Feature or Bug? The Question That Changes Everything.

On his first visit to the church I was leading, RL Brown pulled me aside and told me something I smiled at and promptly ignored.

He and his wife Joann had just found our church. RL was 69 years old, the founder of rlbrownreports.com, and the premier economist in Arizona's housing market. Sharp, direct, rugged and about as low-maintenance as a man of his stature could be. He told me if they called Journey home, he would never want me to ask him to be an elder.

Within a year he became the first chairman of the board our new church ever had.

We led that church together for years. He taught me things about leadership, business, and life that I carry to this day. He was a gift I did not deserve and did not take for granted.

Leadership is boring and frustrating. Do it anyway.

One of our strongest leaders came to me recently frustrated with a government partner we've been working to bring along.

I share her frustration.

She is usually well-measured. She has a significantly higher EQ than me. She is patient in ways that have taught me a lot over the years. So when she came in to the meeting swinging, I noticed.