Leaders, We Must Face Our Shadows

Pete Scazzero recently joined us on the 5 Leadership Questions Podcast. Pete is the founder and pastor of New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, and he speaks and writes on the importance of leaders being healthy. He mentioned the daily need for a leader to “face your shadow.” The metaphor is compelling. When we were […]

2 Indicators You (or Someone on Your Team) Have Not “Owned It”

None of us is perfect. And the obvious implication for leaders and team members is that we are going to make mistakes, disappoint people we serve, miss deadlines, and not always execute flawlessly. A pattern of missed execution is very different from a moment of missed execution. We all have moments of misses. But a […]

New Research, Culture, and Systems on How Churches Welcome Guests

Every church sends a message through how they welcome and treat guests. Those with no strategy send the loudest message: “What we believe has not impacted how we treat you.” Not to be hospitable is to prove the message of God’s grace hasn’t impacted the totality of the church. Hospitality is the combination of two […]

Of ALL People, I Never Thought THIS Guy Would Fall…

If there were ever a person whom people believed would be above falling, above imploding, it would be David. David penned psalms, defeated a giant, defended God’s people, conquered enemies, united God’s people, and received the promise from God that his throne would last forever—which is presently happening because Jesus Christ came into our world through the lineage of David. David was so powerful that even men around him were considered mighty. When we read about David, we can easily feel dwarfed by his passion for God, his skillful leadership, and his bold moves for the Lord. He was a great man, a skillful leader, a passionate worshiper, and a brilliant artist. Yet David fell.

4 Common Leadership Traits in Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk

Just as Steve Jobs was synonymous with Apple and Jeff Bezos is synonymous with Amazon, Elon Musk has become synonymous with space travel and electric cars with his companies SpaceX and Tesla. I just finished reading Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance, and although Musk did not approve of the writing beforehand and has refuted some of […]

What You Can Look Forward to on the Other Side of Being Overwhelmed

The cliché: “Don’t bite off more than you can chew” is unhelpful because it is good for a leader’s development to occasionally do so. The same is true with lifting weights. If you want your muscles to grow, you must lift heavier weight, and put your muscles under stress and pressure. If you lift the […]

Anger, Atonement, and the Academy Awards

As this year’s (2018) Academy Awards began, people were still talking about the moment during last year’s Academy Awards when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty presented the Oscar for Best Picture to the wrong cast. The moment, known as Envelopegate or the most shocking moment in Oscar history, was perhaps best captured in this photograph […]

5 Differences Between Tour Guide Leaders and Travel Agent Leaders

Several years ago, Kaye and I went white-water rafting together while on a summer vacation. We planned it for months as it was something we were looking forward to doing together. As we planned the trip, we noticed a big difference between travel agents and tour guides. We talked to travel agents who could book […]

3 Common Ways Leaders Disqualify Themselves

With the recent passing of the great preacher and evangelist Billy Graham, many are celebrating his finishing well. He remained faithful to God’s call on his life, fought the good fight, and finished the race. He avoided scandal and accusations against his integrity and was above reproach as he faithfully served the Lord throughout his […]