The Imperfect CEO

 

Issue No. 680 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (May 19, 2026) invites you to make the climb up four peaks to organizational health. Must-read: The Imperfect CEO—just published today. Plus, click here for back issues posted at the new location for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including my recent review of I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything. Jim Brown writes in The Imperfect CEO: “The first two peaks—Collaborative Culture and Leadership Accountability—take you a long way. But if you miss the next peak, you’ll be stepping off a cliff.” (See Peak #3 of 4: Strategic Momentum.) [Graphic: ChatGPT]   “What you see as strong leadership, younger staff sometimes see as controlling…” I was hooked—right from the get-go. (Who reads a book’s foreword, anyway?) Yet...in the foreword, Stephen M.R. Covey writes that Jim Brown, author of The Imperfect CEO, “has a gift for making complex things simple.” Also, “He teaches principles without arrogance, and he’s relevant without the ego.” Covey’s seven-page high-five is clearly one of the most compelling book forewords I have ever read. He adds, “The world is desperately in need of leaders who are less interested in looking good and more interested in doing good.” He urges all imperfect leaders (that’s you and me) to read this powerful book.   The Imperfect CEO:  Making the Climb to Organizational Health by Jim Brown   Jim Brown writes, “The idea that an organization ought to be healthy has progressed from a novel concept to an undeniable imperative. No one wants their company to be ‘unhealthy,’ yet thousands of businesses continue to operate with painful and preventable imperfections.” Raise your hand if you know any imperfect CEOs, leaders, managers, team members, board members, and customers! (I’m in that group—and I just learned I should re-title one of my books. Mastering Mistaking-Making will now be called Mastering Learning Moments. Brilliant!) For your next weekly staff meeting (with coffee and bagels): POP QUIZ! Your assignment: Discover “the four peaks” that your organization or company must climb to be healthy. What are the four? Illustrate with three bullet points for each peak. And then describe how you will communicate this in a book with no more than 160 pages (plus notes, etc.). Do not read the rest of this email! ANSWERS! How about a business fable—a compelling story—that sounds a lot like your shop? In about 100 pages, we meet the six members of the executive leadership team of EVaant, including David, the CEO, and Carmen, the Chief People Officer. We also meet Jorge, the Chief Revenue Officer—but then he quits in a big huff! And (does this sound familiar?)…the CEO admits, “Clearly, we had the wrong guy—I picked the wrong guy—and that was costing us more than we imagined.” THE FABLE. I love business fables because I can remember the story and the relatable characters (and some are definitely characters). Think about what we learned from The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey, by Ken Blanchard, and The Motive, by Patrick Lencioni. (Also, those memorable stories—parables—told by Jesus!) Spoiler Alert! Picture this: David, the CEO, is meeting with his board chair, Maria, and another board member, Dennis. (Not a pretty picture, because Maria is not pleased.) It’s a difficult conversation, but David is growing as a leader.  “David took it in. Part of him was defensive. But he wanted to be sure not to miss what the learning could be. He was pushing back against his default to defend. Replace judgment with curiosity, he told himself. ‘Tell me more,’ he said sincerely.” THESE FOUR PEAKS WILL PREACH! #1. Collaborative Culture (“the essential core”). The chapter, “Teamwork Can Be Tough,” spotlights the struggle to create a Collaborative Culture (one of the four peaks). The “heated exchange” between promises made by sales and the impossible deadlines foisted upon the production team—well, you’ve been there. Can this be fixed?  The five “Coaching Questions” and five “Exercises” in this chapter are gutsy. Example: “Reflect on a time when you prioritized your department’s goals over the organization’s collective goals.” The recommended exercise: develop a “Collaboration Charter” for your leadership team. Note: Gratefully, Brown does not just inspire and motivate—he gives away the store. The book is filled with “Coaching Highlight” notations—and links to online resources. #2. Leadership Accountability (“the pivot point”). I’m so tired of hearing CEOs and other leaders apologize to the media for their missteps with the well-worn PR answer, “I will be holding myself accountable.” (My opinion: that’s meaningless. Don’t say that!) In Brown’s business fable, instead, we get a realistic view of what leadership accountability—as a team—looks like. Read why accountability can be framed as “leadership homework.” By the way—the four peaks on the climb to organizational health DO NOT magically appear after the leader comes down from the mountain with staff marching orders. You’ll love the give-and-take (disagreement, wrestling, strong opinions) that emerges as the CEO shuts-his-mouth and steps back to allow everyone to engage—as the four peaks slowly emerge. (This is a brilliant story.) Early in the fable, Carmen takes a risk and tells her CEO, “I think you’re accustomed to speaking to your employees with confidence and clarity and having them appreciate your leadership authority.” Then she paused and continued, “In case you haven’t noticed, the world changed. Confidence and clarity are often seen by Gen Zs and millennials as if you think you know it all and that you get to order people around. What you see as strong leadership, younger staff sometimes see as controlling—and they make up most of this company.” #3. Strategic Momentum (“the rudder”). The three bullet points:    • Clear strategy    • Sustainable profitability    • Proactive adaptability Discussing the “proof of a good strategy,” the author quotes Ken Blanchard and Peter Drucker in the same paragraph. That’s a TwoFer! I named Blanchard, Drucker, Lencioni, and Jim Collins to my “Mount Rushmore of Leadership Legends” list. Similar to Jim Brown’s book, The Imperfect Board Member (I named this one of 18 “best board books”), the fable and the model are applicable both for nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies. “For an organization to be healthy, it has to be fruitful.”    