Reprimand at the Moment or Look for a Teachable Moment?
If you lead people in any way … in a church, a business, or a team, those you lead will screw up, fail, and often disappoint you. When that happens, and that employee or team member needs correction, when is the best time to correct? In the past, when a staff person who reported to me made
Do these 4 Steps Lead to a Pastor’s Moral Failure?
Each year it seems that another famous pastor steps down due to moral failure. As I’ve read about these falls, I’ve often wondered if there are threads common to these falls. Several years ago H. B. London interviewed Archibald Hart, author and Dean Emeritus at Fuller seminary, on this subject. He suggested four steps that lead
3 Simple Questions that Can Make or Break Leadership Effectiveness
Sometimes leaders can view their role only encompassing the big-picture, long-term, and strategic kind of stuff. I’ve learned, however, that how I treat simple one-on-one encounters with others may impact my leadership and my church in greater ways than my big-picture stuff. I suggest silently asking yourself these three questions when you’re with another person at your church or organization. 3 Key Questions
Is this the Holy Grail for Effective Leadership?
The term ‘holy grail’ is often used to describe something highly sought after or earnestly pursued and perhaps when we think of leadership. Whether you are a leader in a ministry environment or a business environment, great leaders are always looking for ways to lead better. But is there such thing as a ‘holy grail’
Stress is NOT your Biggest Problem: Perspective is
The Power of Perspective What if stress isn’t your biggest problem? What if how you see stress is? In neuroscience, there’s a concept called reappraisal. It means reframing a stressful situation in a new light—seeing it not as a threat, but as a challenge, or even a growth opportunity. Scripture calls it “renewing your mind” (Romans 12:2). In
A Powerful Tool to Help Create Change in your Church
Change in every church is difficult, but necessary. Things that are alive, change. One powerful tool that can help move change forward in your church is storytelling. I’ve excerpted a brief portion of my fourth book Brain-Savvy Leaders, the Science of Significant Ministry below that describes the power of storytelling to create change. Narrative persuasion is a
The Three B’s that Build Stress Resilience
The Three B’s that Build Stress Resilience I often get asked, “How do we actually build resilience?” Over the years of study, coaching, and personal trials, I’ve come to rely on what I call the Three B’s: – Biblical truth – Brain insight – Best practices These three strands form what Ecclesiastes 4:12 calls “a triple-braided cord”—not easily
Are You a Catalytic Leader?
The book, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leadership Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom, highlights the value of what the authors call, ‘leaderless’ organizations. Although I don’t advocate leaderless organizations, one chapter describes tools that successful non-leader leaders use to catalyze their respective organizations. These qualities also apply to catalytic leaders. I’ve summarized them below. Qualities
Does the Bible have Refrigerator Rights in Your Life?
When I visited my parents when I was younger, within five minutes of my arrival I almost always open the refrigerator to see what’s in it. I did this for years. And they didn’t mind me doing so. However, I don’t have that freedom to do that in most everyone else’s home. If someone invited
