All hires cost money, and more money than we often realize. Not only is there the cost of the salary and benefits, but there is the cost of the office, the onboarding, and the expenses related to the role. Because the cost of hiring people to join a team, financially-minded people can wisely caution leaders…
2 Reasons to Treat Your Best Staff like Volunteers
The most effective leaders can lead volunteers because their leadership is bigger than providing a paycheck and perks. The most effective leaders are transformational, not merely transactional. They offer a compelling mission not merely a job. They provide a sense of belonging not merely a list of benefits. Volunteers are led with something much deeper…
3 People Who Are Harmed By “Misplaced Compassion”
One of my mentors, Brad Waggoner, cautioned me and other leaders about “misplaced compassion.” He coined the term when he observed that some leaders are unwilling to have challenging conversations with team members or make difficult decisions under the guise of “care and compassion.” For example, a leader has a consistently under-performing person on the…
Steve Jobs the Father and our Eternal Father
A few months ago, Lisa Brennan-Jobs released her memoir, Small Fry, about growing up as Steve Job’s daughter. It caused me to reflect on my own parenting and also my Christian faith. Lisa is an incredible writer and the story is incredibly sad. When she was born, Jobs arrived a few days later and insisted…
4 Signs a Team Member Is a Distraction
Jimmy Butler is an amazing basketball player and he seems to be fitting in very well with his new team – the Philadelphia 76ers. Earlier this season, he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves but publicly stated he did not want to play for the Timberwolves any longer, that he did not trust or respect the…
Beware the Person of a Single Book
Thomas Aquinas is credited with saying, “Beware the man of a single book.” Aquinas was an avid student of the Scripture, early church fathers, Aristotle, and the sciences, and he was clearly wary of those who only cared about one discipline or one issue. Aquinas’ quote reminds me of something my good friend Ed Stetzer…
12 of the Best Christmas Quotes
Movies and books can provide us preachers with some pithy Christmas one-liners or stories that illustrate the message of Christmas. For example, Buddy (played by Will Ferrell) in the movie Elf, declared, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” There is truth in that statement. As we sing…
4 Ways to Avoid Being a Distracted Leader
An effective leader is a focused leader. A distracted leader greatly limits his or her effectiveness. Instead of leveraging influence, intellect, and inspiration towards a great purpose, a distracted leader divides resources across a plethora of priorities. A distracted leader commonly diffuses attention and focus and chases too many goals. Distractions can come masked as…
Your Marriage Is Your Most Important Ministry
Last week Kaye and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. Over dinner we talked about the journey the Lord has taken us on together, what we enjoy about each other, and how our marriage has made each of us better. Though our marriage is not perfect, it is healthy and I am so grateful for…
How to Recognize Repentance in a Restoration Process
When friends or ministry leaders fall, we can find ourselves in the serious conversations of designing a restoration process – a process that places the leader in the care of others with the purpose of restoring the person to some type of leadership. In recent years, I have been asked frequently about restoring someone to…