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As some of you know, I started a new job about two months ago as the Director of People and Associate Experience at Carter Myers Automotive. We have 23 locations and 1,200 employees. I lead the People Team, which is made up of the Human Resources and Payroll groups. I’ve never worked in automotive before, so I’m learning a lot about this essential industry.

I made the change from full-time self-employment for several reasons: I missed being part of...

Freedom almost didn’t happen. In 1780, William Wilberforce began his political career at the young age of 21. Four years later, he became an evangelical Christian and thought he should leave politics and enter professional ministry. He pondered this decision, fearing he would not be serving God if he stayed where he was.

For him, it was a pivotal moment. And a pivotal moment for freedom.

Writes poet Erin Hanson:

“There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you...

The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture asked me to write an article about how hobbies relate to overall life and work fit. Here's an excerpt and link to read the article on their website.

I recently joined an industry trade group and was asked what my hobbies were. I struggled to answer. I couldn’t think of a hobby, let alone multiple ones! Do working people actually have hobbies? With all the things that I have to do and a career to conquer, I cannot imagine having a...

The Catholic Sisters smelled the stench coming from the apartment. When they knocked, an elderly woman timidly answered the door. Her toilet had broken and embarrassed to call for help, she had been relieving herself on the floor so that two rooms were filled with excrement.

After the Sisters cleaned up the place, the woman asked, “See, don’t you love me less?” to which they quickly replied, “See, don’t we love you more!” Love covered her shame when she...

My Winter 2021 reading list was made possible by many exciting and diverse people. There were athletes and activists, scholars and entertainers, preachers and businesspeople. Some were a couple of these at once!

I'm grateful for their lessons, stories, and inspiration, which all came at a cost to them. Their marks have made their way into my life and work, and if you follow the Christian Life Calling Institute or other blog posts, you'll see them too. 

We previously shared our Summer...

I've been sharing quotes from my reading lists. As was true for Winter 2021, Fall 2020, and Summer 2020, this latest lineup features diverse characters:

• Human behavior researchers
• Businesspeople
• University professors
• Lawyer
• Catholic saint
• Leadership coach
• Holocaust survivor
• Pastors

Thanks to them, living and deceased, for their works:

“More often than not, our values are what lead us to the arena door—we’re willing to do something uncomfortable and daring because of our...

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A sales manager asked me to provide training to his team around a certain assessment. Although I could have signed up his team for the assessment he asked for, I wanted to understand why he wanted it. As we talked, I learned that it was the only one he had heard about, which is why he asked for it. But I knew there was a better assessment to meet his goals and current work situation. So together, we chose a different one.

As a coach and consultant, I...

Republished by permission of The Highlands Company

If you’re reading this, you may be wondering what to do next in your work life. You may be willing to invest in yourself and your future; and you are seeking a “different” type of information to help.

The Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) is the Gold Standard Among Human Assessment Tools rooted in the scientific research of human abilities and used exclusively by well-trained professionals. The HAB is not used by...

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Life offers a series of invitations. Some you welcome with open arms. Some are hidden, and it takes a bit to recognize the invitation. And some you resist. But the reason you go from one place to the next in life is that you say yes to the invitations. A person who awakened me to the invitations in my life is my friend Terri Joy.

For example:

• When I resigned from my job of 20 years to work for myself full-time, it became an invitation to live anywhere, prompting a move...

Sometimes I get asked what happens in a Strengths coaching session (also known as a Strengths debrief). The short answer is it depends on what the client wants to get out of it. I don’t approach a session with my own agenda; as a coach, I want to follow the client’s agenda.

But if a client has never been to a coaching session, they may not know the possibilities. That’s when I like to offer options so the client can choose what will be most valuable. The subject is...