We live in a world that loves labels. In the education field we hear words like advanced, average, behind and dropout frequently. Sometimes the label says more about the system than the student, though.
Todd Rose is often cited as a powerful example of this truth. In high school, he struggled academically and eventually dropped out with a 0.9 GPA. By most traditional measures, it was apparent, he was not college material. He did not appear to be promising in obtaining college degrees. By all means, he did not appear to be likely to succeed.
Life compounded the narrative. He was married at a young age and was working low-wage jobs. He was on welfare, and at one point was even homeless. His future did not look like it included higher education, much less elite academia, but necessity has a way of clarifying purpose.
Todd was determined to provide for his family. He earned his GED and enrolled at a local community college. He did not have a master plan. He had a simple goal: just to do better. Then something unexpected happened. After receiving his GED, he realized he wasn’t incapable. He had simply not thrived in a one-size-fits-all, factory-style education model. He was given flexibility, encouragement, and space to learn differently, and his abilities surfaced. Community college became the proving ground where his confidence replaced doubt. From there, his path accelerated.
After receiving his Associates Degree, he transferred to a four-year college. He earned a bachelor’s degree and eventually a masters. What followed was amazing, he then received a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Where did this lead Todd? Not only did he receive a Ph.D. from Harvard, he became a Harvard professor. At Harvard he launched a think tank focused on personalized education and rethinking how we measure human potential.
Let that sink in. Todd was a high school dropout with a 0.9 GPA and became a Harvard professor. The lesson isn’t that everyone will follow that exact path. The lesson is that potential is often mismeasured.
Education systems can identify performance. They cannot always identify capacity. That’s why second chances matter. That’s why alternative pathways matter. That’s why community colleges matter. Some students don’t fit the mold. That doesn’t mean they lack ability. It may simply mean they need a different road map.
We would be wise to remember: the “dropout” in one chapter may be the doctoral candidate in the next.
Thought for the Week, “Never confuse someone’s current performance with their ultimate potential.” Jack Welch
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.
It is impossible to watch last week’s county commissioner meeting without recognizing that there are major problems in our local government. It can be difficult to follow the video because it isn’t immediately apparent what reports are being discussed, some of the payroll terms can be a bit obscure, and it isn’t clear that Commissioner Tran knows what data he says didn’t copy over. After talking to several people at the county, below is my best understanding of what happened, along with my conclusion about the necessary next step.
In 2025, the county commissioners decided to stop having the county clerk’s office do payroll and instead outsource it to PayEntry through the reseller, Emerson & Co. The commissioners also hired Laura Krom to be responsible for administering the PayEntry payroll system as well as providing administrative support for the commissioners in other ways.
As part of the setup process, existing payrolls in 2025 were copied from the existing CIC system to the PayEntry system. That way PayEntry would have all the data to run reports for the full year of 2025. Without this import, PayEntry would not be able to produce the reports, including the W2 tax forms, at the end of 2025 because it wouldn’t have the data from the period when the other system was being used for payroll.
Each year, part of the payroll responsibility is to provide reports to the workers’ compensation insurance company. These reports are used to audit the workers’ compensation information from the previous year, and the process is used to set the rate that the county pays for workers’ compensation in the coming year.
Before the recording started at last Monday’s meeting, there was evidently some type of conversation (or disagreement) between the commissioners and the clerk over a report. According to the clerk, she then went into PayEntry (the system administered by the commissioner’s assistant, Laura Krom), printed out the report in question, and gave it to the commissioners. This is the report that Tran mentions having received in the video.
I’d encourage you to watch the full video of the meeting, but here are the two minutes most relevant for our discussion.
Here is my walk-through of what seems to be happening. However, my final conclusion is based on a wider range of possible facts.
Commissioner Tran claimed that a report that the county clerk had given the commissioners 5 minutes before the meeting had been requested by the commissioner’s assistant and new payroll administrator, Laura Krom, weeks earlier. Clerk Susan Walker says that wasn’t the case and that Krom had asked her to do the Worker Compensation audit, which Walker declined to do since it is the role of the new payroll administrator.
