The Choice

 

Issue No. 297 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (April 13, 2014) highlights a hot-off-the-press book from ECFAPress—and it will rock your presuppositions. Plus, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff or board meetings.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't Read This Book!  You read that right.   Don’t read this book…if you’re good with what Gary Hoag, Scott Rodin and Wes Willmer label “The Common Path.” If “production-driven leadership, expansion-focused strategies, earthly oriented metrics, results-based management, and a utilitarian view of resources” is working out for you—then don’t read this book. Don’t read this book…if you strongly disagree that “defining success may be the most important decision we make as God’s people.” That’s line one, chapter one, in the radical new book, The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes (ECFAPress). Don’t read this book…if you’ve drummed all the critical thinking out of your strategic planning and SMART goals process—and have not examined your presuppositions since…well, maybe never.  The authors quote Phil Vischer, founder and former CEO of VeggieTales: “We’re drinking a cocktail that’s a mix of the Protestant work ethic, the American dream, and the gospel. And we’ve intertwined them so completely that we can’t tell them apart anymore. I realized I’m not supposed to be pursuing impact. I’m supposed to be pursuing God. And when I pursue God I will have exactly as much impact as He wants me to have.” Don’t read this book…if you’re not ready to relinquish control. “Let’s consider briefly the relationship between obedience and strategic planning and the temptation to take control. When we follow the common path, we take control, trust ourselves to provide, and enact strategies to try to make things happen. We come up with our own big, hairy, audacious targets and expect God to bless and fund them. However, just because a goal is so big it can only be accomplished if God shows up does not mean it aligns with His will.” Don’t read this book…if your secret sauce for effective leadership includes a clever acronym (plus required reading and obligatory workshops, of course).  If so, don’t even read this next paragraph where the authors describe what God-honoring ministry should look like: “Jesus instructs us to follow Him. When we do, we find 10 marks, or characteristics, from Christ’s earthly ministry that are also evident in the early church….these 10 marks [include] practical formational practices to help us follow the kingdom path.   “If this sounds oversimplified to you, candidly, we think we are the ones who have complicated things. Remember, Jesus recruited ordinary, mostly uneducated people and gave them basic instructions. He used words like ‘follow,’ ‘trust,’ and ‘obey.’ Are we simply meeting those clear requests?” Don’t read this book…if you’re all about growth and (how’s this for a cliché) “getting to the next level”—or if you’ve launched your “Vision 2020 Campaign” (and who hasn’t?) and it’s rooted in cool marketing, but zero spiritual discernment. You probably shouldn’t heed this symptom of the common path: “The underlying assumption is that in order to do our work better, we must do more of it.  Growth is the unexamined presupposition, the driving force in our definition of success.   As a result, strategic plans are written to articulate what more looks like in quantifiable terms.   “On this path leaders tend to overwork high-functioning staff and minimize the role others play because they think they don’t have what it takes to make things happen. While quality may be important, it often must give way to the increased pressure to post ever-growing results.” Don’t read this book…if you’ve chosen the common path versus the kingdom path. (Get it? The Choice.) “On this path success is defined in terms of our obedience to the instructions of Jesus Christ for which He promises eternal rewards. On the kingdom path, we as Christ-followers become less concerned about results that we cannot control because our primary concern is obedience. Our attention shifts from what we are doing for God to what God asks us to do and wants to accomplish in and through us. The former represents results we think we can generate taking the common path; the latter reflects the kingdom outcomes God produces through faithful followers.” So Hoag, Rodin and Willmer suggest we study “five traits that flow from defining success in terms of obedience to the teachings of Jesus”—the kingdom path: Steward Leadership Faithfulness-Focused Strategies Eternity-Oriented Metrics Relationship-Based Management Stewardship View of Resources  Don’t read this book…if you’d rather measure results by how many versus how well.  