When I became the senior pastor of Mariners Church over three years ago, I made the decision to ask Kenton Beshore (my predecessor and long-time pastor of Mariners) to stay on staff and to be on our teaching team. One of the most common thread of questions I receive from other ministry leaders is around…
Kindness
A Tale of Two Pandemics (And Being Compassionate About Both)
The definition of a pandemic, according to the dictionary, is a “disease that occurs over a wide geographic area.” CoVid clearly meets that definition as the virus has spread across the globe, and over 200,000 people in the US have died. And as we all have recognized, CoVid is not the only struggle that people…
Thick Skin, Tender Hearts, and Four Types of Leaders
Leaders are often applauded for and encouraged to develop “thick skin.” A leader with “thick skin” is not crushed by criticism nor destroyed by disappointing results. The pain, the criticism, the challenges seem to “roll-off” the leader’s skin without seeping into the leader’s heart. While a leader with “thin skin” is often paralyzed by challenges…
Links for Leaders 10/9/15
Effective communication is vital for effective leadership. If leaders cannot communicate well, they likely cannot lead well. Here are 75 words that are often used incorrectly. How many do you use? Fix it. “Leaders are tempted by power, and its misuse. Pride and ego are great temptations for a leader, and they each manifest themselves…
Links for Leaders 9/4/15
If you’re in leadership, your faith needs to be undergirding everything you do, which means you need to be a regular prayer. Great post on the importance of prayer in leadership by Carolyn Taketa. “The most effective leaders are authoritative, not authoritarian.” Helpful wisdom from Dan Rockwell on how you can lead with authority without…
Five Ways to Critique Without Crushing
As a leader, you owe it to those you lead to offer them feedback. Without feedback, development is hampered, as people don’t know what actions to repeat and what actions to tweak. Giving encouragement and accolades is not something leaders dread, but offering feedback that could be perceived as critical is something many leaders struggle…
Links for Leaders 1/16/15
Kindness goes a long way when it comes to leadership. Thankful for my friend and neighbor Paul Jankowski. He shares 10 ways we can be kinder to each other on Forbes. If you’re a leader implementing large, long-lasting change in your organization, be sure to read what Scott Cochrane has to say about rolling up…