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 Barnabas Piper talk with Simon Sinek, New York Times best-selling author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last as well as presenter of one of the most popular TED talks ever given. Sinek’s aim is to help people find as much fulfillment and enjoyment in their work as in their non-work. The conversation is engaging and full of fabulous leadership insights (and even gets into game theory and how it really matters for organizations and leadership). Enjoy!

BEST QUOTES

“I think curiosity is everything. It’s the underlying motivation to learn. It’s a characteristic where you acknowledge you don’t know everything and perhaps there are better ways to do things. I’m always nervous about people who aren’t curious about anything in the world.”

“The world is such a fascinating place it seems odd to be uncurious about it.”

“Catch people doing things right instead of catching them doing something wrong.”

“Wouldn’t it be amazing to create an environment where we made work as fun as not-work?”

“Ambition is finite. Idealism is infinite.”

“The game of business is infinite. Most businesses are operating as if they’re in a finite game. They’re playing to ‘win.’”

“A finite player is trying to beat everyone else. An infinite player is trying to advance themselves.”

“I took a deep breath and let myself not be involved.”

“A lot of entrepreneur’s struggle with letting ago.”

“You don’t have to know all the answers and when you don’t you don’t have to pretend you do.”

“The lie we’ve been told is that leadership is knowing the answers.”

“Three quarters of an answer is better than an answer-and-a-half.”

“One of the criteria of being a leader is that when everything goes right you distribute the credit and when everything goes wrong you take all of the blame.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Why Discovery Course

Start With Why

Leaders Eat Last

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins, Barnabas Piper, and Eric Geiger talk about leaders battling insecurity. Leaders are usually viewed as bold and confident, but are they really? Insecurity is both common and dangerous, so what's the answer? The guys discuss the following.

* Is it normal for leaders to feel insecure? Why or why not?

* What's the difference between humility and insecurity?

* At what point does insecurity become harmful for leaders?

* What are ways leaders try to compensate for insecurity in unhealthy ways?

* How can leaders overcome insecurity in healthy ways?

Best Quotes

“If you think you’re a secure leader listen and you’ll find out you’re not.”

“In my natural state, apart form the grace of God, I’m going to be plagued by insecurity.”

“There’s a tremendous spotlight put on you as a leader, and that will draw the insecurity out of you.”

“From the outside there’s the appearance of confidence but inside leaders are going ‘when are they going to realize I don’t know what I’m doing?’”

“Insecurity exhibits itself in many different ways.”

“It often displays itself as bravado.”

“Insecurity can be either indecisiveness or over-decisiveness.”

“Insecurity is a lack of confidence, a feeling you always have to earn something or your identity.”

“Humility is confident, but it’s confident that God has made you who you are and approves of you because of Christ.”

“If you’re trying to evaluate if you’re insecure ask how much you think of yourself.”

“An insecure person can seem manic or bi-polar.”

“At the very base of leadership is stewardship.”

“Insecurity is always harmful. It has compounding harmful effects the longer it resides.”

“Insecurity can manifest itself in missed opportunities because you’re afraid to take a risk.”

“We have to acknowledge that we have a proclivity toward insecurity.”

“Power, sex, money, or pride – that’s how insecurity exhibits itself.”

“Insecurity is an expression of pride.”

“Insecurity is both self-loathing and self-love at the same time.”

“Insecurity wants to tear down others so the leader can feel better about himself.”

“Insecurity masks itself differently for different leaders. It’s always the pursuit of whatever you call success.”

“Be a follower of Jesus and be joyful you are His.”

“Personal insecurity is resolved by identity in Christ.”

“You need a person who can be a keel on the ship of your life.”

“Insecurity is a lie.”

“There’s not a lot of room for self-help books in overcoming insecurity.”

“We really want to out-grow the Bible, but we just can’t.”

Recommended Resources

The Chris Farley Show by Kevin Farley

Pipeline Conference

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins, Barnabas Piper, and Eric Geiger talk about leaders battling insecurity. Leaders are usually viewed as bold and confident, but are they really? Insecurity is both common and dangerous, so what’s the answer? The guys discuss the following.

* Is it normal for leaders to feel insecure? Why or why not?

* What’s the difference between humility and insecurity?

* At what point does insecurity become harmful for leaders?

* What are ways leaders try to compensate for insecurity in unhealthy ways?

* How can leaders overcome insecurity in healthy ways?

Best Quotes

“If you think you’re a secure leader listen and you’ll find out you’re not.”

“In my natural state, apart form the grace of God, I’m going to be plagued by insecurity.”

“There’s a tremendous spotlight put on you as a leader, and that will draw the insecurity out of you.”

“From the outside there’s the appearance of confidence but inside leaders are going ‘when are they going to realize I don’t know what I’m doing?’”

“Insecurity exhibits itself in many different ways.”

