Developing as a proficient leader requires commitment to mastering many of the skills and tools of leadership. One of the strategic skills of leadership is the art of listening. According to Robert Kramer of George Washington University, “To a large degree, effective leadership is effective listening.” Consider the following interesting Statistics on Listening: People spend 70 to 80 percent of their waking…
I am taking the last two weeks of July for some time off and creativity. This was one of my previous blogs that many found helpful. I will begin new content on August 5, 2020. Media is replete with the desperate stories of splintered churches, fractured homes and businesses in crisis due to fallen leadership. CEO’s, ministry directors and leaders…
I have been a student of leaders and leadership for over four decades. Observing leaders globally in a variety of ministries and organization has informed my leadership perspective. Although there have been a few negative examples along the way, the positive lessons I have learned far outweigh them. The notes accrued after reflecting on each encounter filled multiple notebooks. Most…
Great leaders are great communicators! Leaders desiring to influence people are committed to the art of effective communication. People follow leaders who clearly articulate vision, passion and goals. Rarely do people line up behind someone who is directionless or non-communicative. Covid 19 has presented new challenges for those of us in leadership who put a premium on communication. It is…
“I really don’t trust you” is an indictment none of us wants to hear when talking to people with whom we work and minister. It would be offensive and disturbing to hear we are not trusted – that someone has doubts about our abilities or even worse our character. We all like to think of ourselves as someone in whom…
Enabling is doing for someone what they could and should be doing for themselves. Helping is doing something for someone which they are NOT capable of doing for themselves. As we minister to people our goal should be to help not enable! “Enabling is reacting to a person in such a way as to shield them from experiencing the full…
Do you remember from Sunday School the children’s song based on Matthew 7:24-27? I always enjoyed watching children as they enthusiastically belted out each line. Here are a couple of the condensed verses: The wise man built his house upon a rock. (repeat multiple times)The rain came down and the floods came up. (repeat multiple times)And the house on the…
Visionary leadership development extends training beyond the confines of the four walls of a classroom. At its core leadership development means doing life together not just off-loading facts. It is impossible to separate some level of “mentoring” from effective leadership development. I hesitate to share maxims about this topic lest it be relegated to a motivational plaque on a wall.…
When forming a team, it is imperative to know the difference between Division and Diversity. Any group of people referred to as a team, must be committed to relationships. However, one of the greatest strengths of that team and the blending of personalities is its diversity. Healthy teams celebrate and leverage their diversity, avoiding the chaos of division. The Apostle…
What are your leadership principles? Your irreducible minimums? The things you refuse to compromise? -- How would you define these? Would writing them require a sentence, a paragraph or a full page? What would that document look like and how would you practice it? I suggest every leader do this exercise to establish their personal leadership baseline. If leaders do…