Clear Thinking

 

2023 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR Issue No. 587 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Dec. 13, 2023) calls you to a leadership fork-in-the-road: read or listen to 20 management books—or just read the new bestseller, Clear Thinking. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Plus, see below for the podcast with Al Lopus. The author of the bestseller, Clear Thinking, systematizes his decision-making into three boxes (I would have preferred three buckets). The big question: “What do you value most?” Read the chapter, “Evaluate the Options,” and borrow his “sticky note exercise” at your next staff meeting to discern what you value most.   There’s No Class Called "Clear Thinking 101” The author of Clear Thinking mentions this memorable story about former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (1923-2023): • “A staffer had drafted a memo and left it on Kissinger's desk for him to read. A while later, Kissinger approached him and asked if it was his best work. The staffer said no and rewrote the entire memo.  • The next day the staffer ran into Kissinger again and asked what he thought. Kissinger asked him again if this was the best he could do. The staffer took the memo and rewrote it yet again.  • The next morning, the same scenario played out, only this time the poor staffer stated that yes indeed it was his best work.  • Kissinger replied, ‘Okay, now I'll read it.’” That insight—and dozens more from a former intelligence agent—is from the New York Times bestseller:  Clear Thinking:  Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish Here’s my question for you today. Would you rather read ONE book or read 20 books? If you could scan my copy of Clear Thinking, you’d see more than 20 book titles written in the margins. Much like Patrick Lencioni summarized his 20 years of thinking and writing in The Advantage (my 2012 book-of-the-year), so Shane Parrish summarizes, with an extraordinary grasp, many of the must-read leadership and management books.  If you’re wondering how some of the Ivy League schools apparently missed the boat on educating clear thinkers (breaking news), you’ll find some very helpful analysis in Parrish’s commentary on “The Enemies of Clear Thinking.”  The author writes, “If you’re like me, no one every taught you how to think or make decisions. There’s no class called Clear Thinking 101 in school.” He adds, “As it turns out, though, learning about thinking—thinking clearly—is surprisingly hard.” READ 1 BOOK OR READ 20 BOOKS? #1. TAGLINE. “If there is a tagline to my life, it is ‘Mastering the best of what other people have already figured out,’ and this book is a tribute to that belief.” On his journey, the author writes that he devoured more books than he could count. (I’m wondering if he read another NY Times bestseller, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.)   #2. RESULTS. “In order in order to get the results we desire, we must do two things. We must first create the space to reason in our thoughts, feelings, and actions; and second, we must deliberately use that space to think clearly. Once you have mastered this skill, you will find you have an unstoppable advantage.” (Read A Year with Peter Drucker: 52 Weeks of Coaching for Leadership Effectiveness.) #3. THE FOUR DEFAULTS (Emotion Default, Ego Default, Social Default, and Inertia Default). “The ego default: we tend to react to anything that threatens our sense of self-worth or our position in a group hierarchy.” (This reminded me of Andrew Murray’s classic, Humility.) #4. NO JOY AT WORK. “One reason people find it hard to empower others at work is that having them depend on us for every decision makes us feel important and indispensable.” (Read The Decision Maker and Joy at Work, both by Dennis Bakke.) #5. QUIET QUITTING. “One example I've seen too many times in the workplace is when you stop putting in 100% of what you are capable of because you feel underappreciated.” (Read Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive. Note: Stay Sane, apparently, is working for the University of Michigan's football team.) #6. THE SOCIAL DEFAULT. The author quotes Princeton professor Robert George: “I sometimes ask students what their position on slavery would have been had they been white and living in the South before abolition. Guess what? They all would have been abolitionists! They all would have bravely spoken out against slavery, and worked tirelessly against it.” (View the episodes on the small-pox epidemic in a Welsh mining town in Season 2 of the Amazon Prime drama series, The Indian Doctor). #7. BEST PRACTICES? “If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get the same results that everyone else gets. Best practices aren’t always the best. By definition, they’re average.” Parrish adds, “The ‘zone of average’ is a dangerous place when it comes to inertia.” (Read Roger Martin’s 2022 book, A New Way to Think.) #8. THE INERTIA DEFAULT. “The inertia default pushes us to maintain the status quo. Starting something is hard, but so too is stopping something. We resist change even when change is for the best.” (Read Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward, by Dr. Henry Cloud.) #9. COMPLAINING! In the chapter on self-accountability (one of four strengths you need), the author quotes Jeff Bezos: “Complaining is not a strategy. You have to work with the world as you find it, not as you would have it be.” Parrish’s transparency in this chapter is remarkable. (Read The Amazon Management System.) #10. HIRING INSIGHT. Parrish asked the CEO of a large public company, “If you could pick one trait that would predict how someone would turn out, what would it be?” The CEO’s response: “That’s easy. How willing are they to change their mind about what they think they know.” (Read another “thinking” book, Both/And Thinking.) #11. THE WARM WATER. Note: Today’s university demonstrators (and some presidents) should study this book. Parrish writes, “The real test of a person is the degree to which they are willing to nonconform to do the right thing.” He adds, “And once you dive into the warm water of group acceptance, it’s hard to get back out. The social default strikes again!” (Read Hardwiring New Leadership Habits.) #12. JERKS. “We unconsciously become what we’re near. If you work for a jerk, sooner or later you’ll become one yourself. If your colleagues are selfish, sooner or later you become selfish." (Read The Boys in the Boat and view the movie coming Dec. 25.)  