4 Downsides of “This Is the Most Important Message Ever!”

If you peruse social media on a Saturday evening, you will likely see ministry leaders sending messages like “Tomorrow is the ONE Sunday you will not want to miss!!!” or “Best Sunday ever tomorrow.” Or maybe you have sat in church and heard a barrage of announcements, each one promoting an event “that will change […]

3 Ways to Ensure Your Message Is Not Heard

The most important characteristic in effective communication and effective leadership is credibility. Incredible passion cannot overcome a lack of credibility. Sound logic, as important as it is, will not compensate for a lack of credibility. Just as people are unable to follow a leader they cannot believe or trust, a message will not be heard […]

4 Types of People Leaders Must Not Listen To

Wise leaders listen to wise people. Because the people we listen to impact our decisions, our attitudes, and our perceptions, it is critical that we listen to the right people. A leader who listens to the wrong people is just as foolish as a leader who doesn’t listen at all. Here are four types of […]

Olympic Swimming, Excellence, and Your Mundane Week

As the Olympics are in full swing, swimming takes its every four years turn at being on the forefront of our collective sports’ attention. And it should. One of my favorite sports moments is the 2008 relay, in which the U.S. men’s swim team came from behind on the back of Jason Lezak’s incredible race […]

3 Actions of Servant Leaders

One of my favorite and most important meetings is a monthly meeting at LifeWay for “emerging leaders.” Those in the meeting are invited to be in the group for a year. People on my leadership team help identify who should be invited, and we gather 12 times in 12 months and read and discuss 12 […]

6 Takeaways from Scaling Up Excellence

The team I lead recently read Scaling Up Excellence together. Every year I assign books to individual team members and also to the team collectively. Sometimes we discuss a book in one meeting, and other times we walk through a book chapter by chapter. Scaling Up Excellence was one we walked through chapter by chapter. […]

11 Actions for Culture Cultivation

Just as a healthy garden will not exist without careful gardening and constant attention, a healthy culture does not happen by accident. Culture is the shared beliefs and values that guide a group of people. Left alone, culture deteriorates. Wise and loving leaders cultivate the culture in which they are leading. If leaders fail to […]

3 Warning Signs of an Exaggerated Resume

If you are responsible for building and leading a team, you have looked at resumes. The number of resumes submitted for a particular role can be overwhelming. Typically leaders make a first pass, or rely on someone else to make a first pass, to toss some resumes to simply narrow the number down to a […]

3 Ways to Recover Enthusiasm for Your Current Role

Do you remember when you first took the role you are in? You walked in the first day excited to make a big impact, eager to learn, and ready to embrace challenges. You were filled with enthusiasm that trumped the struggles and the inherent discouragement that comes with being a leader. The inner enthusiasm breathes […]