The common path asks, “How do we build more?” while the kingdom path asks, “What are we doing with what we have?” Gulp! Don’t read this either: “This does not mean that production-driven leaders are not obedient, or that steward leaders will not report the results of measured growth and increased impact. The key difference is the force that guides them. We cannot be driven by church growth or ministry expansion and obedience simultaneously. One path will always take priority over the other!” They add, “The key to grasping eternity-oriented metrics is realizing that the quantitative is subservient to the qualitative. Could this be why the modern church has so many professing Christians and so few disciples of Jesus Christ?” Don’t read this book…if, as the authors suggest, you prefer “potholes, unnecessary detours, and rabbit trails of ministry.”  Instead, we must “consider thoughtfully the instructions set forth for us in Scripture. This includes testing the prevailing practices of the world by God’s Word. However, our exploration must not stop there. This knowledge must drive us to make hard decisions, regardless of what others are doing. The common path is named just that because so many are on it. Following Christ requires us to go against the crowd. Making choices is important in the Christian faith.” Don’t read this book…if you enjoy the rat race. But maybe…it’s time to stop the presses, push pause, and lead your team and your board, chapter by chapter, through this powerful poke in the spiritual ribs—until you can align your Big HOLY Audacious Goal, your strategic plan, and your results with God’s path (not yours).” Read this book. It may be the most powerful, course-changing book you will read this year—maybe in the next five years. To order from Amazon, click here for The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes, by Gary G. Hoag, R. Scott Rodin, and Wesley K. Willmer   Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) Interesting! This book is not only jammed with dozens and dozens of arresting insights, the authors gently and powerfully remind leaders that Jesus calls us to be “worry-free people.” (Gulp #2!) Why might The Choice between the common path and the kingdom path reduce a leader’s anxiety? 2) The authors say, “When we rely on ourselves for the small stuff we chart a course for trusting in ourselves with bigger issues too.” Be honest: how deep is our trust in the common path versus the kingdom path?  The Most Fun Workplace in the History of the World! Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit   In my cycle through the 20 management buckets, this issue features Chapter 10, The Hoopla! Bucket, and “Rule #3” from Dennis Bakke, the author of Joy at Work and The Decision Maker.  His water cooler wisdom poster reads: “Attempt to create the most fun workplace in the history of the world!” But…before you think party hats, balloons and whoopee cushions, read more in Chapter 10 or visit Bakke’s website. It’s counter-intuitive. And like the Hoopla! Bucket core competency, read why we believe that the right mix of hoopla! honors God.  For more resources, including recommended books, visit the Hoopla! Bucket webpage.      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 • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here at John Pearson's Buckets Blog. ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations”   Add your thoughts to John's latest blog post for boards, "Laughter Is an Instant Vacation." PLUS! View the short video on the ECFA Governance Toolbox Series: No. 1: Recruiting Board Members and No. 2: Balancing Board Roles (DVD and Viewing Guides).

