The Leadership Principle of Listening

Listening . . . the word listen means to make an effort to hear or pay attention, to give heed, or to take advice. The proverb says, "A wise man will hear," meaning that if we are wise, we will be good listeners. The reason that wise men listen is because they know they become wiser by listening. Good listeners are seeking to learn more. Wisdom is not an inherited gift; rather, it is earned by listening and learning, and by observing and understanding. A good listener will usually have these four character traits:

1. They are disciplined listeners and talkers.

2. They are seekers of truth. They want to know what is right, not who is right.

3. They love quiet time - no radio, no TV, no reading, no interruptions. They like to have time to review what is inside them. They are thinkers.

4. They are full of questions. They don't want to misunderstand or be misunderstood.

Jesus was always aware of being misunderstood. That's why He said, "He that has an ear, let him hear." He meant, "Don't just hear My words, comprehend and understand the idea and get the concept of what I'm trying to say." All good teachers try to communicate certain concepts, but they don't always use the right words. So we hear the words, but don't get the bottom line. That's why good listeners will probe by asking questions. If we are not disciplined listeners, we won’t get the point. Sometimes we think that people around us hear what we are saying, only to find out later that they thought we meant something else.

Listening is not enough - we must hear. Listening is not hearing until we fully understand what the other party is trying to convey to us. Television only communicates in part, for it only works one way. Telephones are a better system of communication, for we hear and respond. Fax machines, on the other hand, are perfect in communication: the receiving machine receives exactly what the sending machine transmitted. But we are not like fax machines. We measure and judge the words of others by our own perceptions and emotions (our state of being). We hear the words, then form our own perceptions based on what we think we heard, and interpret it with our feelings from our past experiences. Everything we hear goes through a process of our hurts and disappointments, and we then judge accordingly. That's what we call "reading into it." Someone will take something we said, and they will say that we were talking about them, when it was not even in our mind.

If we are going to be successful in building business and personal relationships, we will need to take the initiative to listen until we know where people are and what they need. Discovering needs is the first step in helping others. We will learn their needs if we can listen. Wise men become wise by listening, and they will keep on listening because they see the value in it.

A good way to make sure we understand someone is to ask him, "Is this what you are trying to tell me?" or "Is this what you mean?" Don't be too proud to ask for clarity. It is time well spent, and will avoid a lot of hurts and confusion.

This principle is a part of the one-year character development program
Foundations for Achievement

Copyright 2003 by John E. Schrock and La Red Business Network

The Day Money Fails

What will you do the day money fails? In the days of Joseph money failed. “Can it happen again,” you ask? Yes. The real question is, “Are you prepared?” Scripture teaches that money failed in the land of Egypt and Canaan during the life of Joseph. The testimony declares that Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret except Joseph. In Pharaoh’s dream there would be seven years of “great plenty” followed by “seven years of famine.” The famine would be so bad that “all the plenty would be forgotten and the land consumed.” Can you imagine such an economic collapse that money failed?

Pharaoh’s advisers could not interpret the dream but God’s man Joseph could. Not only did Joseph interpret the dream but offered a solution that would save the nation from total starvation. Here was his three-point strategic plan:

1.) “Look out a man discreet and wise” and set him over the land of Egypt with governing authority to oversee the strategy.

2.) Appoint more officers (overseers) over the land to ensure results.

3.) Store 20 percent of the land’s production in the seven prosperous years (Genesis 41:33-34).

God’s warning to Pharaoh was true. There were seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. When the famine arrived the years of prosperity were quickly forgotten. Scripture says, “And there was no bread in all the land for the famine was very sore so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine” (Genesis 47:13).

During a famine the ability to produce goods and services are drastically reduced, the division of labor falls apart, distribution networks fail, government defaults on promises, crime rises and fear sweeps the land. When famine hit Egypt the major concern became food, not consumer products.

It was at this time a great transference of wealth took place in Egypt. Because of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit guiding Joseph there was enough food stored in the cities to sustain the people. Sustain, however, with a price. Joseph didn’t give the people food, he sold it to them. Not for money, however, but for assets. Remember, money failed.

The first year Joseph exchanged food for cattle, horses and flocks. He said, “Give your cattle and I will give you for your cattle if (since) money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses and for the flocks and for the cattle of the herds and the asses and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year” (Genesis 47:17-17).

