5 Leadership Questions Podcast on Church Leadership with Todd Adkins and Dan Iten

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Dr. Thom Rainer, the President of LifeWay Christian Resources. Dr. Rainer is one of the most influential leaders of leaders in the church world today. His blog at ThomRainer.com draw millions of viewers and his podcast, Rainer on Leadership, is one of the leading Christian podcasts available. He has written over twenty five books and is a marvelous leader. (As ones who work under him, both Todd and I can attest to this.). In this conversation  you will hear both Dr. Rainer’s leadership savvy as well as his personality and genuineness. Enjoy!

Best Quotes

“We’re getting to the point now where really everybody is self-employed. No organization is totally loyal to an employee unless they perform. No employee is loyal to an organization unless it does well for them.”

“What is the outcome, not the hours that you work?”

“I would suggest that y’all need to stick it to the man, but I think in this case I am the man, so be careful.”

“I learn so much from those who say they’re learning from me.”

“If you’re trying to build an audience you really do have to be authentic and authentically engage your audience.”

“Any organization that is not aligned on its key purpose is an organization that is going in multiple directions which is going in no direction.”

“Why is Lifeway doing some good things? It’s because of the people, getting the right people on the bus in the right seats.”

“Is it biblical? Is it a solution? Is it transformational for life?”

“One of my greatest frustrations is when the tail wags the dog.”

“Usually the only thing I like more than Alabama winning is Auburn losing.”

“Find a way to be self-aware.”

Recommended Resources

ThomRainer.com

Rainer on Leadership Podcast

I Will: Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian

Autopsy of a Deceased Church

I Am a Church Member

Diversity Explosion by William Frey

The End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson

What do Ken Blanchard, Joe Torre, and Jay-Z have in common? All of them can speak to effective management instead of micromanagement. In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions Podcast Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and I talk about the good and (almost all) bad of micromanagement and the effects it has on both people and culture. And yes, we do talk Jay-Z, Joe Torre, and Ken Blanchard not to mention Ed Catmull, Uber, and more. We ask the following questions:

* How do you define micromanagement?

* What does micromanagement say about a leader as well as the employee being micromanaged?

* Is micromanagement ever healthy and useful?

* BONUS Question: What do you do when the policies and systems of an organization reflect a culture of micromanagement?

* What harm can micromanagement have on employees and an organization?

* How can a leader self-evaluate to see if he or she is micromanaging?

Best Quotes

“Micromanagement is over-managing someone who doesn’t need it.”

“Don’t hire great people and then micro-manage them until they leave.”

“What some people say is micromanagement is really leadership giving an appropriate amount of direction.”

“The leader is the servant.”

“If you’re skilled and experienced in a part of your role you have every right to think ‘give me some overall direction and let me run.’”

“You’ve gotta Joe Torre your boy.”

“As a leader micromanagement says you are not confident and secure in your own leadership.”

“Micromanagement says that a leader is unable to develop people.”

“Micromanagement speaks to a lack of trust.”

“The person who is claiming to be micromanaged when the person is only being led with directional leadership has a massive misperception of their own skills and experience.”

“When people are new to roles or are not yet proven they actually need your hands-on leadership. That’s not micromanagement.”

“Some leaders are so afraid of being accused of micromanagement that they become too hands-off.”

“If it’s directional leadership that’s necessary it’s not micromanagement.”

“Systems and policies can be just as micromanaging as a boss can be.”

“You have to be willing to kill a policy and create a policy all the time.”

“If your policies and your systems have gotten to the point where they’re oppressing people instead of making people’s lives easier you’ve gotten it backwards.”

“People are ultimately the most valuable asset you have.”

“People will not be developed with micromanagement, and because of that your high capacity highly driven people will bolt.”

“If you’re a micromanager you likely haven’t developed trust and transparency.”

“The only people who love management are managers.”

“The people who will always have a job are people who are able to work themselves out of a job.”

