Mission
CNLP 297: Gordon MacDonald Shares 8 Decades of Wisdom and Life Lessons, Father Wounds, the Dangers of Drivenness, Counselling a U.S. President, and What Leaders Struggle with Between Ages 32-42 and at Age 48 and Age 62
Gordon MacDonald has written books read by millions, spoken to almost as many and has left a lasting impact on the leadership and heart of several generations. In this wide-ranging interview, Gordon talks about his own wounds from his father, counseling President Bill Clinton, the dangers of drivenness, and the crisis most leaders go through…
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CNLP 296: Mark Batterson on How He Beat Overwhelm to Keep His Marriage Strong, Strategic Quitting and Continual Innovation and Why Blessing and Generosity Aren’t Tied to the Prosperity Gospel
As his career as an author and speaker took off, Mark Batterson was faced with so many requests for his time that he couldn’t keep up. The insane pace eventually led to his wife, Lora, telling Mark that she “didn’t sign up for this.” Mark talks about how Lora’s concern led him to scale back…
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4 Big Signs It’s Not Going To Turn Around
How do you know whether whatever you’re leading is going to turn around? That’s a great question. So many leaders I know are trying to turn their organization around. Sometimes that means moving a stuck or declining organization into growth. Other times it means that while they have momentum, they sense they’re losing it and…
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CNLP 295: Rich Birch on Whether Multi-Site Has Peaked, What You Need to Succeed as You Add Locations, and Some of the Keys to Sustained Growth
Has the multi-site movement peaked? What’s next for church leaders and other organizations that want to expand and add locations? Few leaders understand multi-site as well as Rich Birch, and in this interview, Rich opens his notebook on decades of lessons helping mega-churches expand, grow and reach more people. Welcome to Episode 295 of the…
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How to Deal With Toxic People (7 Pro Tips)
Leadership would be so much easier, the saying goes, if it wasn’t for people. And topping off the list of difficult people to work with or lead is toxic people. The hard part is, as much as we might wish it was otherwise, toxic people are everywhere. Two questions spring up almost immediately when the…
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5 Reasons Your Church Shouldn’t Copy a Mega-Church
If someone asked you who you’re following in today’s church landscape, you could probably answer with a list of 3-5 church leaders and perhaps 3-5 organizations to whom you’re paying close attention. Even if you say you don’t have a list, chances are you do. Your list might simply consist of critics of mega-church leaders or mega-churches. We all…
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CNLP 293: Jeff Henderson on Why Most Organizations are Narcissistic, the New Way to Do Customer Service and the Future of Business
If a business was a person, many businesses would be considered narcissists. And narcissism is bad for business. That’s what Jeff Henderson argues in his new book, Know What You’re FOR. With retail sales declining, a cynical spirit abounding, and many organizations struggling to make progress, how do you stand out? Jeff Henderson shares a…
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CNLP 292: Clay Scroggins on How to Lead in a World of Distraction and Turning Down the Noise So You Can Get Healthy
Clay Scroggins is back on the podcast with some fresh insights from his brand new book, How to Lead in a World of Distraction. In an open and vulnerable interview, Clay talks about how the pressures of leadership led to him missing some of the signs of emotional ill-health, breaking down in his boss’s office,…
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5 Signs You May Be Losing Your Edge As A Leader
Are you losing your edge as a leader? And if you are, how would you even know? I’ve asked myself these questions more than once, and I think if you stick around in leadership for long, you have to ask them. I have a theory that everyone needs to renew their leadership every 7-10 years…
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CNLP 291: David Platt on Hell, Suffering, Eternity and Why the Hard Questions About Christianity Haven’t Led to His Deconversion, and What Needs to Change Among Christians to Truly Impact the World
There are so many deconversion stories away from Christianity these days. David Platt has seen some of the greatest suffering on earth and has again, recently, asked some of the toughest questions: In a universe governed by a good God, is hell really a place? Will so many people born into an earthly hell really…
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