The Boys in the Boat bestseller is now a major motion picture (coming Dec. 25, 2023). View the trailer. This true story spotlights the power of teamwork and mutual respect. #13. CHARLIE MUNGER. In the “Building Strengths” section, there are two must-read short chapters: “Setting the Standards” and “Exemplars + Practice.” In the latter, Parrish quotes Charlie Munger (1924-2023), “I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything unless I know the other side’s argument better than they do.” (Read about the WSJ reporter's recent four-hour interview with Munger.) #14. RULE-MAKING. “To protect yourself from the influence of the social default, you decide to implement a safeguard. You form a rule for yourself: never say yes to something important without thinking it over for a day.” (Read Steve Macchia’s book, Crafting a Rule of Life, and understand why slow decision-making is difficult for Drivers and Expressives, per the four social styles.) #15. NFL EXCELLENCE. The author affirms the high standards set by numerous NFL coaches including Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick (he’s having a tough season!), and Pete Carroll. Parrish writes, “Champions don’t create the standards of excellence. The standards of excellence create champions.” (Read Culture Is the Way, by Matt Mayberry, former Chicago Bears linebacker.) #16. EXEMPLARS. “Show me your role models and I’ll show you your future.” Read why you should recruit “your personal board of directors,” an idea he borrowed from Jim Collins. (Listen to Shane Parrish’s podcast with Jim Collins. And read the HBR Press book (96 pages, 2017) from Collins, Turning Goals Into Results.  #17. WEAKNESSES. “The formula for failure is a few small errors consistently repeated.” (Read Little Bets.) #18. BLIND SPOTS. Parrish says we fail to see our weaknesses for three reasons. Reason #2: “…seeing our flaws bruises our egos—especially when those flaws are behaviors that are deeply ingrained." (Read: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.) #19. EXPERTS VS. IMITATORS. I’ll bet you’ve never read five tips on “how to approach an expert in a way that will set your request apart and get people excited to help you.” (Must-read!) Plus, “Take time to distinguish real experts from imitators. Not everyone who claims to be an expert is. Take the time to know the difference." (Read Drucker & Me: What a Texas Entrepreneur Learned from the Father of Modern Management.) #20. FINISH LINE. The author’s final section, “Wanting What Matters,” is less helpful for people of faith, but he does note, “Evaluating your life through the lens of your death is raw, powerful, and perhaps a bit scary.” I’d suggest you skip “Section 5” and read, instead, Robert Wolgemuth’s excellent 2023 book, Finish Line: Dispelling Fear, Finding Peace, and Preparing for the End of Your Life. So…read 1 book or read 20 books? You decide!   To order from Amazon, click on the title for Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results, by Shane Parrish. Listen on Libro (6 hours, 41 minutes). And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Clear Thinking is both a 101 course and a master’s class in decision-making. The chart on page 185 on “Types of Decisions” is worth the price of the book. Two axes: Consequential and Reversible. Plus, see the chart on page 120: the five steps of “The Decision-Making Process.” How many decisions will you make this week? How many books have you read on effective decision-making? 2) The chapter on “Margin of Safety” notes the “bullets before cannonballs” management practice in Great by Choice, by Jim Collins and Morten Hansen. Shane Parrish suggests you create a “margin of safety” in your hiring process by giving two or three candidates a “small test project” to see who looks good in practice, not just on paper! How effective are we in our decision-making and in recognizing the four enemies of clear thinking? 3) Clear Thinking spotlights a new CEO who took a sledgehammer to 76 of the company’s substandard refrigerators and smashed them to pieces—while employees watched! The CEO kept that sledgehammer “in a glass case in the boardroom for the remainder of his tenure, as a symbol of the high standard he expected from the company.” Read more. What’s encased in your boardroom?        Mastering 100 Must-Read Books Part 10: White House/Fight House Book #57 of 100: The Gatekeepers For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #57 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.  The Gatekeepers:  How the White House Chiefs of Staff  Define Every Presidency by Chris Whipple Books #56 through #60 spotlight five books on U.S. presidents in the section, “White House/Fight House.” The Gatekeepers highlights leadership insights from the White House chiefs of staff. The competency continuum runs from Erskine Bowles’ “missionary zeal for management” to Bill Daley who got shingles from stress after serving President Barack Obama. The book was so fascinating, I wrote two reviews.    • Read my review.    • Order from Amazon: The Gatekeepers    • Listen on Libro (12 hours, 13 minutes).    • Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson). TRUE OR FALSE? Read my review for the True or False questions on each of the 23 White House gatekeepers. Example: DONALD RUMSFELD, 1st Chief to President Gerald Ford (1974-75). (See also my review of Rumsfeld's Rules.) [  ] T/F: Rumsfeld convinced Ford that the “spokes of the wheel” organizational chart didn’t work. Ford noted, “Without a strong decision-maker who could help me set my priorities, I’d be hounded to death by gnats and fleas. I wouldn’t have time to reflect on basic strategy or the fundamental direction of the presidency.” [  ] T/F: “Genial and outgoing, Gerald Ford saw the best in everybody; it was Rumsfeld’s job to suspect the worst.” [  ] T/F: Advice to Rahm Emmanuel: “Immediately pick your successor.”                     PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. Sure…you and your team could read or listen to 20 books on marketing and communication (here’s one!)—or just cut to the chase and invite a creative facilitator to help you discern your storytelling next steps. Need help? Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social). Al Lopus Asks John  About “Board No-Nos” Al Lopus, co-founder of Best Christian Workplaces, interviewed John recently on The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast. Listen to Episode 367, "Behind the Boardroom Curtain: Best Practices, No-Nos, and Workplace Wisdom.” After a board member skipped out on John’s training session, listen to John’s aha! moment.  On the podcast, Al asks John for his five favorite lessons from the book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby (1941-2022) and John.  IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this website. New book reviews will also be archived here at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. And/or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

Lead With Prayer

 

2024 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR Issue No. 591 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Jan. 17, 2024) urges you to read (not delegate) a new book for leaders on the power of prayer. Plus, click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Plus, click here for the updated lists of books reviewed since 2006. Decision Time! Will you delegate your reading of Lead With Prayer—or will you read it yourself first? (See my recommendation below.)   A One-Word Prayer! Ryan Skoog writes about being at the National Prayer Breakfast “in a breakout session for business leaders. A French Canadian businessman stood up to pray. He was a wise and accomplished leader with thousands of employees. But what most affected the room was his prayer—more specifically, the single word he prayed. “He closed his eyes and uttered the word Jesus. The reality of Jesus in that moment was so overwhelming that individuals in the room were moved to tears. It was undeniable that this man had spent a lot of time with Jesus. In just one word, just one mention of the name of Jesus, the room filled with the presence of God, and he did not need to say another word.” That moment was an example of a “fast prayer” and a “slowing-down” type of prayer. The authors explain on pages 25-26 (there’s that page 25 rule-of-thumb again) in this powerful book just published Jan. 16, 2024: Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle   The authors add, “Saying the name Jesus and pausing was a fast prayer for this leader, but the power of that moment came from this deep well of extended slow praying for years.” Oh, my. When I read the last page of this very special book, I wondered how-in-the-world I could communicate its importance to you. Should I take a page from the French Canadian businessman and just write a one-word review? Maybe not. But if my review is too long, you might just delete—and move on. Then (duh!), I prayed. The Lord prompted me to email a few friends—asking them to pray for me as I prepared to write this review. So this morning, I began with this prayer, “Lord, I can hardly wait to see the review You’re going to write!” Lead With Prayer is not formulaic. Lead With Prayer is not a guilt trip. Instead, Lead With Prayer will open the doors wide to new possibilities for leaders who know God—and want to summon the Powers of Heaven for their relationships, their to-do lists, and their leadership competencies. Think you know what a book on prayer looks like? Think again. Oh, my. The authors invested three years in research and over 100 hours of interviews with leaders across the globe. (I love the international stories.) They asked leaders about their very personal and private prayer habits. How? When? Where? Why? You’ve never read anything like this. And Ryan, Peter, and Cameron transparently share their own missteps in prayerlessness. (Amazing.) The reality: none of us are spiritual giants. And this I affirm: learning more about the spiritual habits of God-honoring leaders—it changed me. We learn that God’s creativity shines in the prayer lives of many of His highly creative leaders. (Attn: Pastors! Every chapter will preach.) In “Leaders Practice the Presence of God,” the authors share prayer habits for Meals, Meetings, Moods, Moments, and Reminders. The “Meetings” notes reminded me of the time I asked Scott Rodin to pray during a training session with leaders. I suggested that Scott might pray for this, and this, and this, and this… (honest—I did that!). So Scott simply prayed, “Lord, what John just said—ditto!” And then he sat down. And yes, everyone laughed! The book’s section on “One-Sentence Prayers” notes Ernest Hemingway’s boast to other authors that he could write a short story in six words. His entry: “Baby shoes. For sale. Never used.” Do you every talk to our Holy God with one-sentence prayers? The authors list six times Jesus used a life-changing single sentence. The chapter concludes with 33 one-sentence prayers. My favorite: “Lord, what do You want?” (This reminded me of the “Tap. Tap. Tap.” principle I learned from Steve Macchia.) Lead With Prayer features dozens of authentic moments into the private prayer lives of leaders. (Just stunning.) An oil company CFO confesses he was “a left-brained accountant from a left-brained faith tradition” and considered himself an unlikely advocate for prayer. “I concluded we were functional deists. We believed God existed, but we didn’t really believe He did anything—or at least that He did anything in response to our prayers. Otherwise, we would pray more.” (In the chapter, “Leaders Kneel Before the Lord,” you’ll read about this CPA’s dramatic turnaround and his new prayer habit when invited to team meetings at his church. You won’t believe it!) Each chapter concludes with a prayer and a prayer tool. There’s something for every unique leader—and every unique learning style. Have