May 30, 2023

Leaders are stewards: The question is what are you stewarding and for whom?

 


Most would acknowledge that leaders are stewards. By definition, stewardship means that we look after the interests of someone or something else rather than ourselves. However, what we are stewarding and for whom requires some deep thinking and regular realignment because it is easy to get this wrong. We can inadvertently steward the wrong thing! This is true whether you lead a team or an...

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Apr 23, 2023

Grow your self awareness and become a better version of you

 


Dictionary

Definitions from Oxford LanguagesLearn more
self-a·ware·ness
noun
  1. conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.
    "the process can be painful but it leads to greater self-awareness"

Do you know who you are and why you do what you do? Do you know how others experience you? Too often we pay too little attention to understanding ourselves and in the process we...

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Mar 10, 2023

Characteristics of gracious leaders

 


I love meeting gracious leaders. There is a quality that endears them to insiders and outsiders alike. Moreover, they possess essential characteristics that all leaders can emulate and learn from. Here are some of the most important.


When they are with you, they focus on the conversation rather than thinking about other things. Being present in the moment when with others is a discipline that...
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Mar 09, 2023

Don't allow these issues to derail your great leadership




It is possible to have effective leadership skills and still undermine one's leadership. And this is not only a risk for young leaders for often for leaders that have seen significant success. 


Hubris. This should be obvious, but it isn't always! Success breeds confidence, and that confidence can cause us to overestimate our wisdom and underestimate our need for counsel. This can creep up on us...
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Feb 28, 2023

The whiplash effect of leaders who easily change their minds and strategies

 


One of the most difficult challenges many staff teams face is a leader who has new ideas on a frequent basis. Those new ideas can set off a chain of changes that reverberate through the staff and organization as there is a scramble to implement the newest version of the leader's vision or strategy.

Any change that comes from the top impacts the organization. And changes are absolutely necessary...

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Feb 13, 2023

Church staff cultures: Who is responsible for ensuring that it is healthy?

 


In my many years of working with churches, I have encountered many situations where the culture of the staff is unhealthy. In many cases, these are good churches with vibrant ministries, and congregants would not necessarily know there are internal challenges. Although, inevitably, dishealth at the staff level does spill out into the congregation. It is usually only a matter of time.

Who is...

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Jan 31, 2023

What is growing in the petri dish of your organization's culture?

 


Organizational culture and what it looks like is a critical component of any for-profit or not-for-profit enterprise. And you can be sure that your culture is growing either health or dishealth that will impact your organization. In fact, Culture is never neutral. It either contributes to a healthy organization or creates dysfunction and frustration. With culture, there is no neutral ground. 

Ever...

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