To Be a Friend

 

Issue No. 296 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (April 9, 2014) highlights a hot-off-the-press book on friendship from Jerry and Mary White. They quote Virginia Woolf, “Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I go to my friends.” Plus, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff or board meetings.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Friendship Is Unnecessary  One of my favorite eNews readers (yes, I have favorites) emailed me some hilarious feedback recently. Here’s a line from this nonprofit CEO’s note: “Well this email may be a surprise to you as I forwarded the latest Your Weekly Staff Meeting to a friend of mine (which excludes nearly every person who has served on a board over me, past, present and likely future—but I digress)…” I laughed-out-loud and then thought about the board members I’ve served with—and, gratefully, my mind quickly landed on a former board chair, Jerry White, who is still a friend! Jerry chaired the CMA board (now Christian Leadership Alliance) and his day job was president of The Navigators. So how’s this for timing? Jerry and Mary White have just written a heart-warming little book on friendship—and it’s so good, and so helpful, you’ll want to order extra copies. I have seven reasons why you’ll appreciate To Be a Friend: Building Deep and Lasting Relationships. Reason No. 1: Maybe your friendships need a tune-up or a celebration. Be honest here—when’s the last time you’ve read a book on building deep and lasting friendships? Maybe never? In just 150 pages, the Whites tripled my understanding about the richness and diversities of true friendship. Generously, they open the curtain on their friendships—and let us in on the fun, the sadness, and their memorable stories, many told on themselves (LOL!).    Reason No. 2: More than 40 PowerPoint-worthy quotations! The Whites walk like they talk—and they write like they walk. To Be a Friend is packed with gems, plus over 40 poignant quotations on friendship, including:    • “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value. Rather, it is one of those things that give value to survival.” (C.S. Lewis)    • “It seems to me that trying to live without friends is like milking a bear to get cream for your morning coffee. It is a whole lot of trouble and then not worth much after you get it.” (Zora Neale Hurston)    • And this from Milton Berle on friends who make you laugh: “Laughter is an instant vacation.” Reason No. 3: Compelling chapter titles—too tempting not to read! I especially loved the fresh insights from these seasoned saints on “Virtuous Friendship,” “Broken or Damaged Friendships,” and “The Lego Factor: Building Close Friendships.” In their chapter, “How Much Does Friendship Cost?” the Whites deliver a gut-checker insight: “Have you ever looked at your caller ID as you received a phone call and thought, I just don’t have time or energy to talk to that person right now? and then let the call go to voice mail? You’re not alone. Everyone has done this at some time. On the other hand, we immediately answer the call from certain people, even if it is 2:00 a.m. Both calls bear a cost to us, but the difference in response is the depth and commitment of the relationship.” Reason No. 4: Not all friendships are created equal. Whew! That’s a relief! The Whites estimate “that a person makes between 500 to 1,500 acquaintances in a year.” Not every acquaintance becomes a friend—so the authors suggest we think about the four circles of friendship: Acquaintances Casual Friends Close Friends Intimate (Best) Friends Quoting George MacDonald, “Few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly,” Jerry and Mary beautifully describe and define intimate friendships: “These friends are rare and few in number. They are the people we trust most deeply, share with most intimately, and depend on most strongly. They bring zest to our lives, and we cherish them for a lifetime. We estimate that people will have only three to five best friends over a lifetime. This is not a rule, just an observation.” Reason No. 5: You’ll think differently, and more seriously, about friendships. “Each of our friends has contributed to the person we have become. We are a product of our families, our times, and our geographical roots. But friends mark us in profound ways. They alter our thinking, actions, desires, and ambitions, for good and for bad.” Yikes! Reason No. 6: Creative, thoughtful, humorous and God-honoring insights. At conferences, if Jerry and/or Mary were leading workshops, I’d be there—irrespective of the subject. Wisdom oozed.  Ditto their books and ditto this one. Prolific authors, the Whites always deliver pass-along, teachable content and Christ-centered thinking. Examples: The Joseph Road: Choices That Determine Your Destiny; Rules to Live By: 52 Principles for a Better Life; and Harsh Grief, Gentle Hope.  Reason No. 7: The Book Cover!  The eye-catching cover (see below) just begs for an honored place on your desk or your coffee table. Never has a book cover so perfectly described a book: To Be a Friend.  In writing a book review, Ambrose Bierce once said, “The covers of this book are too far apart.” Not this one! To order from Amazon, click here for To Be a Friend: Building Deep and Lasting Relationships, by Jerry and Mary White. YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) “Most of us are unknowingly selfish when it comes to friendship,” say the authors in their chapter on “Virtuous Friendship.” Here’s a discussion topic from the book: “[Discuss] the instances in which you have practiced virtuous friendship or been the recipient of a virtuous friendship.”  2) The Whites quote Walter Winchell’s poignant line, “A friend is one who walks in when others walk out.” So…here at work, are you that kind of friend to at least one person? A Perfect Match? No Way! Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit   In my cycle through the 20 management buckets, this issue features Chapter 9, The Team Bucket, and this reminder from page 208 of my 2013 book-of-the-year, “You’re not managing you!”  One key to effective management is to fine-tune your leadership style to each person on your team (few think like you). According to the “Strengths” gurus, Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, “Very few people share your signature themes (in fact, there are over 35 million possible combinations of the top-five [of the 34 StrengthsFinder talent themes], so the chances of your meeting your perfect match are infinitesimal.)” That’s less than a dozen people in all of North America! As King David said, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” For more on the StrengthsFinder assessment, valued by more than 10 million people worldwide, visit the Team Bucket webpage.      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 • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here at John Pearson's Buckets Blog.   ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations”   Add your thoughts to John's latest blog post for boards, "Benchmarks for a Perfect Board Member." PLUS! View the short video on the ECFA Governance Toolbox Series: No. 1: Recruiting Board Members and No. 2: Balancing Board Roles (DVD and Viewing Guides).

