Diligent follow-up and follow-through will set you apart from the crowd and communicate excellence.

Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it.

Don't hide bad news. With multiple information channels available, bad news always becomes known. Be candid right from the start.

People rise and fall to meet your level of expectations for them. If you express skepticism and doubt in others, they will return your lack of confidence with mediocrity. But if you believe in them and expect them to do well, they will go the extra mile trying to do their best.

Most people use two totally different sets of criteria for judging themselves versus others. We tend to judge others according to their actions. It's very cut-and-dried. However, we judge ourselves by our intentions. Even if we do the wrong thing, if we believe our motives were good, we let ourselves off the hook. And we are often willing to do that over and over before requiring ourselves to change.

Reflective thinking is like the crock pot of the mind. It encourages your thoughts to simmer until they're done.

For pastors who have a dream and who are walking in obedience but still don't have the resources they need, don't worry. Keep walking in obedience.