4 Postures Leaders Long for on Their Teams (and Leaders Must Be for Their Teams)
I often hear leaders brag about people on their leadership teams, people they love serving alongside, people they hope never leave. I have recently thought about the most recurring themes or attributes that leaders long for on their teams – postures or approaches that people take towards their roles and organization or ministry they serve. […]
The Untruth of “There Is Truth in Every Criticism”
You have likely heard the cliché, “there is a grain of truth in every criticism.” It is usually offered to leaders as an encouragement to look for some truth in every criticism they face, to carefully evaluate themselves in the light of what someone has said about them, a decision they have made, or an […]
What Research Says About How Self-centeredness Grows in Us
According to research, the more isolated you are the more self-centered you are. And the more self-centered you are, the more likely you are to live isolated. University of Chicago Professor John Cacioppo led a ten-year study on self-centeredness using a scale he called the “Chronic Self Focus Scale.” He concluded that focusing on yourself […]
Beware the Person of a Single Book
Thomas Aquinas is credited with saying, “Beware the man of a single book.” Aquinas was an avid student of the Scripture, early church fathers, Aristotle, and the sciences, and he was clearly wary of those who only cared about one discipline or one issue. Aquinas’ quote reminds me of something my good friend Ed Stetzer […]
3 Marks of Humility in Leadership
We tend to despise pride in others and we recognize its destructive power. The Scripture teaches us that pride goes before destruction and haughty eyes before a fall. We long to serve with leaders who are humble, and we are wise to walk in humility ourselves. But what does humility in leadership look like? Here […]
4 Things I Learned from Stealing Credit Cards and Buying Beer in High School
I have spoken and talked a lot of character implosions over the last year. Leaders in ministry and leaders in the marketplace seem to be imploding at epidemic levels. Some suggest it has always been this way, that we are merely more aware because of our social media feeds and highly connected world. Regardless, people […]
The Good and the Bad of Our Fascination with Implosions
We are fascinated with implosions, with buildings falling. People come from miles around to watch them topple, tune into live television, and watch replays in slow motion. A video of a bus blocking the implosion view of the Georgia Dome went viral in 2017. How dare a bus driver continue his daily routine and disturb […]
3 Reasons a Humble Leader Is an Effective Leader
According to research, the most effective leaders are the most humble leaders. Research led by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman discovered that leaders who underrate themselves are more effective than those who rate themselves high on self-assessments. These results are no surprise to Christians. One of the greatest leaders in our collective story is Moses, […]
5 Ways Grace Must Impact Leadership
Believers who lead in the marketplace or in a ministry environment should be different leaders all together, meaning, being a Christian leader must be more than having a Bible in your office or praying before a meeting. If you are a Christian and a leader, the grace you have received should impact the totality of […]
4 Lessons from Studying Spurgeon
While I have not studied Charles Spurgeon as extensively as others, recently spending time in Spurgeon’s old stomping grounds led me to four thoughts: 1. God uses the nameless and ordinary. In 1850, a young, rough, and non-believing Charles Spurgeon walked into a Methodist church with questions about the Christian faith. On that Sunday there […]