Boards That Lead

 

Issue No. 295 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (March 28, 2014) highlights a must-read new book on governance—with 18 cautionary checklists for CEOs and board members. Yikes! As we’ve seen this week, boards can create or destroy value. Plus, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff or board meetings.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Fumbling CEOs & Executive Overassurance The latest hot-off-the-press governance book warns, “Like neutrinos and Higgs bosons, early signs of faltering chief executives are often hard to detect.” The co-authors of Boards That Lead add, “Most chief executives are constitutionally optimistic, and since by definition their role is to surmount challenges, the tenor they bring into the boardroom is likely to be relentlessly upbeat.  Taking executive overassurance into account will aid directors in detecting nascent troubles ahead, but it is only one piece of a very complicated puzzle.” That’s the first paragraph of Chapter 8, “Spotting, Catching, or Exiting a Falling CEO,” in this excellent book that delivers three big take-aways for board members. They’re summarized in the arresting subtitle:    “When to Take Charge,     When to Partner, and     When to Stay Out of the Way.” “From our several decades of witnessing more than fourscore fumbling CEOs,” they write, “we have noted that, in virtually every case, warning signals were noticed early by at least one or two directors but were commonly not shared with directors. We learned of the indications in real time because alarmed board members privately disclosed their rising qualms about the CEO in our work with them.  “The concerned directors were nonetheless hesitant—no surprise—to get the ball rolling.  After all, they had helped pick the top executive, and they realized that a forced exit could be not only a career-ender for the executive but also a reputation-killer for themselves. Perhaps most inhibiting of all, they knew that the CEO often retained avid defenders among the other directors.” What should board members do? “…it is useful for directors to keep a weather eye on early signs of executive deficits.  Assuming that the company’s central idea has been well formulated in the boardroom [Editor’s Note: You must read more on this—it’s worth the price of the book.], three embryonic indicators, if ignored too long, often mushroom into far more:    • lack of strategy    • failure to execute, and    • wrong people calls.” Oh, my! Just when you thought you were knowledgeable in governance, along comes a 219-page poke-in-the-ribs, plus an incredible 40-page section with 18 checklists for board members, a bonus chapter on “Trends in Director Monitoring and Leading,” a director evaluation worksheet, and six golden pages on “Division of Responsibilities Between the Board Leader and the CEO.” Boards That Lead is a timely must-read for directors of both corporate boards and nonprofit boards.  In the past six months (including this week) we’ve seen three high profile Christian nonprofit organizations on the Internet front page (and wishing they were not)—all three for different reasons—but the negative news was all prompted by board actions.  Board service is not for the weak of heart. If you’re leading a board, on a board, or considering board service, you’ll want to read Chapter 3, “Recruit Directors Who Build Value.” The co-authors, including Ram Charan, author of Owning Up: The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask, are big on questions.  This chapter asks eight mission-critical questions of prospective board members, including: “Will the candidate be ready to stand tall and engage constructively when vital issues are on the line, the stakes and stress are high, and leadership of the company becomes even more essential?” “Root Out Dysfunction” is Chapter 4’s theme. “In our experience, as many as half of Fortune 500 companies have one or two dysfunctional directors.” The authors identify three types: • “Some see themselves as the smartest person in the room. •  Others seek recognition. •  Others are frustrated would-be CEOs.” They add, “Whatever their personal motives, they tend to micromanage or take