When the second year arrived they came to Joseph again saying, “Our money (savings) is spent, my lord also hath our herds of cattle there is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands… buy us and our land for bread and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh and give us seed that we may live and not die that the land be not desolate” (Genesis 47:18-19).

From these verses we learn the wisdom of Joseph to save 20 percent during prosperous years to provide the nation’s needs during times of famine. Contrast that savings rate with the typical American savings of 4.7 percent in 2009 and 6 percent in 2010 of his income according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis.

We also learn that food became the main focus during the famine. The Department of Labor states that Americans spend 12.7 percent of their income on food. When money failed in Egypt food quickly became the people’s main expense. When food becomes scarce prices rise. Not only did food become rare in Egypt with soaring prices but there was a great transference ofwealth. Not paper currency like we have today but real wealth found in tangible assets like land and cattle. “And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh for the Egyptians sold every man his field because the famine prevailed over them so the land became Pharaohs. Even the transference of wealth was future oriented because seed was given to the people under the regulation that 20 percent of their increase was given to Pharaoh (Genesis 47:20-24).

The bottom line is that God gives wisdom not corrupt career politicians that don’t believe in God or His relevance to modern society. The further our nation gets away from Jehovah the more perilous times become. We may even find ourselves wakening up one morning only to discover that money failed.

Could it be possible that we are approaching the day when money fails? Peter Schiff, a well-known investor and former Senate candidate for Connecticut thinks it could happen. During a January interview with the Fast Money Wall Street trader’s panel on tout media CNBC Schiff said the US Dollar could fall 50 to 70 percent in value by 2012 because of the massive Federal debt build-up and money printing by the Federal Reserve.

In January of 2010 President of Venezuela Daniel Chavez devalued his nation’s currency by 50 percent while threatening shop owners against raising prices or have their businesses confiscated. The result was predictable with a decrease in the buying power of their currency, store closings, product shortages, mass inflation and job losses.

Most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Six-in-ten (61 percent) workers report they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet, up from 49 percent last year and 43 percent in 2007. This is according to a new nationwide survey of more than 4,400 workers by CareerBuilder.

Currency falling 50 percent or more would be disastrous. The truth is the dollar continues to fall in buying power every year. (Click "Instruments" in chart for US Dollar index.) It has fallen by 95 percent in purchasing power since 1913 because of Federal Reserve monetary policy. The Federal Reserve is not a U.S. Federal Government agency. It is a private banking cartel chartered by Congress to operate. Since we live in a dollar world a gradual decrease in the dollar’s value goes unnoticed. If Peter Schiff is right our nation will experience a major drop. So what’s a Christian to do? Here are some things to consider.

Tithe.

If you are not tithing then I can’t help you at all. The Holy Spirit told me one time that tithing is only for believers. Tithing is not a suggestion - it’s Scripture. When you tithe God rebukes the devourer for you. If you need God’s help then you have to do things God’s way. Start here.

Put the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).

This goes way beyond your personal salvation. This speaks of the government of God, the word of God, the laws of God and the right causes of God. Causes like helping the poor and needy, ministering to orphans, widows, advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom around the world, missions, and helping your local church fulfill its purpose.

The Gospel of the Kingdom is the Word, ways, culture, language and government of the Kingdom, not just the message of the cross. Yes, the cross is extremely important but it’s a doctrine of the Kingdom not the gospel of the Kingdom.

Live within your means.

Some try to keep up with the Jones next door. Well, the Jones lost their home. Their 401K is now a 201K. They will not be able to retire and live off Social Security. Their American dream of a golden retirement has turned into a nightmare.

I know living within one’s means is painful to hear for some because we have been taken captive by consumerism leaving us with little self-restrain. The truth is we must learn to spend less than we make. How did you do today? Did you spend more than you made? What about this week? Did you spend more than you made? What about this month? Did you spend more than you made?

Get out of debt.

Fight debt like it’s a devil. One way to start is by making a decision. Everything starts with a decision. Start getting out of debt by refusing to take on any new payments of any kind. The best approach is buy the best, pay cash, and take with you.

Focus on production not consumption.

Production is your key to prosperity. Producing more than you consume is your road to abundance. As you produce opportunity will show up. Then little-by-little the law of accumulation will work for you in a positive way. Seldom do successful people hit giant deals. Most success is bit-by-bit.

Make your land produce.

