The Craig And Greg Show: Unity Not Conformity

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If you’re leading a team, then Greg and I feel pretty confident in assuming that you’ve got them all working, thinking, and behaving exactly like you work, think, and behave, right? Of course not! The differences in personality and thought within your team are what makes it special.

  • [0:18] Leaders like buy-in, but what about those teammates who say, “Hold on a second”?
  • [2:00] Unity doesn’t mean sameness.
  • [3:55] We all have different experiences and gifts so we all bring something different to the table.
  • [4:51] Unity doesn’t guarantee peacefulness in the process of getting to consensus.
  • [7:06] Leaders have to learn to accept the tension among teammates.
  • [9:47] Why do leaders avoid tension?
  • [13:16] I share a quote from Dick Brogden about the “no men” we need on our teams.
  • [14:54] Past success can make leaders deaf to the input from others.
  • [17:09] Greg wonders how to effectively play the devil’s advocate with our teams in order to get the best ideas on the table.
  • [19:03] My funny story about our producer Harrison.
  • [21:08] Greg changed the way he debriefed sales calls with his team, encouraging them to speak out.
  • [23:36] Greg uses an example of Joe Montana to show how leaders can bring confidence to their teams.
  • [25:30] Both opportunities and obstacles present a chance for us to teach our teammates.
  • [27:36] Greg and I want to help you help your team.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

The Apathy Of Blurry Eyes

eye-chart1My son, Harrison, had an extensive eye exam today. Now he is asleep in my office.

During his eye exam, his pupils were dilated, so now he has blurry vision. And, apparently blurry vision leads to sleepiness. It’s actually not the eye drops that led to his malaise, but the lack of the ability to see clearly. If he cannot see what’s happening around him, why would he even try to engage in his surroundings. Instead, he’s just accepted his condition as something which can’t change.

This reminds of a man named Bart—

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and His disciples left town, a large crowd followed Him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, He stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, He’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (Mark 10:46-52, NLT)

Were there other blind people that heard Jesus? It’s almost certain there were. Were there other blind people in Jericho? Probably. But it appears that their blindness had caused them to slip into drowsiness and apathy, to simply accept their condition as something which couldn’t be changed.

Bart would not settle! He believed Jesus could change his condition! He called out to Jesus. He shouted even louder to get Jesus’ attention. He threw aside his coat, jumped up and ran to Jesus. He boldly stated his need to see, convinced that he was talking to the one Person who could change his condition.

Jesus said that Bart’s faith—his persistence, his unquenchable desire to see clearly, his belief that Jesus could do something for him—is what brought about his healing.

Have you become accepting of your condition? What’s holding you back from shouting out even louder to Jesus? What have you given up seeking? Don’t hold back—shout out to Jesus again today!