boardroom discussions down dark alleys. We have seen a director interrupt the first five minutes of a CEO’s boardroom presentation and sour the mood of both board and management for the remainder of the day. The result is to impair, even negate, a board’s capacity to lead the firm. As in any group, a dysfunctional member can sabotage the entire team.” The authors recommend six personal qualities to look for in a board leader (often the board chair in nonprofit circles): 1) Executive experience, 2) Respect and confidence, 3) Collaboration and restraint, 4) Personal bonding, 5) Personal comfort, and 6) Resilience. Again—not for the weak-hearted. Board leaders (or board chairs) “can anticipate at least one major crisis during their tenures.”  Under the “personal comfort” commentary, they share this wisdom: “Yet another factor defining the board leader is a sense of comfort in one’s own skin and place in life, with nothing yet to prove or still to achieve, most often the product of a long and successful career as a corporate leader in one’s own right—no coveting of the chief executive’s office, no longing for operational control.” Learning boards will discover vast insights and practical next steps:    • Boards should ask new CEOs to draft a succession plan immediately (and the annual self-assessment should measure progress).    • Caution! Leaders can change dramatically when they get the brass ring.    • Nothing can make up for the wrong choice of CEO.    • Ten principles for finding the right CEO (Warning: “Review outside consultants carefully to prevent conflicts of interest.”)    • In risk management, why quantification alone is a false crutch.    • The value of a one-pager with agenda/decision highlights sent before every meeting    • The learned art of what to feed to the board    • How to coach new board members to stay at the right “altitude” in board meetings    • How to get maximum value from an advisory council or board (They quote Roger Kenny who says advisory boards are “like the Marines: They get you on the beach.”) And then this PowerPoint-worthy wisdom: “Execution is where management starts and the board stops.” Oh, my. There is sooooo much more I’d like to add—but I must stop. This is a 2014 Book-of-the-Year contender, and it’s only March. Enjoy! To order from Amazon, click here for Boards That Lead: When to Take Charge, When to Partner, and When to Stay Out of the Way, by Ram Charan, Dennis Carey and Michael Useem.    Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) In Chapter 11 the authors present two real-life case studies: one board created value, the other destroyed valued. “It was as if the board had embraced Will Roger’s famous dictum, 'If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?'" Can you think of a board that either created or destroyed value? 2) In Checklist 12: “Retaining, Reviving or Relieving the Chief Executive,” the authors ask “Are performance metrics and severance terms well in place before advancing toward dismissal?”  How about your organization—is the answer to that question in writing in your Board Policies Manual? "Permission-to-Play" Values Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit In my cycle through the 20 management buckets, this issue features Chapter 8, The Culture Bucket, and this reminder: If your staff and board can’t recite, from memory, your core values—then they can’t live them out. For a reminder on the four kinds of values (as described by Patrick Lencioni), read his Harvard Business Review article, “Make Your Values Mean Something.” What many organizations describe as “core values,” Lencioni says are merely “permission-to-play” values and are not unique to your organization. For more on values, read Lencioni’s book, The Advantage.       NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here at John Pearson's Buckets Blog. 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 • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations”   Add your thoughts to John's latest blog post for boards, "The Empty Chair Syndrome."  PLUS! View the short video on the ECFA Governance Toolbox Series: No. 1: Recruiting Board Members and No. 2: Balancing Board Roles (DVD and Viewing Guides).