Tran goes on to ask that Laura Krom be given access to PayEntry (which she administers), then corrects himself and says CIC (which Clerk Walker administers). Walker tells Tran that if Krom uses the old data in CIC, it will not give Krom the correct information she needs for the Worker’s Compensation report. She then explains how to run the correct report in PayEntry to accomplish the goal. Tran then says the Karma (from the workers’ compensation insurance company) had said that the “information that Laura is getting from [the clerk’s] office is not the information [Karma] needs.” Walker says that there was no information provided to Krom from her office other than the 941 reports (a quarterly IRS payroll report), and that what Krom provided Karma was a report that Krom had created in PayEntry on her own. Walker goes on to say there is another report in PayEntry that was built to do what Karma is asking for—it just has to be run with the correct parameters.
At this point, Tran starts laughing. He says whatever he is laughing at is the opposite of laughing at Walker. Walker expresses her frustration with the situation, says she’d be happy to help show Krom how to run the report if Krom would just come in and ask for help with it, but that, instead of asking for help, there are a bunch of “backdoor conversations accusing me of things that I’m not doing.” At this point, Tran utters his infamous, “Are we talking about your feelings again? ‘Cause I’m not here to talk about your feelings, I’m here to talk about facts.”
Words are being said, but communication is not happening. How could it have played out differently? Tran clearly has no idea what Walker is saying when it comes to the reports he is asking for. And that’s okay. He may not have any experience with running payroll, but that means that no matter what Walker says, he doesn’t have any way to know if it will solve the issue or not. However, the commissioners hired someone whom they believe is the best person to run the payroll system for Bourbon County, Laura Krom. Tran indicates that Laura Krom had just been out there before the recording started when he said, “Laura came out here, and I asked her point-blank what she needed.” Unless she left the meeting, she is apparently sitting right in the next room, but not participating in the conversation at this point.
Walker says that Krom just needs to log in to the PayEntry system and run the workers’ compensation report with the correct settings, which she describes for them. Now, maybe that would resolve the entire issue. Maybe it wouldn’t. Tran doesn’t know enough about the payroll system to know either way. So what options did Tran have at this point? He could:
Start laughing in a way that seems strange and inappropriate.
Ignore the easy-to-validate information Walker has just presented him with while claiming he is just there for the “facts.”
Ask Krom to run the report and see if it provides what she needs.
Inexplicably, he chooses to do both 1 & 2, but not 3. Apparently, using the information he has just been provided to try to solve the stated problem is neither in his skill set nor part of his desired course of action. So how could it have played out if Bourbon County had a different chair of the county commission? What if we had someone with the leadership skills or problem-solving experience to say, “Let’s try running that report then”?
If Walker is right, Krom runs the report, and 60 seconds later, the confusion is solved, and the meeting moves on. Karma at the insurance company gets what she needs, and everything runs smoothly. On the other hand, if the report doesn’t give Krom what she needs, the county has still made progress. In that scenario, it should be very easy to see the source of the confusion, rectify it, and move on with what is needed.
Regardless of which way you think things would have gone had they tried to run the report, Tran’s behavior in this situation is 100% the opposite of what our county needs. The fact that he clearly doesn’t understand payroll enough to know what he is asking for can be excused. Commissioners can’t be experts on every single detail of the county. What is not excusable is the fact that there is a very simple path forward to achieve the goal and resolve the situation that might take only a minute or two. He completely ignores this path and instead plows ahead, using his position as chair of the county commission to create an entirely avoidable self-inflicted debacle.
It is hard to overstate the magnitude of the core issue here. This doesn’t fall into a trivial “misunderstanding”. Monday’s meeting was a catastrophic failure of foundational leadership by the chair.
Imagine Tran sitting in the driver’s seat of a car that is accelerating toward a cliff. He tells the passenger the vehicle needs to be slowed. The passenger, who has way more experience in motor vehicles, says, “all you need to do is take your foot off the gas pedal.” The first thing Tran should do is take his foot off the gas pedal to see if the suggested solution works. If the passenger is wrong and it doesn’t help, they can immediately move on to try something else. If the passenger is right and it does help, then he now has a solution to the problem.
What if Tran applied the same course of action as what we saw in the Commission meeting? Well, he’d keep his foot firmly pinning the pedal to the floor and laugh. Then he’d say, “Are we talking about your feelings again? Because I’m not here to talk about your feelings, I’m here to talk about facts.” All the time, he’d have the gas pedal floored, completely ignoring the information he was just given that might actually help resolve the situation. Bourbon County needs leadership that can use the information presented to ask for the next reasonable step forward. This appears to be a skill that Tran either lacks or chooses not to use.
