3 Better Alternatives to Playing “Devil’s Advocate”
“Can I just play devil’s advocate?” Not sure why someone would want to advocate for the devil, but “devil’s advocate” is a common phrase. Too common. The phrase is usually muddled by someone after a leader has passionately presented a new idea or a possible direction to explore. The thinking might be, “Now that I […]
3 Ways to Recognize Workaholism in Ministry
Ministry can attract workaholics because working non-stop in ministry can feel holy and attract applause. But being a workaholic in any role is never holy, and it always leaves one hollow. Families suffer. Relationships are harmed. No one wins. Ministry leaders, like all leaders, are prone to either laziness or workaholism. On your worst days, […]
4 Ways to Recognize Lazy Leadership
Lazy leadership is unfaithful stewardship. Instead of wise stewardship, lazy leaders foolishly squander resources, gifting, and opportunities rather than make the most of the brief season in which they are privileged to lead. When attempting to uncover and address laziness, people often look in the wrong places. Lazy leadership is not about office hours, email […]
5 Truths About Great Ministry Leaders
Recently during annual reviews with my team, I asked each person who reports to me to offer me feedback through the lens of “start, stop doing, and keep doing.” What am I not doing that you would like me to start doing? What am I doing that you wish I would stop doing? And what […]
3 Mistakes Leaders Make When Starting a New Year
Here is a typical scene the week after Christmas… A leader gets some rest, feels rejuvenated, and the burden to lead the team better in the New Year starts to grow. The leader reads a book, favorites a dozen blogs, listens to some leadership training on a variety of topics, and is fired up for […]
3 Risks of Personality Tests
As I recently wrote, utilizing a personality test with the team you lead can foster a greater appreciation and communication among team members. But there are some cautions. Here are three ways we can misuse personality tests: 1. Justify unhealthy approaches. One pastor joked about the proclivity of tests to justify a person’s unhealthy behavior […]
3 Ways Personality Tests Can Enhance Your Leadership
A pastor once commented, “Why doesn’t anyone repent after taking a personality test?” His sentiment was that someone could take a test and use the test to justify their jerkish behavior as being “strong-willed” or their passive behavior as being a “processor.” It is not an uninformed comment, as you have likely seen people wrongly […]
3 Unique Leadership Challenges in Ministry to Men
Fire is an amazing thing, isn’t it? It can be incredibly helpful—warming your home, cooking your dinner, and when focused, can even cut through steel. Men are similar to fire. Men can either warm families, churches, and communities or they can burn them to the ground. That’s why every church must minister to men in […]
4 Ways to Work for a Boss You Don’t Like
Really fast disclaimer: I like my boss. A lot. I am really blessed not only to enjoy what I do but also to enjoy serving alongside whom I am accountable to. Work is so much more fun when you enjoy both what you are doing and whom you are serving alongside. I do get asked […]
3 Coordination Killers that Can Kill Your Leadership
Ok, so the title may sound a bit hyperbolic. But it is not hyperbole at all; a lack of coordination can destroy a team’s effectiveness. A lack of coordination across multiple areas can greatly harm a leader’s credibility. I have thought about this a lot lately. Some background: I recently blogged about how execution suffers. […]