Strike Season

 

Issue No. 688 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Aug. 14, 2026) spotlights the remarkable story of a high school football team playing half the season without their coaches. They coached themselves! It’s a true sports story page-turner. Plus, click here for back issues posted at the new location for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including my review of Next Level Leader: Beyond Manager. Beyond Coach. A New Leadership Paradigm for Mission-Driven Organizations. Plus, check out these bite-sized podcasts (7 to 9 minutes)—perfect for your weekly staff meeting.   You’re on the school board—and those testosterone-fueled adolescent football players demand you let them coach themselves during the teachers' union strike. What’s your decision?  (Graphic: ChatGPT)   The Action and Drama—Movie-Worthy! If you love football…this is a must-read. (I couldn’t put the book down.) If you love a page-turning true story…with superb writing and irreverent (yet poignant) moments with coaches, players, dads, moms, teachers, school boards, and Friday night fans…this is a must-read. (Did I mention deep friendships and hilarious nicknames?)   Strike Season: The True Story of a Team That Played on When the Coaches Walked Out by Michael Eck (Aug. 11, 2026)   You’re 16. You’re the quarterback—on the verge of a senior year record-breaking football season at Mount Lebanon High School, near Pittsburgh. Your dad has big plans for you: a full-ride to Notre Dame, his alma mater. What could go wrong? Michael Eck (yep—the author is the QB) delivers a first-person instant replay of the hopes and fears of the Mount Lebanon Blue Devils football squad in that 1979 season. I hope he writes more books because his first book (amazing!) is everything you want in a sports story. But why did the coaches walk out after just two games that fall? Strike Season details the battles between the school board and the teachers' union. And the battles on the field and in the boardroom. Head Coach Art Walker was also a teacher—and a union member.  What would you do, Coach? Pledge your loyalty to a rowdy collection of teenagers (“A bunch of adolescent boys, amped up on testosterone, who prided themselves on not listening to authority?”)—or reluctantly acquiesce to your union, lobbying for greatly-needed increases in teacher pay and benefits? (Most teachers couldn’t even afford to live in Mt. Lebanon.)  I wouldn’t dare ruin the story for you—but just know this: the coaches reluctantly honor the strike and the football team becomes a pawn in the school board vs. union negotiations. Shockingly, QB Eck and his three gutsy teammates (the four co-captains) plead with the school board to allow them to play without coaches. (You read that right!) Yeah! We can coach ourselves. We’ve been playing football together since fifth grade! The season (and our college scholarships) are all on the line. We could go all the way this year. Come on. Have a heart. It will bring the community together. Let us play! What could go wrong? And play they did. The PR on the book calls this gem, “Friday Night Lights meets Lord of the Flies.” It’s actually better than that. View the author’s 2-minute book trailer. Eck was interim CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village and had a 40-year career on Wall Street. Author Michael Eck carried this true football story in his mind for 50 years. It’s worth the wait! Imagine—these high school jocks coaching themselves!   You’re in the training room (and yes…you’ll read the occasional inappropriate word from their locker room lexicon). You’re in the huddle—and you’re breaking up fights. When you mess up, instead of laps-around-the-track, the punishment is running up a steep hill by the football field. You’re one of the warriors from The Odyssey (they studied it in class!) and you have a nickname like: Swoop, Pecker, Gusto, Sully, Cracker (last name Ritz), and Psycho. (I’m guessing Hollywood is salivating over this book right now.) And you’re at the family dinner table with his parents, three sisters, and two brothers. (Every scene is a case study in the four social styles: Drivers, Analyticals, Amiables, and Expressives). No cell phones or emails in 1979—so communication is not nuanced. It’s often raw. The narrative beautifully captures the emotions of all the warring parties and sibling rivalries. (At a reunion, the brothers asked Coach Walker which Eck brother played on the best team!) You’re also at Mass. The author’s dad (a litigation attorney) was at 6 a.m. mass every morning “like a true ‘everyday Catholic.’” Eck describes a game during