Two-Thumbs-Up! Carmen, the Chief People Officer notes, “I love how some people say that nonprofits should stop labeling themselves by what they aren’t and start declaring what they are—‘for-impact’ rather than ‘not-for-profit.’ So Strategic Momentum for them would be about the impact they’re making in the world.” (Or…as others have said, “Nonprofit is a tax designation, not a management philosophy.”) #4. Talent Magnetism (“the beacon”). In “The Model,” the second part of the book, I found my favorite chapter, “Talent Magnetism.” Brown lists seven “Case in Point” examples of the talent magnetism principles, including:    • An Australian software company features “ShipIt” days when staff “are encouraged to set aside their regular tasks for 24 hours to tackle any project that excites them.” (And yes…it includes a show-and-tell segment.)    • Mastercard encourages “reverse mentoring programs, where senior leaders pair with young leaders to learn about emerging trends and new technologies.”    • And the unorthodox interview settings that Southwest Airlines uses to discern the core values of applicants—how they’ll really react in real life.  There’s More!    • The Two-Minute Rule. “Encourage team members to take collaborative actions that can be completed in two minutes or less."    • Read why Jimmy Mellado, Compassion International CEO, says The Imperfect CEO is “a must-read,” and why Jay Bransford, CEO of Best Christian Workplaces, writes, “This book doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff.”    • You’ll appreciate the CEO’s “learning moments” with his grandson—which may prompt you to read the book, The Neurodiversity Edge (see my review).    • Accountability Exercise: “Pick a recent costly misstep. Map out who was consulted before the decision. Identify whose input was missing and how earlier listening could have prevented the error. Present findings to the leadership team.” Honest! Out of the 50 or more “Coaching Highlights” and “Coaching Questions,” I could easily have selected any 10 statements or questions—and delivered 20 take-aways. (Maybe I should have done that!) Example: “When was the last time you adjusted your approach based on feedback from team members? What did you learn from that experience?" So…how many imperfect CEOs and imperfect Leaders do you know? How many copies of this book should you order? (And as Stephen M.R. Covey reminds us, “The great thing is that you don’t need to be a CEO to benefit from this book! Any leader can benefit.") TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for The Imperfect CEO: Making the Climb to Organizational Health, by Jim Brown. (And thanks to the author for hand-delivering a signed review copy!)   BONUS! Free eNewsletters: “The Imperfect Church Leader” and “The Imperfect Board.”   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Chief People Officers, I predict, will buy this book for every executive leadership team member. In the business fable, Carmen reminds David, the CEO, what he learned from John Maxwell: “Everything rises and falls on the leader.” Jim Brown lists 30 books in the “Sources and Inspirations” notes. Question: How many of these books are in our Staff Resource Library? 2) Jim Brown writes: “The first two peaks—Collaborative Culture and Leadership Accountability—take you a long way. But if you miss the next peak, you’ll be stepping off a cliff.” (Re: The Strategic Momentum Peak.) Question: Do our board members and leadership team members know and own our strategy? (Read more: Ram Charan’s Question #5 of 14: Does Our Board Really Own the Strategy?)       SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #48 of 99: The Speed of Trust For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #48 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books (and articles) still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring. The Speed of Trust:  The One Thing That Changes Everything   by Stephen M.R. Covey (Oct. 17, 2006)   Covey says that “leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust.” His 13 behaviors tell you how to do that.     • Read my review in Issue No. 186 (June 7, 2010).    • Order book from Amazon.    • Management Bucket #8 of 20: The Culture Bucket “Contrary to what most people believe,” writes Covey, “trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don’t; rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create—much faster than you probably think possible.” His content is very deep (character isn’t enough, you must also pair it with competence). His four cores of credibility will preach: Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, and Results. Bonus! Covey (and his co-authors) wrote another bestseller in 2022, Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others. Watch for my review! CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      On page 89 in the Culture Bucket chapter of Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, you'll find "11 Confidential Questions to Assess Your Culture." Question #6: "We squander too much time in unnecessary meetings." NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. Chopsticks & Fulcrums: The Board Chair/CEO Relationship “The board chair-CEO relationship is like a pair of chopsticks,” writes Michael Naufal. “One is much more effective with the support of the other.” Read my blog post at ECFA’s “Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations” blog. 5 Teasers & 4 Confessions I urge someone on your team to read this book—and inspire your organization to take a look in the mirror. Read my four confessions and my five teasers in my review of The Neurodiversity Edge: The Essential Guide to Embracing Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Differences for Any Organization, by Maureen Dunne. See more reviews at the Pails in Comparison Blog.