Have you ever seen large tracts of unproductive land? What good is land if it’s not producing anything? Make your land produce. I mean that in both a spiritual and natural context. God gave you a gift and He expects you to produce something with it. He made that clear in the Parable of the Talents.

Understand the dangers of fiat currencies and exotic financial instruments as a store of wealth. Money can fail. Currency is nothing more than a means of exchange for products or services. When money is used for something other than an exchange such as a store of wealth or some other financial instrument like interest bearing CD’s, stocks, bonds, then money has become something beyond a means of exchange. Here is a basic problem. Mammon has developed many exotic financial instruments to entice people to engage its kingdom. Jesus warned His disciples of the god of mammon. He said you cannot serve two masters. Mammon is a cruel master. Mammon can be likened to the financial kingdoms of the world.

Money failed in Egypt.

The famine killed the ability to produce which led to a collapse. Today money is failing because of bad Federal Reserve monetary policy, Wall Street corruption, out of control big government spending and massive Federal Government debt and Ponzi entitlement schemes.

Could money fail like it did in Joseph’s generation? The answer is yes. It’s time to get back to biblical principles for right living. A great transference of wealth is about to take place. Will it go to the wicked or to the righteous? Build your house on the rock.

(c) Jonas Clark
www.jonasclark.com

Read more: http://www.jonasclark.com/culture/the-day-money-fails.html#ixzz251tMdRYB
Copyrights (c) Jonas Clark Ministries - Permission Only 

@TPFRuth

This past weekend saw the end of the famous Tusker Project Fame, Season 5. This was one heated competition as there were several good musicians all fighting for the prize money of Kshs. 5 million. The last show on Sunday found me and my wife at home and I decided to be a dare-devil and place a bet on someone who, if they won, could have caused chaos is the whole of the Eastern Africa region.

(Fast forward to the end) At the end of it all....Ruth Matete form Kenya won the award and the whole scene was emotional - from Ruth on stage, to the audience and also into the neighborhood. Shouts could be heard from all corners, but they were definitely drowned by the ones in my house :-)

Why am I writing about this? There are certain aspects of Ruth's life in the academy that captured me and would like to share:


1. Her Talent
Ruth was one contestant who did not have to struggle to find her talent. In my opinion (and am glad this was shared by many others including the judges and faculty), Ruth knew her talent and passions and then gave it her all. I always used to wait to here her performances and would be quite distraught if I missed it.

The bible talks about gifts in Proverbs 18:16, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Ruth's gift definitely has placed, and will continue to place her, before great men.

2. Her Faith
I knew from the beginning of the TPF competitions that Ruth was a Christian; but I can never forget her response after she had won the award. In her own words, echoed by Judge Ian, she said, 'Thank God' and then went on to sing 'Halleluyah' by Alexander Burke.

How many of us, after being favored and brought to a high position like that of Ruth, would remember to give thanks and acknowledgement to God for His help? Ruth reminded me of various people in the Bible who attributed their success to the Almighty God e.g. David, Solomon, King Uzziah, Daniel, Noah, etc. Whenever they were successful, they were careful to give thanks and praise to God.

3. Her Family
One evening we were sitted in a restaurant in Nairobi with my wife, chatting. She then pointed at me towards a man who was dishing out small slips of paper to people in the restaurant. Soon enough, we came to discover that this was Ruth's father and he was out there talking to people and coercing them to vote for her daughter. This was a very encouraging sight.

How many of us (as parents) believe in our children so much that we would do anything to support them? How many of us have brothers, sisters, relatives or friends in whom we believe in and give selflessly towards seeing them grow and become all that God has called them to be? I want it to be said of me that I was a number one fan to my wife and children first, then to others, as God would permit me.

Are there other lessons that you were able to draw out of the just concluded TPF Season 5?

WHAT MATTERS IN LIFE

A few weeks ago, I was involved in a car accident. I was on my way headed to Mai Mahiu to assist in the  ground-breaking and dedication ceremonies of some IDP houses that were being constructed by Habitat For Humanity Kenya (HFHK). While on the way there, the car that I was driving lost control due to some unknown mechanical problem and veered off the road. By God’s help, neither I nor any of the other 2 passengers were hurt, no passer(s)-by were injured and the car was only slightly damaged. I thank God for keeping us alive!