I’ve seen many calls on Facebook for Tran to resign over this incident. The optimist in me wants to think may still be a role Tran can play that serves Bourbon County, perhaps even continuing as a County Commissioner. However, my optimism does not extend to his position as chair of the commission. The last meeting made that clear. That chair position minimizes his ability to draw on his strengths while magnifying his weaknesses. Based on what we saw in the last commission meeting, I personally feel that any continuation of his role as the Chair of the Bourbon County Commission will cause greater harm in the future. He should resign from the chair immediately.
Is my reasoning sound, or did I make a mistake in my logic? I’d love to hear your concurrence or disagreement.
Mark Shead
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Some things I forget and some things I remember — it just depends. When I attended Draughon Business College in Springfield, Missouri in 1976, I didn’t know any of the students when I arrived. However, I quickly made several new friends. One was a Chinese kid and, I don’t remember his name now, one day he and I were talking. In the middle of our conversation he said, “You have teeth like rabbit.” His out-of-the-blue statement made me laugh; I’ve told this funny incident many times throughout my life. (I got braces in 1979, and I’ve never had anyone tell me that my teeth looked like a bunny rabbit’s again.) Even though I can’t recall the guy’s name, I remember what he said. I’m sure he has forgotten all about me and my two front teeth.
This is a fact: The words we speak outlive us. I could author a small book using quotes from my parents. Their words influenced my life at the time and they’re still echoing in my day-to-day life even though their hearts ceased to beat in 2012 and 2015. Believers should consider the fact that what we say is being recorded in heaven and on earth. God keeps a record and so do the people with whom we have interaction.
James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote spiritual instruction on crucial topics regarding relationships. Christ followers are to choose our words with great care because words are powerful. “Indeed, we all make mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire” (James 3:2,5-6 NLT). Right words can help and wrong words can hurt.
I think we all know how powerful words are. They cause wars, end marriages, start fights; bless family and friends, encourage the downcast, and vocalize prayers. “…the tongue is a fickle unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison! We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in His very image! Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sisters, this should never be! (James 3:8-10 TPT).
James uses the endearing terms of “brothers and sisters” in his wisdom sermon. He is writing to Christ followers who evidently needed a whippin’ behind the woodshed! Welp, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander! Christ followers today are no different from those in the New Testament. If we want to shine the light and love of Jesus on others and represent Him well, we need to control the words that topple out of our mouth.
It would be to my benefit if I seriously considered this truth every day: “O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (Psalm 139:1,4,6 NLT). God is fully aware of every word spoken. Like King David, believers can pray this scripture: “Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say” (Psalm 141:3 NCV).
The Key: Folks may not remember your name, but they’ll remember what you said.
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Within a split second, I could have become a statistic when I came close to being run over by a speeding car. Dave and I were biking on a two-lane street, and the only reason I wasn’t turned into road-kill was that the female driver swerved into the far lane. The only reason she wasn’t killed was that no one was in that lane.
It was my fault. I pulled out of a side street, and instead of making a sharp right turn to stay on the edge of the road, I pedaled out too far in the direction of the car. You know, the car with the driver with the right-of-way. The driver who fortunately was not texting or applying lipstick or smacking her kids in the back seat. The driver who was alert and paying attention. Unlike me.
Dave was supportive.
“What in the world were you thinking?”
“Obviously I wasn’t.”
“Why didn’t you use your brakes?”
“Because I panicked.”
“Obviously.”
Sometimes, being alert is hard. I’ve left my credit card, my favorite jacket, and even my kids when I failed to take care of what was important. But there is a day coming when staying alert will determine where we spend eternity, which, in my case, could have come from not paying attention while riding my bike.
In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) we are warned. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
Noah’s neighbors certainly were not alert when God warned that the flood was coming. Only eight people believed and were saved. Lot warned his family that the city was about to be destroyed, but they did not listen. Starting in Genesis, all the way through Revelation, we are bombarded with stories of individuals with their heads in the figurative sand. Perhaps that description is fitting for us as well.
Hebrews 2:1 does not mince words. “Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Jesus voiced the same priority: “Pay careful attention to how you listen” (Luke 8:18). Careful listening (staying alert) is the first step to faithful living. It’s the difference between listening to a Bible app while also posting family pics on our Facebook account and giving God undivided attention to what He says.
