Ministry (and Management) By Walking Around
David Packard, one of the founders of Hewlett-Packard, is credited with coining the acronym MBWA and the accompanying phrase “management by walking around.” It’s a phrase I have read in multiple leadership books to encourage leaders to be present among their teams to build relationships, continually share direction and vision, and increase accountability through visibility—all […]
A Case for Christian-ese
Every culture has a language. I am not only referring to the languages people speak and write within an ethnic or geographical culture but also to the languages of subcultures. I have been reminded in recent months of the reality of culture and language through working out at a gym and joining a Pilates club […]
4 Cultural Realities Ministry Leaders Must Be Prepared For
I recently spoke in a faculty forum at Biola University on the changing cultural context ministry leaders who graduate college and seminary are entering. I did not speak from the vantage point of a scholar or educator (there were scholars and educators in the gathering) but from the vantage point of a pastor who observes […]
Character First, But Is Chemistry or Competence Next?
Several years ago William Vanderbloemen and I had a conversation where he asked me to force-rank important qualities to consider when bringing a new person on the team. Many leaders have used three our four C’s as a helpful alliterated tool to describe essential characteristics when interviewing potential team members. You have likely heard the […]
Adam Sandler’s Sermon on Happiness
OK – it wasn’t actually a sermon. Sandler’s message came in the form of a funny sketch, but it is loaded with much truth. Adam Sandler recently hosted Saturday Night Live and starred in a sketch as a tour guide warning people against using his tours to Italy to make them happy. Romano tours […]
3 Things That May Be True if People Are Constantly Complaining to You
In my first full-time ministry position, right out of college, I learned so much because I served with a leader who loved me enough to confront me and tell me the truth. He coached me on developing other leaders for ministry, and he encouraged me in my personal development. And I still remember one interaction […]
Buildings and Other Things That Leaders Shape … That Shape the Orgs They Lead
The great (and true) quote that “we shape our buildings and our buildings shape us” is credited to Winston Churchill. Other less insightful quotes are credited to him on the Internet as well, but this quote is really good because it is so true. As I shared in this post, leaders form their organizations by […]
How to Uncover the Values in Your Culture
While serving alongside the Auxano team, I learned the important distinction between vision, mission, strategy, and values. Well-intentioned leaders can confuse those and mix and match them in a way that actually harms clarity. Mission is the what. Your mission is what your organization or ministry is on the planet to do. Strategy is the […]
Culture Is the Hardest and the Last Thing Changed
Every ministry, every organization, every team has a culture. There have been numerous illustrations to try and capture what culture is and what culture means. Some have said that the culture is the DNA of an organization. And that just as every living organism has self-replicating material, every organization has a culture that will self-replicate. […]
6 Important and Impactful Quotes from Leaders
I recently offered my five most favorite leadership quotes. They are not from modern leaders, writers, or thinkers but from leaders, theologians, and philosophers whose writings and sayings have endured the times. This is not to say that only old, dead thinkers have the best quotes. And to prove it, here are six important and […]