Posts with the tag “leadership”

8 Principles: Define Reality” Last week we began to look at the ‘8 Principles for Growing a Healthy Organization.” The second principle is: 2. Define Reality Max Dupree aptly said, “The first job of a leader is to define reality.” Who are you as an organization? What is the score? Are you succeeding? Where do you need help? Many organizations want to define who they think they are, or what they hope they are -and it does match the truth. Years ago, in a church I pastored near Atlanta, we decided to define who we were. We had been growing for several years, but growth had slowed and both the church and the community around was changing. We ordered a demographic study of the area and found that we were still matching the community and decided to only make minor adjustments in our approach to ministry. There was a problem. The demographic study was based on an older census. The community had changed significantly. We could see that, but the study showed us what we wanted to see- instead of facing the truth. Many organizations stubbornly stay the same, believing the outcome is going to be the same as the past. Our miscalculations caused us to decline in ministry over the next year, because we refused to define and face reality. Who are you really? What is the true make up of your community or customers? Define reality.  Read More

When choosing a leader for your organization, there are 3 things I look for: a. Compatibility b. Character c. Capability None are more important than compatibility. Look at the recent problems with businesses like ‘Target” or “Cracker Barrel” when a chosen CEO was not on the same page with the business or its customers. In the area of calling a Pastor, there must be a good marriage between the pastor and congregation. How difficult is it for a church to find the right Pastor?  Read More

An entire generation has been told they could be anything they wanted to be- just believe in yourself! That generation has grown up and become a most disappointed and disillusioned generation  Read More

Passion fuels the work.  Read More

Getting ready is the secret to success. But what do we need to prepare  Read More

Its been said that the most important day in your life was the day you were born and the second was when you found out why. Last week we began a series of lessons on 7 Principles of success. Each of the next 7 weeks we will look at one of those principles. This week’s principle is purpose. Why are we here? Purpose is necessary for success as you need to know what area you are trying to be successful. Purpose answers the question “why?”  Read More

Just as the early Christians in Galatia were challenged to remain faithful to the gospel, modern-day leaders must navigate pressures to compromise their values for popularity or convenience. Here are some key lessons on maintaining mission integrity and leading with purpose.  Read More

I am privileged to have pastored three growing churches. This has been a huge blessing. However, I have also felt the deep despair and heartache of struggle in ministry. Recently, during one of these downtimes, God spoke clearly to me about three areas of difficulty, and His words of encouragement brought me great relief.   Read More

When no one follows, you still may be leading. I’ve often heard that a good test of leadership is if you look behind you and no one is following, then you must not be leading. The idea is that if you are a good leader, you will always communicate well, inspire confidence, and have a contagious vision. This will result in people following. But, during a recent fast, God reminded me that if Moses had made the popular decision at Mount Sinai, he would have led the Israelites back to Egypt. In John 6, the Bible says Jesus spoke with such confrontation that most of the people no longer followed.  Read More

There is something admirable and special about a person who refuses to quit amidst great adversity. We admire someone who keeps getting up after falling down time and time again. All of us go through circumstances in our lives when we’re tempted to quit, and the Akhwaris in life inspire us to keep going. We become tempted to give up in tough times because we feel hopeless. We think quitting would be the greatest feeling we could imagine, because it would rescue us from our stress and discouragement. However, there is a high cost for quitting before our race is over.   Read More

When we were children, our parents constantly pointed out our blind spots. It was their job to correct us so that we could grow to become better people. What happens when we become adults? Who is going to point out our blind spots? Who is going to wash our feet? Who will, humbly and gently, help us discover where we need to change in order to lead us to become more mature believers?  Read More

Dads are vitally important. The Bible says that fathers are the first symbol a child has of God. Dr. Kenneth Canfield, founder and President of the “National Center for Fathering,” wrote that when dads attend church regularly and take their family; children grow up to attend church 75% of the time. Conversely, he noted, when dads stay at home and moms take the children, only about 15% attend church regularly. But, what does dad need? Here are my thoughts:  Read More

What are you teaching your children? What would you add to this list?  Read More

What do you teach them? You can teach your child many things, but there are only a handful you can emphasize and plant firmly in their hearts. When we were young parents, my wife and I centered in on these ten things:  Read More

Just as the early Christians in Galatia were challenged to remain faithful to the gospel, modern-day leaders must navigate pressures to compromise their values for popularity or convenience.   Read More