NO! A Guide for Busy People

 

Issue No. 418 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Nov. 11, 2019) features a contender for my 2019 book-of-the-year. Why? It will help you say NO more often than you say YES. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here for recent book reviews, including ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance. “NO” Is a Complete Sentence!  Doug Fields emotes: “Some people believe working in a church is the most serene, stress-free job around. These people are wrong.” He adds, “Church work can be just as demanding and just as work-intensive as any other job—with the added assumption (from those demanding your time) that you’re never too busy, too swamped, or too exhausted to meet just one more need. “After all, the Creator of the universe doesn’t get tired. And if you’re working for Him, how can you approach the job any differently? Days off? Vacation? Ha! You get the idea.” Then in big and bold 24-point font (ALL CAPS), he confesses: “WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS THAT EVERY ‘YES’ I WAS SAYING TURNED INTO AN UNSPOKEN ‘NO’ AS WELL, OFTEN TO THE PEOPLE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME.” Yikes! That’s from pages 30-31 of this quick-reading (but convicting) 97-page book by author, speaker, and consultant Doug Fields, on the power of saying NO! The title is motivating and promising: NO! A Guide for Busy People: Banish Busyness and Focus on What Matters Most. Fields, author of more than 50 books, says that he was good at being a “yes man,” and signed on for a thousand commitments that distracted him from “the very things that mattered most.” Today…he lists the benefits of saying NO:    • "My relationships are better    • My soul is healthier    • My laughs are louder    • My stress is lower    • My pace is slower    • My blood pressure is [not perfect, but…] good enough.” Doug adds that “NO” has become “my friend, companion, and my go-to. I never realized how much power there is in a well-used ‘no.” Almost half of the stunning color pages of this 97-page gem feature full-page quotable quotes on the power of saying NO. (It was very tempting to feature those quotes instead of writing this review.) November 2019 Challenge: I’ll send you a Starbucks card if you can read this book from page 1 to 97—without scanning the 40 full-page quotes first! Examples:    • “When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.” (Paulo Coelho)    • “Sometimes no is the kindest word.” (Vironika Tugaleva)    • “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” (Warren Buffet) Okay—a few more (I’m addicted to “no” quotes!):    • “Part of the skill of saying no is to shut up afterward and not babble on.” (Judith Martin)    • “Focusing is about saying no.” (Steve Jobs)    • “Someone one told me that one ‘yes’ must be defended over time by 1,000 no’s.” (Gary Keller) And how about this one? “No is a complete sentence. It does not require an explanation to follow.” (Sharon E. Rainey) So who should read this book? You? Your direct reports? Your boss? Your board chair? Your key volunteers? Your spouse? Your parents? Your kids or grandkids? At work—consider hosting a “Just Say No!” pizza party for your team—and ask seven people to give three-minute summaries of the seven chapters:    • Chapter One: 1,440 Minutes    • Chapters Two and Three: I Had No Idea…Saying No Would Be So Difficult    • Chapter Four: The Crash & Burn: Why It Happens    • Chapter Five: Avoiding a Personal Crash and Burn    • Chapter Six: Recognize the Warning Signs    • Chapter Seven: Take Action…Because You Can “Busyness is the enemy of depth,” says Fields. This book will help you go deep—and trust me—even if you lead workshops on effective time management (or you’re the opposite—the poster person for procrastination), you’ll learn something new from this transparent and practical resource. Fields also notes that all of us have the same number of minutes per day: 1,440 precious minutes. “Time speeds along the exact same pace for every person on this earth.” But then he adds (and he is very, very funny…): “Theoretical physicists might disagree with this, but fortunately for me, theoretical physicists tend not to read my books.” If you need more backbone to say NO more often—buying and reading this book is a NO-brainer. To order from Amazon, click on the title for NO! A Guide for Busy People: Banish Busyness and Focus on What Matters Most, by Doug Fields. (And thanks to Doug Fields and Jason Pearson for providing a review copy of this book.)   Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) Doug Fields writes, “I had to learn that by making everything important, nothing was important.” What’s the culture here on our team? Are we saying “yes” too often? 2) My son, Jason, is also quoted in the book: “Practice saying no to people who only hear yes.” Today in our weekly meeting…we’re going to roleplay a scenario where you’re saying “no” to a boss who only hears “yes.” Any volunteers?!!   With Just 21 Time Blocks, You Must Say No! Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook  One of the big ideas in the Team Bucket, Chapter 9, in Mastering the Management Buckets, is Ted Engstrom’s advice to schedule your week using 21 time blocks (7 mornings, 7 afternoons, and 7 evenings). Then agree with your team and your spouse (if you’re married) how many time blocks you’ll work each week. If your job requires weekend work, speaking or travel (2 to 3 blocks), you may need to take time off during the week (skip work on 2 afternoons, for example). Visit the Team Bucket and download “Worksheet #9.1: The 21 Time Blocks—Toward a God-honoring Balanced Life.” Read Chapter 9 and then affirm your commitment to limit your work to "x" time blocks per week (out of a possible 21). For more resources from the Team Bucket.                    JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Are you leveraging the extraordinary power of visual media to inspire your members, clients, or customers? Check out the innovative work from Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video). Call Jason to discern if a book in your future would move you closer to your mission. (He does say “yes” occasionally!)    ECFA TOOLS AND TEMPLATES Click here to order the new book, ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. ECFA Tools and Templates Blog Click here to read John's new blog series on 22 downloadable tools and templates for effective board governance, including this post: "Don't Swallow the Board Myth!" MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  •WEBSITE: Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations

The Speed of Trust

  

Issue No. 186 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (June 7, 2010) highlights a best-selling book on the “speed of trust.” The author says you can “behave yourself out of a problem you’ve behaved yourself into…and often faster than you think!” And this reminder, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings. IBM Founder Tom Watson, Sr., preached, "If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate." [2026 graphic: ChatGPT] $10 Million Education Yikes. I recommend lots of book. I don’t know anyone who reads all the books I recommend. And I can’t give every book an extraordinary rating.  But five months into the year, I’ve clearly found another Top-10 book for 2010.   The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey (Oct. 17, 2006) Clients and colleagues raved about it. So I bought it, but didn’t read it. I mean, it’s 322 pages, plus the index. Finally, I read a review that hooked me. So I read it. Wow! This is one powerful book. It has the potential to change the culture of your organization. Stephen M.R. Covey is the son of Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People—a classic.  So could the son crank out anything special—especially on a subject as basic as trust? Yes. Very special. “Contrary to what most people believe,” writes Covey, “trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don’t; rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create—much faster than you probably think possible.” Covey’s content is very deep (character isn’t enough, you must also pair it with competence). His four cores of credibility will preach (Integrity, Intent, Capabilities and Results). And his 13 behaviors that flesh out the core are stunning, important, memorable, and teachable.  Examples: #1 Talk Straight, #3 Create Transparency, #4 Right Wrongs, #8 Confront Reality, #9 Clarify Expectations, and #11 Listen First. Behavior #7: Get Better. He quotes a story told by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus about IBM Founder Tom Watson Sr. in their book, Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. “A prominent junior executive of IBM was involved in a risky venture for the company and managed to lose $10 million in the gamble. It was a disaster. When Watson called the nervous executive into his office, the young man blurted out, ‘I guess you want my resignation?’ Watson said, ‘You can’t be serious. We’ve just spent $10 million educating you!’ It’s this type of learning that caused Watson to say, ‘If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.’” So what would it take in your organization to ignite the “speed of trust” so failures are an appropriate part of your culture? Covey’s answers and thinking are original and without the taint of fads or trendy stuff. You’ll read, ponder and remember.  But it’s also a page-turner. Stories punctuate the principles and pithy quotations convict, like this one from Blaine Lee: “Almost all conflict is a result of violated expectations.” You’ll repeat the hilarious story of his parents’ encounter with the Highway Patrol and your listeners (staff, board, family members) will never forget the episode or the core principle (intent). The dozens and dozens of illustrations will ensure that you’ll never think of trust—and the cost of squandering it—in the same light again. Alan Greenspan said, “Rules cannot take the place of character.” Covey quotes a psychologist and corporate ethics trainer who said, “I see a lot of organizations who say they are going to tighten the rules. I don’t see a lot of them saying that they’re going to work to be extremely clear about what their values are, and give people training on how those values translate into actual behavior.” Amen. Covey says that “leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust.” His 13 behaviors tell you how to do that. I urge you to get your team reading and wresting with this important book. TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen M.R. Covey.     YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Covey says that “it’s the little things—a day at a time, a weak or dishonest act at a time—that gradually weaken and corrode credibility.”  