During the last couple of weeks, between Christmas and New Years, things slowed down. I answered some emails and had a few calls, but a lot of work was put on pause.Then Monday rolled around and everything started spinning back up. The early December emailers circled back, and everything collided... at the same time.The worst part? The problems started piling up."We are having some trouble with the system and need some help.""Our CEO has an issue with that date, can we find another time?""The program we've been working on needs to be ready two weeks earlier."And this is just at work.Wouldn't life be easier if we had less problems? Here's a newsflash:

Less problems might make your life easier, but it would mean your role is less necessary

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The role of the leader is to solve problems. So, if you're dealing with challenges, you're in good company. That means the world needs you.I've always loved this reminder from Colin Powell, "The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”When people are bringing you problems, it means 3 things:

1. They trust you: When someone shares a challenge, it shows they believe in your ability to solve it. Solving doesn’t always mean fixing, but they trust you to guide them through difficult situations. They've seen your track record of turning obstacles into opportunities.
2. They respect you: People don't share problems with those they don't hold in high regard. When someone knows a leader has wisdom, they seek out your insights and judgment to offer sound advice.
3. They believe you care: Sharing problems requires emotional risk - someone knows you'll listen with empathy and work alongside them to find solutions. Past experience has helped someone see and experience your genuine concern for their success.
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I hope your new year is off to a great start. In 2025, I'm not actually praying for you to have less problems; I'm praying you'll put those problems into perspective and use your God-given abilities to make this world a better place.

This time is special because, although I see these friends individually throughout the year, we’re rarely all in the same room. This is a group that pushes me to grow. Each year, as a part of our time together, the host asks us to come prepared to answer a few questions.

The first question is one that Ralph Waldo Emerson was famous for greeting his friends with: “What has become clear to you since we last met?”

Emerson’s intent was an invitation and challenge to his friends and guests to assess the progress of their thinking.

As we prepare to launch into this new year, many of you are making resolutions and setting new goals. But one thing I’d challenge each of you to do this year is to ask the right questions. The right questions cause us to think differently, they change our perspective, and they just might change our lives.

Here are a few to consider:

• What do you value, and are you true to your values?
• What should you be doing that you aren’t doing right now?
• What do you wish you knew that you don’t know?
• When was the last time you set a big goal?
• What have you learned lately?
• If you weren’t afraid to fail, what would you try?
• If you knew you only had a certain number of days to live, what would you do differently?
• What fear, belief, or habit is limiting you from living like that today?
• How have you grown in character this year?
• Who could you count on if you really needed somebody?
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I also love the question that Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged us to ask, when he said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?'”

If you want different results in 2025, a good place to start is by asking the right questions.

Not just optimism.

Not just positive thinking.

But real, transformative hope that cuts through the darkness like a beacon of light. The kind of hope that doesn't just make us feel better, but fundamentally changes how we see our circumstances. A hope that’s not based on some remote possibility, but rooted in a faith of something that exists but is not yet seen.

In Hebrew, the word for hope - "tikvah" - carries a deeper meaning than our conventional understanding. More than just wishful thinking, tikvah represents a confident expectation, a cord of connection that anchors us when everything else seems uncertain. It's derived from the root word "kavah," which literally means "to wait" or "to expect" - suggesting that hope is not passive, but an active, purposeful stance.

There’s a line in the song "Oh Holy Night” that I absolutely love: A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.

‍But that hope, the kind that makes the weary rejoice, follows a phrase that captures the human condition that made the world weary: Long lay the world in sin and error pining.

‍Pining. It's an old word that means to suffer a mental and physical decline, especially because of a broken heart. Sounds a lot like discouragement, doesn't it? It's that soul-deep weariness where hope feels distant and the weight of the world seems unbearable.

But here's the profound truth of Christmas:

Hope doesn't emerge from perfect circumstances. It arrives in the midst of darkness.

Just as tikvah suggests waiting with expectation, hope is about holding onto possibility even when nothing seems to change.

Think about the original Christmas story. A young couple, far from home, with no place to stay. No comfort. No certainty. Just a promise and an unexpected miracle. Hope didn't come to people who had it all figured out. It came to those who were waiting, struggling, wondering.

The biblical prophecy in Isaiah captures this beautifully: "For to us a child is born... and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Notice something remarkable? Hope arrives as a child. Not as a conquering warrior. Not as a fully formed leader. But as something vulnerable, something that requires nurturing, something that represents pure potential.

