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3 Habits of Wise Leaders (Feature Friday 11/15/19)

“That was foolish”, I remember thinking to myself. While it is one of the earliest times I remember saying that to myself, unfortunately, I have said it multiple times over my life. At 8 years old, the severity of the foolishness and consequences from it were not that large, but as we get older and begin to influence more and more people the consequences can be life-altering. As a leader, I never aim to be foolish, yet it still happens. In those moments, it’s tempting to think others are just smarter or have a unique gift. But that is just not true.

Wisdom is not something anyone is born with. It is not a gift you receive but a habit you form. It comes with a lifetime of practice. As leaders we must seek to practice wisdom and refine the skill, but how? Michael Hyatt has a great podcast episode sharing “3 Habits of Wise Leaders“. I found it encouraging and helpful as I seek to lead wisely.

Enjoy the article and as always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Leave a comment below with which habit you found to be most helpful for your leadership.

Photo by James Lee on Unsplash

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Conflict Resolution (Feature Friday 09/20/19)

Put two people in a room and the inevitable will happen. Given enough time together, people will always have conflict. It is the nature of relationships. To relate with someone will require conflict resolution. The more people you add to the equation the higher likelihood and opportunities for conflict to arise. There is no antidote even in a small group.

If you’ve ever been part of a small group you know the reality of conflict is not only possible but almost guaranteed. You are joining a group of people together who have different backgrounds, experiences, situations in life, and viewpoints. All that together makes for a perfect recipe for conflict. So how do you manage that, as a leader, as a participant, as a human being…

Jim Putman provides some helpful insight by offering “2 Rules for Conflict Resolution“. He sets the stage and gives 2 great guidelines for working through issues. Jim also illustrates with a few examples – which I always find helpful.

Enjoy the article, leave a comment below with what other tips you use in resolving conflict and as always be with the Lord’s people in the Lord’s day!

Photo by Frank Busch on Unsplash

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Starting Small…Staying Small (Feature Friday 09/13/19)

Like every leader, I see growth as a good thing. I want the areas I lead to grow. I desire to see an upward and to the right trend year over year. However, that is not always reality. There are many causes for why organisms and organizations don’t grow, but many of those obstacles to growth can be removed.

While getting bigger is not intrinsically better, if I, as a church leader, am going to reach a community, growth is a healthy desire. Therefore, I must pay attention to factors that can not merely cause growth, but also those that may hinder growth. This is what Carey Nieuwhof’s article “Why Most Churches That Start Small…Stay Small.”

Even if you are not a church leader, Nieuwhof covers realities that apply to any organization and one’s that every leader to should be aware and attentive to. As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day. Enjoy the article and I’d love to hear your feedback or response in the comments below!

Photo by Alem Omerovic on Unsplash

 

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A Job Well Done (Feature Friday 08/30/19)

It has been over 3 years, but I still remember it like yesterday. I had flown to Dallas, TX for a week-long intensive class I needed while pursuing my master’s degree. Work had been crazy leading up to that week and I knew we would be discussing how to be fulfilled in what we do for a career. Needless to say, I was feeling anything but fulfilled. That is when my professor said it.

“If you love 60% or more of what you do, be content with your current situation, because it’s a great place to be”. I didn’t know what to do with that. I wanted to love everything in my job. I wanted to look for that “perfect” spot. But the strange thing was, I wasn’t discouraged by his statement, I was encouraged. I went back home and to work with a renewed sense that what I did, not only wasn’t bad but that it mattered…greatly.

Unfortunately, I don’t think many people are there. As Tim Challies writes in his article, “There are very few jobs in this world that are consistently exciting.” That is what I wanted, but once I had my expectations aligned properly my attitude and thus actions changed as well as my perspective on my work.

Check out Tim’s article, “Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Opportunity“. As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

 

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Have more Fun (Feature Friday 08/23/2019)

The past few days have been exhausting. Our six year old has had the flu (including all the fun things that come with that). Our 14 month old has been avoiding sleep like the plague, even though sleep is what he needs and we want most. With all this going on we feel like we are just surviving.

I am up early preparing for the day, taking the breakfast shift before I head out to work and have gotten home late because of multiple evening meetings. My wife is managing the ever growing piles of laundry, making sure everyone is fed, and doing the bedtime routine solo most evenings. Needless to say we are exhausted.

It is in weeks like these where I can come home, we can do the dinner, clean up, bath, and bedtime routine on autopilot. But there is something we have been missing and I needed the challenge in…Having More Fun as a Family.

Anyone who knows me know I love a good time, but this last week or so has been a struggle to have or even want to have fun as a family. So I was exhorted and encouraged by this article.

I hope you will remember and seek to have some fun this weekend as a family or individual. Enjoy the article and as always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

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Leadership Chaos (Feature Friday 08/16/19)

The day was almost over. Having just wrote and sent that last email of the day, I was excited to turn off my computer, gather up my things, and head home for my day off. Before shutting down my computer I checked my task list to see where I stood and there it was. The long list of things that were yet to be done with additional ones I thought of to add.

At that exact moment my wife texted and asked me to stop by the store on the way home, one of our kids was sick. So I headed out with a few things on my mental to do list when I was stopped by a co-worker on the way out the door who asked me for my help with another project. In that moment, life felt chaotic.

Leadership can be that way…chaotic. But the good news is, it doesn’t have to be. Which is why I needed to reminders from Carey Nieuwhof’s article “5 Signs You’re a Slave to Leadership Chaos“. I have to admit I still see bits of all 5 signs in my life, but I’m working on them.

If you are a leader or hope to lead in the future do yourself a favor and read this article. I hope it challenges, convicts, and encourages you to take action like it has for me.

As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

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