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Category Archive: Leadership Development

3 Critical Elements Of Time Management

Posted by on January 17, 2014

The great misnomer about this subject is we really don’t manage time we prioritize it. However, there are some really good questions that we should be asking ourselves about how we spend our time on in reality waste it. Anything I can read on this subject always helps this and this post by Ron Edmondson is no exception:

“Time is one of the greatest assets of any leader. Learning to balance a leader’s time effectively is often a key in determining the level of success the leader attains. In my experience, every leader has three critical segments where they must invest their time on a regular basis.”

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How To Lead Under Pressure

Posted by on January 6, 2014

If there is any weakness in your leadership armor it will surely show up under pressure. Most of us can lead through normal problems but when a crisis or major stress get involved we fumble the ball. The post by Brian Dodd brings up some bad memories for this Alabama fan but it was still helpful for me:

“Are you feeling under intense pressure? Periodically I go through seasons in my life when the pressure seems almost too much to bear. Pressure to perform. Pressure to hit numbers. Pressure on my calendar.

As leaders, pressure is something we must deal with, manage, and ultimately overcome. I have also learned the difference between good leaders and great leaders is the ability to execute under pressure.”

How To Reach Your Goals In 2014

Posted by on January 1, 2014

It never ceases to amaze me how many great ideas I have and how many sincere commitments I make only to be reminded a few months later that nothing really changed. We are often emotionally moved but rarely permanently changed and there are some practical reasons why. Carey Nieuwhof has some thoughts that will help all of us as we start the new year:

“Chances are you are already thinking about your goals for 2014.

And maybe you’re already wondering whether you’re actually going to hit them or not.

Why is that so many of us set out to accomplish something but fail to do as much as we’d hope?

The answer is simpler than you think.

It involves a dynamic few people talk about. But once you see it, things can begin to change. Radically.”

Categories: Goal Setting Personal Leadership | Comments Off on How To Reach Your Goals In 2014

The 5 Levels Of Leadership

Posted by on December 18, 2013

There is no doubt that people follow their leaders for totally different reasons. In Good To Great, Jim Collins talks about Level 5 leaders who demonstrate high character and an iron will to get things done. Positional leadership is the weakest level of commitment and will never be effective. John Maxwell gives us another helpful model that can help us to be more effective:

“I came up with the idea of five distinct levels of leadership many years ago, and first described the concept in a book inDeveloping the Leader Within You. And in 2011, I devoted an entire book, The 5 Levels of Leadership, to exploring the levels – their upsides, downsides, the best behaviors for that level, the beliefs that help a leader move up to the next level, and how the level relates to the Laws of Leadership.”

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How To Stop Being A People Pleasing Pastor

Posted by on December 5, 2013

Leading the local church may be the single most difficult leadership assignment I know. Think about it, your customers are your workforce and your financial supporters. With that reality its easy to see when pastors fall into the trap of trying to please everyone. Ron Edmondson has some helpful advice on how to deal with this problem:

“I recognize I am a People Pleaser Pastor. How do I turn the tide on this? How do I stop? I am seeing tension mounting on the team. There is frustration on our staff and it is even spilling over to our spouses, and my vision has hit a brick wall. I really want to move away from this but I am finding it most difficult.”

Categories: Pastoral Leadership | Comments Off on How To Stop Being A People Pleasing Pastor

What If You Work For A Bad Leader

Posted by on December 4, 2013

I cannot tell you how many times I have been in this situation. Several times I reacted in the wrong way because I could justify my behavior because I was “right” after all. However, in the end if I respond in the wrong way then I am just as wrong as any leader I have disagreed with. Great post from Michael Hyatt:

“About once a week I get an email from someone who wants to know how to work for a bad leader. Maybe their boss is a jerk. Maybe he is just incompetent. Regardless, they are not quite sure how to lead well in this kind of situation.”

Categories: Leadership Development Staff Development | Comments Off on What If You Work For A Bad Leader

Sports Vs. Church

Posted by on November 29, 2013

I have to admit that I am more than a little old school on this one. I get the whole idea that the family is the primary platform for spiritual growth and that character can be built in sports. However, it still bothers me when I see families making choices that seem to have very little to do with discipleship and more to do with culture. This blog post by Family Discipleship Path will at least challenge your thinking:

“WARNING: The following may make you uncomfortable…may even make you mad!

Last Sunday morning I found myself sitting on a soccer field with one of my children for a tournament game. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining. I was enjoying some fabulous coffee.

I was also experiencing great frustration and conflict.”

Very important conversation: Read More…

Categories: Core Values Parenting Pastoral Leadership Spiritual Growth | Comments Off on Sports Vs. Church

An Unguarded Strength Is A Double Weakness

Posted by on November 27, 2013

We are often emotionally moved when we hear a great speech or read a great book but we are rarely permanently changed. Where is the breakdown between what we feel in the moment and what never seems to become a part of our daily lives? The Legacy Dad blog takes on this important subject in all of our lives:

“There are things that I really like about men’s conferences, leadership conferences, and so on. And if we are all honest, for those of us that go to these conferences, we find ourselves for the first week (few weeks, months or slightly thereafter) doing these things that we say we are going to do and THEN life steps back in and we lose our focus and our way.”

7 Suggestions When Church Is In Decline

Posted by on November 26, 2013

All churches at some point in time stall in their growth and lose their momentum. The key is to discover why and try to make the necessary changes before real decline sets it. If you find yourself in this situation, Ron Edmondson’s post will be very helpful:

“There are no cookie-cutter solutions for reversing a church in decline. Churches have unique characteristics, because they have different people. They are different reasons that cause decline. It could be anything from poor leadership, to being locked into the traditions of men or simply a change in population in the community.”

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How To Use Social Media

Posted by on November 22, 2013

One of the great questions facing leaders today: Is the use of social media a waste of time and manpower or should it be a critical piece of todays marketing platform? The truth can lie somewhere in the middle and Carey Nieuwhof has some helpful guidelines for any organization:

Social media has changed the leadership landscape radically in the last few years.

The question is how do you use it optimally as a leader?

In my experience, social media is both about what you do on social media as well as how you do it. The what is your content. The how is your tone.

Both are critical.

Categories: Leadership Development Storytelling | Comments Off on How To Use Social Media