July 23, 2014

Announcing the Strategic Margin Clinic: August 11-13

Someone you know needs more strategic margin. It may be you. As I’m calling it, strategic margin is that space you make to think strategically about your pursuits. Strategic thinking is not something you do once a year. Rather, it’s a mindset, cultivated ...

July 17, 2014

Do your many interests hinder your next great beginning? [podcast]

Of the many issues I’ve struggled with over my life, how to integrate my many interests has been among the most vexing. I know I’m not alone. Many of my friends and colleagues, like me, pursue a variety of ...

July 14, 2014

Another reason to journal longhand

Ever since I gave journaling another try, I’ve done it longhand—writing three pages, non-stop, the old fashioned way with pen and ink. Despite the many excellent programs on the market to keep a journal, such as Day One or ...

July 10, 2014

When it’s your turn to move on as a leader [podcast]

We’ve all seen messy leadership transitions. Unfortunately, some of the worst occur in our churches. That’s why when truly remarkable transitions occur, they deserve our attention, for there’s something in it for all of us to learn from. In ...

July 9, 2014

You can’t game imagination

Busy. Busy. Busy. It’s so easy to rush from one thing to the next. If you’re like me, you get a charge from the constant activity. You might even make a sport of it: How much can I squeeze ...

July 8, 2014

The results of my vacation experiment in acceptance

My family and I just returned from our summer vacation together. For the few days leading up to our time away I had been journaling about my desire to be more accepting of others. I have long been inspired ...

July 3, 2014

Why now is the best time to start journaling [podcast]

Taking up the habit of journaling has been the most productive habit I’ve acquired as an adult. I only wish I had learned the approach I presently use when I first attempted to journal 30 years ago—and many times ...

July 2, 2014

What bulldog tenacity looks like

Sometimes I get the feeling that the whole world is against me, but deep down I know that’s not true. Some of the smaller countries are neutral. - Robert Orben

“When it rains, it pours.” So the idiom goes. One bad thing happens in my day and suddenly my mind is on high alert to other calamities. Suddenly they’re everywhere. It’s as if the world has turned against me. ...

June 30, 2014

Five ways your proficiency is hindering you

Your own proficiency is hindering you. By definition, it’s inevitable. Proficiency is about gaining skill through repetition. The more skillful you become, the less energy it takes to sustain your level of competence. When it comes to how you ...

June 27, 2014

What I learned from my shadow

I saw my shadow today. It had the shape of independence. Often, when my inner critic speaks, I get an earful about my penchant for acting alone. Perhaps my inner critic is merely echoing what someone told another about ...

Leary Gates | Venture coach

Turn your vision into venture. Ideas into action.

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