Poptarts, Budweiser, and Leadership
Poptarts and Budweiser. I am endorsing neither, but one of these brands has experienced 25 years of consecutive decline and one has experienced 30 years of consecutive growth. When I have asked people which one has been growing, they often respond with Budweiser. After all, they have produced some commercials that seemed to grab cultural […]
3 Things a Lack of Integrity Kills
When the apostle Paul challenged Timothy to expand the ministry and hand responsibilities over to others, he emphasized character over competence. He didn’t diminish competence, but he started with integrity and faithfulness. Notice the order of the language of this often-quoted verse: The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses […]
4 Groups to Whom the Leader Should Listen
The culture and direction of entire organizations, churches, ministries, and institutions is driven, in part, by whom the leader listens to. These people impact much of the leader’s decision-making, direction, and perception of reality—both challenges and opportunities. As I recently shared, wise leaders ensure they are hearing the right voices and listening to people who […]
Pete Carroll and the Pain of Leadership
During the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, some were speculating if Pete Carroll should be considered one of the greatest coaches of all time. He won multiple championships coaching at USC and was on his way to winning his second straight Super Bowl, a feat many deem almost impossible in the days of free […]
2 Ways Leaders Should Learn from Their Experiences
Leaders who care about their own personal development are like sponges to an array of resources in order to acquire new knowledge and skills. They will read books, consider continuing education, attend conferences, and scour articles that have been sent to them by their leaders. While these are important and can be very helpful, nothing […]
Stay in Your Lane or Own the Whole?
Perhaps you have had a leader challenge you to “stay in your lane.” Whether your mind conjured up a football analogy or lanes on an interstate, you got the message. Quit trying to lead everyone else’s area, and focus on yours. And perhaps you heard a different message in a different meeting when the leader […]
Leadership Requires More Than Self-Awareness
A wise and effective leader possesses more than self-awareness; he also has a keen awareness of the team. More than a sense of his/her unique gifting, he/she has a sense of the people on the team, their gifts and potential. Team-awareness enables the leader to leverage the gifts of the team, to hand over responsibility […]
Testing Leadership Ambition
The following is by Kyle Worley. Kyle is a connections minister at The Village Church. He is also the author of Pitfalls: Along the Path to Young and Reformed. I had spent months writing a book, working hard to speak truthfully and persuasively, and I sat there holding it in my hands deciding whether or not I should give it to […]
3 Reasons (Some) Churches Don’t Value Equipping
The biblical model for local church ministry is not that pastors would “do ministry” but that they would “equip others for ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Sadly, many churches do not recognize or act on the assignment God has given pastors. For example, peruse the typical job descriptions churches give for their pastors. In many churches, you […]
4 Principles for Building a High-Performing Team
The following is a guest post by Faith Whatley. Faith serves on our team in the Church Resources Division at LifeWay and is the director of adult ministry. She is an incredible leader and it is an honor to serve churches alongside her. While some of her articles on our leadership channel are directed to women […]