you ever prayed with someone using the “Hands Downward, Hands Upward” prayer habit? Chapter 5, “Leaders Pray Through Tough Times,” quotes St. Oscar Romero, “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.” Ryan Skoog agrees. He writes, “The year 2020 was when I (Ryan) got used to the smell of my carpet. Night after night, I lay on my face crying out to God to save us.” COVID had devasted his international travel technology business—and his family had lost their life’s savings. He shares a poignant family moment. His daughter was plagued with nightmares every night with “graphic visions of evil spirits coming to her saying they were going to torture young girls in Nepal.” (Ryan’s family prays regularly for their nonprofit that rescues young women from trafficking.) His daughter would wake up “so traumatized that she would run to the bathroom and vomit.” Many mornings she would plead, “Daddy, make them stop, make them stop…” (Do you believe in the power of prayer? You must read Chapter 5.) The book features three sections:  • How Leaders Prioritize Prayer  • How Leaders Grow in Their Prayer Life • How Leaders Multiply Prayer Within Their Organizations (Example: Is prayer a line item in your budget?) Warning! I regularly urge leaders to “delegate their reading.” But…you might not want to do that for this book. The bookends in Lead With Prayer are memorable. The front bookend features the verse from Jeremiah 10:21. “The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.” The back bookend features a convicting case study with a noble initiative. The executive director of a grant-making foundation hatched a plan “…that would unleash prayer across America to transform the nation.” The board approved a $1 million budget. Oops! They funded a gathering of CEOs of major American prayer ministries, built a strategy, produced a vision-casting video, and funded grant requests. Yet! “Despite these strategies and a lot of compelling ‘activity,’ the efforts stalled after months of work. Wanting to kindle a fire, they barely lit a spark.” Fast forward. As the foundation executive prepared to give his board the bad news, he asked God why their bold plan had not worked. God’s response to the exec: “You’re multiplying by zero.” He learned that his “efforts to replicate prayer across the nation were doomed to fail because he was not yet a person of prayer. He felt that the Spirit was instructing, ‘You can’t replicate what you do not possess.’” (Read the case study for the good news that came later.) I pray that this review will prompt you and the leaders and people you influence to read this powerful book. And me? I plan to read this book again on weekends over the next few months—slowly. My prayer: “Lord, what do You want?” To order from Amazon, click on the title for Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders, by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle. Listen on Libro (7 hours, 39 minutes). P.S. Cameron Doolittle is also the author of Joy Giving: Practical Wisdom from the First Christians and the Global Church (read my review). Peter Greer is the author of 15 books, including The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades (read my review).    YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Perhaps 2024 will be characterized as the year when Christ-followers became more committed to praying. Two other books popped up as I was reading Lead With Prayer: • Talking to God Using Ten Psalms, by Elmer L. Towns (Jan. 2, 2024) – Watch for my review. Order from Amazon. •  A Well-Planted Faith in an Uprooted Culture: Praying in the Now: A 30-Day Devotional, by Ed McDowell (Nov. 25, 2023) – Watch for my review. Order from Amazon. What book has most energized your understanding of prayer? 2) Reading Lead With Prayer reminded me of several other books on prayer that I often recommend to others. What insights on prayer have you gleaned most recently? Check out these books: • Leadership Prayers, by Richard Kriegbaum (read my review) • A Comedian's Prayer Book, by Frank Skinner (read my review) • The Discerning Life: An Invitation to Notice God in Everything, by Stephen Macchia (my 2022 book-of-the-year) – Read my review. • Click here to read why Gary Haugen, who is noted in Lead With Prayer, gave each team members at International Justice Mission a journal titled, “8:30 Stillness.”        Mastering 100 Must-Read Books Part 11: Hall of Fame Sports Stories Book #61 of 100: The Boys in the Boat For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #61 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.  The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics  by Daniel James Brown Books #61 through #65 spotlight five stunning sports stories with leadership and management lessons. And how’s this for timing? Book #61 is now a movie! The Boys in the Boat includes my pick for the most exquisite description—I’ve ever read—of what a high-performance team looks like.     • Read my review.    • Order from Amazon: The Boys in the Boat    • Listen on Libro (14 hours, 24 minutes)    • Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson). One of the University of Washington coxswains would often shout to the eight oarsmen, “MIB! MIB! MIB!” The author writes, “The initialism stood for ‘mind in boat.’ It was meant as a reminder that from the time an oarsman steps into a racing shell until the moment that the boat crosses the finish line, he must keep his mind focused on what is happening inside the boat.” What acronym could your team use to keep everyone focused? Team-building idea. Watch the movie together!   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN                PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. When five of us snagged the best seats in the theater recently to view the new movie, The Boats in the Boat, I wondered if the storytelling would be as powerful as the audio book. It was! The storytelling in the new book, Lead With Prayer, is also memorable and meaningful. How’s your organization’s storytelling? Need help? Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social). And check out our new company, FiveHive Studios.

