Links for Leaders 1/26/18

10 Ways to Listen to Church Leaders—Chuck Lawless

The focus of a leader’s words reveals the leaning of the leader’s heart. In the course of a day, do you hear about their activities, exploits, knowledge, and renown more than you hear about others? Good leaders point to others, knowing that their responsibility is to build an organization bigger than themselves. Their very words honor the teams that make their effectiveness possible.

90-Second Leadership: The Guess Who of Leadership—Todd Adkins

Organizations rise and fall on leadership, which boils down to the people of the church or organization. When you look for a volunteer or a leader, do you know what to look for or are you just guessing if a person will work out?

A warm body mentality says that everyone is available. But if you’re looking for weekly volunteers and ongoing development, you need to have competencies in place to know what to look for.

My Best Advice for Leaders When Things Are Going Wrong—Ron Edmondson

Whatever happens, as bad as it gets, don’t disappear from your leadership post. I did this. I was busy with leadership roles in the community and church, and even though there was nothing wrong with any of them, I often made them excuses for not being on the job when they needed me most. (Please understand, this is hard to admit now, but I want you to learn from me.)

When things are going wrong you will be tempted to skip out of the office early, hide with your door closed, or make excuses for why you aren’t on the job. You’ll make excuses for poor performance numbers and why things aren’t going as they should. You’ll be slower to respond to problems when they arise. You’ll avoid conflict at any cost.

3 Quick Ways to See How Effective Your Leadership Really Is—Carey Nieuwhof

That you have followers is one thing, but the next thing to check is the kind of person following you.

High capacity leaders will attract other high capacity people.

The caliber of the people around you points to the caliber of leader you are.

Five Ways to Read More This Year—Kevin Campbell

We have many things in today’s culture pulling for our time and attention. Rather than giving in to the tyranny of the urgent, pick a time of the day you will put the phone on silent or turn off the notifications on your computer. Take 15-30 minutes to read a book that stretches you. Instead of watching TV before bed, use the time to read for a few minutes. After your devotional time, take an extra few minutes in the morning to read a book before you jump in to your day. You could read twelve books this year if you built the simple habit of reading fifteen minutes a day.