Fortune magazine recently named Theo Epstein the greatest leader in the world. Epstein is the president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs and is known as the architect behind their first World Series championship in over 100 years. He performed the same way for the Boston Red Sox before taking the assignment in Chicago….
Humility
Leader: Are You Refusing or Receiving Accountability?
Refusing accountability means refusing care, development, and credibility.
5 Ways to Lead in Ministry When Your Leader Is Not Leading
To be clear upfront, this post is not prompted by my context or personal experience as I am honored to serve under great leaders. However, I am commonly asked questions around the theme of “Help, my leader is not really leading.” Examples include: How can I design a discipleship process when my leader does not…
The NBA Championship and How the Mighty Fall
In his business book, How the Mighty Fall, Jim Collins chronicles what causes great companies to crumble. The first stage is hubris. The dictionary defines hubris as excessive pride. When the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors last night to win their first NBA championship behind monster performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving,…
5 Thoughts on Leaders and Insecurity
I recently preached a sermon on the struggle and destruction of pride. Afterwards a man in the church joked with me that he “never, ever, ever struggles with pride because humility is something he has personally mastered.” Clearly our struggle with pride is real and consistent. In the same way, leaders often wrestle with insecurity…
Three Temptations Leaders Must Fight Daily
John Owen strongly challenged: “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” Overcoming temptation is active, not passive. Defeating sin requires grace-driven effort. D.A. Carson said, “Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness.” With that in mind, here are three temptations leaders must fight against daily: 1. The temptation to speak…
Five Necessary Character Traits for Handling Criticism Well
Elbert Hubbard quipped, “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Because leaders cannot afford to do nothing or say nothing, being criticized comes with the territory of being a leader. In leadership, affirmation today does not mean affirmation tomorrow. In many ways leaders face the same volatility as coaches who can, within…
Four Ways to Attack a Sense of Entitlement
Zappos is routinely recognized as an incredible place to work. They take leadership development seriously, are clear on their values and protective of them—even offering people money to leave if they do not fit the culture, and they give very generous perks. Yet even Zappos struggles with employees displaying a sense of entitlement. Despite free…
Five Ways Leaders Lose Credibility
In The Leadership Challenge, researchers and authors, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner claim that the most important leadership characteristic is credibility. Based on extensive research over two decades, they write that “more than anything, we want leaders who are credible. People must be able to believe in their leaders.” Without credibility a “leader” won’t be…
You’re Not a Leader If You Never Say You’re Sorry
You are not a good leader if you never tell people you are sorry. There are a myriad of issues in the heart of a leader who never apologizes. If you never apologize, at least one of the following is also true: You reveal you think you are infallible. If you never apologize, if you…