The Best Question Ever

 

2007 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR 3 Versions...2 Reviews! Issue No. 22 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Jan. 29, 2007) first spotlighted Andy Stanley's book, The Best Question Ever: A Revolutionary Approach to Decision Making. Two more updated editions followed. (They're all good!) Read on... Issue No. 491 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Oct. 14, 2021) grabs your attention with five questions from Andy Stanley, including “the best question ever.” And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), and click here for the Mastering Mistake-Making webpage.      1993: “Sure, I could guest host a live radio program.” 2021: Andy Stanley asks, “Is that wise, John?”. A Voice for Radio Is Not Enough! Many people have told me I have a good “radio voice.” I sang bass in school and church choirs—so I often fantasized about having a radio gig. Others have said, “You have a face for radio!” In 1993 in the Chicago area, Dick Staub interviewed me live on his nationally syndicated afternoon drive-time radio program. The award-winning Dick Staub Show was carried on over 60 stations. The interview went great and so I just happened to mention to Dick that I had thought about being on the radio someday.  A few days later, Dick invited me to guest host his program for two days. Unfortunately, I said yes. Dick said he’d be in China that week—and even if I messed up—he’d be too far away to rescue me! So with a very brief orientation a week later with Dick, I had my assignment for my first on-air day: read a book about social welfare policy and prepare questions for the in-studio interview with the author.  Yikes! Upon arrival, the author said he couldn’t stay the full 60-minutes for the interview—but not to worry, he had questions I could ask listeners. They would certainly call in, he promised. No one called in! No one called! No one called! Imagine—trying to fill dead airtime with 30 minutes of monologue on a forgettable topic. At a commercial break, the producer gave me several prizes I could offer to callers. They called but only to get the prize from the producer—unwilling to speak on air with me. Even my faithful wife, Joanne (listening at home), sensed the disaster playing out in Chicagoland radio history—and even this knowledgeable former social worker did not call in to rescue me!  Good news/bad news. In reality, few were listening or cared. That morning on Oct. 6, 1993, Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, announced his retirement from the Chicago Bulls. That’s what we talked about in the first hour of the program—and listeners did call in. But as the Jordan news swelled, by afternoon, no one was interested in discussing social welfare policy—including the author who left early! Oh, my.  Hmmm. You mean to tell me that just having a voice for radio is not enough? You also need a brain for radio? Who knew? And, please remind me not to take on roles outside of my skillset. I mention this story because Andy Stanley writes in Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets,  “Your decisions determine your story.”  My mistake back in 1993: Sometimes…ego and over-confidence in my abilities coaxed me into saying “yes” to opportunities and client projects—when I should have said “no.” Have you ever said “yes” to something only to discover it wasn’t the right fit? Then it’s too late to back out and every hour or day on the project is torture, right? Whew! Why did I agree to this? Gradually, the unpleasant situation is compounded by procrastination, mediocre results, and zero joy. My radio gig was very short-lived, but it did leave a bruise. Sometimes ego trumps discernment. In my consulting years, for example, it took several rounds for me to realize my competencies were in the nonprofit space, not the for-profit (but more profitable) arena. WHAT I LEARNED: I’m often asked, “What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?” Some nonprofit leaders are looking for a gift book to send to donors. Others are being intentional about people development and want to bless their team members and board members. Sometimes I meet a serious lifelong learner. Leaders are readers. I had missed the publisher’s hype when The Best Question Ever: A Revolutionary Approach to Decision-Making, by Andy Stanley, was published in 2004. But in 2007, Dick Towner encouraged me to read it. I bought the book and Joanne read it first and she agreed with Dick. When those two gang up on me, I just salute and do what they say. I read and savored it. We bought a case and named it the 2007 “Book-of-the-Year” for our clients. (Note: Stanley wrote an updated edition, Ask It, in 2014.)  GOOD NEWS! Just 12 months ago, Andy Stanley added four more questions and wrote Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move. At just 192 pages, it’s worth your time—and you’ll be sharing it with colleagues, friends, and family (and grandkids!). The five questions: 1. The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself? Really? 2. The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell? 3. The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that deserves my attention? 4. The Maturity Question: What is the wise thing to do? 5. The Relationship Question: What does love require of me? In Mastering Mistake Making, I focused on Stanley’s fourth question, “What is the wise thing to do?” That’s from Mistake #24, “Saying ‘YES’ Too Often.” Here’s the big idea from Andy Stanley: “We've all done dumb stuff in our lives. We all have regrets. Yet none of us plans to mess up our lives. Why, then, does it keep happening?” Stanley offers a very practical question to ask—and it’s applicable to all of our actions in all of life's arenas. The question: “In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?” The author of more than 20 books and the founder of Atlanta-based North Point Ministries, Stanley also notes the WORST question to ask: “Is there anything wrong with it?” He says the worst question is also the wrong question to ask. The best question: “Is it wise?” It’s simple, convicting, and demands discernment. For example:    • Sure, I could guest host a radio program. (Is that wise, John?)    • Well, my expertise is actually with nonprofit Christian organizations, churches, and associations—but yes, I could help your for-profit business. (Is that wise, John?)    • Joanne, we do have the money. Owning it would be fun! (Is that wise, John?) If you’ve already nailed Question #4, “What is the wise thing to do?”—then discern if you’re gutsy enough to look in the mirror while you’re answering Stanley’s other four questions: #1. The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself? Really? • “Most people don’t learn from bad decisions because they’re convinced their bad decisions were somebody else’s fault.” • “Decision #1: The Integrity Decision. I will not lie to myself even when the truth makes me feel bad about myself.” • “Pardon my presumption, but you may need to write that down and put it where you can see it every day. For a while anyway. I suggest a mirror.” This reminded me of the classic song, “Have a Little Talk With Myself,” performed by Max Q.   Listen to “Have a Little Talk With Myself,” performed by Max Q. #2. The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell? • Learn about the story Joseph lived (20 years after his brothers sold him into slavery!) and why you’re writing your own story—“one decision at a time.” #3. The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that deserves my attention? • The story that King David chose not to write for his grandkids: “Grandpa David, tell us one more time about how you became king. You know, how you snuck up behind King Saul while he was using the potty and slit his throat!” • This question prompted me to re-read A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness, by Gene Edwards. Powerful! #5. The Relationship Question: What does love require of me? • Stanley’s mentor would ask him, “Andy, what do you hope I don’t ask you about?” (Andy’s response: “That’s cheating! You’re supposed to poke around and discover that for yourself!”) Whew! If you’re gutsy enough—read and share this book with your team. To order from Amazon, click on the title for Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move, by Andy Stanley. Are you a listener? Listen to the book on Libro.fm (4 hours, 9 minutes), narrated by Andy Stanley. And thanks to Zondervan for providing a review copy. YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Raise your hand if you think John’s wife should have called into the radio show!  2) Think of a decision we made recently that didn’t turn out well. Could we have avoided the trauma if someone had asked the best question ever? “Is it wise?”     IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this website. New book reviews will also be archived here at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. And/or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

Joy at Work

 

Issue No. 7 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Oct. 9, 2006) features radical “Water Cooler Wisdom” from Dennis Bakke who writes, “We have made the workplace a frustrating and joyless place where people do what they’re told and have few ways to participate in decisions or fully use their talents.” For more resources, check out the 20 management buckets (core competencies). 2006 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR! Dennis Bakke writes, “We have made the workplace a frustrating and joyless place where people do what they’re told and have few ways to participate in decisions or fully use their talents.”   THE JOY OF DECISION-MAKING: Get Advice Before Making a Decision—or “You’re Fired!” The paperback edition of this national bestseller was published this summer.  The book describes Dennis Bakke’s radical approach to bringing joy into the corporate and nonprofit workplace. Joy At Work: A Revolutionary Approach To Fun On The Job  by Dennis W. Bakke (March 7, 2005) Have you ever annnounced this to your staff? Water Cooler Wisdom #8: “Everyone must get advice before making a decision. If you don’t seek advice, ‘you’re fired.’” Bakke is no believer in workplace decisions by consensus or majority vote.  Hire great people and let them have the fun (the joy) of decision-making.  If that’s not revolutionary enough, shake-up your team with Water Cooler Wisdom #9: “A ‘good’ decision should make all the stakeholders unhappy because no individual or group got all they wanted.”  Trust me. Your team members will love this book! I had the privilege of writing an endorsement for this book. Here's what I said: "Finally! Here's a truth-telling CEO, with years of in-the-trenches experience, who practices what he preaches.  Dennis Bakke thoughtfully dispels popular business myths, and he'll persuade you to think differently about your workplace.  People are not 'our most important asset.' (People are people, not assets.)  Customers are not always No. 1. (It's not that simple.) Gutsy CEOs will buy Joy at Work for every co-worker--and feed a revolution of joy in the workplace."  Rule #3 in Bakke's Water Cooler Wisdom Top-10 List is my favorite: "Attempt to create the most fun workplace in the history of the world." Bakke is waging war on leaders and managers who keep all the fun (that is, decision-making) to themselves. I share his aspirations for fun. "The Hoopla! Bucket" is one of 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit. Managers who thrive on power, prestige, and phony empowerment will hate Bakke's book. I hope Joy at Work becomes a movement! TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Joy At Work: A Revolutionary Approach To Fun On The Job, by Dennis W. Bakke.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) How effective are we in seeking advice from other team members? Do we give the point person the joy of making his or her own decisions? 2) What would it take for “fun on the job” to be a core value here? 2025 UPDATE: Bonus Book! Also from Dennis Bakke, The Decision Maker: Unlock the Potential of Everyone in Your Organization, One Decision at a Time. Order from Amazon. Read my review on Amazon.  IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this website. New book reviews will also be archived here at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. And/or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

CEO Ready

 

