Talking Donkey Press

04/30/2026

Great book alert! Check out this book by Kevin Foster. Perfect for anyone (pastors/leaders) looking to engage with their community.

04/08/2026

The best people begin building resilience by understanding that the world does not revolve around them; they don’t derive their worth from other people’s opinions.

They know how to work with others, and their work ethic does not require continued verbal affirmation.

Resilience thrives when selflessness is practiced.

Most people would never admit it, but every one of us needs significance, validation, and respect. However, when that basic human need is not met, trying to meet that need becomes self-centered, focusing on what is best for the individual.

Resilience withers under a constant focus on personal significance rather than on serving others.

04/03/2026

This is the ticket to the rally where my Grandpa George gave his life to Jesus. Grandpa has said that April Fool's Day is where "this fool met Jesus."

I am glad that he decided to follow Jesus for the rest of his life.

This is his account:

We were in Grand Forks on a Monday night. Watson Argue was the speaker at a packed high school auditorium. Towards the end of the service, local preachers were standing in the back watching for people to raise their hand. I thought, “I’m getting tired of my life. I’ve lived so rough, I want something different.”

I put up my hand and put it down really fast. A pastor saw me and walked right up to me and asked me if I wanted to give my heart to the Lord.

And I said yes.

It was the happiest day of my life. It felt like two hundred pounds dropped off of my shoulders. It felt so wonderful, it was wonderful, and it still is wonderful.

When I gave my heart to the Lord, I had a friend of mine who went to grade school with me. If you saw him, you saw me. After I got saved, the next night, on Tuesday, was one of our nights that we’d go out and have a rip-roaring time.

He came by all dressed up and asked, “What’s the matter?” I told him I wasn’t going out. He asked me why. I said I got saved.

“What? What? Tell me again?”

I told him I got saved. He said, “I’ve never heard anything so crazy.”

For an hour, he tried to get me to go, and I told him, “Rueben, I’m done with that life.”

He said, “Why don’t you just come out tonight and then go ahead and serve the Lord?” I knew if I went once, I’d be gone.

04/02/2026

Leadership is fascinating.

I love watching great coaches turn a terrible program into something great. It's a joy to see people trust a leader who believes the best for them.

Leadership can also be destructive.

Wrong insights and insecurities can permanently scar young talent and ruin great growth opportunities.

If you lead or aspire to, this article may be for you. Leading others isn't so much an exercise in modeling as it is a movement of empowerment.

Reimagine Your Leadership: Multiply Roles, Create Clarity, and Empower Trust Posted on April 2, 2026 by talkingdonkeypress Posted in Uncategorized Quick. In 30 seconds, tell me what you do and how you would instruct someone else to fulfill your responsibilities. Would that be difficult for you? Apar...

03/30/2026

Alignment doesn't seem like a big deal until you have to replace tires. What seemed fine all this time was really wearing on important parts that make the vehicle go.

Alignment functions are not system-changing; they refine systems. Of course, if you don't have a system that works, all the alignment efforts cannot fix bad engineering.

People and teams excel when alignment is applied. Every person can focus their efforts, streamline their schedules, and collaborate well.

03/28/2026

I have a high value on time stewardship and time focus. Maybe it's from growing up on a farm with seasons when we had limited time to get stuff done.

Maybe this value comes from my view that people (family) matter more than my work assignments.

Maybe excellence in work is related to getting stuff done right the first time.

Time stewardship matters, and it affects all aspects of our personal health.

You can find out how this idea can help your time stewardship change with Get Better Soon - now available in ebook:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS9SFKK3

03/16/2026

Throughout my life and career, I've seen the benefits that systems bring to operating processes. Farm life, athletics, operations, people, and project management all worked best when a good system was the framework for success.

In this article, you'll read how systems can help people flourish even though implementing a system may feel restrictive at first.

The goal for productive work is individual excellence that leads to team success. Systems can help you reach those goals. Systems can help others experience success. Systems can help people do things together that they could never do alone.

Do Systems Restrict or Release? Posted on March 16, 2026March 16, 2026 by talkingdonkeypress Posted in Get Better SoonTagged implementation, productivity, systems The answer is yes. Systems restrict and systems release. Systems are the building blocks of collective progress. Systems may feel adversa...

03/13/2026

Ideal organizations become good at making decisions when they decide how to make their decisions. These decisions are guided by a strong, internal compass.

These decisions consider who is affected both upstream and downstream, and are not overtly influenced by outside people’s opinions. Public image takes second place to internal buy-in.

These decisions are sustainable and become extraordinary when organizations make decisions that everyone owns.

03/11/2026

Some of the best opportunities are missed when new talent does not fit with the existing culture. Managing multiple generations doesn't have to be a problem; it can be the missing link for organizational excellence.

03/07/2026

Finally. A resource to address common problems, friction points, and misalignments present in organizations, projects, and leadership.

Most of us can point to problems and state the obvious. Many times, we cannot provide a solution to those problems. If you’re good at identifying pressure points or poor processes and need solutions, this book is for you.

The ideal organizations reduce friction points, reward merit over preference, make decisions the right way, and communicate clearly. These topics, along with twenty-five others, will help your situation get better soon.

Changing, improving, and increasing is tough work. Equally tough are low morale, foolish decisions, and role ambiguity. What type of tough do you want to experience? What would you like to change? What do you desire to see?

Get Better Soon shares frameworks/cures addressing systems, culture, leadership, and people.

Systems - healthy systems boost productivity without burnout. Alignment, making decisions, time stewardship, and making change the right way make work better, not harder.

Culture - empowering people is the best way to move forward. Collaboration, managing career stages, and embracing growth are built into healthy organizations.

Leadership - the best leaders don’t get in the way. They know how to apply core values, listen to the right people in their inner circle, and replicate their work.

People - this is how organizations thrive. Empowered people possess the right attitude, perspective, grit, and optimism to help organizations excel.

You can change as much as you want. Rethink what is possible, identify and address friction points, refine your promotion process, and resolve the issues that are hindering your progress.

Do it soon.

Get Better Soon: Becoming An Ideal Organization