“It often displays itself as bravado.”

“Insecurity can be either indecisiveness or over-decisiveness.”

“Insecurity is a lack of confidence, a feeling you always have to earn something or your identity.”

“Humility is confident, but it’s confident that God has made you who you are and approves of you because of Christ.”

“If you’re trying to evaluate if you’re insecure ask how much you think of yourself.”

“An insecure person can seem manic or bi-polar.”

“At the very base of leadership is stewardship.”

“Insecurity is always harmful. It has compounding harmful effects the longer it resides.”

“Insecurity can manifest itself in missed opportunities because you’re afraid to take a risk.”

“We have to acknowledge that we have a proclivity toward insecurity.”

“Power, sex, money, or pride – that’s how insecurity exhibits itself.”

“Insecurity is an expression of pride.”

“Insecurity is both self-loathing and self-love at the same time.”

“Insecurity wants to tear down others so the leader can feel better about himself.”

“Insecurity masks itself differently for different leaders. It’s always the pursuit of whatever you call success.”

“Be a follower of Jesus and be joyful you are His.”

“Personal insecurity is resolved by identity in Christ.”

“You need a person who can be a keel on the ship of your life.”

“Insecurity is a lie.”

“There’s not a lot of room for self-help books in overcoming insecurity.”

“We really want to out-grow the Bible, but we just can’t.”

Recommended Resources

The Chris Farley Show by Kevin Farley

Pipeline Conference

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins, Barnabas Piper, and Eric Geiger talk about leaders battling insecurity. Leaders are usually viewed as bold and confident, but are they really? Insecurity is both common and dangerous, so what’s the answer? The guys discuss the following.

* Is it normal for leaders to feel insecure? Why or why not?

* What’s the difference between humility and insecurity?

* At what point does insecurity become harmful for leaders?

* What are ways leaders try to compensate for insecurity in unhealthy ways?

* How can leaders overcome insecurity in healthy ways?

Best Quotes

“If you think you’re a secure leader listen and you’ll find out you’re not.”

“In my natural state, apart form the grace of God, I’m going to be plagued by insecurity.”

“There’s a tremendous spotlight put on you as a leader, and that will draw the insecurity out of you.”

“From the outside there’s the appearance of confidence but inside leaders are going ‘when are they going to realize I don’t know what I’m doing?’”

“Insecurity exhibits itself in many different ways.”

“It often displays itself as bravado.”

“Insecurity can be either indecisiveness or over-decisiveness.”

“Insecurity is a lack of confidence, a feeling you always have to earn something or your identity.”

“Humility is confident, but it’s confident that God has made you who you are and approves of you because of Christ.”

“If you’re trying to evaluate if you’re insecure ask how much you think of yourself.”

“An insecure person can seem manic or bi-polar.”

“At the very base of leadership is stewardship.”

“Insecurity is always harmful. It has compounding harmful effects the longer it resides.”

“Insecurity can manifest itself in missed opportunities because you’re afraid to take a risk.”

“We have to acknowledge that we have a proclivity toward insecurity.”

“Power, sex, money, or pride – that’s how insecurity exhibits itself.”

“Insecurity is an expression of pride.”

“Insecurity is both self-loathing and self-love at the same time.”

“Insecurity wants to tear down others so the leader can feel better about himself.”

“Insecurity masks itself differently for different leaders. It’s always the pursuit of whatever you call success.”

“Be a follower of Jesus and be joyful you are His.”

“Personal insecurity is resolved by identity in Christ.”

“You need a person who can be a keel on the ship of your life.”

“Insecurity is a lie.”

“There’s not a lot of room for self-help books in overcoming insecurity.”

“We really want to out-grow the Bible, but we just can’t.”

Recommended Resources

The Chris Farley Show by Kevin Farley

Pipeline Conference

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper talk with Cary Summers, president of The Museum of the Bible, a massive permanent exhibition set to open in Washington DC in November of 2017. The Museum of the Bible will be the largest museum dedicated to Scripture, its history, its cultures, its source materials, and more in the entire world. They also do exhibits around the world that have been visited by tens of thousands of people. Summers is the former CEO Herschend Family Entertainment and VP at Bass Pro Shops. He has extensive leadership experience and genuine passion for connecting people to the word of God. He discusses the challenges of setting up such a venture in Washington, the ways God has blessed their efforts, how he learned leadership from Nehemiah, and more.

BEST QUOTES

“This is by far the biggest Bible museum in the world.”

“We’ve had the privilege of learning what customers want, what they like and don’t like, for over five years all over the world.”

“It’s about immersion.”

“If we can stay centered in God’s reality we win.”

“We love to be the fire fighter, but our job is to create the strategies so there are no fires.”

“This is about elevating a book that changed the world and that can change people’s lives.”

“We had a policy that we’d never discuss business at home. We felt like we needed to have a separation.”

