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The Most Rev. James P. Powers, head of the Diocese of Superior in Wisconsin, has agreed to serve as Episcopal Advisor to the Yeshua Catholic International Leadership Institute, according to an announcement from the institute this week. Bishop Powers replaces the Most Reverend Francis J. Kane, retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. “Bishop Kane has served us from our inception, and after he retired he graciously agreed to stay on as our Episcopal Advisor until we could find another bishop to serve in that capacity,” said Dr. Owen Phelps, Executive Director of the Yeshua Institute. “W...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute Spot quiz: Do you know why so many leaders in homes, workplaces, churches and communities have such bad reputations? Answer: They’ve earned them. Consider these statistics taken from a 2018 survey: only 30% of employees see their CEO as having the qualities of a moral leader; only 14% said their leaders almost always acknowledge their failings, and, only 6% said that their leaders ask for help in a way that exposes their vulnerability. Meanwhile, the introduction to the study noted: “U.S. workers across all industries and occupations ye...

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One of our favorite sources of good Christian leadership information is the Best Christian Workplaces Institute, which recently published a story listing seven things good leaders do everyday. Here’s the list: Remember the vision Practice thankfulness Delegate tasks Learn something new Reflect often Spend time with the Lord Listen first But you owe it to yourself to read the whole article and add some flesh to the bones of this list. It’s just a four minute read, and we hope you indulge yourself. Then print and clip this list someplace where you’ll see it daily – like th...

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By Dave Coe Certified Facilitator Catholic Vision for Leading Like Jesus Encounter Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom!  Song of Songs 2:15 Why pay attention to the little foxes instead of the big ones? Because those “little foxes” – sins -- are progressively sneaky. They have a way of getting under our protective fences, eating the roots of our Christian core values, and eventually killing our entire Vine of Values©. At times they also get under the skin of those we love and those with whom we are trying to build lo...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute Do you remember having a teacher who insisted that he or she never made a mistake? I did. I’m guessing she figured she owed it to the profession or for the sake of classroom control. Whatever her reasoning – if any -- she was wrong. Dead wrong. There are some mistakes you just can’t come back from. Yes, they’re the ones you don’t admit. I wonder if my teacher ever learned that. Like yesterday I remember the day like it was yesterday. She was writing on the blackboard and she misspelled a word. As she continued to write, we b...

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When leadership discussions drift to matters of “style,” we generally put on our skeptical spectacles and try to slip quietly out of the room. Our problem is that when you try to reduce effective leadership to a “style,” you’re usually drifting into matters peripheral and ephemeral – silly, superficial stuff that’s nothing more than a veneer trying to cover up inadequate, inferior character. Not so with the results of a study conducted by LearnLoft, a leadership development company which exists to turn managers into leaders. The company studied over 40,000 organizational lead...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute There is quite a bit to learn about becoiming a Jesus-like S3 Leader, but when we are asked to boil it down to key principles, the list below is the one we share. Since we first published it, we've gotten several requests to send it out hither and yon -- and outlining them here struck us as a good way to kick off a new year. 1. Leadership begins on the inside – For all the talk in popular culture about “personal charisma,” projecting an “aurora of leadership” and all the externals that allegedly embody good leadership, the fact is t...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute As I sat in a half-filled church on Christmas Day – on Christmas Day, mind you – I asked myself: Why? Why commit ourselves to excellence? My question was in the context of why anyone involved in Catholic ministry should make or renew a vow to excellence in the face of all the discouraging signs abounding. All the empty pews are discouraging – but even more so because they do not surprise me. I’ve been in a great many churches these past several months and nearly all of them had room for at least twice as many people as they held. T...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute One of the first principles of Leading Like Jesus is that “leadership begins on the inside.” We teach – and firmly believe – that unless one’s heart is properly disposed, there is no hope of becoming a Jesus-like Leader. Or as Pope Benedict XVI put it, “If a man’s heart is not good, then nothing else can turn out good either.” And yes, of course, it’s as true of women as of men. Huge issue The huge issue of the heart for us is putting – and keeping – God first and foremost in our lives. As Jesus...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute It may come as a legitimate surprise that any sane person would propose “cultivating” anything during Advent. After all, it’s the busiest time of the year for many people. There are all the holiday preparations to attend to: selecting and buying gifts, sending out Christmas greetings to old friends and business associates, getting kids off to games and concerts, baking holiday treats, attending seasonal gatherings of all sorts, getting personal finances in order and reviewing tax implications before the year’s end. If you live in the top h...

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