David CM Bell Leadership Blog

 Leadership - A Heart for Learning           I took two years off after High School because I was playing hockey full-time. I’m happy I didn’t go straight to college, as it would have been a waste of time and money. Hockey was its own teacher, but I wasn’t ready yet to learn and study in a university setting. When I finally signed up for classes, I was good and ready.  I was eager to earn my degrees so that I could practice law, following in the footsteps of my big brother, Don.           The Bible says, “It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool, since he has no heart for learning” (Proverbs 17:16).  Bingo!  We know that’s God’s view on the subject.  We need to follow God’s way, for that is the way to genuine blessing and godly results.           America and Canada have an education crisis.  The education industry takes too long to educate, costs too much, and ...

Leading with Honesty and Integrity           At the end of Samuel’s leadership, in his farewell address, he asked the people an important question we should ask ourselves as leaders.  He asked them if they thought he led with honesty and integrity.  The answer was a resounding yes (1 Samuel 12).  Could we say the same of our Presidents, Governors, church leaders, and municipal leaders?  Can we say the same of ourselves?           The wanting part is easy; the willing part is hard.  We all want to be successful.  We all want to be honorable and to live blameless lives.  But yet we do dumb things.  It’s often easier to see others' flaws than our own.  But as Christ’s men we are called to introspection.  We are called to challenge and admonish one another to help each other grow and to hold our leaders accountable.  That’s the Christian way.         ...

 Leading with Humility           Much has been written about the leadership of Lee Iacocca (former executive of Ford and then Chrysler).  Carol Dweck does a great job in “ Mindset ” explaining how Lee, despite incredible abilities, had a fixed mindset.  He thought he was the savior.  He was the smartest, so he claimed.  America would be great if only he was leading her.  What kept him up at night was what the company would do if he were no longer there.           In the end, those with a fixed mindset are remembered for their arrogance and pride, dysfunctional leadership teams, lost opportunity, massive loss of value, and broken relationships.  They leave us with a how-not-to-lead legacy, case studies of those who think they are wise and clever (Matthew 11:25), but who leave their organizations in desperate need of good, wise leadership.          So, w ill America rise...

 Leadership Depth from Strong Marriages          It's the annual reporting season.   You’ll see a lot of mandated disclosure in Securities Exchange Commission filings.  However, one gauge you will not see is a meter for the strength of the marriages of our leadership teams.  That graph would tell us a lot about the character of our leadership teams.  Can you imagine the SEC mandating a marriage experience and success rates for Boards and executive teams for, say, the last eight quarters!  I suspect many of the great leaders in the Good to Great companies were not just Level 5 leaders but committed to learning, growing, and strengthening their marriages.          It's easy to point out the failed leadership in the church as there have been many high-profile disasters (Jim Baker, Josh Duggar, Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, - it's a long list of failed marriages, abuse, and dysfunction by those who preached ...

 We Can Rely on God - With Confidence          Even with all this market mayhem, we have reason to be confident.  That is, we can trust in God's goodness and His promises.   We all want to be independent.  Of course, we do.  Independently wealthy.  Independent of those that seek to control us.  Independent of adversaries.  Those desires are normal, natural, and reasonable.  What free man would want to be controlled by another?  Who doesn't want financial flexibility and security?  God made us morally capable with the desire for liberty.  While we yearn for freedom and independence one of the key principles of the Bible is for the people of God to rely on God alone.           Yes, we have freedom in Christ - but it is so that we can be reliant on God alone.  And, on top of that, perhaps annoyingly so, we are to be unified with each other and act in harmony.  T...

 Loyalty to God - Kindness to All           Our development as godly leaders matters greatly.  Many organizations permit and enable horrible and foolish people to maintain positions of authority.  We see that in politics as well.  Once power is attained, good luck getting people to relinquish it.  I’m encouraged by companies that have effective practices to take swift action to address bad actors.  The Founding Fathers of America built wise checks and balances into the Constitution to promote good governance.  As a young securities lawyer and then as a Deacon in our church, I learned early on that Robert’s Rules of Order was designed to bring order out of chaos.  Thank God for leaders willing to help others be disciplined and productive.  Let's work at that this morning.           Whether you are a wily veteran or a green rookie, we must all hone our skills.  You are never too g...