responsibility
5 Things Every Church Leader Can Learn from the Mark Driscoll Situation
So let me start here. I struggle with pride. Do you? Doesn’t everyone? Pride is at the root of all sin. It is pride—the pursuit of self, of knowing better, of being right—that caused our fall in the first place.…
Why You Should Be the First To Apologize, And 5 Keys to Doing It Well
You probably have a love/hate relationship with apologies. You appreciate it deeply when others apologize to you. But you find it difficult to apologize to others. And let me guess, when you do apologize, you’re tempted to explain, justify or…
Why Trust Matters More Than You Realize (And 3 Ways To Create It When It's Not There)
Trust. You probably have a mixed relationship with it. On the one hand, you want to trust. On the other hand, you don’t want to get burned. On the one hand, you think you’re trustworthy. On the other hand, you…
12 Ways Selfish Ambition Damages a Leader’s Soul (And How to Tell If It’s An Issue For You)
If you’re like me (and like most people), you find selfishness in other people to be a real turn off. But if we’re honest, very few of us are naturally self-less. Every day, I fight selfishness. If you’re driven and…
How to Create an Energy Management List and Why Every Leader Should Have One
Almost every leader I know has a task list. (Come to think of it, I think school children carry task lists these days.) That’s awesome. If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to track…
Why You Should Never Let Your Circumstances Do This One Thing To You
Circumstances. You face them every day you are always reacting to them–positively or negatively. Think about it. What circumstances in your life do you wish would change right now? A different work environment that doesn’t suck the life out of…
5 Reasons Leaders Lack the Critical, Learnable Skill of Empathy
So you walk into a co-worker’s office to open up about something that’s bothering you. Two minutes into the conversation all you start hearing from your colleague are phrases like: It’s not that bad Why don’t you just try X?…
5 Ways Great Leaders Keep Hope Alive When Hope is Fading
We leaders are dealers in hope. Not hype, which is completely different. But hope. One of our key tasks is to move people toward a promise that’s real. Toward a better day. Toward a future that is better. But how…
7 Ways To Deal With Your Fickle Self-Confidence as a Leader
Self-confidence. Almost every leader I’ve ever met struggles with it at some level. I do. And my guess is you do too. Most of us swing between trying to avoid arrogance at all costs and having an unhealthily low self-esteem.…
Top 10 Habits of Leaders Who Effectively Guard Their Hearts
If someone asked you how your heart is, what would you say? I know, it’s a weird question But what I told you that the answer to that question would determine: How long you’ll last in leadership. How effective you’ll…
How Sex, Love and Marriage Are A Lot Like Leadership
I spent a day recently with a group of ministry friends and mentors, all of whom have been leading their organizations for a long time. In some cases over 20 years. We had a heartfelt, gut-wrenching conversation about the challenges…
How to Start Managing Your Time Better Beginning Today
You know the frustration. You put in a full day. You worked hard. But you didn’t even touch that important project. You’ve been meaning to. You intended to do it. It was first on your list. But the message isn’t…