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Stack your Leadership Teams with your BFF’s-good or bad?
BFF: Shorthand for “best friends forever” Dictionary definition: “Used mostly by teen girls when texting” You may have never used this texting shorthand, but the concept captures essential human...
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5 Essentials Google Discovered that Create Effective Teams
Google is ubiquitous. As the largest search engine, it has become a common term in our vernacular as, just ‘Google it.’ A couple of years ago Google assigned a team to discover ingredients for...
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Are Your Critics Really Trying to Get Close to You
Recently I’ve been reading a lot about how to view problems in ministry and leadership through a different lens. A concept developed in the late 50’s and 60’s by a psychologist, Murray Bowen, has shed...
View Article4 Ways to Successfully Navigate Change
Great leaders manage change well. Great pastors also manage change well. But it’s not easy. In my research for my book, Brain-Savvy Leaders: the Science of Significant Ministry, I learned that brain...
View ArticleHow to to Give Effective Staff Evaluations
For years I’ve used this form below when I perform my twice-annual staff evaluations. I have every staff person complete the form on themselves and attach their goals for the previous and upcoming...
View ArticleLeading in Turbulent Times: 4 Essentials
If you are a leader, you will face turbulence in your ministry or organization. Sometimes the turbulence feels so intense that leading seems impossible. If you’re currently facing turbulent times in...
View Article8 Decisions Leaders Should Make During a Crisis
One of the best books I’ver every read on leadership is A Failure of Nerve by Edwin H. Friedman. It’s a challenging read, but well worth it. The author was a Jewish counselor who wrote extensively on a...
View Article9 Ways Clarity Benefits Leaders
Several years ago I entered into a coaching relationship with seven other pastors through Will Mancini’s organization, Auxano. It was a great experience that helped me get clear about vision strategy....
View Article5 Dumb Leadership Assumptions You Never Learned in Seminary
After two seminary degrees and 40 years in ministry, I’ve gleaned a few insights I wish I’d learned long ago. Although my seminary profs never directly taught me to question the dumb leadership...
View Article6 Keys to Mastering Change in the Church
Leading change is difficult in churches. I’m always looking for fresh insight on how to effect change. I’ve found great insight from this author. Kevin Cashman wrote the book Leadership from the Inside...
View ArticleDo You Problem Solve too Much as a Leader?
Good leaders help team members solve their own problems with their own insight. Average leaders tend to solve their team members’ problems, thus truncating their opportunity to grow themselves. So, how...
View ArticleWhy Smart Pastors Fail
Sometimes really smart pastors fail. I think I know some reasons why they do. Recently I read You’re in Charge–Now What by Thomas Neff and James Citrin. The book targets leaders moving into new...
View Article5 Non-negotiable Decisions every Leader MUST Make
The concept of ‘adaptive leadership’ is a new one I learned a few years ago. It’s been incredibly helpful in developing my leadership. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Heifets-Linsky-Grashow...
View Article4 Questions to Ask when you Face Conflict
Everybody faces conflict. It’s nothing new. From the cosmic conflict between Lucifer and God before creation to the conflicts in the early church to the conflicts Jesus often faced with the Jewish...
View Article10 Ways Pastors Stifle Church Change
Einstein was right. If we want our churches to make the greatest kingdom impact, we must help facilitate change or else we become “insane” leaders. However, we often don’t manage change wisely. I’ve...
View ArticleThe Hidden Bias that Trips Up Leaders
Decision biases can negatively affect even the best church or business leader. Wikipedia lists almost 200 social, memory, or cognitive biases (I had to stop reading the list to keep from getting...
View Article3 Keys to Making Change Stick in your Church
Change is inevitable. And unless a church creates healthy change in itself, it will soon become obsolete. Numerous empty or almost empty churches in Europe, America’s inner cities, and Canada bear...
View Article10 Signs a Leader May Need a New Challenge
One of my favorite writers is Liz Wiseman. She has spoken at the Willow Creek Summit a couple of times. She has authored these two great books that I love… Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make...
View ArticleHow to Pull out of a Leadership Lull
Every leader at some time in his or her leadership will face multiple leadership lulls. We have a down Sunday. A new ministry doesn’t take off. Someone expresses disappointment in us or criticizes us....
View ArticleThe Brain and Successful Church Change: 11 Insights you need to know
Wise leaders carefully manage church change. Healthy church management includes not just the bird’s eye view (big picture implications) but also considers the individual view, what’s going on inside...
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