Recommended Resources

Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

“Why Micromanaging is Ungodly” by Barnabas Piper

“Stop Saying Your Being Micromanaged If . . .” by Eric Geiger

“You are Micormanaging If . . .” by Eric Geiger

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

 

What do Ken Blanchard, Joe Torre, and Jay-Z have in common? All of them can speak to effective management instead of micromanagement. In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions Podcast Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and I talk about the good and (almost all) bad of micromanagement and the effects it has on both people and culture. And yes, we do talk Jay-Z, Joe Torre, and Ken Blanchard not to mention Ed Catmull, Uber, and more. We ask the following questions:

* How do you define micromanagement?

* What does micromanagement say about a leader as well as the employee being micromanaged?

* Is micromanagement ever healthy and useful?

* BONUS Question: What do you do when the policies and systems of an organization reflect a culture of micromanagement?

* What harm can micromanagement have on employees and an organization?

* How can a leader self-evaluate to see if he or she is micromanaging?

Best Quotes

“Micromanagement is over-managing someone who doesn’t need it.”

“Don’t hire great people and then micro-manage them until they leave.”

“What some people say is micromanagement is really leadership giving an appropriate amount of direction.”

“The leader is the servant.”

“If you’re skilled and experienced in a part of your role you have every right to think ‘give me some overall direction and let me run.’”

“You’ve gotta Joe Torre your boy.”

“As a leader micromanagement says you are not confident and secure in your own leadership.”

“Micromanagement says that a leader is unable to develop people.”

“Micromanagement speaks to a lack of trust.”

“The person who is claiming to be micromanaged when the person is only being led with directional leadership has a massive misperception of their own skills and experience.”

“When people are new to roles or are not yet proven they actually need your hands-on leadership. That’s not micromanagement.”

“Some leaders are so afraid of being accused of micromanagement that they become too hands-off.”

“If it’s directional leadership that’s necessary it’s not micromanagement.”

“Systems and policies can be just as micromanaging as a boss can be.”

“You have to be willing to kill a policy and create a policy all the time.”

“If your policies and your systems have gotten to the point where they’re oppressing people instead of making people’s lives easier you’ve gotten it backwards.”

“People are ultimately the most valuable asset you have.”

“People will not be developed with micromanagement, and because of that your high capacity highly driven people will bolt.”

“If you’re a micromanager you likely haven’t developed trust and transparency.”

“The only people who love management are managers.”

“The people who will always have a job are people who are able to work themselves out of a job.”

Recommended Resources

Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

“Why Micromanaging is Ungodly” by Barnabas Piper

“Stop Saying Your Being Micromanaged If . . .” by Eric Geiger

“You are Micormanaging If . . .” by Eric Geiger

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

 

What do Ken Blanchard, Joe Torre, and Jay-Z have in common? All of them can speak to effective management instead of micromanagement. In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions Podcast Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and I talk about the good and (almost all) bad of micromanagement and the effects it has on both people and culture. And yes, we do talk Jay-Z, Joe Torre, and Ken Blanchard not to mention Ed Catmull, Uber, and more. We ask the following questions:

* How do you define micromanagement?

* What does micromanagement say about a leader as well as the employee being micromanaged?

* Is micromanagement ever healthy and useful?

* BONUS Question: What do you do when the policies and systems of an organization reflect a culture of micromanagement?

* What harm can micromanagement have on employees and an organization?

* How can a leader self-evaluate to see if he or she is micromanaging?

Best Quotes

“Micromanagement is over-managing someone who doesn’t need it.”

“Don’t hire great people and then micro-manage them until they leave.”

“What some people say is micromanagement is really leadership giving an appropriate amount of direction.”

“The leader is the servant.”

“If you’re skilled and experienced in a part of your role you have every right to think ‘give me some overall direction and let me run.’”

“You’ve gotta Joe Torre your boy.”

“As a leader micromanagement says you are not confident and secure in your own leadership.”

“Micromanagement says that a leader is unable to develop people.”

“Micromanagement speaks to a lack of trust.”

“The person who is claiming to be micromanaged when the person is only being led with directional leadership has a massive misperception of their own skills and experience.”

“When people are new to roles or are not yet proven they actually need your hands-on leadership. That’s not micromanagement.”

“Some leaders are so afraid of being accused of micromanagement that they become too hands-off.”