Hope isn't about having all the answers and knowing exactly how everything works. It's about believing in possibility even when the path isn't clear. It's about maintaining hope not because everything is perfect, but because you believe transformation is always possible.

This Christmas, if you're feeling discouraged, remember:

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Hope isn't about the absence of difficulty. It's about the presence of possibility.

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Your weary heart is the very soil where hope can take root.

However, it needs to be modernized. As we dissected the product's history, I realized I needed to carefully guard against dwelling too much on the past.

When we are stuck in the past we tend to drift toward one of two ends: cynicism or sentimentality.

Cynicism emerges like a hard shell built from repeated disappointments. It's the voice that whispers “You've seen it all” and tells you “Nothing will ever change.” You stop believing in promises, in people, in possibilities. Your experiences become a prison of lowered expectations. While a measured skepticism can protect you, cynicism transforms you from a potential creator into a bitter spectator.

Sentimentality is cynicism's deceptive counterpart. It's the soft, nostalgic lens that makes the “good ole days” shimmer with an impossible perfection. You romanticize previous times, convinced that nothing in the present could ever measure up. This emotional indulgence might feel comfortable, but it's a quicksand that immobilizes your forward momentum.

When we focus on the past, it’s easy to drift toward either of these two extremes.

The real skill is learning from the past but looking expectantly toward the future.

Easier said than done, right?

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Here are a few practical steps to make this happen:

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‍1. Embrace curiosity over criticism: Instead of defaulting to "We've tried this before" or "It will never work," approach each new opportunity with genuine openness. Make your default stance "What can we learn?" rather than "Nothing will change."

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‍2. Maintain institutional memory without becoming imprisoned by it:

Great leaders honor past successes and failures as wisdom repositories, not as unchangeable verdicts.

They'll reference historical context to provide perspective, but never as a reason to avoid innovation. They understand that past achievements are launching pads, not destinations.

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‍3. Cultivate an adaptive mindset: The best leaders build teams and cultures that view change not as a threat, but as an opportunity. They model flexibility, demonstrate resilience, and create environments where innovation can flourish without the drag of past limitations.

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‍4. Balance nostalgia with strategic vision: Where a sentimental leader might long for "how things used to be," a true leader recognizes that every era has its unique potential. They celebrate the organization's heritage while simultaneously being excited about its future possibilities.

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Cynicism says, "It can't be done." Sentimentality says, "It was better before." Great leadership says, "Let's make tomorrow better than today."

When you walk in and see that relative you haven't seen in a year… you know, the one with the crazy political rants on Facebook, nobody suggests your best opening is, "So, how about that presidential election?"

We should stay away from politics and religion, after all, shouldn’t we?

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I believe the opposite is true. Hear me out – I'm not saying we should confront people or turn group gatherings into heated debates. I'm not encouraging you to be adversarial at all. But when we lose the ability to talk about things that truly matter, we dramatically limit our capacity for deeper, more meaningful relationships.

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This is true with our family.

This is true with our friends.

In fact, it's even true with our colleagues.

The digital age has created an unprecedented paradox. We're more connected than ever, yet more divided than ever. The internet and social media have pushed us into echo chambers – political and philosophical bubbles where we are inundated with information that reinforces everything we already believe. We see other people who think exactly like we think and believe exactly what we believe.

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I have friends on both sides of the political aisle who cannot – and I mean literally cannot – fathom how someone could have voted differently than they did. Even if you believe the other side is terribly wrong, it’s dangerous when you lose the ability to see how someone could have a different perspective.

How about your faith? If you believe in something that has the potential to radically transform someone’s life, shouldn’t you want to interact with people who need to hear that message?

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Instead, we spend most of our time in our own bubble and we don’t dare bring up something where someone might have a different point of view. My bold claim:

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We shouldn’t spend our lives only talking about surface-level nonsense when there's an incredible opportunity to have meaningful conversations about things that matter. And, when we do, we take a step to building deep, rich relationships.

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Take the first step.

Lean in.

Have the conversation.

Ask curious questions.

Listen more than you speak.

I am not encouraging you to compromise your convictions or water down your beliefs. Instead, I’m encouraging you to engage in conversations that matter. And sometimes, that means discussing politics and religion.

