Links for Leaders 6/22/18

How the Best Leaders Develop Self-Control—Dan Reiland

Without self-control, a leader will be sidelined, derailed, or perhaps taken out of ministry.

You may need self-control to win over anger, discouragement or speaking too quickly. Another leader may need self-control for their thought life, managing money or how they use their authority.

None of us escape the great need for consistent self-control.

What is the area you have greatest need to exercise self-control?

9 Reasons Why Seasoned Leaders Don’t Pass the Baton Until It’s Too Late—Rick Duncan

We can change the church settings, pastoral personalities, and leadership scenarios, but one thing about church leadership remains the same: every day, every leader is one day closer to passing the baton to the next leader. The question is whether the baton will be passed willingly and wisely, effectively and efficiently.

It’s been said that there is no success without a successor. Yet many leaders hang on too long. They often don’t set up the next generation for fruitful service. And, the organizations they lead might be aging and growing less and less effective. In a few cases, some leaders die relatively young, like my dad did, without a successor in sight.

3 Types of Leader Training—Chris Surratt

Summer is the perfect season to work on the ministry and not just in it. We have a little bit of breathing room before the fall groups semester kicks in, so this is the time to re-examine all aspects of our systems and processes. A good place to start digging in is with your leader training.

You should never ask a volunteer to do a role that you are not going to train them for. That doesn’t mean you have to cover every aspect of leadership in an 8-week course, but you should set them up for success in those critical first weeks of their small group.

90-Second Leadership: Strategy Audit—Todd Adkins

First, what should you stop doing? What isn’t working? What isn’t effective? What isn’t contributing to your church’s leadership pipeline? What is out of alignment with your church’s vision and values? There may be things that were effective in the past that are no longer working. These are the things you should stop doing.

Rook, Leadership, and Playing the Hand You’re Dealt—Marty Duren

Leaders should always recognize their weaknesses. In some cases it is necessary to strengthen weaknesses, but in most cases I believe the best strategy is to focus on our strengths and assemble a team (or staff) that is strong where we are weak. Recognizing our weaknesses helps us not to overshoot our strategic aim, or to adopt different strategies when needed.