Seven Ways to Fight Mission and Strategy Entropy

The second law of thermodynamics is about entropy: things move to disorder and chaos over time. This principle surrounds our daily lives. A well-ordered garage digresses to clutter; a cluttered garage never becomes an organized one without intervention. Our bodies, without exercise and care, experience muscle atrophy. Left alone our muscles grow weaker, not stronger. […]

Three Reasons Urgency Must Precede Vision

In his highly regarded book Leading Change, John Kotter articulates that establishing urgency must always precede communicating vision. Before attempting to implement change, leaders must create dissatisfaction with an ineffective status quo. They must help others develop a sense of angst over the brokenness around them. Without urgency, a vision will not take root in […]

When Two Values Collide, Development Must Win

Often in a ministry or organization, stated and/or unstated values will collide. When two values are at apparent odds with one another, leaders must decide which value wins. If a collision occurs, leaders must declare which value will be primary. A common example in church ministry is the tension between two commonly held values: leadership […]

Three Key Phrases Jesus Used for Leadership Development

Whether one is a Christian or not, one has to recognize that Jesus has changed the course of human history. His teaching and ministry began with a small group of unlearned, ordinary men and then turned into a movement that rapidly spread and is still spreading across the world. Remarkably, Jesus spent most of his […]

Four Essential Phrases in Leadership Development

The fruit of an effective leader is not merely followers but other leaders. Leaders are responsible for future leadership. While some worry that developing others and “working themselves out of a job” will result in not having a job, the reality is that those who can develop other leaders will always be in demand. Leaders […]

Three Common Mistakes in Designing a Church Discipleship Strategy

Every church should embrace the mission of making disciples and implement a strategy to accomplish that mission. Because the mission of a local church is to make disciples, a strategy is how the church is designed to make disciples. If a church’s strategy is not grounded in making disciples, the church has abandoned the mission […]

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 […]

Four Things Leaders Owe Their Followers

Max Depree wrote, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.” Leaders, we are servants and debtors. We are in debt to the people who follow us. And what do leaders owe those […]

Three Thoughts on How to Design a Ministry Strategy

During the Great Awakening, George Whitefield and John Wesley preached and ministered faithfully. Most would say Whitefield was the superior preacher. He was known as the phenomenal communicator of his day, even impressing Ben Franklin with his oratory skills. But years later, as historians compared the impact of Whitefield’s ministry to Wesley’s, they believed Wesley’s […]

Four Types of Tone-Deaf Leadership

When it comes to singing, I am likely tone-deaf (I say likely because I don’t fully understand the official definition, so just hang with me for the illustration). Now I can sing the right words; I just sing them the wrong way. While the Lord assures me He enjoys joyful noise, my apparent tone-deafness has […]