During a recent executive coaching session with a mid level manager she lamented, "if only my boss would work on the same developmental objectives that I am, we would all find more support and motivation to grow around here."  What is her complaint?  The senior leader of the company, who pays for executive coaching for his managers, is not himself becoming the kind of leader he is asking his direct reports to be!  "Duplicity" is the most common charge.  Confusion and discouragement for the direct reports are normal outcomes.

Leader, I run into this discrepancy all too often.  It looks something like this: Marty, a mid level manager, is reprimanded for having poor interpersonal skills and withholding recognition and motivation from his people.  "Get him training, or an executive coach!", the order comes down from on high.  And within a training/coaching framework Marty gains new self awareness, skills, and a mindset to manage at a new level.  He is encouraged with his personal progress and new impact on others.  Yet he wonders, sometimes aloud, "who is going to get these same lessons and training across to MY boss, Executive I.M. First, who treats people like old tires on his company Porsche and will only recognize accomplishment when staring into a mirror!?!"

                          "I have known a thousand scamps; but I never met one who

                             considered himself so.  Self-knowledge isn't so common."  --Ouida

The old adage is still true: "speed of the leader, speed of the pack."  We will do well therefore to pay attention to the following Three (3) Leadership Laws for developing others.  And they are "laws" in that they will always be true and will always be linked to consequences.

Law 1: Leaders must demonstrate in day to day practical ways that which they demand of others.  Leaders must practice what they preach.  More is caught than taught.  Your Example will always out-teach your Mouth.  All eyes are on you, you do live in the proverbial "glass house", get used to it, you are accountable but also powerful in your example.  Q: is there anything in my behavior or practice that is contradictory to my message?

Law 2: Leaders must themselves commit to Training and Development.  Not showing up for the two-day training session on Motivating and Inspiring Others is not an option.  Committing your key managers to executive coaching engagements but refusing to secure your own coach is duplicitous.  Your absence in training or coaching SHOUTS a loud message to the organization that will be interpreted in all the ways you do not intend and most dread.  Q: do I commit myself to the same training schedule and rigors that I expect from my people?

Law 3: Leaders must be genuinely driven to be Life long Learners.  The humility and teach-ability of a learner serves as your foundation for growth and impact on your organization and external customers.  Q's: What are you reading today?  What is the latest lesson you have learned on leadership?  What mistake or train wreck from your leadership past now serves as a vibrant story to teach still others?  Who and what level do you invite to teach you?  Is everyone a candidate teacher for you or just a select few?

Three Laws that are true and critically important to the integrity and influence of your leadership and organization.  I invite you to take a hard look in the mirror, check for discrepancies between your message and your motion, then renew your commitment to be a fully integrated leader learner.  Let's work together to trash once and for all the cry of duplicity that rises from the mid level ranks of our organizations!

Your partner,

Chip

www.leadersinspire.net (leadership development, executive coaching, speaking)

www.feedbackedge.com (360 assessments with professional debriefs)

Dear Leader,

Jump in my car with me and you will find a NYS Speeding Ticket sitting on my dashboard which serves as a reminder of a recent law violation. I was driving the New York State Thruway doing about 75 mph while also carrying on a significant client conversation via cell phone. As I multi-tasked along I did happen to see from my left side peripheral vision a State Police car parked in the middle median. Soon I pulled over to await the penalty for my breaking of the law. $300 and six points on my license! And that was just the beginning. Within a month New York State sent me a letter requiring another $300 for having six points on my license. They call this an “assessment”. $600 for my law breaking actions. Ouch! And of course there was still my wife Jennifer to report this whole mess and cost to.

I need to be transparent with you about a condition that is not yet right within me. I like to drive fast, I like to multi-task, and I like to pack my schedule in order to maximize productivity each day. Yet there is something going on much deeper that drives such behavior: an inner drive to attach my worth to my work, my personal identity to my productivity. Really, the “speeding thing” had little to do with getting to my appointment on time or initiating a critical conversation with my client that just could not wait. Truly, that day and at that time, I was taking action to satisfy my inner drive for worth.  And I suspect many of you can identify with me in this area.

