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7 Reactions to Controlling Leadership

By Business, Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Team Leadership

Recently I was speaking with someone about their experience with a controlling leader. My friend said, “He’s just one of those humor him and move on kind of guys.” I thought to myself, “What a sad commentary to be said about one’s leadership!”

It reminds me of a similar experience I had with a controlling leader…

You see, I once had an idea…

It was a dream…a big vision…

I knew it would require risk, extra energies, and the assistance of others, but I was confident this was something worth pursuing…

I even felt it was a call of God for my life…

I was a volunteer for the organization, not an employee, but I had been given a certain amount responsibility and authority…

The only problem…

The leader of the organization was a controlling leader…

That fact alone changed the way I approached (or didn’t approach) the opportunity…

Many controlling leaders receive that kind of attention…

I’ve noticed from my own experience and watching others, that we tend to respond to controlling leaders by:

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January 18, 2011
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Friday Discussion: How Are You at Saying No?

By Culture, Family, Leadership

One of the greatest improvements you can make to your leadership and possibly your life is to learn when and how to say “No”. That’s a tough challenge for me. I’m a doer and a people helper. I like to say “Yes” if at all possible. The reality is, however, than when I say yes to one thing I am ultimately saying no to something else. Often that “something else” has a higher potential for greater good. When I say no to another meeting and yes to my family, for example, I’m investing in God’s greatest gift to me.

It’s a constant challenge, but it’s a battle worth winning.

Today I’ve got a couple of simple questions…

Are you more inclined to say “Yes” or more inclined to say “No”?

Does it bother you to say “No”?

Bonus question: What helpful hints do you have for learning to say “No”?

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January 14, 2011
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Scripture Memorization, Week 2

By Church, Encouragement, Life Plan

Last week we started memorizing Scripture together. (Read that post HERE.) It’s something we will do every week this year. A new verse will post each Saturday. Over 50 people said they were doing this based on the comments and then another 50 or so told me on Facebook, Twitter or by email. (You can still join in…whether you comment or not…but I’d love to hear that you will.) We have some people eager to learn God’s Word this year! How awesome is that?

Memorizing Scripture can be made easier than you may have thought. As I said last time, writing it down helps. Write it somewhere you will see often. One Twitter friend took my suggestion and wrote it on her mirror. Another (read his suggestion in the comments from last week), is going to make the verse the background on his phone each week. I love creative ways to do this! Please share them if you have more ideas.
Last week’s verse was:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

How did you do last week? Could you recite it if you had to?

This week our verse is:

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January 8, 2011
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3 Suggestions to Make a Good Speech or Sermon Great

By Church, Encouragement, Leadership

One secret to effective speaking is to learn what not to say…

Don’t give everything you’ve got in a message.

A standard joke is about the young preacher giving his first message. After he has studied hard and has lots of information, he can’t help but share everything he’s got. One key, however, to an effective message is when the speaker learns what to say and what not to say. The “what not to say” is perhaps the more important part. For me the best part of my sermon message preparation is after it’s written, going back and cutting parts of it to tighten up the talk.

Here are 3 suggestions to make a good talk great.

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January 7, 2011
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5 Questions to Unpack a Bible Passage to Teach

By Church, God, Leadership

Someone asked me recently how I address a Bible passage in order to teach about it. I certainly don’t claim to be an expert, but I do have a system. Of course the process begins and ends with prayer, but God has wired me to think systematically, so I need a format that works for me in writing a sermon message.

When teaching on a specific passage of Scripture, I consider five questions about the Bible text:

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January 5, 2011
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My Top 10 Posts of 2010

By Change, Encouragement, Leadership

Everyone seems to be making top 10 lists this time of year, so here are the top 10 blog posts of 2010. Please allow me to humbly say how thankful I am for readers this year. There are lots of blogs to read, so I’m thankful when you choose this one. I’m planning to write more in 2011, so I hope you’ll keep reading. It was be awesome if you would help promote this blog…I see it as a tool for ministry that…for whatever reason….God is using right now. You can add it as a link on your site, put me on your reader program, or sign up for an RSS feed or email. However you read it though…thank you! God bless you in 2011!

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January 1, 2011
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Unwrap Christmas – Gift of Love

By Church, Encouragement, God, Jesus, Life Plan

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

This might not be part of the Christmas story you share with your family as you sit around the fireplace, but maybe it should be!

As we unwrap the gifts of Christmas this year, we can’t help but mention God’s love. It was because of His great love for you and me that we even have a Christmas to celebrate!

When God created the heavens and the earth, the world was a perfect place. Man was in union with nature. Man had a committed relationship with his Creator God.

Then sin entered the realm of mankind. Sin separated man from God. What once was a perfect relationship was scarred forever. Men and women were subject to death, because of the plague of sin. Mankind could no longer reach a Holy God.

But then…

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December 22, 2010
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50+ Examples of “Successful Leadership Requires…”

By Encouragement, Innovation, Leadership

I was thinking about successful leadership recently…actually, I think about the subject a lot… I guess because I want to be a successful leader and, because I know so many “leaders” who think they are, but aren’t successful. You know the kind…. I talk weekly to ministers serving on church staffs around the country who are struggling with the leadership of the church where they serve, mainly because of the leadership…or lack thereof…coming from senior leadership in the church. Perhaps you understand…

I decided, since I have such awesome Twitter followers…and most people have an idea of what they think successful leadership looks like…that I’d put the subject to the test. I simply asked: What does successful leadership require?

I primed the pump…so-to-speak…with these suggestions:

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December 20, 2010
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How the World Demographics have Changed in 200 Years

By Change, Church, Culture, Innovation

This short video blows me away. It demonstrates the changes in the world over the last 200 years in age expectancy and poverty levels. I saw it on my friend Greg Atkinson’s blog, but I thought it was worth sharing here also. This shows how things can change in a couple hundred years. That may seem like a long time, but in view of history, it’s fast paced. What are the implications here for the church? For the future?

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December 17, 2010
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