We just returned from a memorable week overseas, in the Republic of Central Africa. It was great to go, it was great to return home. You understand, don’t you? How can I summarize it all?

• The weather was warm. The people were warm.
• The conditions were poor. The relationships were rich.
• The university students didn’t eat much…but they were more hungry to learn.
• The hotel had limited water and electricity, but God showed up in power.

Our first event was a one-day “Train the Trainer” experience where we expected forty students to attend and get certified to mentor a group of younger students using Habitudes.  Immediately we discovered there were 250 student leaders who showed up, to prepare to lead a community. When we passed out the agreements, outlining the commitment we required, they actually fought over them.

Their stated goal at the end of the training experience?

To win the battle against poverty, corruption, war and disease. I love it.

Following the Train the Trainer experience, we were part of a larger leadership conference for hundreds of students, staff and faculty. They chose to come because of their interest in leadership development. During the conference we talked about winning the war against corruption through integrity; we talked about winning the war against poverty through entrepreneurial ventures; and we talked about winning the war against so many destructive forces through mentoring and the multiplication of more and better leaders. We exposed them to the Habitudes images.

• On our first day, after returning from our lunch break, I asked the students, “How was your lunch?” It was then the translator informed me, “The students didn’t eat any lunch. The break was for you.”

• At the conference, we learned how important protocol is. One man’s job was to make sure everyone sat in just the right seat of honor, and others were told to sit somewhere else. I fear this confuses students about servant-leadership.

• The meetings were long and hot; there was no air conditioning. The fans blew in hot air from the outside mixed with odors from the livestock and manure. Yet, the audience remained until the very end, taking notes and responding.

• One breakthrough came when the power went off during an evening meeting. While the hosts considered what to do, the students stood up on their own, huddled close to the front so they could hear and held their cell phones in the air so they could see. Their hunger to learn was evident.

• In the end, the conference was only to be a catalyst. Each audience member was asked to join a mentoring community to discuss and apply Habitudes. Hundreds of students committed to do this, and grow as a potential leader.

Our desire is—a new hope will wander through central Africa, as students not only pass courses…but start to think like life-giving leaders. May the journey begin.

And may it begin here at home as well.

Are you interested in mentoring others?

Check out LifeGiving Mentors today!

Today’s blog is a guest post by Kris Hogan. With a 16-year educational tenure under his belt, Kris Hogan has spent the last nine years working at Grapevine Faith High School in Grapevine, Texas. In addition to sitting on its administrative team, Hogan also pulls double duty as Faith’s head football coach. Hogan has coached teams to eight state championships and has been voted Coach of the Year six times at the district or regional level. Since his arrival at Faith in 2002, the Lions have captured 10 state championships in multiple sports. Hogan also was the subject of Remember Why You Play, a 2008 book by sports columnist and author David Thomas that chronicled the lives, struggles and successes of Coach Hogan and his team. Incidentally, one of the key events was a game that Faith played against the Gainesville State Tornadoes, a school for convicted juvenile offenders. The story of that event is currently being developed into a major motion picture, titled One Heart. He and Amy, his wife of 15 years, are Mom and Dad to three kids: Jerilyn, Deuce and Zeke.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know him personally over the last few years and am excited to share his post with you today.

I love the term “skin in the game.”  It’s a term coined by investing guru Warren Buffet.  He used it when referring to a situation where investors used their own money to buy stock in the company they were running.  The point he was making is obvious…He wanted people making a contribution, to the benefits they received.

We all know that when we purchase something with our own money, or work hard for something, we suddenly ascribe more value to it.  I think we’ve all seen children break toys with little or no concern, while those who purchased the toys had quite a different viewpoint!   An elderly friend of mine once told me, “Coach, you can have things or you can have kids, but you can’t have both!”  I had to smile thinking back on some of the “accidents” me and my brother had growing up.

Obviously we want our kids having “skin in the game”, because it naturally teaches them stewardship, responsibility, and decision-making skills, just to name a few.

The question is how to get this done?  Here are a few strategies I have collected from great parents and my mentors over the years:

1. Let kids make mistakes with their decision making without bailing them out. 
   It will help them appreciate the decisions of others and they will also plan better next time they get to choose.
2. Sometimes when they make a special request, put “strings” on it.
   It’s ok to negotiate a deal. They don’t have to take your offer, but if they do, there’s skin in the game!
3. In conjuction with #2, always look for opportunities to teach, “Your word is your bond!”
   Sometimes, having to go through a tough experience in order to keep your word, teaches lessons that last a lifetime, and you could get no other way.

Admittedly, like most great parenting techniques, it takes planning and intentionality, but whatever creative strategies you come up with to have your kids “get skin in the game”, will be well worth the return on investment.

What strategies have you used to encourage kids to get “skin in the game?”

Kris Hogan blogs regularly at MyParentLab.com along with Jeff Potts and Alison Rich. They have created a great place to find practical, applicable parenting tips and other takeaways aimed at the things you should be doing—and not harping on the stuff you shouldn’t. MyParentLab.com is a great resource for parents – sign up for updates by clicking here.

People ask me regularly how I handle my calendar, with all the travel, writing, speaking and projects that must be done. I always answer that I am not an “expert” by any stretch of the imagination. I do, however, embrace a handful of practices that allow me to get a lot of things done, and that still allow me to also get some rest and relaxation.

First and foremost, I believe we must recognize that a “balanced life”—as most people understand it—is a myth. I don’t know of anyone who perfectly balances equal time each week for family, work, leisure, exercise, etc. It’s just not realistic. Instead, I believe life happens with an “ebb and flow” where there are seasons of great investment of time and energy, then there are seasons of rest and withdrawal. Fast pace, slow pace.

Below are six simple practices I do that keep me achieving the highest priorities I’ve established, and that enable me to “boss my calendar.” Continue Reading

I’m not sure if you remembered, but this month marks the 100^th anniversary of the launch and sinking of the great ship, The Titanic. It all happened in April, 1912. What a tragedy. I share the often untold story in the first Habitudes book, with the image of “The Iceberg.” As I spoke recently on this topic, someone asked a question about the Titanic. They wondered what happened in the aftermath of that great tragedy to prevent it from happening again. It was a great question, with an equally great answer. Several policies were put in place—that leaders can learn from today. Continue Reading