his junior year during a desperate comeback attempt when he threw the ball for 24 out of 25 plays in the second half. They lost. What more could go wrong? “I was so beat up, my knees refused to bend in church that Sunday and I could not kneel in the pew. My dad thought I was being disrespectful to our Lord, so he sent me to the confessional booth after Mass. The priest had seen the game and told me to say a few Hail Marys and a couple of Our Fathers. On the way out of the booth, he advised me to keep my elbow up when I cocked the ball.” (Everyone gave him pointers! LOL.) The action and drama—movie-worthy. The life lessons (even for the jocks)—stunning. And the family drama—poignant. (This will preach.) I’m reminded of the crowds of dutiful parents and grandparents faithfully showing up at practices and games. Even for those losing seasons. My parents endured high school football games for a zillion years for their five sons who all played football for Queen Anne High School in Seattle (4 years per son X 5 sons X a zillion games!). I played defensive end and center and I have the requisite torn ACL and total knee replacement scars to prove it. Back then, my mom (not the equipment guys) washed her sons' uniforms—always muddy. Eck writes about his football-loving dad: “My path as a player became a core part of my relationship with my father as I struggled to get closer to him.” Really? Football and feelings? The author thanks his wife, Liz. “She was the push and inspiration for going ‘deeper’ on an emotional level than I originally felt comfortable exploring.” Oh, my. At Notre Dame with his dad for a campus visit, Michael Eck see his dad’s photo on a wall—and his boxing accomplishments. Who knew? One of Eck’s three “cherished keepsakes of my parents that I look at almost every day”—a black-and-white photo of his father in a boxing pose. “It hangs prominently in my home gym to remind me of his vigor and the connection we made on that special weekend. It also still makes me wonder what else I do not know about the man who raised me and passed away in 2013.” And this: “He never explained what drove him. I can only guess that he was determined to chase his own dreams. I kick myself for not asking the right questions when I had the chance. To be fair, though, he wasn’t big on opening up and communicating emotionally.” Yikes! So now I’m wondering what I’ve kept hidden from my son, daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren? When I’m gone, what might they wish I had shared with them? Gut check! (Of course, this reminds me of three books: Postcards from PopPop, by Bill Butterworth, Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer's Guide to Telling Your Story, by James R. Hagerty, and Legacy: 60 Life Reflections for the Next Generation, by Stephen A. Macchia.) If this game (review) had gone into overtime, there'd be space to tell you more about: #1. The key role that “bench players” had and can have—especially with soaking-wet uniforms. LOL. (Great companion read: Lessons From the Bench, by Brandon Bakke.) #2. Why one university recruited two Blue Devil teammates as a package deal. Brilliant! #3. Why breaking the rules—sometimes—works out. (Read Chapter 12 and learn who called that play!) #4. Why Eck, equipped with an MBA and marketplace aspirations in the financial sector, noted on his resume that he was a player/coach on his own high school team! #5. The ingenious approach the author employed to explain the strike details—even though a 16-year-old jock was uninterested—as some readers might also be. (Hint: his savvy mother knew his love language.) #6. When the strike ended and the coaches returned (“the sheriff was back in town and it would be his way or the highway”) you’ll attend a master class on how to reassume leadership. Ain’t easy. #7. The poetry. Oh, my. “I would simply step back and admire their work, marveling at the waves of white jerseys clearing gobs of turf for the running backs.” #8. Brilliant! The author’s final play (in the book): a tribute to his teammates—and where they are today. I read every word and every memory those guys recalled. Teammate Anthony “Gusto” Agostinelli (#26), played four years of college ball and served 40 years as a pilot with major airlines. Eck writes:      “Father and son then raised the stakes. If Gusto cracked the starting lineup as a freshman, they wagered, his father would have to give up chain-smoking. The night before his very first game, Gusto called his dad from the team hotel and told him to toss his unfiltered Pall Malls. He had earned a starting role. His father never smoked again.” TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Strike Season: The True Story of a Team That Played on When the Coaches Walked Out, by Michael Eck. Listen on Libro (5 hours, 40 minutes). And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.     