So, the speeding ticket sits in plain view there in my car. And it serves me in several ways: One, it reminds me that my work (and productivity) will never be a satisfactory basis for my worth. I should and do enjoy my work tremendously but it cannot define who I am. Two, it reminds me that I need to be disciplined in all areas of my life, including driving. I cannot consult and coach others in such areas as integrity or honesty while at the same time willfully breaking the government’s laws. And Three, it reminds me to slow my life down, to live and work with a proper amount of margin such that I become someone who breathes life and refreshment into others.

This weekend Christians all over the earth will celebrate Christmas with its simple and counter cultural message: God comes to love on and hang with driving sinners like me, like you. He assigns us worth apart from our work by imparting a “love of another kind” that becomes the whole basis for our worth, dignity, and purpose in life. In Him, we can finally rest, and work, with great peace and power.

Slow down.  Rest.  Have Joy.  You have worth apart from your work.  Merry Christmas!

Your friend and partner,

Chip

LeadersInspire “To Discover, Develop, and Deploy the Greatness in every Person, every Leader, and every Organization!”

Executive Coaching, Leader Development training, Management Team Development-http://leadersinspire.net

360 Mulit-Rater assessments, Management Team effectiveness assessments-http://feedbackedge.com

In recent coaching conversations with clients I listened to some real dissatisfaction with the lack of passion and commitment by their key staff and managers.  In past leadership roles I too have carried the frustration and sometimes anger over employees or board members who were not demonstrating a sacrifical commitment to the organization of which I was devoted to.  The leader in this situation can feel lonely, taken advantage of, angry, and even powerless to see the vision become reality.  The silent "chest deep" criticism becomes delusional, "how can I fly like an eagle when I am surrounded by these turkeys?!?"

But before we assign all low commitment employees to the status of low flying gobblers we are wise to take another look in the mirror to ask, "have I fulfilled my leadership role to build a passionate work force?"  So, for brevity sake, let me give you just one critical component to building a passionate workforce:

Compelling Vision creates Contagious Passion: how clear, compelling, and great is the Vision you have cast to your organization?  And, do the people OWN it?  Or, do they refer to the vision as "my boss' vision?"  Further, have the people been given opportunity to get their hands on the vision?  Did someone, you, give them the opportunity to give input to and to shape the vision?  Also, is the vision 3-D?  Does it impact their Head, Heart, and Will?  In other words, is it logical, does it have resonance, and does it compel the people to take action?  I suggest you reflect on the current vision statement your organization holds up to assess its 3-D power.

Here then is the bottom line: people don't passionately commit with sacrifice for a budget, nor for a strategic plan, nor for a greater profit margin or maket share.  We know this to be true.  People will however turn themselves inside out for a great vision that has transcendent value for them personally as well as the greater society they are part of.  So, if the sacrifice and passion level of your employees is low, or marginal at best, you need to start with a vision assessment.  What is it that you are holding up as the great future you and others are teaming up for, and, what are the value driven demands that vision has placed on everyone?  Finally, how well are you communicating the 3-D nature of that vision such that people commit with all their mind, heart, and will?

LeadersInspire: executive coaching, leadership development, speaking (Mission: "to discover, develop, and deploy the greatness in everyone, every leader, and every organization")

http://leadersinspire.net

Feedback Edge: 360 multi-rater assessments: individual, organizational, boards

http://feedbackedge.com

Leader,

How is your gratitude quotient today?  Are you thankful, really thankful, for the many gifts, opportunities, and blessings you have received? Have you recently thanked the people who have contributed to your success?  Have you ended a day with what I call a "Gratitude Review" just after your head hits the pillow?  Our best leaders are also grateful leaders.  They say "thank you" often and in creative ways.  These frequent expressions of appreciation flow out of a deep well of humility and recognition of the many blessings that come to us through others.

The Thanksgiving Challenge:

1. Send out an email to your entire organization inviting them to take The 2 Minute Gratitude Drill: each employee is invited to "reply all" with a short two sentence or less statement of appreciation for someone else in your organization.  This simple drill will be very inspiring for all!

2. Call or send an email to the person(s) you are most indebted to for contributing to your current place of success.  Think in terms of parents, mentors, coaches, pastors/rabbis, and bosses you have learned from.  (I just did this earlier today with one such person)

3. When you gather around the turkey tomorrow, lead out with an invitation to those around the table to call to mind one or two things they are most grateful for.  Then ask each one to share something from their gratitude list.  (the turkey always tastes better after this exercise; I cannot explain why!)

