What Character Is Not
To help define what character is, we should also examine what it is not.
Malcolm Webber
Character
Articles in this category focus on how a leader can refine and build their character in Christ and lead by example from a Holy life.
Malcolm Webber
The Issue No One Will Hold You Accountable For
I’ve never been a good worrier. I have met people my whole life who could out-worry me and were frustrated I wasn’t as worried as they were. I have often thought worrying just wasn’t my issue, something I was … above. A few months ago I was combing over the Sermon on the Mount with […]
Alan Briggs
How to Help Someone Not Change
Dear Stephen, I have this person in my life – maybe it’s my spouse, maybe it’s one of my kids, maybe it’s a friend – it doesn’t really matter. They have this sinful habit that drives me absolutely bonkers. They complain a lot. Or maybe they criticize me a lot. Or maybe they argue a […]
Stephen Altrogge
Three Keys to Avoiding the Curve that Kills Good Leadership (and Leaders)
You and I have a shape, a curve that defines how we live and lead. It is fashioned by a combination of our worldview, our faith, our self-image and our definition of success. Together these factors will bend us in one of two directions. Think of a lens. In high school science we learned that […]
Scott Rodin
The Disciplines of a Healthy Leader
The healthy and disciplined leader realizes he’s already broken. In this brokenness, he can be whole if he allows himself to be.
Joseph Lalonde
Handling Our Blind Spots Well
This week I sat through a lecture covering evangelical Christianity’s lack of diversity. The professor made his way through his material and arrived at his illustration. He was discussing the life of Johnathan Edwards. To my surprise, Edwards believed slavery was not only permissible, but biblically supported. Edwards had a blind spot. I [...]
Stephen Vaughn
Find Joy in Everything
The funeral last weekend was harrowing. An energetic young mother of two little girls, struck down by cancer. I have no idea how her husband was able to stand at the front and speak. Trying desperately to hold himself together, he recounted how his wife had a four-word motto she lived by – “Find joy […]
Rick James
The Role of Patience and Pain in Leadership
Looking around at the most relevant and cutting edge ideas about leadership today, I’m guessing these two ‒ patience and pain ‒ probably wouldn’t make the list..
Adrian Pei
Five Ways Leaders Lose Credibility
The most important leadership characteristic is credibility. Here are five common ways leaders lose their credibility.
Eric Geiger
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
"What's the excuse this time?" So often our team embarks on a new initiative and partway in, we can already hear people beginning to frame excuses as to why it won't (and eventually doesn't) work. What if we got them all into the open beforehand?
Corey Olynik
Great Preacher = Great Leader? Not So Fast!
When a leader admits his or her weaknesses in front of an audience, I think to myself: “That’s great that you see that and can articulate it so well. But how will you follow that up? What kinds of steps will you take over the next few months and years in response to what you just shared with everyone? Are you sharing because you want [...]
Adrian Pei
Life’s Greatest Challenges: Where Leaders are Made
We make our plans but they often go in much different ways. The key is how we respond to life’s challenges. Do we complain and moan? I often do. The challenge is to see beyond the circumstances and see the golden nuggets in the midst of our trials.
Joe Handley
The Danger of Possessiveness
In leadership, owning my own idea can be dangerous. If, as a leader, I place my value or my self-esteem on every idea I initiate, I will eventually become isolated from the valuable input of my team.
Jess MacCallum
7 Attributes of a Mature Leader
The best leaders I know are consistently getting better, but while all of that is true, you can often spot a mature leader. They share common attributes.
Ron Edmondson
What’s an “On the Level” Leader Worth?
It’s never too early or late to strengthen our commitment to becoming a God-honoring leader. Everyone impacted by our leadership, including us, will be so grateful we did.
Dan Lovaglia
3 Characteristics of a Kingdom Disciple
The primary calling of pastors and leaders in the Church is to lead people to become the type of disciples Christ has called them to be. And this means that ministry leaders must model what it means to be disciples.
Eric Geiger
3 Ways to Ensure Your Message Is Not Heard
The most important characteristic in effective communication and effective leadership is credibility. Incredible passion cannot overcome a lack of credibility. Sound logic, as important as it is, will not compensate for a lack of credibility. Just as people are unable to follow a leader they cannot believe or trust, a message will not be [...]
Eric Geiger
7 Actions For When You Can’t Respect the Leader
An individual can continue to grow even with a leader he or she cannot respect – sometimes even more. Here are seven actions I suggest when you don’t respect the leader.
Ron Edmondson
The Terrifying Danger of Falling off My Own Platform
Another week passes, and another painful story about a prominent pastor surfaces. The details vary, but I’ve noticed one common theme. It seems that the very traits that cause a man to rise to prominence invariably lead to his demise. The personality traits that allowed him to climb the mountain of ministry, and do so […]
Matt Rogers
Quiet Your Ego
I became a better thinker by becoming a better learner. To become a better learner, I had to quiet my ego. Edward D. Hess, Learn or Die It seems like a simple recipe. First, you quiet your ego. Then, you become a better learner. Finally, you emerge a better thinker. If you have ever witnessed […]
Paul Metler