View the new series, John Pearson's Buckets Podcast, with AI-generated summaries of John's book reviews (short and snappy: just 7 to 9 minutes each).   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Who’s your customer? If you're involved with youth groups, schools, camps, campus ministries, or other programs for youth—are your programs targeting the appropriate customer? Author Michael Eck describes five categories of high school students in 1979:      • “The jocks (athletes)      • The freaks (long hair, loose clothing, and disregard for authority)      • The geeks (short hair, tight clothing, and academically inclined)      • The loafers (potheads)      • The car people (muscle heads showcasing their Trans Ams, Chevy Novas, or jacked-up trucks).” 2 ) Read one of these remarkable sports stories. What are five leadership lessons you found?      • Paradise Found: A High School Football Team's Rise from the Ashes, by Bill Plaschke (Read my review.)      • Lessons From the Bench: Unlocking the Impact of Bench Players on Teams and in Organizations, by Brandon H. Bakke (Read my review. View the podcast.)      • The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, by Tom Verducci. (Read my review. Go Cubs!)      • The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown (Read my review.)       SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #56 of 99: Spiritual Leadership For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #56 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. Spiritual Leadership:  Principles of Excellence for Every Believer  J. Oswald Sanders (Jan. 1, 1967)   My buckets-leaning heart was blessed to know that Oswald Sanders included a chapter on “The Art of Delegation” in this masterpiece on spiritual leadership. He also quotes Harold J. Ockenga, “Read to re-fill the wells of inspiration.” (Sanders notes that Ockenga took a suitcase full of books on his honeymoon! Yikes!)    • Read my review (Issue No. 153, Aug. 26, 2009).    • Order from Amazon.    • Management Bucket #16 of 20: The Delegation Bucket. Enmeshed in Secondary Detail. “There is no virtue in doing more than our fair share of work,” writes J. Oswald Sanders in his oft-quoted classic, Spiritual Leadership. Referencing the delegation counsel from Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, Sanders adds, “Moses could doubtless have done the task better than the 70 men whom he selected, but had he persisted in doing so, he would soon have been only a memory." Sanders cautions that the person who is “in a place of leadership who fails to delegate is enmeshed in a morass of secondary detail that not only overburdens him but deflects him from his primary responsibilities.”   So…what’s the spiritual issue at play in effective delegation? “It is a mistake to assume more duties than we can adequately and satisfactorily discharge,” he warns. “It is good to be able to recognize and accept our own limitations.”  Leaders who have spiritual depth have delegation depth also.   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      For more on the Delegation Bucket, read Chapter 16 in Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, and read why Alec Mackenzie wonders if you might be seriously overpaid! See his “Ten Delegation Questions.” And read the blog, “Great Boards Delegate Their Reading,” from Lesson 38 in Lessons from the Nonprofit Boardroom. NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here at John Pearson's Buckets Blog. Writing Your Story VIEW the AI-generated summary (9 minutes) of the book, Stories of Sheer Pure Grace, by Nancy Nelson, and learn why you should encourage others to write their stories. BONUS! As of today, 25 podcasts (7 to 9 minutes each) are posted here. Perfect life-long learning snippets for your weekly staff meeting. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S REVIEWS ON: Amazon  • WEBSITE: Management Buckets   Funny & Tragic I’ve read dozens of books about friendship, accountability, and tough love. But this transparent true story of David Feherty’s battle with addiction—well…I’ll never forget it. Tom Watson’s friendship is stunning. Read my review of Feherty: The Remarkably Funny and Tragic Journey of Golf's David Feherty, by John Feinstein.  Read my review here and more book reviews at the Pails in Comparison Blog. • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast