You might say, “That borders on stalking!” And you’d be exactly right. Stalking. Creeping. Whatever you want to call it . . . do it! Your work is way too important to chance getting someone on the team who has character flaws you don’t know about.

He hugged me twice.

Dad wasn’t a big hugger. It was usually a one-armed, awkward, sideways hug as I arrived or left from a visit. But last weekend he hugged me, full frontal, not once, but twice.

I could tell it really mattered to him that I came to visit to help them move into their new house in Iowa. We spent an afternoon building shelves in the garage…

It isn’t too uncommon for leaders to get bent out of shape when a mistake is made that costs the church money. It comes from a well-intentioned place of wanting to be wise stewards of the church resources. But it diminishes people and discourages innovation and appropriate risk.

A secure leader, one who listens to learn, creates a culture that is attractive and collaborative.

The right questions rely on the leader’s ability to communicate authentic interest in learning the answer. They come from a place of not knowing. The right questions are open-ended, carry the possibility of true discovery, and demonstrate a willingness to share and bestow credit.

When it comes to the business or church world, as leaders we should not make fairness a priority. That sounds harsh, doesn’t it? In an age of political correctness and tolerance, it seems wrong to admit that some things aren’t fair. But fairness is overrated.

A healthy culture is built with some flexibility in the system. That doesn’t mean it is a free-for-all structure or schedule. There are still expectations and responsibilities, and each department supervisor is responsible for how flexibly his or her team can function.

Most of us will work most of our lives for someone else. And sometimes we do this in very tough environments. The truth is everyone, at every level, can help build and sustain a healthy culture. Much of this has to do with modeling how to be a great follower.

You should never e-mail when you are in any type of relational conflict with another individual. What is the alternative? Talk with him or her in person so that you can see their eyes, watch their body language, and discern their mood or disposition.

As leaders, it’s crucial that the people we bring on our team do not have huge flaws in their integrity that could cripple their ability to lead.