Leadership 101

I'm going to ambitiously say that this post is the first in a series. How often I'll post on leadership (weekly? monthly?) depends on the time available to me, and on the timing of all the other wonderful, enticing ideas I have perculating in my mind to share with you.

But if you want to do a thing - you have to begin it. Just begin it. And so, I begin.

Leadership 101 - Take Your Concerns UP the "Ladder", Not Across the Ladder, and Not Down!

This is just good business - and it works like a charm for church business. If there is some sort of problem, don't vent, question, or otherwise seek to inform anyone who is "under you", for lack of a better way of putting it. Also, do not vent, question, or otherwise seek to inform anyone who is equal to you in the structure of accountability.

Take your concerns UP the ladder of your structure of authority. Better yet, take them to God, and let Him speak to you. Then leave them there.

Always. Always. Always up, not across, not down. To do otherwise is irresponsible at best, and could do irrepairable harm at worst. No leader is exempt from a huge snafu in this area...we each one would do well to take heed to ourselves in this area.

Those below you don't need to take up your offense. They simply don't need to be aware of what isn't their job to solve anyway. Those equal to you don't need your negativity. Your "yadda yadda" and your negative mood is usually temporary, right? (If it is continual, we have a problem of a whole other nature!) Your peers don't need the downer that comes with having to filter, absorb, or in any way feel responsible for your "concerns".

Take that stuff up the chain of command. Take it to someone who can either actually help solve the problem, offer you a perspective you were unaware of, or call you out about your attitude.

Are you actually looking to solve the problem? Are you truly open to a perspective you may not have been seeing up to this point? Or do you just want the cheap affirmation that comes with getting others to share your opinion? If you are of the latter mindset, you really shouldn't even lead a parade, much less an office, a church group, or any part of an organization.

Leaders lead. And great leaders lead in very direct, very positive, very effective ways. Leaders lead for the good of the whole, not for themselves.

The Sun Sets on Another Day in Paradise

...where The Preacher fished...and fished...



...and then we got hungry. So we went to a restaurant that was a mere walk away from where we were sitting. I had grits from heaven with my seafood.

And then the sun went down.

I think, for today, we are planning to just press "repeat". Without the golf part, though. The Preacher wasn't happy with his game. I was very happy. I was sitting in the golf cart, getting sun on my legs, taking in the gorgeous scenery...palm trees, lagoons, glimpses of ocean, birds singing like the garden of Eden. I was soaking in the early morning, listening to Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" on Audible, via Kindle, watching my Preacher throw a golf club to the ground once in awhile. I didn't mind the club tossing, because once he walked back to the cart where I was, he always had his happy face back on. He was genuinely and touchingly thrilled to have me with him, for those hours. I think my presence was the problem, in fact. He was so content to have me with him, he didn't care so much about his game. But then, that other part of him that DID care about his game would rise up in frustration, only to be quickly pushed aside whenever I would smile at him, and talk like I knew how to play: "This one's a double dog leg, Babe. Placement is critical...I'd tee up to the left. You'll be downwind here, and the greens are narrow and fast." (Which was silly talk...but it kept him entertained.)

(Did you know that Kindle can "play" all your Audible.com books?)

We Wish You Were Here!

...grabbed a shot of this sailboat...from the boat we were on...as we were passing by.

It is almost 11pm, and we've only been back at our condo for a couple of hours. We've had such a great day - long, happy, lots of walking, shopping at a yarn shop that has been featured in magazines, lots of beautiful architecture, and lots of eating. The mixture of clouds and sun was perfect, making the temperatures hover in the low 80's, with the ever-present ocean breeze.

And I just got out of our hot tub, located in our own private sunroom, with its floors and walls lined in knotty pine, and its ceiling of glass.

Tomorrow looks like golf for my Preacher - 9 holes, since we are doing this on a budget. Then, it is rear-ends in chairs, chairs in sand, looking out over the ocean waves - sunglasses, magazines, and diet Coke for me, a fishing pole and a cooler of stinky shrimp bait for the Preacher...

for the whooooooooole afternoon.

Till the sun goes down, baby!

Where I Am, Day 3

....beach in front of me...hundreds of these beauties beside me...my idea of heaven on earth.

How To Find Me On The Internet

(Image by Emily Ley)

After a bit of research, I'm delighted to discover that, lately in the past few months, others are locating my blog by Googling this:

Sheila Atchley Grace

More than a few times, in an effort to locate my blog, others are Googling my name and one precious and powerful word - Grace.

Can I tell you? When you make grace the standard, you will ultimately live at a higher plane than the law could ever take you. You will out-do the legalistas. You end up out-performing the performers.

Every. Single. Time.

So yes, I'm blessed to say you can find me by Googling or Binging my name....and then the word "grace".

Where I Am

Today, I fell asleep exactly here...



...and God is good.

Dining Room Mini Makeover

Hints were hinted at, on yesterday's blog post. Here is what Hannah and I were up to:

...cutting and sewing...so that our old chairs could do justice to....

...a pair of oak corner cabinets! I was so excited to get them...

I enjoyed arranging the shelves - Hannah loved styling them, too. (Notice: I "arrange", she "styles".)


Love the ticking fabric, made into ruffles on the bottoms of the slipcovers!I think I managed to eke out two of them, Hannah sewed the rest. Also,notice the tablerunner. I designed it - choosing the fabrics, and telling Hannah what I wanted - she sewed it. Ticking with a graphic orange-and-cream colored print trim. Mitered corners, no less. Homegirl's got mad skillz.

Just playing with the soft focus in post-edit. Please excuse. I can't decide if it looks artistic or crap.

The final thing this room needs is a Jonathan Howe original, and a rug to give more texture, and warm up the floor. This floor is a battered old oak, and I love to have it so. We could refinish it whenever we want - we have access to all the tools, and The Preacher has the know-how. But I don't want shiny, perfect floors. So I'm not wanting a rug to cover them up...I just want to soften and add texture and brighten the overall feel of this room.

I took a ton of shots of the tablesetting - in RAW instead of JPEG. I think either my card totally rejected shooting in RAW (not me...the files)
or I did something when I uploaded to my laptop. Either way, the pictures have vanished.

Maybe I'll try again? I haven't put the dishes back away yet.