4. Tonight, do the "Gratitude Review" for yourself.  Rewind the day mentally, starting at the beginning, calling to mind specific blessings you experienced, and silently breath out a "thank you" prayer.  Continue to review the day and build your gratitude list.  (you will sleep better; I cannot explain why!)

"The unthankful heart discovers no mercies...but let the thankful heart sweep through the day, and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings."  --Henry Ward Beecher

Finally, I am thankful for you, our friendship over the years, the privilege of partnering with some of you in business, and all of you in life. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chip

http://leadersinspire.net

http://feedbackedge.com

We all watched with deep anxiety the media video feeds that emerged from that dark, collapsed San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile.  August 5: 33 miners trapped deep underground with solid rock and earth separating them from life!  The dire situation appeared hopeless considering the resources available both in the mine and one-half mile above at the surface.  Advisors to the Chilean President told him not to raise expectations that the miners were alive.  Yet, on October 12, after a seemingly interminable 68 days, the first miner was brought up from the mine with his 32 companions soon to follow.  A miracle by most accounts, some compared it to the Apollo 13 rescue mission.  

What we must learn about leadership from the Chilean Miner Recovery:

1. BHAG Power: The Chilean rescue team had a "we will succeed, against all odds" mindset.  They defined a "Big Hairy Audacious Goal" (J Collins "Built to Last") to bring every single miner safely to the surface within three months.  They then directed their energies and resources to achieve that BHAG.  The BHAG inspired commitment, sacrifice, and a high morale work environment.  Application: what is the BHAG your organization, division, or team is focused on presently?  Is there one single high stakes, challenging goal that everyone is fixed on?  If you assess that your team is "just going through the motions", it is likely time to introduce a compelling and relevant BHAG!

2. Team trumps Individual: After the rescue was completed we learned that deep in the mine the miners had created a pact that the fame and reward awaiting them would be shared equally.  "All for one, and one for all" became their mantra.  They were even so specific as to agree that every single dollar of fame revenue would be split evenly.  Imagine this, the more charismatic and communicative miners who would carry more magnetic media attraction sacrificing their individual opportunity to "stay in" and "build up" the collective team.  Application: In a narcissistic society that tunes in daily to the WIIFM radio station ("what's in it for me?"), what are you doing to push back against the focus-on-self tide to cultivate and feed a team mindset and culture?  What types of recognition and rewards have you used to focus individuals on the team, the company, the organization, the collective good?  Better, what are you modeling by your leadership focus?  (J Collins, "Good to Great", Level Five Leaders: commitment to sacrifice and do what's in the very best interest of the company)

3. Strategic Partnerships: The Chilean government recognized early on that in and by themselves did not have the resources to pull off the BHAG recovery of the 33.  Therefore they reached out, asked for help, formed strategic partnerships with external resources.  Specialists from NASA and drilling experts from a dozen or so countries were brought together to form a team packed with wisdom and talent.  Application: who and what are the external partnerships you have formed to take your business to a higher level?  What aspect of your business, or what area of your operational framework, has been "stuck" for years without a solution presenting itself internally?  Who might you reach out to, what resources lie with another company, or possibly even with a competitor?

"It is better to have a partner than to go it alone.  Share the work, share the wealth.  And if one falls down, the other helps.  But a world of trouble if there is no one to help!"  --Ecclesiastes 4 (select)

Your partner and friend,

Chip

President, LeadersInspire

Executive Coaching, Consulting, Speaking

http://leadersinspire.net

360 multi-rater assessments and individual and team debriefs

http://feedbackedge.com

My family recently held a reunion for the Toths. 32 people representing 4 generations met to boat, hike, eat, sing, and talk together. This particluar reunion included a new component: sharing family stories. At the conclusion of the first day's meal my "silent generation" parents shared stories from their heritages that capture long held family values. I remember vividly the story of my grandfather who went bankrupt in the Great Depression, yet once recovered financially, returned to all his creditors to pay every penny back. Integrity! Or, on the other side, a grandfather who bought groceries and shoveled the driveway for an elderly neighbor. Compassion! The next night the "Boomer" generation shared our stories of heritage, and the third night the "Busters"/"Millenials" their stories. Stories laden with our enduring values, our roots, our identity as a family. As you can imagine this turned out to be a powerful exercise for the Toths in galvanizing and energizing our sense of pride and commitment to our past, present, and future.

