Tommy KiedisTommy Kiedis | The Life and Work of the Leader

An Update & An Invitation

Tommy Kiedis — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:04:35 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to read and engage my thoughts and learnings on leadership. I want to give a brief update on this blog and some exciting developments that the Lord has opened up. The Update . . . Max De Pree, the former CEO of Herman Miller and a strong follower of Christ said [...]

Quips and Quotes — The Best From This Week

Tommy Kiedis — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:30:09 +0000

Leaders are readers. Here are few of the things I've found helpful in my reading this week. I hope this provides some fuel for your leadership tank. Quips & Quotes To Ponder Yeah, leaders are afraid. They just know what to do with their fears: "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3 "One [...]

Leading With Your Mouth Shut

Tommy Kiedis — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:30:06 +0000

Leadership is a vocal profession. Leaders are quarterbacks rallying teams, teachers imparting wisdom, coaches directing players, soldiers leading the charge, pastors shepherding people, CEOs casting vision. Yes, there is a public side of leadership–up front and vocal. There is also a quiet side to leadership. Leader's often lead with their mouths shut. The President Who Led [...]

When Leader’s Get Discouraged

Tommy Kiedis — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:30:12 +0000

Leaders get discouraged. The blues might play out in a moment of melancholy, or they could lengthen into a day of the doldrums, a week of woe, or an entire season of sadness. This is understandable. Not every initiative succeeds, not every review is positve, not every follower is happy. What's a leader to do? In [...]

Communication: The Four-Question Test

Tommy Kiedis — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:50:13 +0000

Fred Garcia provides a great four-question test that helps leaders communicate more effectively. Fred Garcia is President of the crisis management firm Logos Consulting Group and Executive Director the Logos Institute for Crisis Management & Executive Leadership. In his book, The Power of Communication, Garcia provides a four-question test to help leaders assess the speed [...]

When Leader’s Look The Wrong Way

Tommy Kiedis — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 06:00:57 +0000

As children we were taught to look both ways before crossing the street. Failure to do so could be deadly. When leaders look the wrong way the outcome can be just as devastating. The book of Isaiah is sixty-six chapters of judgement and comfort. In Isaiah twenty-two, God had strong words of condemnation for Jerusalem's leaders. [...]

Leadership Lessons From The Life of Woodrow Wilson

Tommy Kiedis — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:00:08 +0000

I recently finished John Milton Cooper, Jr's biography of President Woodrow Wilson. Here are five leadership lessons I have learned from the life of the 28th president of the United States. The Benefit of Biographies The American historian and social critic, Arthur M. Schlesinger, said "Biographies of American presidents constitute a chronicle of wisdom and folly, nobility [...]

Relationships Precede Everything

Tommy Kiedis — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 06:00:44 +0000

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you ___________." The fact that we can fill in the blank testifies to the power of relationships. Relationships precede everything. God Values Relationships Relationships are important because God is a relational being. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have [...]

Polishing Your Gifts

Tommy Kiedis — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:30:00 +0000

When cars are important to their owners, they keep them polished. In the same way, leaders polish their gifts to keep them shinning. No Shortcuts To Excellence Max De Pree is a leadership expert and mentor to many. The former CEO of Herman Miller has a stellar track record in the business community and numerous [...]

Why Leaders Talk About Heroes

Tommy Kiedis — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 06:00:22 +0000

If you want to remind people of what is important and help to bring out the best in them, take time to talk about your heroes. Reframing Organizations Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal help leaders make sense of organizations by examining them through four lenses or frames:[1] The structural frame This is the architecture of the organization, [...]