“If it’s directional leadership that’s necessary it’s not micromanagement.”

“Systems and policies can be just as micromanaging as a boss can be.”

“You have to be willing to kill a policy and create a policy all the time.”

“If your policies and your systems have gotten to the point where they’re oppressing people instead of making people’s lives easier you’ve gotten it backwards.”

“People are ultimately the most valuable asset you have.”

“People will not be developed with micromanagement, and because of that your high capacity highly driven people will bolt.”

“If you’re a micromanager you likely haven’t developed trust and transparency.”

“The only people who love management are managers.”

“The people who will always have a job are people who are able to work themselves out of a job.”

Recommended Resources

Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

“Why Micromanaging is Ungodly” by Barnabas Piper

“Stop Saying Your Being Micromanaged If . . .” by Eric Geiger

“You are Micormanaging If . . .” by Eric Geiger

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

 

John Maxwell has taught more leaders how to be leaders than just about anyone, and we are honored to have him on the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. He tells us about how he moved from pastoring into the leadership development space, shares much wisdom, and drops some absolutely gold quotes. Maxwell also shares about his new book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters (releases today, October 6), on finding significance by intentionally trying to make a difference in other people’s lives. You will hear about the importance of curiosity for a leader, aging well and maintaining passion as a leader, depending on those younger than him and preparing them to lead, loving others well, and priceless advice for young leaders. Enjoy and be sure to order a copy of John’s new book!

Best Quotes

“It was while I pastored that I really learned to train and develop people. It became foundational to everything I do.”

“Leadership development is simply advanced discipleship.”

“Significance begins with ‘I want to make a difference.’”

“No matter who you are or what you’re doing if you become intentional you can, today, begin to live a life of significance.”

“I’m learning from everyone. Everyone is my teacher. Learning begins with teachability.”

“Good leaders ask good questions.”

“One of the mistakes we make is that we wait for the big moment. We lose our life waiting for the big moment.”

“Leaders should be 80% asking and 20% telling.”

“A lot of leaders stop in their growth because they lose their curiosity.”

“When you lose your curiosity you basically have started to give up on life.”

“We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.”

“Honor is given to a leader for what they have done. Respect is given for what they are doing. I want to be respected.”

“I don’t have to be the person who accomplishes great things. I want to have people stand on my shoulders.”

“Intentionally every day, value people, believe in people, and unconditionally love them.”

“Nobody has ever built a great ministry out of good intentions.”

Recommended Resources

Intentional Living by John Maxwell

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

John Maxwell has taught more leaders how to be leaders than just about anyone, and we are honored to have him on the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. He tells us about how he moved from pastoring into the leadership development space, shares much wisdom, and drops some absolutely gold quotes. Maxwell also shares about his new book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters (releases today, October 6), on finding significance by intentionally trying to make a difference in other people’s lives. You will hear about the importance of curiosity for a leader, aging well and maintaining passion as a leader, depending on those younger than him and preparing them to lead, loving others well, and priceless advice for young leaders. Enjoy and be sure to order a copy of John’s new book!

Best Quotes

“It was while I pastored that I really learned to train and develop people. It became foundational to everything I do.”

“Leadership development is simply advanced discipleship.”

“Significance begins with ‘I want to make a difference.’”

“No matter who you are or what you’re doing if you become intentional you can, today, begin to live a life of significance.”

“I’m learning from everyone. Everyone is my teacher. Learning begins with teachability.”

“Good leaders ask good questions.”

“One of the mistakes we make is that we wait for the big moment. We lose our life waiting for the big moment.”

“Leaders should be 80% asking and 20% telling.”

“A lot of leaders stop in their growth because they lose their curiosity.”

“When you lose your curiosity you basically have started to give up on life.”

“We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.”

“Honor is given to a leader for what they have done. Respect is given for what they are doing. I want to be respected.”

“I don’t have to be the person who accomplishes great things. I want to have people stand on my shoulders.”

“Intentionally every day, value people, believe in people, and unconditionally love them.”

“Nobody has ever built a great ministry out of good intentions.”

