B-log

Fortune Magazine shares the best advice ever given to leaders of finance, entertainment, technology, and military.

There are many good and some not-so-good nuggets of counsel in the collection. Here’s a couple gems:

• “Always assume positive intent.” - Indra Nooyi (Pepsico CEO) This is biblical, by the way.
• “In order to do something well, you have to keep practicing and preparing.” - Eddie Lampert (Sears Holdings CEO) 
• “Don’t panic.” - Elon Musk (SPACEX CEO) This is biblical, too.
• “Don’t follow the pack.” - Eileen Collins (Space Shuttle Commander). Surprise! This, too, is biblical advice!

There used to be comments where people gave their own received nuggets o’ wisdom. But the comments section was shut down…so here’s another, from Freakonomics.  Their gleanings include:

• Don’t be an idiot. Best advice Michael ever gave me. Whenever I’m about to do something I think, “Would an idiot do that?” And if they would, I do not do that thing. (Dwight K. Shrute, Scranton, PA)
• Don’t hurt nobody who don’t need hurtin’ (K, Edison,NJ)
• Work like it depends on you, and pray like it depends on God! (T. Miller, Findlay, OH)

Katie Couric, likely on the good advice of someone else, compiled a book of good advice given to people.

As a pastor, I receive no shortage of advice. Some of it is great, some of it isn’t. Sometimes, I’m blessed enough to recognize good advice at the time it is delivered. Much of the time, though, I grasp the value only later, in retrospect. Be patient with me, I’m still growing.

While I hope I still have more to learn and more good advice to receive, here’s some precious gems I’ve learned so far:

• Be biblical. God cares about how you do things, not just why.
• You are never more like Christ than when you are being nailed to a cross by people you love.
• Forgive as you have been forgiven.
• Put Christ first. There’s a bigger gap between first and second and second and last.
• Love is a discipline. Be disciplined in love.
• Parenting is hard work. Wake up every day committed to doing your job as a dad
• Seek to understand before expect to be understood.
• Do not strive to be spectacular; strive to be faithful.
• God never obligates himself to bless anything you do from your own resources or initiative.
• You aren’t God. God is, though. Thank God!
• If you want to be happy, take your attention off yourself, put it upon God and serve others.
• If you are going to pray, don’t worry. If you’re going to worry, don’t pray.
• Love your wife every day in a way that shows you are thankful she’s given herself completely to a guy like you.
• Your kids are watching you. All the time. And they’re taking notes.
• Obey the Spirit promptly!
• People matter most.
• Grace changes everything.
• Grace is immeasurably more difficult than the law. That’s why most people settle for legalism. Choose grace instead. 

And to close, consider this:

• Do not like good advice so much that you frame it and hang it on a wall rather than putting it to good use.

What’s the best advice you’ve received?