For us, we’ve got kids that are another year older, and we also have some loved ones who won’t be around the table this year. It’s interesting how a day focused on giving thanks for what we have can also highlight the things (and people) we don’t.Depression. Discouragement. Loneliness. Disconnection. Thanksgiving can highlight all of these. The gatherings, the family photos, the seemingly perfect social media posts—they can feel like a stark reminder of what's missing in our lives. Guess what? These feelings aren’t limited to you. In fact, even great biblical figures like David wrestled with despair, at one point asking, "Why are you cast down, O my soul?"

The antidote is gratitude.

Gratitude isn't about pretending everything is perfect. It's about finding light in the darkness.

When loneliness or discouragement threatens to overwhelm us, gratitude becomes a powerful counterforce. It's not a magical cure, but a deliberate practice of shifting our focus. Here are three practical ways to cultivate gratitude when despair feels closest:

1. Quiet the Noise of Negativity: Limit exposure to sources that drain your spirit. This might mean unfollowing social media accounts that trigger comparison, or setting boundaries with relationships that consistently leave you feeling worse.
2. Embrace Small Moments of Appreciation: Gratitude lives in the details. It's the warmth of morning coffee. The kindness of a stranger. A text from a friend. A hug from a family member. These moments are always present, even when joy feels distant. Don’t overlook them.
3. Create a Gratitude Ritual: Start small. Each day, write down three things you're thankful for—even if they seem insignificant. Some days, "I made it" is enough of an accomplishment. When you keep a memory bank, you can visit when you need a withdrawal.

Gratitude helps us not take things for granted, it reminds us that connection exists, that beauty persists, and that hope is not lost.

This week, be grateful for the things you typically take for granted. American journalist Germany Kent famously said, “It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” In other words, when you appreciate what you have, you forget what you don’t.

Mike Linch posed a compelling question:

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"Why is it important for leaders to stay faithful in the small things?"

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The answer to this question doesn’t just apply to leadership, it applies to all aspects of life.

In fact, during a recent conversation with a friend who had just closed a significant business deal, I asked what he'd done differently the week leading up to the sale. His response was telling: "To be honest, I didn’t do anything different last week. But in the weeks before, I was intentional about my daily activity. Last week, I just reaped the benefits."

Dr. Ike Reighard once said, "Great doors of opportunity swing on the tiny hinges of obedience." This profound truth applies to every aspect of leadership – both professional and personal.

Consider these examples:

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• The opportunity for a big sale starts with consistently pursuing a client.
• The opportunity for your team to succeed starts with creating systems and structures to enable progress.
• The opportunity for an online purchase is created by intentionally investing in a user-friendly experience.
• The company culture you want to build begins by fostering the right environment before people walk through the door.
• The fully committed church member develops through small groups and plugging into other activities.
• The successful nonprofit makes a huge impact by consistently connecting with donors and providing strategic training for volunteers.

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And the same is true in our personal lives too:

• The opportunity for deep friendship develops through regular, meaningful conversations.
• The opportunity for a thriving relationship with your spouse starts with daily acts of love and presence.
• The opportunity for a strong bond with your children grows through consistent, engaged moments.

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Here's what many leaders miss: The payoff rarely comes at the moment of investment. Leadership requires the patience to keep investing when results aren't yet visible. The wise leader recognizes that today's small actions create tomorrow's big opportunities.

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The opportunity you seek tomorrow is created by your disciplined investment today.

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This principle transcends industry and position. Whether you're leading a startup, managing a department, building a nonprofit, or nurturing your family, your success requires dedication to mundane daily actions.

I encourage you to identify the "tiny hinges" in both your leadership role and personal life. What small, consistent actions could swing open doors of opportunity for your team? What daily disciplines, if maintained, could transform your organization's future? What tiny investments could strengthen your most important relationships?

Remember: Those big doors of opportunity don't swing open by accident.

Less striving. Less pushing. Check the ambition.

Because people who are content are happier, aren’t they?

I’ve heard contentment described this way: the knowledge that things are OK exactly as they are, right now.

Ahhh- but that’s where the problem comes in. I don’t think that things are ok exactly as they are. And the older I get, the more I think that’s ok too.

