8. Keep it simple and clear. Communication is not just what you say. It is also how you say it. The key to effective communication is simplicity. It has been said, the three keys to good real estate are location, location, location. In the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, the three keys to good communication are “Be clear, be clear, be clear.” 9. Seek a response. As you communicate, never forget the goal of all communication is action. Every time you speak to people, give them something to feel, something to remember, and something to do. The story is told of a young executive who was invited to speak to a group of managers for the first time. He went to his mentor, a seasoned executive, for advice on how to give a good speech. The older man said, “Write an exciting opening that will grab everybody in your audience. Then write a dramatic summary that will call the people to action. Finally, and most importantly, put the two as close together as possible!” Check back next week as we conclude our review of the 12 great principles of communication. In the menatime, do you have "leadership habits" that need to change for you to become more effective in your personal or professional life? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Great Leaders are Selfless!

I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests… (Philippians 2:20, 21 NIV) Opportunities to help others, are unique opportunities that MUST be attended to immediately. To say that you care, but not act is to not care at all. True selfless compassion demands action! You will always have a (good) excuse to justify not getting involved. Selfless compassion always interrupts. We must pay attention to the promptings of God! Compassion costs. In the Bible story of the Good Samaritan he gave 2 full days of work wages. He offered to give more (when he returned he followed up & covered any additional expenses). Compassion changes lives. It transforms 3 people: the one receiving the care, the one giving the care, and those who observes the care being given (these are not even directly involved)! Want to be a great leader? Serve those who need your compassion and help. Do you have "leadership habits" that need to change for you to become more effective in your personal or professional life? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Communication is the Oxygen of Leadership (Part 1 of 3)

Leadership is our ability to positively influence others. As such, it is fundamentally a relational skill. It has been said, “Communication is the oxygen of relationships.” Without good communication, relationships die. Consequently, without good communication, leadership doesn’t stand a chance. In the early 70s, many communities in the United States were in the process of dismantling segregation. Alexandria, Virginia was one such community. It took tangible steps toward equality when it combined the populations of three area high schools into one. Two had been white and one was black. Herman Boone, a black man, was chosen to be the football coach at the new high school ……. over Bill Yoast, a very popular white coach. This added to the tension, especially since Yoast and another white man became Boone’s assistant coaches. Boone did everything in his power to bring the players and his coaching staff together. And it worked. That season, the team won the state championship and became the second highest ranking high school football team in the country! When asked what the secret was to this high-performing team’s success, Boone stated, “Communication. Talking to each other. Getting to know and appreciate each other. We forced the kids to spend time with each other to find out things about each other. Every player was required to spend time with teammates who were a different race.” Result: the team went undefeated. And that is why, to this day, the people of Alexandria still remember, and talk about, the 1971 Titans. You cannot have a high performance team unless you have communicative players on the team. Without communication you don’t have a team, you just have a collection of individuals. You will be a much more effective communicator, and leader of your team, if you follow these 12 principles: Do not isolate yourself. The key problem Herman Boone had to overcome on his newly formed team was isolation. The players of one race isolated themselves from the other. Any time a player, or the leader, becomes isolated, it is a problem for the team. Great leaders can be found in and among their team members every day. Make it easy to communicate with each other. Most communication problems can be solved with proximity. That’s why Herman Boone used it to get his team to gel. Putting players of different races on the same bus and in the same dorm rooms at camp made communication more likely to happen. Follow the 24 hour rule. When some people are faced with conflict or interpersonal difficulties, they avoid the person with whom they are having the problem. But without knowing both sides of the problem, people tend to give the benefit of the doubt to themselves and to assign negative motives and actions to others. Without good communication, the problem just festers. Team members need to follow the twenty-four hour rule. If you have any kind of difficulty or problem with a teammate, don’t let more than twenty-four hours go by without addressing it. Check back next week as I continue the review of the 12 great principles of communication. In the menatime, do you have "leadership habits" that need to change for you to become more effective in your personal or professional life? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com