Its seems like yesterday, we were closing out June. But here we are, almost to August. The summer, as usual, is going by too quickly. Here in Pennsylvania, we’re trying to get outside as much as we can when the humidity isn’t bad, and we’re living on smoothies made out of the fresh local fruit we’ve picked. Wherever you are, I hope you are finding moments to rest as well as seizing opportunities for adventure and fun, as they come along. For today’s Love, Learn, Lead, I share some of my favorite bread recipes, a brave quote from Brene Brown, and an important leadership tip about being courageous.
Enjoy! And Happy Mid-Summer!
Love
Even after cutting gluten out of my diet (as much as possible), I still love making bread. Recently, we had friends over for curry, and even though it was a hot summer night, and I didn’t want to turn on the oven—I couldn’t resist making Naan bread. I don’t know what it is, but there is something therapeutic to kneading dough.
Yet, as I shared Monday, learning how to make bread is a process—one that is always good to have a teacher for. One of my “teachers” (through reading his books) for making bread, has been Peter Reinhart. And the book that I talked about in Monday’s post, is Whole Grain Breads. So if you want to dive in deep, check it out. If you want to start with something fun though—here is the link for my favorite Naan Bread recipe.
What foods do you love to make?
Learn
“I’m slowly learning how to straddle the tension that comes with understanding that I am tough and tender, brave and afraid, strong and struggling—all of these things, all of the time. I am working on letting go of having to be one or the other and embracing the wholeness of wholeheartedness.”
Where do you feel both tough and tender? Brave and afraid?
Lead
Leadership Tip #9: Don’t Be Afraid To Say “I Don’t Know”
When we first become leaders, our instinct is to believe that we have to know more and do better than our team—always. And in an aspirational sense, it is true. If we aren’t seeking to know as much as we can about our field, and we aren’t giving our best, then how can we expect those we lead to do the same?
But in reality, no matter how good of a leader we are, we’re still human. We are going to make mistakes, and as hard as it may be to swallow—we won’t always have the answer. The good news is that these times do not have to label us as failures. Rather, it is what we do with them that lead us and our team to succeed or fail.
From experience, I have learned that the times I admitted I did not have the answer, were actually powerful opportunities to empower my team. By giving them the chance to work together, and to use their knowledge and talents, I enabled them to grow as leaders and invited them into a deeper sense of ownership in our ministry.
Where some may have thought this weakened me as a leader, by giving my team more say and by admitting I didn’t have the answer, I found that this actually strengthened my leadership. When I sought to grow my team members’ influence, they looked to me for more opportunity. If you are in a situation in your leadership where you don’t have all the answers, don’t panic (that will weaken your leadership). Humbly, look to the talents represented in your team, and invite those who can help solve your problem, into the situation.
When was the last time, as a leader, you admitted “I don’t know?”
Where might it be a good idea to admit this in your life?
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