I’m suggesting another way: A healthy discontent. When put in the proper perspective, I believe the right kind of angst can be one of the greatest forces for good in this world. It's that nagging feeling that something is not quite right - that the status quo is falling short and that we were made for more.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. felt compelled to speak up for civil rights, knowing deep down that we should be judged, not on the color of our skin, but on the content of our character.
• Doug Deitz, a renowned designer at GE, found himself discontent with the cold, intimidating MRI machines he had helped create. They were causing fear in sick children. So he designed the warm, inviting GE Adventure Series to transform the healthcare experience for young patients.
• Even Sara Blakely, as a fax machine saleswoman, felt frustrated with the existing offerings in women’s clothing. So she created Spanx to transform the industry through innovative products that give confidence to women everywhere.

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If we're completely content, it likely means one of two things: either the world is perfect (which we know is not the case) or we've resigned ourselves to the way things are. As C.S. Lewis so eloquently stated, "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."

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True, lasting contentment is hard to come by. I'll admit, when I look back on the early years of building ADDO, I wasn't nearly as content as I should have been. I was always hyper-focused on what could be better, on the next horizon. I didn’t enjoy the incremental wins and milestones because I was so fixated on the future.

Contentment requires two key things: the right perspective and a heart of gratitude. We need to anchor ourselves in something greater than ourselves - whether that's our faith, a noble cause, or a vision for a better tomorrow. And we must cultivate gratitude for what we have, rather than dwelling on what we lack.

But we must be careful not to mistake contentment for complacency.

Complacency is when we lose our drive to improve, when we become apathetic about getting better. I challenge you to lean into that healthy discontent. Use it as fuel to make the world a better place. But don't let it consume you or rob you of the ability to be present and grateful. Find that sweet spot between striving and apathy, where positive change can thrive.

I share how ADDO exists to inspire people today to impact tomorrow. And then I’ll talk about the way we help build brands from the inside out.

That is usually followed by: “Ohhh, so you’re a consulting firm?” And I absolutely hate that.

No offense to my consulting friends, but there are some stereotypes that go along with that industry. Sure, they are smart and strategic, but there are some negative perceptions as well. Some of which are well warranted.

This term isn’t limited to big business. There are also church consultants, non-profit consultants, education consultants, and many more.

I’m not anti-consultant, but I do believe there are some fatal flaws in many consulting engagements. If you're a leader looking to drive real, sustainable change, pay close attention to avoid these four pitfalls.

‍1. Fixated on Focus Groups:

‍If your only ideas come from focus groups, you don’t have any original ideas. Look, I get it - you want to understand your audience. Here’s a secret: people may know their problems, but they seldomly know the best solution. They can tell you what’s not working, but that doesn’t mean they know the best way to fix it. As Steve Jobs once said, "If Henry Ford had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Focus groups might give you a laundry list of issues, but they'll never give you the best results.

‍2. Inflexible Methods:

“This is the way we have to do it.” No it’s not. That’s just the way you’ve been told you have to do it. My team knows one of my least favorite reasonings for why we should do something is simply because "that's how we've always done it." We should be stubborn about our goals but flexible about our methods. Guess what - the world is changing fast, and if you can't adapt your methods to meet the moment, you're dead in the water.

‍3.  Too Far from the Customer:

‍Last week, I ordered my son a Happy Meal at McDonald’s. The app wouldn't let me add cheese to the hamburger. I either had to forego using the app, or order the burger without cheese– which wouldn’t fly with my 6 year old! I shared my frustration with one of my friends who is a leader within that business. Remarkably, within a couple of days, he had solved the issue and created the customizability on the app for hundreds of restaurants in my area. But the average consultant, bless their hearts, is not the end consumer. In fact, they usually aren’t close enough to know the true issues.

If you want to solve real problems, get closer to the people experiencing them.

‍4. Focused on the Wrong Things:

‍Have you ever been pulled into an hours-long meeting on something seemingly insignificant? It can be easy to think that a 4 hour meeting about the font you should use is a good use of your time. But let me ask you this - does that meeting bring you any closer to producing the right product or service for your customers? Sometimes, we get so caught up in the little details that we lose sight of the big picture. Many spend more time building the powerpoint presentation than they do innovating new ideas. Look, it doesn’t matter if you are a consultant, you hire consultants, or you don’t care about consulting– anyone, anywhere can fall into the trap of these four things listed above. Difference makers must be willing to do things differently. Ditch the focus groups, stay flexible, get closer to your customers, and keep your eye on the prize. When you do that, you’re far more likely to change the world.