Leader, what is your organization's story? How clear and compelling is it? How often do you speak it to inject focus, meaning, and commitment with in your people?

Steven Sample ("The Contrarian's Guide To Leadership") states: "An important asset for any leader to have as he works to inspire and motivate his followers is a credible creation story for the organization or movement he's leading." Sample goes on to state his "creation story" for USC, the university he led and developed as President. We remember stories and find inspiration for our work.  Stories such as Hewlett and Packard working in a garage (work with what you have, small beginnings can have great outcomes), Washington humbly enduring the elements with his troops at Valley Forge (servant leadership, identify closely with your front-line people), Rosa Parks challenging status quo discriminatory practices on the bus in Alabama (stand for what is right, no matter the cost), Larry Page and Sergey Brin meeting on the Stanford campus to later form a company we know as Google (think creatively, act on your dreams).

Organizational Stories provide roots (where we have come from), give present meaning (why do we exist), and give inspiration for the future (we are a force for change in society). Great leaders tell, and tell again, and retell their organization's story utlizing various mediums, symbols, and testimonials to focus and inspire their workforce.

If your story is unclear I encourage the following:

1. Revisit the past: collect stories from the creators of your business (defining moments, significant breakthrough events, challenges that required incredible perseverance)

2. Draft a first version "creation story" for your organization

3. Ask key senior leaders as well as emerging leaders to provide feedback to the story: (is it compelling, does it inspire, is it relevant, is it transcendent, and does it foster pride?)

4. Commit yourself to intentionally share the story creatively and frequently

If your story is clear but obscure to your people:

1. Recognize that creation stories that reside in brochures are relatively powerless when compared to running the story through a passion-driven human messenger: YOU

2. Take steps 3 and 4 above

Your partner to inspire the world, one leader at a time,

Chip

http://leadersinspire.net

http://feedbackedge.com

I was a y oung and energetic college graduate prematurely promoted to run a large sales office in the New York City area.  Our product was copiers, our competition Xerox and Kodak (yeah, I know, sorry Rochester!), and we were on a roll.  Our copiers were less expensive to operate than our competitors, at least so we believed, (or so we "helped" others to believe), with lower toner and drums costs.  One of our top selling copiers had manufacturer specifications stating each drum would provide 30,000 copies.  After reaching 30,000 copies the owner should expect to replace that drum at no small cost.  Fact: 30,000 copies to a drum with high replacement costs!  In the New York City market I soon found we had competitors with the same machines we were selling, operating as unauthorized dealers, giving the copiers away at cost while misrepresenting the drum life as providing 40,000 copies!  Apparently they had a competitive edge!  

This is the part of the story when you review the first ten (10) words of the beginning of this story.  I did not have a well defined moral compass, my ethical edge was dull, and my head full of craze to build my office to gain personal fame within the company.  I and my team quickly made the marketing adjustment to represent our copier drums as having 40,000 copy life spans.  Easy to justify, right?  I reasoned in my mind that we would get run out of business if we accurately represented the manufacturer's drum specifications.  I reasoned in my mind that by staying competitive we were providing jobs to our people and income to their families.  Yet in all my reasoning I struggled at night during pillow time with a conscience that was screaming: "liar!"  My star was rising while at the same time my soul was sinking!  Fortunately, by the grace of God and feedback from leaders who loved me, I was able to take a hard look at my moral compromises, the damage I was doing to my company as well as to my soul, and make a hard turn to right my way.

"The creed of our democracy is that liberty is acquired and kept by men and women who are strong and self-reliant, and possessed of such wisdom as God gives mankind--men and women who are just, and understanding, and generous to others--men and women who are capable of disciplining themselves.  For they are the rulers and must rule themselves."  --Franklin D Roosevelt

Leader to Leader Questions:

1. How would your #1 customer rate your commitment to total honesty?  Poor, Fair, Good, Exemplerary?

2. Are there any areas of your business conduct in which you are compromising on the truth?  Expense reports, product performance, service commitments, other?

3. Who are the trusted and loving leaders who are committed to your commitment to total integrity?  When was the last time one of them challenged you in a character or moral area?

http://leadersinspire.net

http://feedbackedge.com

I recently squared off with a friend on a tennis court to play a match.  I have a strange disease that you may identify with that manifests itself only in athletic events.  The clinician experts have labeled it, "mustwinitus".  Well, I won the first set 6-3 which fed and satisfied my disease. 

