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A Good Leader Does Penance
I do not know if the title of this writing is born out in everyday life but it should be. A good leader – someone who expects others to follow him or her – needs to lead by more than words and Power Point Presentations. A good leader needs to lead by example. An obvious example of this when it comes to the business world is that if a CEO expects his or her managers to be good leaders then he or she must be a good leader. For an organization to work well managers need to lay out expectations, terms of reference to their teams. An indicator that this will happen is if the CEO is doing this with his or her managers. The managers will lead others by the example that is given to them.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and nights in order to prepare for his public ministry. While in the deserts he fasted and prayed. He did works of penance. Did he need to do these? No! Why did he do them then?
Jesus did works of penance for a number of reasons. Jesus is not just a good leader but a perfect one. Jesus will teach his apostles in the near future that they must do penance or perish.
Jesus did works of penance in order to show everyone in his time, and you and me, how to over come the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.
Jesus did works of penance that we need to – united to Him – repair the damage cause by sin. Just as we work off a debt we incur by labor so we “work off” or repair the damage we cause by our sins by works of penance. The caveat is that these acts of penance are united to Jesus Christ.
Jesus did not need to do penance. Do you and I need to do penance? We sure do! We need to do penance for the reasons I’ve just laid out. While all of us need to be doing works of penance it is the leaders who need to, well – lead! Who are these “leaders?”
Priests (which includes Bishops and the Pope). We are spiritual fathers and leaders that Christ has chosen to be in positions to lead people to God. We need to do penance.
Husbands and wives who may be fathers and mothers. Children need to see the example of their parents doing penance and that works of penance are not things that make them miserable but actually more cheerful.
Teachers and anyone else in a position of leadership and responsibility needs to be doing penance. They don’t need to make a show of it (they shouldn’t) but it might come out and then they should not hide it.
So – as Lent begins let us take up the call of Jesus to live the three types of penance: 1) Prayer, 2) Fasting and 3) Almsgiving.
Lead by example!
Fr Hamilton
Today’s Tip Ensure You’re Paying Employees Fairly
| Today’s Tip Ensure You’re Paying Employees FairlyAs a leader, one of the most important questions you can — and should — ask yourself is: “Am I paying my employees fairly?” To answer this question, you may need to conduct a pay equity audit (PEA). This means comparing the pay of employees doing “like for like” work (accounting for reasonable differentials, such as work experience, credentials, and job performance), and investigating the causes of any pay differences that cannot be justified. If your organization is small (50+ employees), you may delegate this audit to HR. Or, if your organization is large (500+ employees), it may be a better practice to hire a consulting firm that specializes in pay and rewards. According to a 2019 study, most companies find that up to 5% of employees are eligible for an increase. Addressing pay inequity in your organization isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s crucial for your competitiveness, shareholder expectations, and legal compliance.This tip is adapted from “How to Identify — and Fix — Pay Inequality at Your Company,” by Amii Barnard-Bahn |
Stop Overthinking Big Decisions
| Today’s Tip |
| Stop Overthinking Big Decisions |
| Thoughtful deliberation is an essential leadership quality that can help you make better decisions and produce better outcomes. However, it can also devolve into overthinking, which can be paralyzing. Here are three ways to avoid a thought spiral that can slow you down: Curb your perfectionism. Perfectionism is one of the biggest blockers to swift decision-making, because it operates on faulty all-or-nothing thinking. To curb this tendency, ask yourself questions like: What’s one thing I could do today to bring me closer to my goal? Or what’s the next step based on the information I have right now?Pay attention to your intuition. When it comes to difficult decisions, your gut reaction is often an important data point, particularly when time is short or when you don’t have all the information you need. Research shows that pairing intuition with analytical thinking helps you make better, faster, and more accurate decisions and gives you more confidence in your choices than relying on intellect alone.Construct creative constraints. Determine a date or time by which you’ll make a choice. Put it in your calendar, set a reminder on your phone, or even contact the person who’s waiting for your decision and let them know when they can expect to hear from you. |
| This tip is adapted from “How to Stop Overthinking Everything,” by Melody Wilding |
4 Ways to Boost Your Productivity
| Today’s Tip |
| 4 Ways to Boost Your Productivity |
| We’re all looking for ways to boost our productivity. The good news is that it’s an achievable goal. Here are a few proven strategies to help you get more done in less time: Plan your work around your internal clock. This means aligning the tasks that require the most brain power with your energy peaks throughout the day.Plan out tomorrow’s schedule tonight. When we write down what we intend to do, we’re far more likely to actually do it.Develop rituals for different kinds of work. This may mean doing a certain task in a particular workspace or at a particular time of the day.Avoid being 100% booked. If your calendar looks full, deliberately schedule time to do nothing. You can use this time as a buffer between meetings to tackle unexpected tasks that crop up during the day.Try at least one of these strategies this week, and notice any differences in your productivity. You got this! |
| This tip is adapted from “4 Ways to Get More Done in Less Time,” by Amantha Imber |
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