Days after this incident happened (all in a matter of seconds) I kept having flashbacks of what happened and the endless possibilities of how the situation could have ended up more worse….but I thank God it did not. During these times, I had some reflection times where I wondered to myself, ‘if I would have died on that day, what would I have taken with me? What would I have left that was of value on the earth? Would millions of people mourn my death or celebrate the life that I lived? In fact, would that many people even notice?’ These questions led me to review and re-prioritize various issues in my life and I seek to live this way for my whole entire life. I would like to share my top 3 with you….

Priority No. 1: GOD

Nothing else in life matters more than my relationship with God! He is first in my life. God is my creator and He created me with a purpose and endowed me with gifts, strengths and abilities to make the purpose come alive. Therefore, my top lesson was to always carve out time in my day to spend with the one to whom I belong and will give an account to of my life.

And this is the same for you…how is your walk with the Lord doing? Do you even know Him?

Priority No. 2: FAMILY

After God, my top priority in terms of human relations is to my family, i.e. my wife and future children J. Nothing in my life should come before them…not even work or the pursuit of money and influence. As I was meditating in the days following the accident, I realized how much I love my wife and I would be a fool to chase after everything else in life and leave her out of my top priority list. It would be so meaningless for me to rise to world-class fame only to realize that I left her somewhere at the bottom….or even lost her altogether. I now treasure my time with her more than ever. I don’t have a problem prioritizing what needs to be done first in the workplace, so that I can be free to leave once it gets to 5 o’clock!

My advice to those of you who are married…actively plan to spend time with your family as often as possible! The returns on this investment are worth it.

Priority No. 3: LIFE PURPOSE

In several motivational books, they call this ‘work’, ‘career’ or ‘vocation’. I, on the other hand, call it your ‘purpose’ because I understand that when God created us, He had a very specific thing that He wanted each one of us to accomplish (Ephesians 2:20). Therefore, just as in the parable of the talents, the Master is going to require an account of that which He entrusted you and me with. What will your answer be? Will you have been a faithful, or an unfaithful, steward? Will you realize at this point that you went off accomplishing the purposes of others other than your own?

If you do not know your purpose, I suggest you begin by asking the Dream-Giver about your specific mission on earth. If you already know your purpose, I encourage you to take an inventory of your life to see the general direction its heading in.

These were my top 3 priorities…everything else comes after these. How are you doing on your priority list? What matters most to you?

FOUNDATIONS

Eiffel Tower - Paris

             One of the things that I enjoy doing is travelling. I love to just set out every so often and take a trip to new places -places where I have never been before. And one of the things that I always look out for are the landmarks that are associated with these places. Of late, cities have taken up a trend of having certain buildings or erections that form an association with that city. For example, when you see the Eiffel Tower, you immediately know that you're in Paris; when you see the statue of Liberty, you know that you're in New York; and when you see the Khalifa Towers, you know that you're in Dubai. I live in Nairobi, Kenya, and one of the landmarks of the city is the Kenyatta International Conference Centre which stands out from the skyline of Nairobi city.

What makes all these great and beautiful landmarks stand tall? Well, there is something that holds these magnificent landmarks up, called a foundation. A foundation, in this case, is the base on which something stands. This is one part of a building that you will never, ever get to see, but one that is of utmost importance. Preparing a foundation involves what seems to be a useless and expensive effort…digging up the dirt from the place you want to build many feet deep until you get to the bedrock. Then after this, you begin filling it up again with various materials! Why not just build from the ground up?

Well, there is a story in the bible that talks about this too - the parable of the wise and foolish builders (Matt. 7:24-27). The foolish builder did not see the need for this tedious work of building his foundation on the right base. He probably thought that he was clever and could get away with it. Definitely his house cost way less than his friend and the extra money could have been used to decorate the house and get him good furnishings. Meanwhile, the other wise builder took time to locate the rock and build his house from there. This involved higher costs that his friend, a longer time and also took away from him extra money that could be used for his furnishings. When the true time of testing came, we all know which house survived!

These illustrations can also be mirrored in our lives. In your work, relationships, home, business, spiritual life, and so on, do you have the right foundations in place? We all want to put up our best front to the rest of the world and seem like all is well. But when the challenges come and your life is shaken (you can be sure these times will definitely come), will you remain standing, or will everything crumble into pieces? Take your time this year to put the right foundations in place in your life, where you can confidently build upon the successes of the years to come.