Matthew 24 reminds us that being alert is critical. He warns his followers to remain steadfast and not be led astray by false teachings or distractions from the world. The command to “be ready” is not merely about anticipating His return but also about living a life that reflects His teachings and values—loving others, seeking justice, and maintaining a personal relationship with God.
“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Jesus emphasized that His return—for us—will be sudden and unexpected. This calls for believers to cultivate a lifestyle of preparedness.
You know, exactly what I did not do on that bike ride.
In Mark chapter 6, Jesus sends His disciples straight into a storm. He knew it was coming. While they were out on the sea straining at the oars, He was up on the mountain praying for them. He saw them. He wasn’t surprised by the wind, and at the right time, He came to them.
That’s leadership. A real leader doesn’t stand on the shoreline pointing out what everyone is doing wrong. When people are grinding and the wind is in their face, a leader sees it. He steps in. He guides. He helps steady the boat.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about Level 5 leaders, men and women who combine strong resolve with real humility. They’re tough-minded, but they’re not self-centered. They make hard decisions, but they don’t beat their chest about it. When things go wrong, they own it. When things go right, they pass the credit. That’s the kind of leadership that lasts.
Accountability matters. Standards matter. Results matter, but there’s a difference between coaching someone up and constantly pointing fingers. Most good employees want to do well. Sometimes they just need clarity. Sometimes they need development. Sometimes they need someone willing to stand in the gap long enough to help them grow.
Strong leaders don’t just endure storms. They pray for others in their storms. Leadership is not a solo act. If an organization is going to move forward, everybody has to buy into the mission. We won’t agree on every detail. Every idea won’t be exactly how I would draw it up, or how you would. That’s fine. That’s collaboration, but once we set direction, we pull together. When talented people line up behind a shared purpose and support the plan, even if it wasn’t their first choice, progress speeds up. When everyone pulls the same way, success isn’t luck. It’s the outcome.
I like to say we can hang on the rope together and hold each other up. When we communicate honestly and accept coaching, the climb is hard but manageable, but if someone insists on climbing alone, rejecting feedback and pushing back on accountability, the weight gets too heavy. Eventually, they fall by themselves. Guiding good employees can make them great, but if someone refuses direction, accountability rests on their shoulders.
Leadership isn’t about shouting from the shore. It’s about seeing clearly, guiding patiently, and stepping into the storm with your team. Real strength isn’t loud. Real strength kneels.
Thought for the Week:
“Stepping into the storm with your team is far more powerful than leading from the shore.” Jack Welch
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.
When I have a not-nice thought, but don’t say it out loud, I’m always thankful I zipped my lip. Examples of some of my unkind thoughts are: “Did you not look in the mirror before you left the house?” “Just because a fashion model can wear that doesn’t mean you can.” “Where do these people come from?” “How dumb can you be?” And last, but not least, “Could you drive any slower?” (I actually say that one out loud.) I’m not proud of these negative heart thoughts, nevertheless, they pop up every now and then.
It’s been said that you can’t keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can sure keep it from building a nest in your hair. That’s the way mean thoughts tend to be. They come from out of nowhere (usually after something annoys the tar out of you). Christ followers have to immediately switch these thoughts to the positive. During WWII, Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters popularized the song, “Accentuate the Positive.” The lyrics set to this big band sound are still good advice.
We need to be more aware of the fact that Jesus knows our thoughts…which should make us think twice about some of the thoughts we have. “Knowing their [Pharisees] thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?’” (Matthew 9:4 NIV). Jesus let them know that He knew their thoughts – you’d think they’d have enough sense to be embarrassed rather than argumentative. So when thoughts are “entertained” it means they’re not just fleeting ones. One of the best tips to eliminate negative thoughts is to say to ourselves, “It’s none of my business. Let it go.”
“Then His disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so He brought a little child to His side. Then He said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on My behalf welcomes Me…Whoever is the least among you is the greatest’” (Luke 9:46-48 NLT). It’s hard to imagine that Jesus’ disciples actually argued in front of Him regarding which one of them was the greatest! This squabble was definitely an unChristlike spirit. How dumb could they be? Jesus rebuked them and explained that true greatness is seen in humble service. I suspect they changed their way of thinking after their scramble for first place was an embarrassing fail.
“Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, ‘Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces’” (Luke 11:17 MSG). Unity in a family is vital and unforgiveness is a destroyer of solidarity. In order to keep the family together, we have to think on the good attributes of one another and not the negative.
There’s just no way to argue that Jesus doesn’t know our thoughts. But, Apostle Paul gives great advice in Philippians 4:8 NLT regarding how Christ followers should think: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
The Key: Believers need to think about what we’re thinking about and fix our thoughts to accentuate the positive.
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
When Montana, my granddaughter, called to say that she and her fiancé, Ian, had set their wedding date, I was excited to put it on my calendar. “February 3, 2026,” she announced. Surely my calendar was wrong…or Montana was mistaken.
“Mo, that’s a Tuesday.”
“I know,” she declared, excitedly.
“Is this a destination wedding?” I questioned.
“No, Grandma, we’re getting married in Fort Scott…at my parent’s house.”
“Well then, where will the reception be?” I pressed. Mo had it all figured out. “It will be an outdoor wedding, and the reception will be inside their house.” This was not my business to question. Still, I questioned. “Mo, do you know what Kansas weather is like in February, not to mention, Tuesdays are in the middle of the week?”
“I know.”
“Then why did you choose that day?”
“Because God gave me that date.”
There was only one thing I could say: “Well, then, February 3 it is.” As I later found out, that date, years before, had been one in which Mo made a heart-change to follow the Lord and trust that His ways are far higher than ours could ever be. The wedding was a testimony to that.
Mo and Ian chose several “unusual” things for their big day (like a Ding-Dong wedding cake and a stadium hot-dog bar), not the least of which was to have actual church pews for the guests. I mean, it’s not like church pews are available at Walmart, and no church that I know of would be amenable to loaning theirs out for an outdoor wedding. Especially a February wedding. But that’s where God did what only God can do.
As it turned out, someone had donated dozens of antique, wooden church pews to the nuns who live in Fort Scott. The pews were in a semi-truck, waiting for volunteers to sand and stain them. And that’s where Mo’s family and friends offered to help. Weeks of work went into preparing the pews for the wedding ceremony, definitely a blessing to Mo and Ian, but God had plans much grander than the February 3 event.
The week before the wedding, the snow, wind and freezing temperatures caused schools and businesses to close. If this weather continued, how would we survive an outdoor wedding? I envisioned wedding photos with icicles hanging from our nose hairs and updo’s ruined by earmuffs. How could antique, wooden church pews endure freezing rain?
And then came Tuesday. Bright, sunny skies. Temperature in the mid-40’s. No wind.
But the bigger blessing came after the wedding when volunteers from the Catholic Church delivered the slightly-used pews to the nuns who now would have beautiful, refinished pews for a lifetime. It should come as no surprise that the One who orchestrates things like temperatures can turn a blessing for an hour into a blessing for a lifetime. What a God we serve!
The United Methodist Social Creed calls for a day “when Justice and Mercy embrace.” Imagine, the law and Golden Rule in harmony. Justice and Mercy embracing to create fairness and equality, not retaliation and retribution. Could there be a better principle to guide your governing decisions? Think about that: immigration enforcement without paramilitary ICE imbedded in civil society leading to denigration of the humanity of immigrants and the arrest, and worse, killing of American citizens; no military action in Venezuela to claim their oil resources as “ours” while leaving their people repressed and poor; no late night racist political memes of our first black president and his wife as apes, and no more executive policies for self-aggrandizement and enrichment of those in power while ignoring basic needs like food and housing for others.
Justice and Mercy embracing lead to: policies that strengthen relationships with our military and trading allies; far tax policies, expanded voting rights, improved access to health care; also policies that protect the most vulnerable among us including the poor, the elderly, and minority groups as related to race, color, creed, sexual and gender identity. Justice and mercy embracing would promote critically needed balanced energy policies that protect our world from worsening climate change and its threat to all humanity.
Justice and Mercy in balance offer us, as a nation, the path forward our founders envisioned and we have historically strived to become. Justice and Mercy embracing is the antidote to authoritarian rule.
Please, as our congressional leaders, reclaim your position as a co-equal branch of government and reestablish the balance of Justice and Mercy Embracing we so desperately need. The power is in your hands. The choice is yours. We, the voters, are judging your decision.
