4 Tasks of a Senior Leader
My friend Steve Graves recently met with some of our leadership team and shared four tasks of a senior leader. I found his framework helpful and challenging, and in sharing it with you, I have added some of my own thoughts. So, here are the four tasks that every senior leader must be preoccupied with and […]
7 Reasons a Leader Feels Insecure
The following comes from Pastor Johnny Hunt. Johnny M. Hunt is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., and author of several books, including Building Your Leadership Resume. Since my mid-twenties, Pastor Johnny has been a role model and encourager to me. He loves the Church and loves pastors. I am grateful for his faithfulness, […]
The Most Important Leadership Characteristic
In their landmark leadership book The Leadership Challenge, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner share that the most important leadership characteristic is credibility. Based on extensive research over two decades, they boldly claim that “more than anything, we want leaders who are credible. People must be able to believe in their leaders.” To Kouzes and Posner, […]
Steve Jobs on Leadership and the Idol of Approval
Jony Ive is the senior vice president of design at Apple and is known as the great design mind behind the products at Apple. In a rare interview, Jony shares some lessons he learned from working with Steve Jobs. In the interview, he recounts a conversation with Steve where Steve rebukes him for leading to […]
When Should Leaders Change Their Minds?
The following is a guest post by Dr. Jeff Iorg. Jeff Iorg is president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Seasons of a Leader’s Life, The Painful Side of Leadership, and Unscripted. Iorg, and his wife Ann have three children and live in Mill Valley, Calif. His hobbies include […]
Machiavelli, the Godfather, and Our Upside-Down Kingdom
Which is more important for a leader, to be loved or to be feared? The question has existed and has been debated for centuries. For example, the famous philosopher Machiavelli believed that it is rare to be both feared and loved, and if a leader were confronted with choosing one over the other, then the […]
Offer a Map, Not a Menu
Some church leaders offer the people in their churches a menu—a menu of all the programs, studies, activities, and events that the church programmatically offers. Essentially the message is “Here is what we have; choose what you want.” With this approach, churches have expanding menus as something can always be added. Churches with menus grow […]
2 Leadership Imperatives in a Difficult Season
You will lead through a challenging and difficult season. You are a leader in your context precisely because there are challenging seasons in your ministry or organization. In some sense, leaders are not really necessary if there are not challenges and difficult seasons. Leaders are both developed and revealed in the trials of a difficult […]
5 Gifts for Your Pastors for Pastor Appreciation Month (and all the time)
October is fast approaching, which means so is “Pastor Appreciation Month.” Very few folks celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month, and I am not advocating that it become a more prominent holiday on our calendars. While I am grateful for those in our churches who express appreciation to pastors during October, it is far better for the […]
6 Ways to Build a Loyal Team and Become a Better Leader
Today’s blog is from my friend and colleague Todd Adkins. Todd serves as our Director of Leadership at LifeWay. We first served together in student ministry, more than a decade ago in Cincinnati, Ohio. I headed to Miami, and Todd went off to McLean Bible Church to serve as executive director of Frontline—the young adult […]