I first started blogging because Thom Rainer, my former boss and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, encouraged me to use a blog to encourage and help ministry leaders thus the vast majority of my writing was for them. But after a few years of blogging Chris Martin, who helps with my blog, surveyed all the…
Leadership
Finding Oneself on the Other Side of a Pandemic
More than any other time, I am hearing people say phrases like “I need to find myself again,” or “I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore.” Some are changing zip codes, switching careers, ending marriages and relationships in a pursuit to “find themselves” and where they fit in this world. Perhaps one…
4 Ways to Live Wisely Through a Season of Being Overwhelmed
According to Gallup’s research the only people whose mental health increased from 2019 to 2020 are those who attend church every week. Other than those people, mental health reached a twenty-year low in 2020. No one was surprised. 2020 was filled with news and moments that angered, scared, and frustrated people. We dealt with those…
4 Ways to Know That You Are Leading Like This Is a Disruption (Not an Interruption)
When I was a child there was a series of books that I loved to read; they were called “choose your own adventure.” Shortly after the book began you, pretending to be the main character, were confronted with a choice. If you chose one path you would turn to a certain page, and you would…
How to Use Exercise as One of Your Leadership Tools in 2021
Exercise an important tool in a leader’s toolbox. Exercise increases the longevity of the leader. Exercise helps the leader fight stress and anxiety so that the leader is emotionally healthy for people he or she leads. Exercise helps the leader sleep better at night. Exercise increases the leader’s energy and mental acuity. Exercise helps the…
4 Reasons to Set an Exercise Rhythm for 2021
Lots of people will set exercise goals as a new year begins, and these goals can be good and useful. Goals can motivate and keep you going when you have discouraging moments or want to quit. But vastly more important than exercise goals is an exercise plan. Someone who has goals but no plan will…
Why Leaders Should Run Towards Pressure, Not From Pressure
The first episode of the new Netflix documentary series, The Playbook, features basketball coach Doc Rivers. Coach Rivers led the Boston Celtics to a championship in 2008. Coaching one of the most storied franchise brought an immense amount of pressure to Rivers and the whole team. Instead of minimizing the pressure, Rivers put a spotlight…
Without Credibility It Is Impossible to Lead
A few weeks ago, my good friends Kevin Peck and Josh Patterson asked me to lead a session for a group of ministry leaders they are coaching. During the coaching session, we spent some time talking about the importance of credibility in leadership. Years ago, in the classic work The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner…
4 Ways to Avoid Purge Night Online
The overarching storyline of the movie and subsequent television series “The Purge” is that government leaders believe if people are given one night a year to release their rage then life will be much better. The thinking by the “new founding fathers” is that repressing our rage is ruining us, and expressing our rage even…
Your Job Has Changed and How to Hire Yourself for It
Unless your industry has somehow remained stable and unphased through the pandemic, your job has likely changed. This is not because you did anything wrong. This is not because your boss randomly decided to reposition your job or dramatically alter your job description. This is not because your organization broke a promise to you. This…