Efficient leadership can feel uncomfortable. It can sound firm. Sometimes it even gets labeled as heavy-handed, especially in organizations that have operated the same way for a long time. When leaders begin realigning systems, expectations, and processes, the shift can feel sudden. Discomfort doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. Often, it means something important is changing.
Most organizations needing realignment aren’t broken. They’re simply out of sync. Over time, good intentions can be slowed by unclear roles, outdated practices, and layers of process that no longer serve the mission. Efficient leadership steps in not to criticize the past, but to prepare the organization for what’s ahead.
Realignment requires moving away from purely top-down, task-focused leadership and toward a people-centered approach built on clarity, trust, and collaboration. That starts with a clearly defined vision. People want to know where they’re going and why it matters. When leaders communicate that vision consistently and transparently, uncertainty fades and confidence grows.
People-centered leadership also means empathy, listening, acknowledging concerns, and understanding that change affects everyone differently. At the same time, efficiency depends on shared responsibility. Clear expectations help teams work together with purpose, not confusion. When roles are understood and accountability is fair, people are better positioned to succeed.
Agility matters as well. Organizations must be able to adapt, make informed decisions, and adjust without losing momentum. Technology and data, when used well, can simplify work, reduce friction, and give leaders and teams better insight into what’s working and what needs attention.
Personnel changes and process adjustments are often the hardest part of realignment. Leaders must communicate openly, involve people in the transition, and provide training and support. Going slow in these moments, listening carefully and explaining decisions, often allows organizations to move faster and more effectively in the long run.
From the bleachers, structure can look restrictive. In reality, efficient leadership is about alignment, not control. It’s about creating an environment where people understand the mission, trust the direction, and have the tools to do their work well. Realignment isn’t about fault, it’s about focus. Focus is what allows an organization to move forward together.
Thought for the Week, “Change isn’t a judgment on where you’ve been, it’s a commitment to where you’re going.” Jimmy Shuck, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Copperas Cove, Texas.
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.
Hallie was my coworker/friend and I miss her. We worked together for seven years in the 1980s, so we came to know each other quite well. As time marched on, she spent her last days in a local healthcare facility. She was still sharp as a tack and when I walked through the door of her private room, she would enthusiastically greet me and immediately pay me a compliment on my attire or jewelry. Although my visits were to brighten her day, she made my day sweeter because she had mastered the art of heartfelt conversation by speaking forth good words.
Believers should do our best to live according to this scripture: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it” (Proverbs 3:27 NASB). Our faith is openly displayed in how we conduct our daily walk with God — which transfers into our relationships with people. If we truly revere God and practice His ways then we’ll want to treat our fellowman with kindness and goodness. It is no secret that it’s within our power to make or break someone’s day. Our attitude and words truly reach out and touch people, whether for good or bad.
We mustn’t withhold good from people when it’s within our power to do it. If an individual has done agood job, etc., then we should “let ’em have it” with positive words in a genuine compliment. If a friend is down in the dumps, we have the golden opportunity to cheer him/her up. So, “let ’em have it” with both barrels! Do you realize that people can often be cheered up with just an ice cream cone and friendly conversation? (I’m referring to bummer situations, not serious ones.)
As a rhetorical question, what does it mean to be a Christ follower? It seems that many Christians make it complicated. “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38 NASB). We used to sing a chorus entitled, “Your Love Compels Me.” The lyrics, written by Doug Holck, are simple: “Your love compels me, Lord, to give as You would give. To speak as You would speak, to live as You would live. Your love compels me, Lord, to see as You would see. To serve as You would serve, to be what You would be.“ This is uncomplicated theology, and a great place to start if you want to be like Jesus and go about your everyday life speaking good and doing good.
You’ll never go wrong by doing what’s right in God’s sight. “What is desirable in a person is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22 NASB). We can have the whole world by the tail, but if we don’t give a hoot
about people, we’ve missed the mark of Christianity. Believers are known by our love for one another. That’s it — nothing more and nothing less. So don’t hold back from being good to people when you have the opportunity.
The Key: Be a do-gooder and “let someone have it“ with a genuine compliment…and an ice cream cone.
(Make mine chocolate.)