Recommended Resources

Intentional Living by John Maxwell

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

John Maxwell has taught more leaders how to be leaders than just about anyone, and we are honored to have him on the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. He tells us about how he moved from pastoring into the leadership development space, shares much wisdom, and drops some absolutely gold quotes. Maxwell also shares about his new book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters (releases today, October 6), on finding significance by intentionally trying to make a difference in other people’s lives. You will hear about the importance of curiosity for a leader, aging well and maintaining passion as a leader, depending on those younger than him and preparing them to lead, loving others well, and priceless advice for young leaders. Enjoy and be sure to order a copy of John’s new book!

Best Quotes

“It was while I pastored that I really learned to train and develop people. It became foundational to everything I do.”

“Leadership development is simply advanced discipleship.”

“Significance begins with ‘I want to make a difference.’”

“No matter who you are or what you’re doing if you become intentional you can, today, begin to live a life of significance.”

“I’m learning from everyone. Everyone is my teacher. Learning begins with teachability.”

“Good leaders ask good questions.”

“One of the mistakes we make is that we wait for the big moment. We lose our life waiting for the big moment.”

“Leaders should be 80% asking and 20% telling.”

“A lot of leaders stop in their growth because they lose their curiosity.”

“When you lose your curiosity you basically have started to give up on life.”

“We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.”

“Honor is given to a leader for what they have done. Respect is given for what they are doing. I want to be respected.”

“I don’t have to be the person who accomplishes great things. I want to have people stand on my shoulders.”

“Intentionally every day, value people, believe in people, and unconditionally love them.”

“Nobody has ever built a great ministry out of good intentions.”

Recommended Resources

Intentional Living by John Maxwell

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

Every leader faces criticism. Well, if they’re actually leading they do. But how can they respond well, learn what they should, and reject what is unhelpful? When does a leader know when to fight back and exert authority over critics? That’s what we discuss in this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. Eric Geiger joins Todd and I to talk constructive vs. destructive criticism, the difference between feedback and criticism, and how to respond well in a digital age when everything goes public and trolls abound. We ask the following questions.

* Can a leader avoid criticism?

* How do you balance listening to critics and learning from them vs. tuning them out?

* At what point does criticism stop being constructive and turn divisive within in an organization?

* How do you handle consistent critics within your organization or team?

* How can leaders handle the massive growth in criticism (trolls) because of the social/digital space?

Best Quotes

“If you’re doing anything worth doing you’re going to run into criticism.”

“You cannot be a people pleaser and a leader.”

“There’s a difference between serving people and being at the mercy of a plethora of different opinions.”

“It’s really important to take a step back and look whenever you’re criticized and ask ‘what can I learn from this?’”

“Even if it’s painful there still is growing that happens in the midst of criticism.”

“Is the criticism based on objective truth or subjective opinion?”

“You need critics in you’re life if you’re going to grow.”

“Criticism is focused on what happened. Coaching is forward looking.”

“Come to my face and let’s talk about it like grown ups. Be transparent and be a leader.”

“Criticism of decision is one thing. Criticism of character is another. That is a cancer in an organization.”

“Your name, your character, is so critical that if you lose that you lose everything.”

“I’m all about identifying problems, but I for sure want to hear about those from people who want to jump on solving them.”

“We don’t need a bunch of internal consultants who are just going to point out problems. We need people who are going to attack and bring solutions.”

“I want to invite people to not be on the team if they’re just so miserable that they’re constantly critiquing.”

“You are going to painfully reap the results of the culture of criticism you create with your own toxic leadership.”

“The things that you reprimand and celebrate are one of the easiest ways to embed whatever you want in a culture.”

“Suffer not a troll according to his folly.”

“On social media, there are many people you engage where just can’t win.”

“Whatever your response to criticism is in person tends to get amplified on social media.”

“Really put stock in criticism from people who know you, not from people who criticize you online.”

Recommended Resources

5 Signs It is Time to Give Up with a Critic – Eric Geiger

How to Respond to Criticism – Rainer on Leadership Podcast

How Leader Respond to Written Criticisms – Thom Rainer

The Positive Side of Receiving Criticism – Thom Rainer