Morning Briefings

The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.

– Pearl S. Buck

I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

– Ephesians 4:1

Leaders imagine an inspiring future and strive to shape it rather than passively watching the future happen around them. Heroes extract gold from the opportunities at hand rather than waiting for golden opportunities to be handed to them.

– Chris Lowney
Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World

Here is the greatest calling for the executive, and the greatest challenge, too: to master his own heart, so as to inspire the hearts of others.

– Richard D. Phillips
The Heart of an Executive

Somebody with humility must have learned how to handle their own emotions and how to touch the goodwill of other people in order to involve others in the project of building greatness. Then the will to greatness captures the energies of other people, rather than antagonize them.

– Abbot Christopher Jamison
Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life

It is on this occasion of Thanksgiving in America that we openly acknowledge how blessed we are by the company that we keep. As we sit down with our families and other friends this holiday, please know that you and your families will continue to be in our humble prayers of thanks.

–
In the Company of Prayer

Jesus knew what he was doing when He said, Do this in memory of me, because He knew the disciples would, even if their future faith were suffering: they’d eat again, they’d at least do that, they’d share a meal again, and when they did, they’d think of Him.

– from Liam Callanan’s
All Saints

Enter the gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

– Psalm 100: 4-5

When the road gets dark and you can no longer see, let my love throw a spark; have a little faith in me. And when the tears you cry are all you can believe, just give these loving arms a try and have a little faith in me.

– as sung in
Mandy Moore: Coverage

So many people use unanswered prayers as a reason for not believing in God.

– Anthony DeStefano
Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To

Suffering comes to everyone. No matter how smart you are, no matter how rich you are, there’s just no way to prevent ‘external’ events from interfering with your plans. That’s why you can’t ever allow your peace of mind to depend on external events.

– Anthony DeStefano
Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To

I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.

– Luke 22:32

You in the armed forces have the difficult task of keeping ‘chins up’ when you know that separation from friends and loved ones, dangers of sea, air and land and death itself must be faced. In a way, though, the difference between this new life and the old is only one of degrees, not of kind; and successful service anywhere requires faith.

– Elam J. Anderson, former President, University of Redlands
Strength for Service to God and Country

Being accused of ‘not being a team player’ is very much a reality in the battle for organizational ethics

– Marianne Jennings
A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success and a Very Large Rabbit

The business world is often taken to be the place above all others where humility is seen as a liability rather than an asset. Yet the research by [Good to Great author] Collins and his team shows that this is not the case. They show that humility is a necessary quality in a CEO for a business to excel.

– Abbot Christopher Jamison
Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life

Stress for Survivors: As layoffs hit an array of industries, workers who don’t lose jobs are asked to do more.

– Syndicated writer Margarita Bauza, October 29, 2007

The really tough choices don’t center upon right versus wrong. They involve right versus right. They are genuine dilemmas precisely because each side is firmly rooted in one of our basic, core values: truth vs. loyalty, individual vs. community, short-term vs. long-term, justice vs. mercy.

– Rushworth M. Kidder
How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living

Remember, the role of the leader is to identify and meet legitimate needs. I can still recall what my mother told me the day I married my beautiful wife Rita, God rest her soul, fifty years ago this month. She told me never to ignore a woman. One of the primary works of love is paying attention to each other.

– from James C. Hunter’s
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership

Not really knowing how to handle the delicate subject of God in a secular setting, particularly with senior people in the business world, I telephoned John Gardner and told him of my uncertainty about how to respond. John simply said, ‘Over the entrance to Carl Jung’s home is a Latin inscription: Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit–Invoked or not invoked, God is present.’

– Joseph Jaworski
Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership

I used to envision God as the Great Problem Solver, the one who would fix everything if I just prayed hard enough, used the correct prayers, and prayed in precisely the right way. But when God couldn’t fix things (which seemed more frequent than I would have liked), I would turn to St. Jude. I figured that if it was beyond the capacity of God to do something, then surely it must be a lost cause, and it was time to call on St. Jude.

– James Martin
My Life with the Saints