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
“For better or worse…” The beaming bride and groom mimic the pastor’s words, vowing that no matter what happens, they are in this marriage thing until they drop. But what happens when, to their surprise, the spouse turns out not to be the kind, gentle, admiring soul he/she pretends to be? What happens when that person is a narcissist?
Mayo Clinic defines the disease well: “a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism.”
Sounds like the “worse” part of the marital contract to me.
Mayo continues. “People with a narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they’re not given the special favors they believe they deserve.” Most narcissists wear one personality in public, another in private.
They are jealous, master manipulators. The “love-bombing” they demonstrated when dating looks nothing like the actual mental illness they now demonstrate.
The Zoom Bible study I am in is reading Dr. Henry Cloud’s book, Why I Believe. The renowned psychologist writes about a flight he was on in which he sat next to a young woman who asked what he did for a living. When he told her, she shared the saga of her umpteenth breakup with her boyfriend, saying that his anger issues came between them as he repeatedly controlled/manipulated her when she behaved in a way he disapproved.
She explained. “I can calm him down by agreeing with him, but I can’t always just give in. I feel like I am losing myself. So, we break up and then I go back.” Cloud then replied, “There is an old saying: ‘If you rescue an angry man, you will only have to do it again.’” She asked where he heard that quote. “The Bible,” he answered. “Proverbs 19:19. You should read it sometime. There is good stuff in there.”
“I never knew that was in the Bible!” she said.
Cloud replied, “Yeah,” I know, I didn’t either, until I started to really read it.” The author addresses narcissism in his book and shares that he finds the most effective psychology rooted in Scripture. “Boundaries and limits to destructive behavior are taught throughout the Bible, and regaining control for oneself is a chief tenet.”
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this topic, narcissism, and I wonder if we all don’t have a little of this disease in us. We sort of like things to go our way, don’t we? At least I do, like when instead of marriage being a walk in the park, it’s more like a 100-mile marathon in 100-degree weather in the hills of Arkansas. Instead of looking at our disagreement from Dave’s perspective, my vision is blinded by my wants, my desires.
I am grateful that for almost 53 years, we have weathered those marathons and have learned to work to seek good in each other. For Dave, that’s easy. (Riiiight!)
So, what’s a victim to do? Pray. A lot. Especially before they take those vows.
Leading with love isn’t just a slogan or some soft, feel-good idea, it’s an attitude. Like any attitude, it shows up in the choices we make when the heat is on and everyone’s watching. It is hard to know a person’s true feelings until trouble arises.
Love guides the heart of leadership. Wisdom and counsel guide the decisions. When you lead with both, you make choices that serve people well, protect the mission, and stand the test of time.
Love in leadership means you genuinely care about people. It means seeing them as more than a job title, a résumé, or a number on a spreadsheet. Here is where folks get it wrong: they think love and tough decision-making cannot coexist. That’s flat wrong. Real love in leadership often requires making the harder call.
We’ve all seen it happen: someone gets promoted because they are liked, trusted, or a good buddy. The heart was in the right place, but the fit wasn’t. Over time, it’s clear the move didn’t serve the person, or the team. Love that dodges honesty is not love at all; it’s just comfortable. In the end, that job promotion was a detriment to all involved.
True love is considerate, yes, but it’s also truthful. A leader with love in their heart looks at the whole picture: the individual, the team, the mission, and the long-term impact. Sometimes that means saying no. Sometimes it means slowing down. Sometimes it means making the unpopular call.
Other times, a leader has to change someone’s role, or even remove them, not out of anger or ego, but out of genuine care. Those are tough decisions. They weigh heavy on the heart. In time though, people usually see the bigger picture: the decision was made with their best interest in mind, not just the leader’s convenience. That’s love with courage.
Leading with love isn’t soft, it’s high performance. It puts empathy, compassion, and authenticity ahead of fear-based control. It builds trust, loyalty, and a team that feels safe to be honest, take risks, and give their best. Leaders who lead this way listen, communicate clearly, and set expectations, because clarity itself is a form of care.
Look at companies like Southwest Airlines. For decades, they treated employees like family while still demanding excellence. It works. When people know you care, they dig deeper, think smarter, and stick around longer.
So, can leaders make tough calls and still lead with love? You bet. The best leaders do both. Leading with love doesn’t mean avoiding hard choices, it means making the right ones, with a full heart and a steady hand.
Thought for the week, “Let all that you do be done in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.