After the set my friend offered me some advise to improve my game.  My pride deep within my chest was shouting internally, "what?!?, I won, you are offering ME advise?!?"  Yet, I went along with him.  He demonstrated a very different method for my serve that required me to change my stance and my addressing of the ball.  It was awkward to say the least as I practiced a few serves with him as my coach.  Yikes, 90% of my serves using the new method were now resting in the net!

Well, it was now time to compete again with the second set upon us.  Decisions needed to be made.  Do I continue using the old method that secured my first win or do I learn, gamble with short term results, with hopes of elevating my game to a higher place?  My disease arrested for a moment and I decided, maybe illogically, to use the new serve method.  I chose to learn, maybe even to grow.  You will not be surprised to hear that I lost the set, 6-3.  My serve was pretty bad.  Even worse than the actual loss was when my friend reported the victory to our wives later that day.  Ouch!  However the negative emotion from the loss was more than offset by the positive emotions that came with learning and now playing with a new skill.  In fact, the next day I went out and practiced the new skill and realized a dramatic improvement to my serve with an even higher percentage of first serves "in" than from my old methodology!  Keep this quiet: I am now looking for my friend to get him out on the court for a sound beating, a "friendly" beating, of course.

Leader, can you think of an old skill or practice that you are leaning on, trusting in, that is likely core to your MO that may need to be updated, improved, or flat out changed?  The practice may have been good in the past, gave you real wins, and provided the foundation to your career advancement and sense of professional identity.  Yet, changes have come your way, changes that demand new thinking with new behaviors and new skills. Changes include a new and heightened level of market competition, new and constantly evolving technology, a new generation in our businesses, new and elevated customer demands, and new workplace expectations that require leadership of the kind most of us have never experienced.

And, after identifying an old "service" methodology, are you willing to take a loss, likely a temporary loss, to improve your game, elevate your leadership, boost your overall effectiveness? 

I have observed that the most effective and alive leaders are the ones who are more focused on continual learning than winning.  Further, these same life long learning leaders do acquire more wins than losses, more wins than those who are focused on winning.

Quick Wins:

1. Reflect: "what methods or behaviors no longer serve me well and must be abandoned?"

2. Plan: "what new thinking and skills must I acquire to become more effective?"

3. Resource: "what course, coaching, training can I secure to accomplish my plan?"

4. Commit: "by what date will I take action to learn and who will I make myself accountable to?"

http://leadersinspire.net

http://feedbackedge.com

OK, I confess, the blog title I have chosen is somewhat confusing and I am still wrestling with the practical workplace applications of the big idea.  We know that by nature leaders are independent; they do not seek validation of themselves or their ideas from others, nor are they waiting around for others to initiate the next course of action and to make decisions.  You may have heard of the leader's general MO: "it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission."  Leaders are doers, leaders take charge, leaders make things happen, leaders have an independent point of view, leaders are courageous, and leaders are willing to walk alone if necessary to fulfill their purposes.

While all of this is quite true about leaders, at least the classical definition of a "leader", we also know that leaders can get in a world of trouble in no time due to the sheer magnitude and power of their gifting.  When excessive ego is added to both talent and capacity, trouble will soon follow.  Therefore, the wise leader knows s(he) needs others to observe them and reflect back the real picture of their leadership and its impact on others.  Without these human mirrors, others who love us the most and fear us the least, we are prone to blind spots with resulting damage to our relationships and organizations.

"Two are better than one for they have a good return for their work...Woe to the one who falls when there is not another around to lift him up."   --Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 select

I wished I had understood this principle and practice earlier in my career.  I thought I needed to have within myself the entire vision, plan, skills, and decisions for my entire organization.  I therefore was less than honoring with the many gifted and bright leaders around me and their potential contributions to make us better.  I also was less than safe and credible as a leader for fear, pride, and arrogance were very much a part of my pathology and practice.  This pride led to the loss of a number of gifted leaders and, decision making that lacked the wisdom and benefits of a fully collaborative process. 