Eight Areas of Goal Setting

As the year draws to a close,  many of us sit back and reflect on the year that was (if there are any of you who do not do that, I would like to encourage you to carry out this exercise. It is worth it!) Thinking about your year and how things went is a good way to evaluate the quality of life that you lived; congratulate yourself on milestones that have been achieved and see where you need to put in more effort and concentration. A famous quote comes to mind about this process, 'An unexamined life is not worth living!'

There are 8 areas of life that I would like to highlight for you even as you embark on this important exercise. I have been doing this for the past 2 years and I have enjoyed it. My thoughts on these are shared from one of my famous must-read books titled God's Man Of Influence by Christian author Jim George. In his book, he highlights the following areas in order as follows;

1. Spiritual - You cannot impart to others what you do not have yourself. And the thing that is most important to imparting others is your vibrant and growing life in Christ! How is your walk with God doing? Are you in contact with him 24/7? 
2. Mental - Your mind is like your muscles, the more you exercise it, the better the shape it is in, and the better it serves you. So how do you develop your mental muscles? One of the best ways to do this is through reading. 'You will never be a leader in any area of your life if you are not a reader in those areas of life.' Go ahead and develop a reading plan for your year.
3. Physical - How is your body doing? How different is it from the one that you started with at the beginning of the year? You need to take care of your body because it is the container that carries who you are; if it is in great shape, it will allow you to move around and accomplish the purpose that God created you for, if it is not in such a great shape, it will be a hindrance to your work. Work out a plan to take care of it. One of the things that I have learnt this year is that I do not need to do the things that others are doing, e.g. jogging in the morning. I came to realize that I do not enjoy this activity and I find it very tedious. So what do I do? I enjoy dancing, and therefore I downloaded some Zumba and dancing clips from the internet that I dance to regularly. Nowadays, I look forward to my exercise time!
4. Social - Setting goals for your relationships are equally important. They need to be set in the following order of priority: your family, your friends, your workmates, neighbours and strangers. Be willing to go to the ends of the earth, if need be, to find those relationships that will either 'pull you along' or 'pull you up' and avoid those that would 'pull you down'.
5. Vocational - Work was the primary reason that God put man in the Garden of Eden. His instruction to them was to 'work it and keep it' (Gen. 2:15). Please note that this did not happen after the fall of man, but before the fall of man. Therefore, work was God's initial design and not a result of Adam's sin. How would you rate your work this year? Have you worked 'as unto the Lord'? Are you proud of yourself? Are there areas that you could improve on? If yes, go ahead and plan on how 2012 will be different.
6. Financial - How have you finances looked like this year? How much have you earned in total (from January?) I encourage you to calculate this practically. How much of it have you saved, invested, given in support of others, and spent on yourself? The bible says 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'? Where was your heart this year? What do you need to change in the coming year?
7. Family - Your number one priority after your relationship with God, is your relationship with your family. For those who are married, it is your spouse, then children. Many at times we think we need to do big things to show our affection, but I have come to learn that even small gestures show this. E.g; a child deciding to clean up the house without being asked, or writing an impromptu letter to your girlfriend or spouse, or getting someone to babysit the kids as you take your wife out on a date, etc. Such things are small in themselves but they go a long way in communicating your love to family members. How is your relationship with your family doing? Are there things that you can improve on? Go ahead and set goals on them.
8. Ministry - The bible tells us that we are the body of Christ, and this body (like our physical body) has different parts, and each part does its work to aid the whole body. God has given each one us of us different gifts to be used for the overall good of Christ's body. Have you been involved this year in active service to others, using the gifts that God has endowed you with? How can you plan to do this more next year?

Ever since I read this book in 2009 (which I recommend for every man to purchase and read), I have kept thinking through these eight areas of life regularly to see how I am doing. Welcome to the journey!

Remember this....'An unexamined life is not worth living!' Go ahead and examine your life!

Have a merry Christmas and a blessed 2012!

Quote:

'It concerns us to know the purposes we seek in life, for then, like archers aiming at a definite mark, we shall be more likely to attain what we want.' 

- Aristotle

What Matters Most: Lessons from a plane crash

There are very few things that matter most to us in life, but as we go through life, we rarely think about them and invest the amount of dedication and time that they deserve. Why do we do this?

I pray that this experience from Ric Elias will inspire you to major on the major things in life...