Three Reasons Urgency Must Precede Vision
In his highly regarded book Leading Change, John Kotter articulates that establishing urgency must always precede communicating vision. Before attempting to implement change, leaders must create dissatisfaction with an ineffective status quo. They must help others develop a sense of angst over the brokenness around them. Without urgency, a vision will not take root in […]
Eight Steps to Leading Change: From Nehemiah to Kotter
Perhaps the most definitive business book on leading an organization to change is John Kotter’s book Leading Change. When ministry leaders speak or write about leadership, they often look to the wisdom found in the Book of Nehemiah, as it chronicles Nehemiah’s leadership in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah led wide-scale change. Nehemiah never […]
Four Leadership Lessons from Nehemiah (Part 2)
Yesterday I shared two leadership lessons from Nehemiah 13. The final chapter in the Book of Nehemiah gives us a picture of how a great leader responded when there was a major drift among the people he led. I will pick up where I left off yesterday… 3 – Confront problem people. Vision is translated […]
Four Leadership Lessons from Nehemiah (Part 1)
The Book of Nehemiah is often used as a case study for visionary leadership, and for good reason. His leadership was formed by a God-induced burden for his city and the people within it (Neh. 1:4). He increased urgency by creating dissatisfaction with the status quo (2:17), rallied people around a shared vision of rebuilding […]
We Can’t Keep Our Vows
Like a movie that leaves you with an unsettled conclusion and unanswered questions, the book of Nehemiah concludes abruptly and sadly. As exciting as the book of Nehemiah is with the rebuilding of the wall and the public confession of sin by God’s people, the book leaves the reader craving more, longing for a new […]
Righteous Frustration
In their now classic work, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner wrote, “More than anything else, leadership is about creating a new way of life. Leaders must accept the responsibility for making change happen.” Leadership and change are inexorably related. When God raises a leader for a task, He often burdens that leader with righteous […]