Where are we on the little things that define trust? 2) Warren Buffet says, “I look for three things in hiring people. The first is personal integrity, the second is intelligence, and the third is a high energy level. But, if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” What do we look for in hiring people?         Leave Work on Time!  Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit Here’s the core competency in the Team Bucket, Chapter 9, in Mastering the Management Buckets: “We believe that a balanced life honors God, each other, our families and our friends, so we leverage the unique set of talents and strengths given to each person by God. Thus we serve with more fulfillment and joy. We also leave work on time, physically and mentally.” I heard a leader share this nugget with other leaders and managers a few years ago. “I leave the office at 5 p.m. every day, so my staff can leave at 5 p.m. too.” For more resources, visit the Team Bucket and other buckets on our website.   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN   NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. Free Download: 20 BUCKETS & 82 BALLS! [Posted in 2026]: “Master List of 20 Buckets and 82 Balls” is a 14-page PDF—perfect for your weekly staff meetings. Remind your team about the 20 core competencies and the 82 actions steps featured in the book and workbook, Mastering the Management Buckets. Download the list here. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  •WEBSITE: Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance

 

Issue No. 415 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Oct. 9, 2019) highlights a hot-off-the-press resource with 22 board governance tools and templates. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here for recent book reviews, including StrategyMan vs. the Anti-Strategy Squad. Tool Competence! Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, once compared businesses to nonprofits with this memorable poke-in-the-ribs to both: “Although I don’t know a single for-profit business that is well managed as a few of the nonprofits, the great majority of the nonprofits can be graded a ‘C’ at best. Not for lack of effort; most of them work very hard. But for lack of focus, and for lack of tool competence.” So with that inspiration, Dan Busby, president of ECFA, and I have co-authored a hot-off-the press resource, ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board. Jam-packed with 22 tools, the 272-page book includes access to downloadable Word documents that can be customized for any board. The tools are organized around six themes:    • Selecting and Training Excellent Board Members    • Board Assessments    • Reporting to the Board    • Taking Time for Strategic Planning    • Policies and Board Responsibilities    • Ideas for Better Board Governance Peter Drucker also wrote, “At least once every five years, every form should be put on trial for its life.” So…if it’s been five years (or 10 or 20 years) since you’ve updated your boardroom tools, this book will be a lifesaver for you. Examples: • Tool #1: The Pathway to the Board.  Ask an administratively-gifted person on your Governance Committee to track names and next steps in this customizable form for prospects in your pipeline. (It will slow you down—a good thing—so you take time to “date” board prospects before you propose “marriage.”) Six important steps. • Tool #2: Board Nominee Suggestion Form. Inspire your board and senior team to recommend board prospects with a suggestion form that factors in your board-approved criteria. A huge time-saver! • Tool #5: The Board’s Annual Self-Assessment Survey. According to John Carver, “Board self-evaluation is an inseparable part of governing, not an extraneous or optional task.” Three options for measuring your board’s effectiveness. • Tool #8: The Board’s Annual Fundraising Audit. Here’s a true or false quiz with 10 statements the board must address annually about your fundraising program. What should the board be asking the CEO and staff? Features a green/yellow/red dashboard with Celebrate/Watch/Act indicators. Tools and More! Sprinkled throughout the book are the research results from ECFA’s 2019 Nonprofit Governance Survey and comprehensive report, Unleashing Your Board’s Potential. ECFA research revealed that 82% of board members indicated that their fundraising needed the greatest improvement. Strategic planning was ranked second with 64% saying that was their nonprofit’s greatest need. • Tool #11: Monthly Dashboard Report. A one-page color-coded dashboard report from the CEO to the board can be customized to highlight three to five of your CEO’s Annual S.M.A.R.T. Goals—with this caveat from Peter Drucker, “If you have more than five goals, you have none.” This will revolutionize your CEO’s priorities—and get everyone on the same page. • Tool #15: Board Retreat Trend-Spotting Exercise. Just add water and stir—and this simple template will engage every board member in looking down the road for those important twists and turns that will impact your organization. Easy to implement! • Tool #22: Straw Vote Cards. Hundreds of boards use green and red straw vote cards in every board meeting—as a quick and courteous way to give every board member a voice. The green card means yes. The red card means no. Another huge time-saver and consensus-builder. A Lot More! I’m a tad biased, of course, but even if you use just one tool or template—you’ll bless your board members and save time and money. The book gives you access to all 22 tools and templates—so you can customize them for your board’s unique needs. Other tools include: a legal audit checklist, a financial management audit checklist, options for the board’s annual evaluation of the top leader, a quarterly board meeting agenda template, board retreat read-and-reflect worksheets, The Rolling 3-Year Strategic Plan Placemat (one page), a board policies manual template, job descriptions, tent cards and tools for leveraging board member strengths, a “Ten Minutes for Governance” practice, and the Board Member Annual Affirmation Statement. Did I mention—272 pages of jam-packed time-saving tools? Enjoy! To order from Amazon, click on the title for ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. (Note: read my tribute to Dan here.) Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) R. Buckminster Fuller said, “If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.” What tool inspired you to think a new way? 2) “At least once every five years, every form should be put on trial for its life,” wrote Peter Drucker. Are there other unexamined or outdated programs, systems, or tools that need a refresh in our organization?   Agree or Disagree? Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook  One of the big ideas in the Board Bucket, Chapter 14, in Mastering the Management Buckets, is to “ensure that all board members hone their board competencies regularly.” That includes understanding the foundational role of the board. Agree or Disagree: Green Card or Red Card?  “There are no dysfunctional organizations, only dysfunctional boards.” If you agree with that statement, invest in your board and order ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance. Then note the hidden webpage in the book and download the customizable Word documents that will enrich your board’s effectiveness and your organization’s impact.  For more governance resources, visit the Board Bucket here.                    JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Are you leveraging the extraordinary power of visual media to inspire your members, clients, or customers? Check out the innovative work from Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video). If it’s been five or more years since you’ve put your visual images “on trial”—contact Pearpod Media today!   MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  •WEBSITE: Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations 22 Tools and Templates! Click here to read John's short blogs: "Index to 22 Time-Saving Governance Tools and Templates." NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

I Am Not a Robot

 

Issue No. 679 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (May 15, 2026) spotlights a hot-off-the-press book on AI. It’s serious, but hilarious. I recommended it to seven friends even before writing this review! Plus, click here for back issues posted at the new location for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including my recent review of Postcards from PopPop: Life Lessons from the Road, by Bill Butterworth. Also, listen to the Life After Ministry Podcast's episode, "Missing Links in Ministry Successions," where Matt Davis and I have a conversation about my many leadership mistakes! Please verify you’re a human before reading this issue of Your Weekly Staff Meeting. Select all images with a bucket and recite after me, “I am not a robot—and I love to read or listen to books.” Your AI Cheat Sheet: Serious & Funny No…I did NOT use AI to write this review. But…did the author “just barf a year’s worth of notes and interview transcripts into an IT prompt…” and presto—Amazon delivers a book? Not quite. Joanna Stern writes, “Every sentence in this book started in my brain and traveled, via my MacBook keyboard, onto the page. AI never wrote anything from scratch, except in places that I’ve clearly marked.”   I Am Not a Robot:  My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything by Joanna Stern (May 12, 2026)   This absolutely fascinating and highly-recommended book needs at least two reviews—especially for my more cynical readers. (“Yeah, yeah, yeah. More AI slop, Pearson? Give me something practical.”) So…I’m thinking of a second review—a Pop Quiz—and I’ll ask ChatGPT to help me write some tantalizing questions. Example: True or False? “As of October 2025, Amazon had deployed more than one million robots in their warehouses, factory floors, and fulfillment centers.” (See page 146.) 7 Reasons You and Your Team Members MUST Read This Book! #1. A YEAR WITH AI. After 12 years as the senior personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, Joanna Stern took a time-off-to-write-a-book break and immersed herself, and her family, into all things AI. (Watch the video.) Example: She wore a Bee bracelet all year that recorded everything she said. “It was part diary, part creep, part assistant—and I became surprisingly reliant on it.” Her Bee bracelet “logged nearly 2,000 hours of audio and transcribed and summarized it.” And yes, she confesses, “I average three curses a day, usually when frustrated with technology...” or her work! #2. HILARIOUS. Although a book about artificial intelligence is a deadly-serious topic (see the chapter discussing “artificial intimacy”), Joanna Stern sprinkles in plenty of humor. (She could do stand-up!) Example: Before you have permission to read the book, you’re faced with a full-page CAPTCHA and this instruction:  “Please verify you’re a human who is excited to read this book by completing the CAPTCHA below.” The task: “Select all squares with a bicycle on top of a traffic light on top of a bridge.” Then check the box: “I’m not a robot.”   #3. PRACTICAL. Stern is no novice to AI per her previous day job at The Wall Street Journal. I’ve read her “Personal Technology” column for years—and implemented many of her practical recommendations. (I’m not tech-savvy and she understands that about many of us.) The book is jam-packed with AI tools and she doesn’t hesitate to hand out failing grades. Examples:    • Beginning on Feb. 27, 2025, she allowed AI to fully respond to her text and email communications (no edits—just hit “send”). Oops! After several inappropriate responses, the experiment ended the same day! Warning: Never send “Sorry, I have other plans” to your spouse! (LOL!)    • Frustrated with her eldest son’s bathroom sink—it looked “like a crime scene in a Crest commercial”—she used an AI app, Cursor, to create a video game. Why? “…if you’ve ever met an eight-year-old, you know there’s only one way to truly reach them: video games.”    • “Should I say please and thank you to AI?” Get this! She researched that question with “the great-great-grandson of renowned etiquette expert Emily Post and a director at the Emily Post Institute.” (Important! See my “P.S.” below.) View the 2-minute book trailer: #4. HYPE-BUSTER! The author saved us a ton of time—sorting through the latest AI hype. “So much of what I tested didn’t make it into this book because it sucked.” My favorite: the AI-agent-controlled vending machine she tested with her WSJ colleagues “…that ended up giving away everything for free, including a PlayStation 5 and a live fish.” Must-watch: this nine-minute video, “We Let AI Run a Vending Machine. It Lost All the Money.” (Hilarious!)   #5. YOUR AI CHEAT SHEET. Stern delivers her definition of AI on page four—and adds, “Regardless of your AI knowledge level, you’ve probably already realized that there are more types of AI than tote bags in your coat closet.” So she delivers a succinct “cut through all that confusion” AI cheat sheet of 11 big AI milestones, beginning with “The Turing Test” in 1950, plus:    • Dartmouth’s John Mc Carthy (1955)    • ELIZA, the “chatterbot” therapist from MIT’s Joseph Weizenbaum (1966)    • iRobot’s launch of the Roomba (2002)    • Amazon’s Alexa (2014)    • OpenAI’s ChatGPT (2022) OK, class! Study the cheat sheet. The pop quiz is coming. #6. NON-BORING GLOSSARY! Stern’s year of AI includes glimpses into AI in the dentist’s chair, the robot that chauffeurs her family, the clothes-folding machine in her basement, and the AI therapist “that talked me through my worst bouts of writer’s block.” With AI examples from A to Z, you’ll often reference her 10-page guide, “The Totally Non-Boring AI Glossary™”—(and this is brilliant—she trademarked the term!). Honest. The helpful info (plus the humor) in the introduction and the first 25 pages would have been enough content to write a helpful review. But I couldn’t stop! (And by the way, I do read every book I review.) I made over 50 notes—so watch for my second review. #7. TASKS FOR AI & HUMANS. In the chapter, “The Colleague Who Never Sleeps,” Stern included research about “a ranked list of 40 jobs most at risk of being taken over by AI”—using an “AI Applicability Score.” If you guessed that the 2.9 million customer service reps in the U.S. are at risk, you’d be right. What else can AI do for us? You’ll make photocopies of the chart on page 180 for your next weekly staff meeting. The author categorized her book-writing project into eight distinct tasks (three columns)—and which AI tools she used for each task. Also: her ratings!    • 1 ROBOT = Just short of useless    • 2 ROBOTS = Helpful, but needed oversight    • 3 ROBOTS = Solid assist, but with some blind spots    • 4 ROBOTS = Very effective    • 5 ROBOTS = Game changer Read how Joanna Stern created a Joanna Agent—"an AI version of me that could conduct interviews in my place.” Oh, my.  My Big Idea: Sort the tasks of researching and writing Your Weekly Staff Meeting into eight tasks and discern how AI could help me. Your Big Idea? (Maybe discuss at your next weekly staff meeting.) THERE’S MORE (watch for my second review—with AI’s help!):    • Why I’m asking my doctor (and any specialists I see) how they’re using AI—and would they read this book to learn why Stern is especially interested in AI and cancer?    • “Six Rules for Living”—especially Rule #4: “I will raise humans, not robots.” Teach kids how to question AI’s answers—plus “No companionship chatbots until at least age sixteen. Or maybe ever.” (Whew! If this book were a movie, it would be at least PG-rated. Language. Topics. You know—everyday life.)    • See the chart with five levels of autonomous driving on page 106 in the chapter, “A Way-Mo Fun Spring Break.” (Note: Level 5 doesn’t exist yet.)    • The fun graphics throughout the book—especially the occasional drawing with the subtitle, “A Not-at-All Scientific Study.”    • The author’s research: “The Effects of Reading Only AI-Written Books on One Human’s Habits and Tastes." (Ditto for a month’s diet of AI-generated music that lasted just 15 days!)    • Dozens of date-stamped journal entries throughout 2025—documenting her trials and tribulations using AI to do (almost) everything. Note: While the author carefully balances the possibilities with the perils of AI, other than one reference to Hanukkah, many of my faith-based readers will be disappointed that Stern doesn’t ask theologians and spiritual advisors about what’s coming. You’ll want to go deeper (and read more widely) on the spiritual and moral ripple effect of how companies and users are currently leveraging AI. I urge you to read this book—and keep the conversation going. MAYBE…this would sell you on the book: Before writing this review, I had already sent the Amazon link to seven friends—“MUST-READ!” TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything, by Joanna Stern. Listen on Libro (8 hours, 2 minutes). (And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.)   P.S. Reminder to clergy who also read this eNews. You’ll find a few “non-church words” in this book. If you ask AI to summarize Stern’s April 20, 2025, journal post about six hamsters, be sure to edit the response—before you preach it on Sunday!   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Zack Kass, the author of THE NEXT RENAISSANCE: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential, quotes Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who “issued a warning to the world’s workers in May 2025.” The alert: “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, you’re going to lose it to someone who uses AI.” Question: What jobs in our organization will be handled by AI within the next five years? (Read my Jan. 15, 2026, review.) 2) Joanna Stern, author of I Am Not a Robot, has been studying AI for years. Pick one of her WSJ columns (or videos)—and give us a five-minute report at a future staff meeting. (And yes, you can ask AI to summarize it—and recommend discussion questions!)    • “Joanna Stern explains how new technology could improve the odds for women like herself who have an elevated risk of cancer.” (Read the WSJ article.)    • “The 12 Biggest Tech Changes of the Past 12 Years” (5-min. video)    • “I Tried the First Humanoid Home Robot. It Got Weird” (9-min. video)    • “We Have No Idea How to Code. So We Got Claude to Code This Article for Us,” with Ben Cohen (Read the WSJ article.)       SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #47 of 99: Managing Your Boss For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #47 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books (and articles) still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring. Managing Your Boss (book or article - Harvard Business Review Classics) by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter (March 1, 2008)   When I was consulting, almost 100 percent of the time in my workshops or with clients, I had hallway conversations with really smart people who said something like, “I just don’t get my boss (or board chair). We’re rarely on the same page. Help!”    • Read my review in Issue No. 201 (Nov. 8, 2010).    • Order book from Amazon; or article from HBR.    • Management Bucket #7 of 20: The People Bucket. Join me on the "Boss Talk" path: “How many hours have you worked so far this year? How many hours have you invested in studying and understanding your boss this year?” “Is your boss a reader or a listener? What are your boss’s Top-5 strengths on the Gallup StrengthsFinder system? What is their social style (driver, analytical, amiable or expressive)?  If your boss is a Christ-follower, do you know his or her spiritual gifts (leadership, mercy, teaching, etc.)?” I explained that everyone must be a student of their boss and I urge them to read this 1980 HBR classic article, “Managing Your Boss.” In addition to a 12-point “Checklist for Managing Your Boss,” the article addresses the critical question: “Is my boss a reader or a listener?” This HBR article is a classic because the boss challenge is a classic. If your key people have given little thought to managing up, download the article from the Harvard Business Review website. Or…read the expanded treatment of this subject—the 55-page book. (See above.)   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      On page 80 in the People Bucket chapter of the Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, you'll find the chart, “Do’s and Don’ts for the Four Social Styles.” When working with Analyticals, for example, “DON’T rush things,” and “DON’T press for immediate action.”  NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. Free Download: 20 BUCKETS & 82 BALLS! Just posted last month, “Master List of 20 Buckets and 82 Balls” is a 14-page PDF—perfect for your weekly staff meetings. Remind your team about the 20 core competencies and the 82 actions steps featured in the book and workbook, Mastering the Management Buckets. Download the list here. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  •WEBSITE: Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Pearson on Podcast! Listen to the "Life After Ministry" podcast from Ministry Transitions. Matt Davis interviews John Pearson about "Missing Links in Ministry Successions." John also shares a few leadership mistakes from his CEO years. And check out the 85 episodes about ministry transitions and succession planning. (Listen also on Apple Podcasts.) NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.