5 Great Things That Happen When Leaders Get Out of Their Offices

It takes a love for the people and the work, coupled with a discipline to throw oneself into the work, for leaders to leave their offices. The pull to stay in your office can be strong. There are plenty of emails and plenty of meetings to keep leaders stuck in their offices. But wise leaders […]

3 Indications of Really Bad Leadership

While David was the king who was a man after God’s own heart, his predecessor was a king after the people’s heart. God’s people, living in the land the Lord had graciously given them, wanted a king because every other nation had a king. They rejected God as their true King to trade Him for […]

5 Reasons Leaders and Creators Need Routines

The myth on creativity is that creativity hates routines, that creativity is stifled by a schedule or plan. In reality, leaders and creators thrive in routines. Mason Currey, in his book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, chronicles the daily rituals and habits of many of the world’s most influential artists, authors, poets, and composers. What […]

3 Reasons Some Churches Struggle to Empower Younger Leaders

Intuitively church folks know that their churches must empower younger leaders. Simply stated, if a church fails to engage new generations, the church will eventually die. Yet while people know a church must empower younger leaders, some churches struggle to do so. They struggle to hand significant responsibility to younger leaders, to empower younger leaders […]

3 Reasons Leaders Are Made, Not Born

People have often asked, “Are leaders born or made?” This is not a new debate, not a new opening discussion question, and not a new title for an article or section in a book. Wise writers often hedge with a “surely both” response, noting that there are certainly God-given qualities in leaders and yet also […]

10 Proverbs for Leaders

While the Bible is not a book about leadership (it is God’s self-disclosing story of His creation, pursuit, rescue, and restoration of a people for Himself), there are incredible nuggets of leadership wisdom within the Bible. Because our faith should impact every aspect of our lives, including our leadership, we find great truth within the […]

Three Ways Ministry Leaders Think Strategically

Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo and former VP at Google, has told a great story about a phrase that greatly impacted her. The summer after her senior year of high school, she attended the National Youth Science Camp and was impressed by guest lecturer Zune Nguyen. As the students were discussing their awe of […]

Two Contradictory Leadership Traits and Learning to Embrace the Paradox

There are two seemingly contradictory traits I have seen in great leaders. 1. Great leaders need new challenges. Leaders need challenges to grow and develop. A healthy sense of being overwhelmed can push leaders to expand their capacity, learn new skills, and discover new ideas. Without new challenges, leaders can grow apathetic. At the same […]

Five Thoughts on Leaders Being Poets and Plumbers

James March, professor emeritus at Stanford, is known for his research and thinking on organizational design and behavior. March believes that every skilled leader is both a poet and a plumber. The poet work of leadership includes articulating direction and formalizing cultural values, crystalizing beliefs with words and stories. The plumbing work of leadership includes […]