Three Ways Millennials Make You a Better Leader
Some bemoan the inevitable—that millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are becoming a larger section of the workforce. If you Google “millennials and work,” a plethora of articles will show up. Some affirm traits in millennials that contribute to a healthy work environment: creativity, technological savvy, or altruism. Others point to millennials and express […]
The Power of a “Cheating” Community
How many cheating friends does it take to ensure you cheat? Rick Grannis, a sociologist, tracked thousands of UCLA students over multiple years and discovered that those who are friends with people who cheat are much more likely to cheat themselves. He summarized, “If five people encourage you to cheat, welcome to the club, you […]
Two Ways to Create Urgency
John Kotter, Harvard Business School professor, has written extensively about the need for leaders to first create a sense of urgency when attempting to implement change or launch a new initiative. Kotter has stressed that most change efforts fail because leaders are unable to create sufficient urgency. Urgency helps foster both focus and action. Without […]
Three Reasons You Should Care for Your Team’s Self-Leadership
Dee Hock is the founder and former CEO of Visa International and has been an advocate of leaders investing significant time and energy in self-leadership. He has advised: If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with […]
Three Warning Signs Your Team Is Aligned But Not Attuned
Roger Harrison has articulated that healthy organizations display both alignment and attunement. Alignment refers to the commitment to the mission and identity of the organization. Attunement refers to the relational care and concern that the team exhibits for one another. Both are essential. A team that is aligned but not attuned feels very focused, but […]
Three Differences Between Moving Slowly and Being Patient
Be patient. Move fast. Leaders have likely encouraged others and been encouraged to do both. The two are often set up as being contradictory to one another, as if being patient means moving slowly. But being patient is not the same thing as moving slowly. Some leaders claim they are being patient when they are […]
Seven Ways to Fight Mission and Strategy Entropy
The second law of thermodynamics is about entropy: things move to disorder and chaos over time. This principle surrounds our daily lives. A well-ordered garage digresses to clutter; a cluttered garage never becomes an organized one without intervention. Our bodies, without exercise and care, experience muscle atrophy. Left alone our muscles grow weaker, not stronger. […]
When Two Values Collide, Development Must Win
Often in a ministry or organization, stated and/or unstated values will collide. When two values are at apparent odds with one another, leaders must decide which value wins. If a collision occurs, leaders must declare which value will be primary. A common example in church ministry is the tension between two commonly held values: leadership […]
Four Things Leaders Owe Their Followers
Max Depree wrote, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.” Leaders, we are servants and debtors. We are in debt to the people who follow us. And what do leaders owe those […]
Four Types of Tone-Deaf Leadership
When it comes to singing, I am likely tone-deaf (I say likely because I don’t fully understand the official definition, so just hang with me for the illustration). Now I can sing the right words; I just sing them the wrong way. While the Lord assures me He enjoys joyful noise, my apparent tone-deafness has […]