4 Painful Results of Insecure Leadership
Insecurity must not be confused with humility. Insecurity, like pride, is a focus on your self. Humility comes when you have a proper view of yourself in light of the Lord who is holy and above all. Humility comes from understanding that we are not God but we are loved by Him. When leaders lead […]
Thoughts from Ground Zero of the Civil Rights Movement
Racism is appalling because God’s crowning creation, humanity, is devalued. All people are wonderfully created in the image of God. He loves all people. Only Christ’s righteousness qualifies us to stand before God—a righteousness He offers to all. Racism is deeply offensive to God because it attacks His creation and asserts that one can stand before God in something other than His grace. Racists reject the grace of God and sinfully believe the color of their skin qualifies them and makes them superior to others.
Brother Must Trump Boss
I play basketball with guys who work for me. In heated moments, guys who work for me have shoved me, yelled, or elbowed. It was part of the game, part of the day when aging men try to grasp a few more years of playing a sport they love. On the basketball court, the org […]
5 Consequences Leaders Face for Not Resting
A trick many employ in a job interview when asked, “What is your biggest weakness?” is to give a weakness that many don’t view as a weakness, such as “I am so driven that sometimes I fail to stop working” or “I own my responsibilities so much that sometimes I can’t let go.” The person […]
4 Harmful Impacts of Leaders Who Need to Be Liked
Typically genuine and kind and reasonable people like being liked. They don’t wake up in the morning wondering if they can cause a new person to hate them today. But needing to be liked is different. When someone needs approval from others, the person is willing to sacrifice conviction and do anything to earn that […]
Leaders: Bring the Good Stress, Not the Bad Stress
“Working for him is stressful.” “Her leadership stresses me out. You have likely heard those statements before, and they are almost always uttered in disdain about a leader who is putting too much pressure on people, setting unrealistic goals, or holding people to expectations that are deemed to be too high. But great leaders put […]
3 Ways to Spot “Christian Backstabbing”
Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by the love we have for one another. According to the Scriptures, if we don’t love one another, we cannot claim to love God. Good news: Historically Christians have been known and marked for their love for one another. For example, Aristides, a […]
3 Indicators of Integrity Lapses in Leaders
Integrity. It is a powerful word. It is used to describe people whose private lives match their public lives, whose actions match their words, who live honorably and humbly. Rightfully so, we long for our leaders to be filled with integrity. For more than twenty years, people have used The Perceived Leader Integrity Scale as […]
Destroy Boredom or Boredom Will Destroy You
Those who work with teenagers in ministry or educational settings know that boredom often leads to absolute foolishness. Parents, school counselors, and teachers are aware that “adolescent boredom” can lead to a myriad of problems, which is why many are concerned when children or students “are not challenged enough.” For example, one study of teenagers […]
The Lure of Isolation for Leaders
Isolation is often very attractive, and it is on the rise with no signs of slowing down. Over 20 years ago, Robert Putnam wrote a landmark article that became a book about the rise of isolation in America. He called the book Bowling Alone because his research revealed that bowling leagues and other opportunities for […]