6 Ways the Team Reflects the Leader
One of the most challenging and convicting insights Brad Waggoner has shared with me is that “a leader can complain about the culture of the team for only a few years because after that, the culture reflects the leader.” In a church or an organization, there are multiple teams or groups. Obviously there should be […]
3 Bad Excuses for Avoiding Leadership Development
Great leaders intuitively know they are responsible for future leadership, and all leaders have heard these catch phrases: “There is no success without succession” and “Work yourself out of a job and you will always have a job.” Yet few leaders plan and prioritize developing others. There is always something else to do, always an […]
4 Ways to Spot an Interested Leader (Not One Focused on Being Interesting)
In his famous work, Good to Great, Jim Collins coined the phrase “level five leader.” The leaders Collins wrote about were ones who were fiercely and boldly committed to the mission of those they led but simultaneously humble. Humility and boldness can and must coexist in a leader’s life. Collins described the level five leaders […]
5 Common Ways Leaders Undermine Themselves
The dictionary first defines undermine as “eroding the base or foundation” and second as “damaging or weakening someone or something.” A river can undermine its banks and cause them to erode over time, and someone can undermine a leader and erode the leader’s credibility over time. Poor leaders undermine themselves far more frequently than others […]
3 Downsides of Only Focusing on Your Upsides
On a recent Harvard Business Review podcast, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, CEO of Hogan Assessments, expressed concern that the emphasis on strengths-based coaching may actually weaken leaders. According to Chamorro-Premuzic, despite the popularity of “focusing on your strengths,” there is no scientific evidence that suggests we should focus on our strengths and ignore our weaknesses. And while […]
5 Ways Leaders Can Grow in Self-Awareness
Without self-awareness, a leader is stuck. In fact, the biggest hindrance to a leader’s development is not intelligence or work ethic but a lack of self-awareness. While self-awareness helps us understand what areas of leadership need focus and development, knowing ourselves is something we struggle with. We all have blind spots, areas of struggle we […]
The Biggest Hindrance to a Leader’s Growth
Sitting in an airport for a few hours can easily remind you that people struggle with self-awareness. There is the guy who does stretching exercises in a small and crowed space, the guy who talks extremely loud on his phone, and the person who lays down on the row of chairs without thinking others will […]
Your Greatest Strength Can Be Your Greatest Weakness
Several years ago a leader I served under, a leader I respected, told me that my greatest strengths could also be my greatest weaknesses. He meant this as a word of both encouragement and caution. He was saying, “I don’t want you to lose what you are best at, but I don’t want those strengths […]
4 Lessons from Studying Spurgeon
While I have not studied Charles Spurgeon as extensively as others, recently spending time in Spurgeon’s old stomping grounds led me to four thoughts: 1. God uses the nameless and ordinary. In 1850, a young, rough, and non-believing Charles Spurgeon walked into a Methodist church with questions about the Christian faith. On that Sunday there […]
4 Problems with the Squeaky Wheel Approach to Leadership
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is an expression used to describe the reality that the most noticeable problem often gets the most focus. It can also be used to describe the loudest person receiving the most attention. It is a common expression because it is often how people live and lead. Leaders, problem solvers […]