“You have to make yourself available for leadership – for God to use you as a leader.”

“Can you put an equal sign next to leadership pointing to submission and humility?”

“Are we willing to understand that we are not the leader?”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Museum of the Bible

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper talk with Cary Summers, president of The Museum of the Bible, a massive permanent exhibition set to open in Washington DC in November of 2017. The Museum of the Bible will be the largest museum dedicated to Scripture, its history, its cultures, its source materials, and more in the entire world. They also do exhibits around the world that have been visited by tens of thousands of people. Summers is the former CEO Herschend Family Entertainment and VP at Bass Pro Shops. He has extensive leadership experience and genuine passion for connecting people to the word of God. He discusses the challenges of setting up such a venture in Washington, the ways God has blessed their efforts, how he learned leadership from Nehemiah, and more.

BEST QUOTES

“This is by far the biggest Bible museum in the world.”

“We’ve had the privilege of learning what customers want, what they like and don’t like, for over five years all over the world.”

“It’s about immersion.”

“If we can stay centered in God’s reality we win.”

“We love to be the fire fighter, but our job is to create the strategies so there are no fires.”

“This is about elevating a book that changed the world and that can change people’s lives.”

“We had a policy that we’d never discuss business at home. We felt like we needed to have a separation.”

“You have to make yourself available for leadership – for God to use you as a leader.”

“Can you put an equal sign next to leadership pointing to submission and humility?”

“Are we willing to understand that we are not the leader?”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Museum of the Bible

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper talk with Cary Summers, president of The Museum of the Bible, a massive permanent exhibition set to open in Washington DC in November of 2017. The Museum of the Bible will be the largest museum dedicated to Scripture, its history, its cultures, its source materials, and more in the entire world. They also do exhibits around the world that have been visited by tens of thousands of people. Summers is the former CEO Herschend Family Entertainment and VP at Bass Pro Shops. He has extensive leadership experience and genuine passion for connecting people to the word of God. He discusses the challenges of setting up such a venture in Washington, the ways God has blessed their efforts, how he learned leadership from Nehemiah, and more.

BEST QUOTES

“This is by far the biggest Bible museum in the world.”

“We’ve had the privilege of learning what customers want, what they like and don’t like, for over five years all over the world.”

“It’s about immersion.”

“If we can stay centered in God’s reality we win.”

“We love to be the fire fighter, but our job is to create the strategies so there are no fires.”

“This is about elevating a book that changed the world and that can change people’s lives.”

“We had a policy that we’d never discuss business at home. We felt like we needed to have a separation.”

“You have to make yourself available for leadership – for God to use you as a leader.”

“Can you put an equal sign next to leadership pointing to submission and humility?”

“Are we willing to understand that we are not the leader?”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Museum of the Bible

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper talk with Danny Franks, the connections pastor at The Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina about the importance of amazing guest services at church and how they are part of the ministry. At many churches greeters, parkers, and ushers are just a rotating group of volunteers who are sort of an add-on ministry. Danny explains why they are essential to reaching people with the good news of the gospel.

* What exactly are “guest services”?

* Why are guest services in the church so important?

* Can anybody do guest services in the church?

* How do you take an inwardly focused church and help them be aware of guests’ needs?

* What are ways you recruit, develop, and retain good guest service volunteers?

BEST QUOTES

“Often times guest services fall under ‘other duties as assigned’ in the church.”

“Other times guest services are shock and awe.”

“The reason we honor our guests isn’t to make much of ourselves in the church but to make much of the gospel.”

“The gospel is offensive, but nothing else should be.”

“We want to clear the way for our pastor to preach and to preach unhindered.”

“The things that tend to bring us comfort in the church tend to make our guests uncomfortable.”

“If somebody is going to be made uncomfortable let that be us, not our guests.”

“Think about guests in the church the same way you think about guests in your home.”

“Guests services sets the stage and creates the environment for people walking into worship.”

“You need people who are good with people and can make others feel welcome.”

“This isn’t just about being friendly. It’s about taking intentional steps to help people move from being on the outside to on the inside.”

“We’re talking about a gift of hospitality, a servant mindset.”

“Begin with the end in mind.”

“Talk like guests are in the room as you lead.”

“This is part of our mission. Our mission is to reach people.”

“If you’re trying to birth something sometimes that means other things have to die.”

“It takes honest humility to ask what is present because we’re comfortable and what is present because it’s necessary.”

“Please don’t ever have your guests stand up in service.”

“To often we train for the “what” and don’t train for the “why”.

“To retain a volunteer they need to feel like they’re part of a grander vision.”

“The goal isn’t to progress people to the next level; it’s to land people at the right level.”

“We try to help people see the role they’re playing in someone’s eternity.”

“You never know where someone is coming from who is just two seats down from you.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Danny’s Blog

Guest Services Video Training