Issue No. 663 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Nov. 25, 2025) highly recommends a book for CEO wannabes—and current CEOs who are still lifelong learners. Plus, click here for recent issues posted at the NEW site for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including Time to Stand Up, by Bill Hull. Also, check out the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Co-author Byron Loflin coaches CEO candidates to “imagine where they are and what they’re doing ten years from now”—by having a cup of coffee with their future selves. “What would they say they’ve found most rewarding during those years?"   7 Judges You’ll Face in the CEO Interview Process Quick! Give me 10 key points to share with a candidate who thinks he or she is ready for the top spot: CEO. (I thought of three—but then I read this book. Oh, my. I know nothing!) The 20-page chapter with “Ten Ways to Work with Peers in Order to Be CEO Ready” is worth the price of the book. Chapter 5’s subtitle is a warning: “C-suite colleagues can’t get you the job, but they can kill your chances.” CEO Ready:  What You Need to Know to Earn the Job —and Keep the Job by Mark Thompson and Byron Loflin (Nov. 25, 2025)   I’m a big fan of recommending niche chapters. See Ball #2 in my Book Bucket chapter, “Mentor Your Team Members With Niche Books: Leverage their strengths with thoughtfully selected chapters.” So when I read Chapter 5 in CEO Ready—it was a no-brainer and a time-saver. The next time a leader asks me how to prepare for a CEO interview, my response will be: “Read Chapter 5, 'Prepare to Move from Peer to Chief.'” This book far surpasses anything I've ever read on this topic. It's comprehensive and so insightful. Many CEO wannabes, per the experience of the authors, are woefully unprepared—even when others have signaled that they are the top candidates. Wanna be ready? Read this. Did you know you will face seven judges during the CEO interview process?    1. You    2. Board of Directors    3. C-suite Peers    4. Current CEO    5. Owners (stakeholders and the “court of public opinion”)    6. Recruiters and Assessors    7. Direct Reports, Employees, and the Customers They Serve Here’s a taste of this must-read book from Harvard Business Review Press: #1. YOU. “Get to know your blind spots and fears, then learn to manage them.” Don’t skip the section on your top nine blind spots. Gut-check?    • Blind Spot #1: Overestimating your status as heir apparent.    • Blind Spot #4: Behaving badly if you’re passed over (again). “Get yourself a truth teller,” recommend the authors. By the way, Byron Loflin has interviewed over 1,000 CEOs and board members. Mark Thompson previously served as chief executive of the CEO Academy in partnership with Wharton and McKinsey. #2. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Warning! Marshall Goldsmith, who wrote the foreword to the book, says that boards can smell inauthenticity “a mile away.” He adds, “It’s not that we hate suck-ups; it’s that we hate bad ones.” The authors warn: “Do not patronize, flatter, or ingratiate yourself with the board.” Yet… “Wanting the CEO job requires ego. Being great at the job requires humility.”    • Insightful: five factors the board will find favorable about internal candidates—and six factors that favor external candidates.     • The authors list eight “common reasons candidates are not selected” by the board, including personal or professional issues and proclivities such as “telling the world how smart we are,” “not listening,” and “failing to give proper recognition.”    • Must read: Marshall Goldsmith’s list of 20 workplace habits “you need to break,” featured in his bestseller, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. (Read my review.) By the way, read this helpful article on nonprofit searches from Bruce Dingman, “The Proper Care and Handling of Internal Candidates.” #3. C-SUITE PEERS. “No organization is better than its vice president level”—so how will your peers respond if you get the CEO position? Support you—or bolt? (Yikes!) Long before the CEO search begins, one leader says he “explicitly expects leaders to spend one day a week helping colleagues outside of their own areas to succeed.” Thompson and Loflin add, “That should be considered a minimum outreach for someone who wants to be CEO.” There’s more:    • “There’s a burdensome weight that about eight out of ten CEO candidates carry around: they need to prove they’re right. And frankly, you don't get to be in the running for a CEO slot if you haven't been right a lot. Yet, a big part of this shift is that, as CEO, you know on a good day you may only know about 20 percent of the answers you need.”    • Note: Dick Daniels warns about "the danger of the 15%. Some people can be right 85% of the time. It is a powerful gift. The danger is when they assume they are right 100% of the time. They become relationally dangerous 15% of the time when they are wrong but think they are correct." (Read my review of Leadership Briefs.) #4. CURRENT CEO. Many incoming CEOs are oblivious to the feelings of outgoing CEOs. One CEO told the authors that she swore to herself, “’I’ll never look back. But it was like cutting off an arm.’ She found it difficult to reconcile the fact that ‘the greatest impact I’ve ever had might be over.’”  In the section, “Expect Emotional Distress or Resistance,” the authors caution, “Prepare for the possibility that your predecessor will not step aside gracefully, even if they profess a desire to do so. Even CEOs who have announced their departure may change their mind.” And note: CEO Ready is not just for future CEOs. Current CEOs—all leaders and managers—will benefit from reading this book. The authors quote former HBS dean Nitin Nohria’s research on why leaders must distinguish between four different types of incoming challenges:     • Normal noise (“the small stuff”)    • Clarion calls (“the big ones—loud and sustained")    • Whisper warnings (“the trickiest to spot”)    • Siren songs (“the seductive distractions”) Pick one—any one! The book notes seven justifications why some CEOs postpone their exits:    • My successor isn't ready yet.    • The organization needs me now more than ever during this period of change.    • It's just not the right time to leave.    • The employees, customers, and shareholders won't stand for it.    • The board wants me to stick around.    • I need to work through the merger or latest transformation.    • I'm planning to leave after the next year or two (or some noncommittal period). #5. OWNERS (stakeholders and the “court of public opinion”). Note: Many of the readers of this eNews are leaders and board members of nonprofit organizations. While this chapter—“Engage with the Owners: Your candidacy depends on what your shareholders value”—may not be immediately relevant to the nonprofit world, don’t skip it. Read “Your CEO Readiness Pulse Check” at the end of this chapter (ditto—at the end of every chapter), and definitely read about the seven ways to win the “CEO audition,” and read the section, “Honor the Founder.” #6. RECRUITERS AND ASSESSORS. This chapter plows new ground—and reminds all of us we still have much to learn. Oh, my!    • “Embrace the scrutiny. Learn to live under the microscope of assessors and consultants who’ve never had the job.”    • “Some 53 percent of the time, the ‘obvious heir apparent'—the anointed successor in a CEO search—proves to be the wrong choice…” according to one of the leading firms conducting senior executive assessments.    • And this caution for all of us who love assessments: George Smart, founder of ghSMART, “…eschews many of the off-the-shelf psychological and behavioral tests that you may have taken already, because most are not validated—in a scientific sense—so they cannot predict CEO success.”    • Practical idea: “Write a five-page vision memo about being the next CEO…”    • Note: The 25-page appendices are jam-packed with assessments you may be asked to complete (descriptions of nine common diagnostic tools); assessment frameworks categorized into four major areas including conflict and change management; and assessments used by the major executive search firms—and how they differ. #7. DIRECT REPORTS, EMPLOYEES, AND THE CUSTOMERS THEY SERVE. You’ll appreciate (and learn from) the chapter, “Honor Culture, Comfort Customers, and Manage Celebrity.” Honest. There’s just WAY too much good stuff in this chapter too. Here’s a start: rate your competencies in the “seven officer roles of the chief executive.” (Did you know you’d have seven roles? LOL!)    • Chief Engagement Officer    • Chief Customer Officer    • Chief Gratitude Officer    • Chief Architect (“Can you reinvent what must change while preserving what works?”)    • Chief Culture Curator    • Chief Transformation Officer (Another warning! According to HBR research, “only 22 percent of CEO-led transformations succeed.”)    • Chief Communication Officer PERMISSION TO BE HAPPY! Gratefully, the authors wrap up this extraordinary book of warnings and cautions with a final chapter, “Permission to Be Happy.” They challenge CEO candidates to ask three questions: "What anchors you? What fuels you? What lights your sky?" If you’re looking towards the CEO role—or coaching someone eyeing that chair—I hope you’ll read this book. TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for CEO Ready: What You Need to Know to Earn the Job—and Keep the Job, by Mark Thompson, Byron Loflin, and a foreword by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. Listen on Libro (9 hours, 3 minutes). And thanks to Harvard Business Review Press for sending me a review copy.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) GUT CHECK! In Chapter 5 of CEO Ready, the authors preach that lifelong learning for leaders is a must. Ditto humility. Try this: “Last month I told you that I wanted to become a more effective listener when I interact with my team and during our executive team meetings. Based on my behavior in the past month, what suggestions would you have for me? Do you see anything that could help me become a better listener next month?” 2) In the chapter, “Win the Board’s Trust,” the authors list five questions you must answer to become CEO ready. Question #3: “Do you act like you’re always being evaluated, because you are? Even when there's no formal plan in motion, the board is assessing you in every interaction. Are you showing up with presence, curiosity, and maturity, even when no one says it's an audition?" 3) “What if…our CEO is hit by a bus?” If you’re a board member of a nonprofit ministry—succession must always be on your agenda. Check out videos and resources in the ECFA Governance Toolbox Series #4: Succession Planning.        SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #33 of 99: Protected! For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #33 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring. PROTECTED! A True Life Story of God's Word Smuggled  Behind the Iron Curtain—and the  Influence of a "Tremendous" Man by Bob Kelly (Nov. 21, 2018) Have you ever felt unprotected? Fearful? Anxious? Sleepless? Worried? Second-guessing—“why-did-I-say-yes-to-this?” Bob Kelly’s short book packs a punch (dozens of punches!) as he bobs and weaves the Psalm of Protection through page-turning stories while smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s.    • Reviewed in Issue No. 399 (Jan. 15, 2019).    • Read my review on Amazon.    • Order from Amazon.    • Management Bucket #13 of 20: The Crisis Bucket. You think you’ve had a few zig-zags in your career? Read why Bob, the East Coast bank president, signed on with a Bible-smuggling ministry in California—while his car ended up near El Paso, Texas! (Read Chapter 8, “A Hard Decision.” A miracle story!) And, oh, my…did I mention his short stint selling life insurance? One interviewer’s assessment, “This applicant is confirming definitely a real lack of interview getting and closing capacity.” LOL!   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      Mistake #2 of 8: “Misunderstanding Board Member Roles: The 3 Hats.” Read more in the new workbook, The 8 Big Mistakes to Avoid With Your Nonprofit Board—and complete the worksheet on page 17, “What Hat Are You Wearing When…” IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this website. New book reviews will also be archived here at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. And/or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. Shroud of Turin Museum Now Open! Orange County, CA “The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience,” a $5-million, 10,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the world’s most studied artifact, opened to the public on Nov. 19, 2025, in Garden Grove, Calif. This landmark museum—the largest of its kind—will immerse guests into the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, presenting compelling evidence on the purported burial cloth He left behind. More info here. (Watch for my review.)   Page-Turner! When I started reading these stunning stories of redemption and transformation—I put down my pen and just read (and prayed). Read my short review of Cracked Vessels: True Stories of Real Life Restoration, by J.P. and Diana Spitz with Mark Ellis. Find more reviews at my Pails in Comparison blog.