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Is your job easy? Do you want it to be?

by A.H., posted in reflections, study02, study04

I recall hearing a little phrase while growing up. “Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

The sentiment is sweet: if you’re able to give yourself to a task/role that you’re passionate about and it can serve as a means of livelihood, then you will escape the drudgery that many adults face who perform a job merely to earn an income in order to survive.

Behind that little phrase, though, is a deeply-held value. Most people would rather that things feel easy. We don’t want our occupation to be hard. Get in, get out, go on vacation…with the least effort, bruising, or discomfort along the way. Continue reading “Is your job easy? Do you want it to be?” →

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Important Or Accessible? Why Not Both/And

by A.H., posted in excerpt, reflections, study07, study10

I enjoy watching political dramas from time to time (The West Wing, Madam Secretary) and have made an observation: the people that are the most important tend to be the least accessible. Continue reading “Important Or Accessible? Why Not Both/And” →

New Free Resource: What would you do if someone gave you…?

by A.H., posted in questions, reflections, resource, study02, study04, study05, study06

I’m not a dreamer. I’m not a visionary. Possibilities elude me. Passions are often fairly subdued. And yet, all of these things are vital for me to be the best contributor I can be.

So, I decided to give myself some help. I created a reflective, conversational activity to stimulate my heart and mind to birth some vision and engender some possibilities about what I would like to see accomplished in and through my life. Continue reading “New Free Resource: What would you do if someone gave you…?” →

Two Years of Followership!

by A.H., posted in news

Sorry for the recent silence…I’ve been on the road ever since the release of my new companion volume back in December!

As I look at the calendar, this Saturday (Feb 24th) marks two years since the publication of Embracing Followership: How to Thrive in a Leader-Centric Culture! Amazing how time has flown by (we’ve also had a baby in that time which seems to have had a pretty significant impact on my reckoning of time as well)! Continue reading “Two Years of Followership!” →

Discussion Guide Launch & Endorsement

by A.H., posted in endorsements, news

The new volume in the Embracing Followership series is now available! Embracing Followership: A Discussion Guide for Teams & Small Groups is on sale in print and eBook formats (including Kindle, Logos, Faithlife, and others).

Here’s what executive coach, Dr Tom Lambshead, has to say about this new resource: Continue reading “Discussion Guide Launch & Endorsement” →

Teams? Small Groups? What’s the difference?

by A.H., posted in news, reflections, study01, study12

With next week’s release of my second book, Embracing Followership: A Discussion Guide for Teams & Small Groups, it seems fitting that we explore a few definitions.

A book for teams and small groups? What’s the difference? Am I just repeating myself? Continue reading “Teams? Small Groups? What’s the difference?” →

New Release Giveaway!

by A.H., posted in news

The giveaways are now closed, but we celebrate the nearly 800 entrants and our 8 winners from the US, Canada, Australia, the U.K., and Romania!

If you didn’t win, the discussion guide will be available for purchase on Dec 19th!

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In celebration of the upcoming release of the new companion volume, Embracing Followership: A Discussion Guide for Teams & Small Groups, we’re doing a few giveaways on Goodreads!

From November 18-30, 2017 you can enter to win! Depending on your location, we’ve got a few copies available of the original book, Embracing Followership: How to Thrive in a Leader-Centric Culture, and a few copies of the new Discussion Guide—win it before you can buy it—it’ll be released on December 19th!

 

New Followership Discussion Guide!

by A.H., posted in news

I’m excited to announce the follow-up companion volume for my original book, Embracing Followership: How to Thrive in a Leader-Centric Culture!

Followership Guide coverOn December 19th, 2017, this new resource—Embracing Followership: A Discussion Guide for Teams & Small Groups—will be available for purchase in print and a variety of eBook formats.

Find more details about what you’ll find in this 140-page companion volume here: https://embracingfollowership.com/the-book/discussion-guide/

We celebrated with some pre-release giveaways via Goodreads.com. Stay tuned here and on Facebook for details about future promotions!

Does Distance Leadership Beget Virtual Followership?

by A.H., posted in reflections, study03, study05, study08

I’ve seen a few article headlines recently that some employers are recalling their distance (or stay-at-home) employees and bringing them back into the office space.  Are we finding that separation isn’t so convenient and effective after all? What about when it’s unavoidable? Continue reading “Does Distance Leadership Beget Virtual Followership?” →

Leadership is Relationship

by A.H., posted in reflections, study03, study07

Getting to the essence, the definition of ‘leadership’, is perhaps the Holy Grail of modern business and management literature. Everyone seems interested in what the key is, what the core is, what aspect–when given the right amount of investment and expertise–will unlock leadership success. Continue reading “Leadership is Relationship” →

Letting Go of What You Want

by A.H., posted in reflections, study03, study12

Some would say we live in a leader-driven culture; I think it’s fair to simply say that we live in a driven culture, a society which revolves around individual whims and desires and the efforts to see those desires fulfilled. We’re told to grab hold of the things we want, to make things happen.

One lesson I’ve learned in my own followership is that this kind of advice doesn’t lead to the best outcomes in all situations. I need to be able to handle not getting my own way. I need to be able to set aside my own preferences. I need to be able to deal with loss. Continue reading “Letting Go of What You Want” →

Leadership: Access, Not Vision

by A.H., posted in reflections, study03, study05

Modern culture has often drawn a direct definition of leadership from the idea of vision, positing that leadership at its heart is the formulation and communication of a compelling vision. And I have often explored this common association between leadership and vision (see these various posts), seeking to establish the sphere of vision as the purview of both leaders and followers. Having, promoting, and fulfilling a vision is not exclusively a leadership function, but belongs to the realm of followership as well.

If vision isn’t one of the distinctives of leadership, then what element separates out the leadership role from followership? Continue reading “Leadership: Access, Not Vision” →