Feedback Attacks the Biggest Prohibitor to Development

“Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.” (Proverbs 27:5-6) Many leaders, both in ministry and the marketplace, struggle with providing feedback to team members. Someone displays a deficiency in the execution of his or her role, and leaders fail to […]

10 Axioms About Leadership and Feedback

A leader’s relationship with feedback will greatly impact the leader’s effectiveness and the growth of the team. While it is natural to resist receiving feedback, and some struggle to offer feedback, both receiving and giving feedback are critical in leadership. Here are ten axioms or truths about feedback and leadership: 1. Your growth is hampered […]

5 Characteristics of Meetings That Develop (Not Deteriorate) the Team

Meetings can be used to develop the culture of the team, or they can be used to deteriorate the culture of the team. Meetings can be used to develop people, or they can be used to demoralize people. There really is no such thing as neutral meetings. They either develop or deteriorate. Here are five […]

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 […]

Take Responsibility for Your Own Feedback

Feedback fuels your leadership development. It helps you adjust what needs to be adjusted, builds confidence, and confirms areas of strength. Without feedback, your growth as a leader is stunted. But what if your boss or leader does not offer feedback? Or not enough of it? This was a recent conversation with a group of […]

2 Ways Leaders Should Learn from Their Experiences

Leaders who care about their own personal development are like sponges to an array of resources in order to acquire new knowledge and skills. They will read books, consider continuing education, attend conferences, and scour articles that have been sent to them by their leaders. While these are important and can be very helpful, nothing […]

6 Ways to Build a Loyal Team and Become a Better Leader

Today’s blog is from my friend and colleague Todd Adkins. Todd serves as our Director of Leadership at LifeWay. We first served together in student ministry, more than a decade ago in Cincinnati, Ohio. I headed to Miami, and Todd went off to McLean Bible Church to serve as executive director of Frontline—the young adult […]

6 Ways to Build a Culture of Feedback

Under the guise of “being nice,” many leaders fail to offer feedback to those they lead. Instead, they often ignore or work around the deficiency. Because feedback is an essential ingredient in development, teams and individuals suffer when leaders fail to provide it. So how do you, as a leader, develop a culture of feedback in […]

The Cruelty of No Feedback

Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive. (Proverbs 27:5-6) According to the proverb, it is loving to provide corrective feedback to those you love. Corrective feedback, of course, is not about being right or about making a point. The motivation […]