Most of us hate conflict. But learning to respond to conflict in a healthy way is a key to our growth as a leader. Ken Sande, in his book, “The Peacemaker,” says, “As you evaluate your role in a conflict, it is helpful to clearly define the issues that separate you from other people. Conflicts generally involve two kinds of issues: material and personal...
Healthy communication is a key to effective leadership. Peter Drucker in his book, “The Effective Leader,” says it like this: “Communications have been in the center of managerial attention these last twenty years or more. In business, in public administration, in armed forces, in hospitals, in other words in all the major institutions of modern society, there has been great concern with communications. If communication is not clear, people will speculate and draw their own conclusions...
Coach John Wooden, who coached high school and college sports for more than forty years and whose teams won more than 80% of their games, claims a key to success is team spirit. “Team spirit,” says Wooden in his book Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, “is a genuine consideration for others … an eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all.”...
Jesus started a revolution 2000 years ago by taking twelve men and training them to take his place. I call it the mentoring revolution. Paul followed Jesus’ example when he discipled Timothy, Titus and Silas. The mentoring concept was sporadically picked up by faithful believers in Christ throughout the past 2000 years, but mostly mentoring has been left undone. Now is the time for each of us to pick up the responsibility of making disciples in order to continue the revolution started by Jesus Christ...
I am blessed with an amazing team. I love working with the team of leaders I serve with. The scriptures tell us that one can send a thousand to flight, but two can send ten thousand to flight. (Deut. 32:30) There is spiritual power released through healthy teamwork...
We all need milestones. They help us face our future with confidence. Samuel the prophet, after the Lord gave God’s people a great victory, took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means "the stone of help"), for he said, "Up to this point [...]
I am taking a break from my regular blog on leadership this week to share with you on a more personal basis. My father was taken to the emergency room on Sunday and we were informed by the physicians that he has stomach complications, which will force him into a nursing care facility near our [...]
We are in a crisis. Thousands of followers of Jesus are lacking spiritual fathers and mothers. In my book "Authentic Spiritual Mentoring," I give story after story of young men and women in our generation looking desperately for spiritual mentors or spiritual fathers and mothers. The need is very serious...
Thom Rainer and his son Jess in their new book "The Millennials" tell us about a younger generation of leaders who are mostly in their twenties who “don’t merely want disseminators of knowledge in educational institutions; they want men and women who are examples through their lives as well as their words. They will avoid institutions that treat them like one of the masses; but they will flock to institutions that have transparent and servant-like leaders.”...
Nineteen years ago, I almost quit as the senior pastor of our church. My immaturity as a leader and my...