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…
Leadership
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…
4 Types of Leaders and Leadership that Thinks Big and Acts Small
Some leaders seem to think small and act big. There is not a large vision that captivates them, grand plans that motivate them, or an overwhelming sense of awe for the opportunity in front of them. Yet at the same time they seem to act big. They hold tightly to their positions, enjoying that others…
3 Ways to Define Reality and Give Hope as You Lead
Several of the most famous quotes about leadership point to the paradox of embracing the challenge of the season and giving vision and hope in the midst of the challenges. Max Depree quipped: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is…
Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and God’s Heart for Justice
Several years ago, I was speaking at a church where I frequently spoke, among people I loved and who loved me, and during a sermon, I referenced that many in the body of Christ, our African American brothers and sisters, were hurting. And that when brothers and sisters in Christ are hurting, we should listen,…
Covid-19 and a Pastor’s Concern for Our Mental Health
As a pastor I am deeply concerned for the rising struggle with mental health in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. I recently sat down with two clinical psychologists, two Christians in the church I serve, Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Buddy Mendez, and they shared with me that “whatever level of stress, anxiety, or…