By: Michael Hansen on March 22, 2025
On a recent phone call with a family member, I was reminded how the mind could lead someone to remember the facts incredibly wrong. This time, the topic was vehicular accidents on the interstate and road safety. Our conversation became circular. Seeking to close, I finally asked, “What leads you to believe there are more…
By: Rich on March 22, 2025
This week, I read Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything by Bobby Duffy.[1] I will give a brief overview of the book, provide a self-deprecating example, and then apply the framework to the contemporary if not dry subject of federal taxation and spending. This book focuses on why people are often deluded about everyday political…
By: Ivan Ostrovsky on March 21, 2025
Before leaving for school, I would always ask my mom for some cash so I could buy myself a snack. I loved eating flavored crackers. I would watch my classmates eating all kinds of junk food, and I figured — if they were doing it, it must be okay for me too. This was back…
By: Linda Mendez on March 20, 2025
It was an unbearably hot and humid Sabbath morning in the peak of summer in El Salvador, and my father was preparing to take the pulpit. Dressed in a full suit and tie, I could only think how crazy he was for doing so. He stepped up to the pulpit and began his sermon. As…
By: Jeremiah Gómez on March 20, 2025
For nearly a year, I’ve been inviting those in my faith community to (re)examine where we root our identity and what it looks like if we miss-place it in something that isn’t meant to uphold that weight. Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything demonstrates that one of the ways to chase truth and avoid resistance…
By: Alex Mwaura on March 20, 2025
Some Kenyan history Following Kenya’s independence in 1963, a section of political leaders took over government after years of fighting for freedom. They were now charged with the difficult job of uniting and healing the country, keeping the nation safe and growing the economy. For a young nation, this was an arduous task. So, the…
By: Jess Bashioum on March 20, 2025
As I read through Bobby Duffy’s Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything, I would ask myself, my husband and sons the questions from the surveys and was pleasantly surprised that our estimates where closer to the actual numbers than the average reply. This clearly shows that my family is the exception to the rule, and…
By: Christian Swails on March 20, 2025
We assume that reality is something firm, something objective—out there, waiting for us to correctly perceive it. And yet, history tells us that humans have been wildly wrong about reality for as long as we’ve been conscious enough to question it. In Why We Are Wrong About Nearly Everything, Bobby Duffy lays out a compelling…
By: Darren Banek on March 20, 2025
As I launched into this educational journey, I have become increasingly aware of my tendency for Elementary reading, getting bogged down and stuck on trivial details, and losing sight of the overarching themes and direction of the books I am reading.[1] To combat this, I have tried to establish creative habits in preparation for reading…
By: Robert Radcliff on March 20, 2025
This week, I read Bobby Duffy’s book, Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding. By doing surveys of public perception compared to statistics on issues, Duffy showed the human propensity to be wrong. Through a vast amount of research, he showed without “massive misinformation campaigns by automated bots… we’re still very…
By: Betsy on March 20, 2025
About eight years ago one of my staff team, who I still employ, made me a T shirt that said in big bold black words, ‘I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER’. Why did she do that? Because as a woman leader it can be what happens., just like for male leaders and father wounds. It is…
By: Joff Williams on March 18, 2025
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 Living with tensions is part of the human experience. The reflections of the author of Ecclesiastes reveal a man who…
By: Christian Swails on March 15, 2025
The ego is our dominant personality. The ego is not a bad thing, in fact it is part of our survival and protection. It is our persona (Latin for mask worn by an actor) that has been formed over years and decades, to get us what we want and need out of life. The ego…
By: Ivan Ostrovsky on March 14, 2025
Simon P. Walker’s concept of undefended leadership highlights how authentic leaders foster growth in others, even when self-doubt arises. My experience playing soccer in seminary serves as an excellent example of this. When I first joined the team, I was eager to play with my fellow seminarians and test my skills. Even though I knew…
By: Jess Bashioum on March 13, 2025
Reading Leading Out of Who You Are[1] by Simon P Walker was life changing. I found myself moving through reflecting on profound truths, tears, self-awareness, inner healing and my identity in Jesus. The undefended leader, who has deliberately chosen weakness and true self-sacrifice,[2]is the kind of leader I want to be. To become an undefended…
By: Judith McCartney on March 13, 2025
Leadership is often defined by strength, empowerment, control, and authority. Have we wondered what leadership might look like through the lens of authenticity and vulnerability? Hello. My name is Judith, and I want a world where leadership strength is about vulnerability, transparency, self-awareness, openness, and emotional intelligence. These are wonderful tools for building trust among…
By: Michael Hansen on March 13, 2025
In 2010, I entered a new senior leadership role with an organic produce distributor in Portland, Oregon. As part of my onboarding and development, the Board of Directors requested that I attend a 3-day class with Josh, our CEO. It was called “Speaking with Conviction.” We were introduced to our instructor and a dozen other…
By: Rich on March 13, 2025
Edwin Friedman says differentiated leaders should expect sabotage.[1] That does not sound encouraging. Over the past weeks, several members of the DLGP04 cohort have shared stories where their leadership efforts had resulted in undeserved personal attacks. The hurt is enough to prompt a now familiar question of whether accepting a role is worth the effort.…
By: Alex Mwaura on March 13, 2025
While the entrance of diverse knowledge, technology and information has its good aspects, the same can affect culture and the workings of a modern organisation. I’ve had great interest in the topic of organisation culture because I think it does a lot not only to the success of an organisation but also to the local…
By: David Weston on March 13, 2025
I remember the time when I was a young man in my mid-twenties, and I experienced an epiphany. This was a significant moment for me because it was when I came to the conclusion that not all failure was bad. I discovered that the worst leaders I knew, in Walker’s words, had substantial frontstage presence…
