We’ve all experienced it: the large bureaucracy where where the employees seem to be just punching the clock. However, this happens in the private sector as well. In fact, it happens any time people get disconnected from the their purpose.

As leaders, you and I are called upon to make hundreds if not thousands of decisions over the course of a year. A few are monumental. Some are consequential. Most are trivial. However, I would boil down the most important decisions I make into three categories

“Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?” Here’s my answer.

Despite what many pundits are saying today, reading is not dead. Nor are books. Certainly, big changes are underway, especially in the way books are delivered to readers. But reading itself is not dead. It is not going away. At least, not any time soon.

The last question Dean Bradford of Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management asked me was this: “What two things would you say to our students, particularly those who are graduating and about to enter the workplace?” I gave him the two answers he requested, but, upon further reflection, I would like to add a third.

You schedule time for large meetings, small meetings, conference calls, and phone appointments. If you are like many leaders, you often feel that your life consists of nothing BUT meetings. As a result, there is no time to complete the work you volunteer for, agree to, or are assigned in those same meetings.

Change is difficult for most organizations. It is made even more difficult when leaders resist it. It is my observation that leaders have either one of two postures when it comes to change. This makes all the difference in terms of the outcome. Let me explain.

t is an important question. Why? Because increasingly CEOs, pastors, and other leaders are being asked by their staff, constituents, and even boards about their “social media involvement.” Most leaders I have spoken with, still don’t see the value or, if they do, know how to work it into their workflow. They already feel overwhelmed with their current responsibilities; they aren’t looking for one more thing to do.

I am often asked how it all works together. People say, “Okay, I get the blog thing. I understand Facebook and Twitter—sort of. But how does it all work together?” A good social media strategy has three components.

So much of the activity I see among leaders today is focused on reaching the masses. “Successful leaders” speak at big conferences, host popular television or radio shows, publish bestselling books, or write successful blogs. Their goal is breadth. They want to extend their influence to as many people as possible. Jesus had a much different leadership strategy.