What should you do when a church is in decline? I get asked that question a lot.
It should be noted there are no cookie-cutter solutions for reversing a church in decline. Churches have unique characteristics, because they have different people. There are different reasons which cause decline. And […] Continue Reading…
As a pastor, I was often asked what my routine was as I prepared to preach on Sunday mornings. Ultimately, it’s all about Jesus, but I realize I have a responsibility as a shepherd to do all I can to be prepared.
Ideally, I always tried to be completely finished […] Continue Reading…
There are many leaders I admire who have influenced my own leadership. I admire the teachings on leadership by guys like John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, and Patrick Lencioni.
There are leaders from my personal life such as a former pastor, a former boss, a high school principal and leaders […] Continue Reading…
How do you fit more activity into an already busy schedule?
Isn’t this a great question?
How do you create more margin in your schedule – to do the things you want to do and the things you need to do?
Here are a 8 tips to create more margin:
Prioritize your life.
What […] Continue Reading…
Vision casting can be dangerous for the health of a team.
Sometimes vision-casting can destroy an otherwise healthy team.
I know that goes against what all the great leadership books and experts say, but it’s true. I have been guilty of this one – many times.
The most prolific vision-casters […] Continue Reading…
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen leaders make is forgetting everyone doesn’t think like them. I have personally made this mistake many times. We assume what we are thinking is what everyone else is thinking.
Wrong.
And time has proven this to me repeatedly.
The fact is people are different. They […] Continue Reading…
The Challenge
One of the greatest challenges I have felt as a senior leader is to regularly communicate the big picture vision I own in my head.
Of course, this is the idea behind vision and mission statements, but those are very broad statements. I am referring to the dreams […] Continue Reading…
In my experience, people typically tend to hire someone they can easily get along with, relate to and with whom they will enjoy working. That often translates into hiring people who think like them, make decisions like them, and even have similar life interests.
While hiring for cultural fit […] Continue Reading…
All the leadership examples I post on my blog come from real life situations – either mine or yours, collected through years of leadership experience.
I get asked frequently, “How do you post about people you know? Don’t they figure out you’re talking about them?”
And, truthfully, sometimes they ask, “Is […] Continue Reading…
Every organization has a life cycle. In fact, over time an organization will likely be many separate cycles. I have written about organizational life cycles before.
But I have observed another dynamic within these life cycles. In each life cycle the most successful organizations I have been a part of […] Continue Reading…
Being a leader isn’t easy. With every decision a leader makes someone is happy – and someone is not. One often misunderstood reason leadership is challenging is the tension every leader feels when making decisions.
And every leader experiences some of this tension – every single day.
In fact, learning to […] Continue Reading…
I’ve seen it so many times. Most likely you have also. It is tragic.
A leader can be doing everything else right and yet one flawed mindset overshadows and jeopardizes all the good leadership principles he or she knows.
One constantly repeated action. One trait. One habit. One mindset.
Sadly, many times it’s […] Continue Reading…
In this post I’d love to consider the heart of a leader.
Someone asked me recently what I primarily look for in the hiring of a staff position. I said, without reservation, first and foremost, I look for the heart. I want a heart which honors Christ more than self, […] Continue Reading…
I remember reading once that the can opener came almost 50 years after the tin can.
Wow, had you ever read that?
Here’s a way to discipline yourself to increase creativity on your team or in your organization…especially during times when money is tight.
When you are ready to make a purchase, ask yourself this question:
