Clay Scroggins, bestselling author and speaker, explains why he stepped away from leading a church full-time, how to tackle the rapid change that every leader is facing, what he’s learning about being his own boss, and how vulnerability is critical to great leadership.
Welcome to Episode 476 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
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Conversation Links
The Aspiring Leader’s Guide to the Future by Clay Scroggins
How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge by Clay Scroggins
How to Lead in a World of Distraction by Clay Scroggins
At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof
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Insights From Clay
1. The future of business and ministry are intertwined—it’s a conflict of affordability, access and opportunity
The past couple of years have compressed more than ten years of social change into two years. No one will argue that being “in person” is better socially—for the most part—but most companies (and churches) are dealing with the fallout of opportunity that “going virtual” created. For example, it’s much easier and cheaper to host events online than it is to plan and execute a large-scale in-person gathering (and you can often reach more people online).
Additionally, the promise of remote work has opened up numerous opportunities for people who don’t want to physically uproot their family to take on their dream job (or a job with more pay). The barriers to entry for the online world have been lowered exponentially. So, just like every congregant and employee is weighing their willingness to “show up” to the office or church, leaders—in business and ministry—need to wrestle with the same questions.
What does it mean to be a faithful steward when it comes to serving the needs of both an in-person and virtual audience? If something can be cheaper (and if it can reach more people), should that option always be the one that’s taken?
2. As the pace of social and technological change increases, leaders need to let go of their fears of failure and humiliation
The rapidity of change is constantly increasing. Unfortunately, most leaders are afraid of looking incompetent and out of the loop (either by personal design or outside expectation), which means experimentation with new ways of thinking and doing things aren’t encouraged.
According to Clay, future leaders—especially in the church—need to step out and begin to “fail quickly” so they can learn from their mistakes and not be left behind. The fear of humiliation holds a lot of leaders back from innovation, and those are the leaders who will ultimately hold themselves back from engaging in the present.
This is not to say leaders should be brash and irrational, but it does mean that they should develop more courage to interact with a rapidly changing world. Therefore, the most important skills a leader can develop is agility and adaptability.
3. The future of leadership will require leaders to develop the ability to have hard conversations and dive into difficult topics
We’re more polarized than ever before. Blame it on social media algorithms or rage-filled news cycles, but civility and empathetic dialogue feel like they belong on the endangered species list. This conundrum forms a huge opportunity and potential pitfall for future leaders—what type of leader do you want to be? It’s easy to gain a platform by adding fuel to the fire, but leaders who truly make a (positive) difference in the present will need to thoughtfully approach cultural conflict with nuance and empathy.
This doesn’t mean one should sacrifice their convictions, but it does mean leaders should listen to opposing viewpoints and seek to understand both sides of conflict before engaging with the issue at hand. And, just like leaders are afraid of failure and humiliation, they can also be paralyzed by indecision and lack of knowledge. In a world where everyone thinks they have to share their opinion, saying, “I don’t know” can be one of the most liberating things a leader can say (and illustrate for others).
Quotes from Episode 476
The leader of the future is going to have to be willing to try and fail and see their failures as growth and expensive lessons. @clayscroggins Click To Tweet We're becoming as a society less able to have difficult conversations than we've ever been before. @clayscroggins Click To Tweet Leaders are calibrated for a world that no longer exists, which is why the future of leadership is so important. @clayscroggins Click To Tweet We have compressed 10 years of change into two years. @clayscroggins Click To Tweet Leaders don't like saying, ‘I don't know.’ @clayscroggins Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 476
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Next Episode: Jennie Allen
NYT bestselling author, Jennie Allen, opens up about the struggle she’s had with friendships over the years, what to do when you naturally resist community, and explains how to find people you can trust and do life with.
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