Six years ago I left the independent leader game, turned in my Superman uniform, to learn what it means to be independently interdependent.  I needed to continue to think and initiate as leaders are wired to do, but to also build a team of advisers to make me wiser and better.  In the past two years I recruited a band of older men and women to serve as my Personal Board of Advisers (PBOA).  Quarterly we meet over a conference call to review my life purpose, discuss the decisions in front of me, and make recommendations to my professional and personal life.  The wisdom that has come from these wise and able mentors to my very specific and sometimes complex life and career situations has been of tremendous benefit to me.  Specifically, just last Fall I was contemplating a heavy capital investment in a start up business when my advisers unanimously challenged the idea offering alternative business models.  When the call ended, I felt discouraged, for my energies were already moving forward with the investment and start up.  However, with six months behind me, I can see the wisdom and reason from my advisers as well as the real upside of the alternate model we are focused on.  It is good that I am learning to be independently Interdependent!  It is a very good thing!

So, leader, who leads you?  Who are your mentors, your wise sage-like advisers, your Yodas?  Can you recall decisions in your past that were not well informed, lacked the wisdom that comes from others with more experience, more life miles logged?  Have you experienced the wisdom and peace that comes with leading within the context of a mentoring community?

"A mentor is someone whose hindsight can become your foresight." 

Your friend,

Chip

Earlier today legendary golf icon Tiger Woods stood before his mother, friends, and a national audience to take ownership of his moral failures and the difficult work ahead to rebuild his marriage and reputation.  Only time and deeds will prove the authenticity of his confession and commitments. 
 
Since his adulterous affairs became public news and tabloid fodder last Thanksgiving I have heard comments such as, "he is done", "Elin should never
take him back", and "he can never show his face in public again!"  I suspect these same people who now disparage Tiger's name and reputation are the same
ones who mere months ago spoke of him and his game with utter reverance.

We Americans can be very tough on our leaders, heroes, and celebrities!  This should not shock any of us for most of us are also very tough on ourselves. 
We breathe out the same stuff we have breathed in!  We condemn the failures of others, sentencing them to a life of hardship and penance to redeem
themselves.  They must "sleep in the bed they made", we reason.  "They deserve this punishment, they have earned it."  We have all sowed into and nurtured a graceless society!  Recently, the News Observer reported: “Pope John Paul II whipped himself with a belt, even on vacation, and slept on the floor as acts of penitence and to bring him closer to Christian perfection…”  The Pope, Tiger, and the rest of us limp along with soul fatigue.  We endlessy pursue our quest for perfection on the performance treadmill.  Deep within, we are tired, discouraged, and insecure people, yet we mask our limp well.

Recently I asked a client in my coaching practice how often did he drive home from work feeling satisfied with his performance that day.  He responded with plain honesty, "Chip, I have NEVER experienced this feeling!"  He went on to say that his career is a never ending quest to reach perfection, to be more productive, to get everything right in his company.  The fruit of this never ending drive for perfection included self hatred, criticising others, and a serious lack of joy.  Gracelessness steals our joy, depletes our passion, and ultimately destroys our relationships.
 
I asked the client what he knew about a short five letter word..."Grace!?!"  He responded, "What is grace?"  What is Grace!?!  Let's take a shot at the question.  Grace means your external performance does not determine your internal identity; that failure does not determine your future; that you are loved apart from what you do or don't do.  Grace means you are quick to forgive and help others who have fallen for you yourself are ever mindful that you too need forgiveness and are just a step away from falling yourself.  Grace does not count or keep track of the faults of others; grace does not keep score; grace gives and receives "free lunches".  And grace allows for and even helps others to succeed, to move beyond our own place or position. 

It has been encouraging to see this client both embrace and extend grace to others.  He is fast becoming an inspired, inspiring, and freed up leader.  The energy and confidence gained through grace in both his personal and professional worlds is remarkable.  The Englishman John Newton got it right, "Amazing Grace, how Sweet the Sound!" 

Leadership Qs to Ponder:

How do you define "grace"?  How has Grace defined you?  How would others assess your grace-ability? 

How do you as a leader create a high performance culture that at the same time values grace?  Do your employees believe that they have worth apart from their works, that they are first persons, then performers?  

Finally, do you rest in and lean on grace for your own career and calling?  Do you know that you are loved apart from what you do, loved despite your past, present, and future failures? 

We all need grace.  We are all "Tigers" in hiding, waiting, hoping for a grace place within a grace community! 

"The good man falls seven times, but keeps getting back up."  --Proberbs 24:16