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One of a leader’s most important jobs is guiding the vision of their organization. Much has been said about getting others to follow that vision, and in our most recent episode Greg and I talked about being careful to stay true to the vision you have set.
You can watch this full episode of The Craig and Greg Show here.
The first book in our Business by the Book series is on a CEO’s vision casting. This will be available soon. In the meantime, check out some other leadership resources from Greg and me:
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
In a previous episode we brought you the exciting news that Greg and I are collaborating to write a series of books called Business By The Book. In today’s episode, we revisit the first book in this series—A CEO’s Vision—and discuss how once the vision has been cast the next vital step is to bring your team along with you.
[0:00] Introduction
[0:11] I welcome Greg to an exclusive club!
[0:49] We show why we think we are over-achievers.
[2:00] Leaders need to take others along with them, transitioning from “I” to “we.”
[4:39] How do leaders handle the frustration of a slow-moving team?
[6:51] How we wrote “Business by the Book” for a CEO who is casting vision.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
On an episode of The Craig and Greg Show, Greg and I discussed some toxic behaviors that can creep into your workplace and cause major discord. Two attitudes to watch out for are confidence without humility, and humility without confidence.
Check out this full Craig and Greg Show episode here.
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The entire Maximize team loves our veterans! Those that volunteer to serve and protect our nation deserve our utmost respect, and we honor their sacrifice. In today’s episode Greg and I discuss the leadership lessons we have learned from veterans—some directly and others by simply observing the way our nation’s protectors conduct themselves. Join us as we salute the contributions of veterans!
[0:00] Introduction
[0:15] One of our favorite days of the year
[1:08] Leadership lesson #1 from veterans: Sacrifice
[2:28] Leadership lesson #2: Selflessness
[4:12] Leadership lesson #3: Camaraderie
[5:33] Leadership lesson #4: Organization in planning and training
[8:52] Leadership lesson #5: Emotionally invested
[9:31] Leadership lesson #6: Training in action
[11:18] Leadership lesson #7: Communication skills
[12:53] Leadership lesson #8: A bigger cause—a heritage of service
[15:41] Leadership lesson #9: A visible leadership style
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Before a leader can cast a compelling vision for an organization, he or she has to be living a compelling personal vision. Greg and I explain why this is an indispensable first step.
This clip is from an episode of The Craig and Greg Show where we are discussing the first book in our new series of books called Business by the Book. The first book is What the Bible says about a CEO’s vision-casting.
Check out my other podcasts, my books, and so much more by clicking here.
We have a culture where respect for others is eroding quickly. The Bible makes it clear that reverence for God results in respect for people, and respect for people helps us reverence the God who created them.
“The real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.” —G.K. Chesterton
Dr. Louis A. Markos has an insightful article on the works of C.S. Lewis that help us learn how to stay human. “Christians today who are committed to restoring a proper view of man have an ally in the greatest apologist of the twentieth century, C.S. Lewis (1898–1963). Though Lewis offers much help in his best-known apologetics books (Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce) and his beloved Chronicles of Narnia, we would do well to expand our reading of Lewis to include his searing critique of modern educational philosophy (The Abolition of Man) and his anthropologically incisive science fiction novels, The Ransom (or Cosmic) Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength.”
The ICR has an article about a fascinating new dinosaur that was unearthed. “Even now in the twenty-first century, paleontologists are still at a loss as to the origin of the dinosaurs. As recently as 2024, five evolutionists stated, ‘Today, inspired by clues from fossils and footprints from a lost world, scientists continue to piece together the puzzle of how various dinosaur groups arose, behaved, and diversified.’ In contrast, the creation model argues that all dinosaur kinds were created during the same period—specifically on Day 6 of the creation week—several thousand years ago. From this perspective, the lack of definitive transitional forms or ancestral precursors in the fossil record aligns with the expectation that dinosaur kinds appeared fully formed and distinct, as observed in the fossil record.”
Axis’ Culture Translator discusses an article posted in Harper’s: “Many have written about how porn warps the expectations users have for relationships; this article demonstrates that, for young men in particular, pornography is often willingly embraced as a complete replacement for human connection. … Woven throughout this subculture is also conscious self-degradation; as the Harper’s article points out, ‘ruin your mind,’ ‘go deeper,’ and ‘give up on life’ are embraced as the movement’s rallying cries. Many young men and women are trapped in this spiritual prison, convinced there is nothing better to live for. Who will show them the way out?” Two helpful resources are Fight The New Drug and Pure Desire.
Leaders need to learn that disagreement on your team is normal and can be healthy. Disagreement doesn’t mean people distrust their leader, but it may mean that they want the bring out the best in their leader. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on this subject.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
We can all agree that disagreeable people are some of the hardest to work with, constantly shooting down ideas without providing anything constructive in return.These types of people can quickly put a strain on any organization if left unchecked. However, we need to be careful not to lump disagreement into the category of disagreeable. In this episode Greg and I discuss why people in disagreement are actually the exact opposite of disagreeable, and are a valuable asset to your organization.
[0:00] Introduction
[1:02] A strong quote about “no men” from Dick Brogden—“Strong leaders respect and need ‘no’ men. It is weak leaders who surround themselves with the ever agreeable. Unity requires honorable disagreement. Otherwise, you don’t have unity; you just have uniformity.”
[2:06] Disagreeing people are not necessarily troublemakers.
[2:59] What bothers me about disagreeable people?
[3:49] Opinions vs facts have to be considered to determine if someone is disagreeable vs disagreeing.
[4:36] Leaders are required to listen more to people who disagree with them.
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Leaders have an important balancing act to perform every day: remaining in control of their organization without becoming a controlling leader. Over-controlling leaders who micromanage end up stifling creativity that could be unleashed in their teammates.
Check out the full conversation on The Craig and Greg Show episode The Balance of Control.
Here’s that quote I shared from Tim Irwin’s book Derailed: “Lack of courage shows up in many organizations as micromanagement, failure to empower others, risk aversion, overcontrol, and perfectionism.”
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One of the amazing things about the Bible is that it has practical application for every aspect of our lives—including the business world! Today Greg and I are excited to announce that for the first time in our long friendship we are writing collaborators on a new series of books entitled Business By The Book. In today’s episode we preview the first book in this series about a CEO’s vision.
[0:56] Some new and exciting news on a great new project—a book that we have co-written. The first book in our series called Business by the Book.
[2:20] Vision cannot be delegated to a committee, but the CEO must be the chief vision-caster.
[2:54] Greg and I first met on a basketball court, but there was an important lesson in that game that teaches CEOs about vision-casting.
[4:40] Why does a CEO need to have a personal vision statement before they lay out a vision for their organization?
[7:23] We layout how the book is organized and share insights on the first two chapters.
[9:17] CEOs would do well to show the way to the vision before they tell others the way to the vision.
[11:00] Greg uses a concept from “Alice in Wonderland” to talk about minimizing the things that distract leaders from pursuing their vision.
[16:45] Here’s what we hope you will takeaway from this series of books.
Craig T. Owens 