Personal Growth
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…
5 Simple Changes That Can Make You Better Thinker In the Next 7 Days
“There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking.” – Sir Joshua Reynold We don’t think enough. And yet mostly, as a lead pastor, the most important part of my job…
Become More Daring: 7 Risks Any Leader Can Take Today
The problem with many leaders is that there is a gap between what they want to see happen and what they will do today. We dream of a radical new future, but then we answer email all day, go to…
How Imitation Can Kill The Innovation Inside You (In 3 Distinct Ways)
If you’re like me, you like to track with people who are ahead of you in age and stage, and probably ahead of you in their level of ‘success’. Chance are you do this in real life (I hope you…
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.…
How to Be An Appropriately Transparent Leader (Without Oversharing)
Being an authentic leader is hardly negotiable anymore. People want to see the real you, with your weaknesses, mistakes, and vulnerabilities. You know that, because you’re watching the last fumes of the ‘never let ’em see you sweat’ leader vaporize into the…
5 Ways to Relax on Your Christmas Break (Driven Person Edition)
So you’re off for Christmas, but some of you for sure are going to have a hard time winding down. I know I do. Being a driven kind of person, the idea of doing nothing but resting is unsettling for…
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…
5 Habits that Reveal You’re a Prideful Leader (And 5 Keys to Humility)
Nobody likes a proud or arrogant leader. But leaders end up there sometimes without even realizing it. You set out for humility, but end up in a very different place. How would you know if it’s happening to you? Pride…
5 Ways People Pleasing Undermines Your Leadership
Are you a people pleaser? If you think you have no people-pleasing tendencies, just remember how you felt the last time someone criticized you. Not fun is it? Even those of us who don’t think we’re people pleasers feel the…
5 Unusual Ways Ministry Leaders Struggle With God
Most of us who get into full-time ministry do so because we sense a calling, not because it was a ‘career path’. Chances are you got in this because you love God, deeply, right? So it’s always a bit surprising…
Why Work-Life Balance is a Trap
Almost everyone you talk to is trying to lead a balanced life. But what if that’s the wrong goal? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think everyone should work 80 hours a week. But here’s my struggle. I think in…