In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I spoke with Carey Nieuwhof. Carey is the lead pastor at Connexus Church just north of Toronto. He is an author as well as a prolific blogger and podcaster, mostly about leadership. (You can find links to his books, blog, and podcast at the bottom of the show notes.) He is an exceptional leader and a model of genuineness. As a Canadian, Carey is also incredibly nice and gracious, so our conversation with him was warm and enjoyable. You will thoroughly enjoy listening in.

Best Quotes

“If you look at your phone you get a sense of who you’re growing with.”

“If you display the fruits of the Spirit are you not pretty much emotionally intelligent?”

“How do you know if someone is really following Jesus? Look at their life. Don’t look at what they say; look at how they live.”

“Your competency will take you only as far as your character can sustain you.”

“The toughest aspect of leadership is self-leadership.”

“Part of discipleship is becoming more like the one you are following.”

“We’ve all seen leaders who are phenomenally gifted . . . and their platform is bigger than their character. And their character collapses.”

“The Saul Principle: the cracks you have in your character, if you’re promoted beyond your character, eventually become major fissures and ultimately take you out.”

“You have to be an A+ in the character and relational side of things or all of the rest of [leadership] doesn’t matter.”

“I would rather have A+ character and B+ leadership.”

“We’re trying to reach a world that is learning to live happily without God.”

“What the printing press did for the Reformation I think the Internet can do for the church.”

“We want to be led by the next generation not just ministering to the next generation.”

“People in leadership often lack the permission to be frank about how hard things are at home.”

“Somebody that you trusted is going to break your heart or betray your trust. Don’t, at that point, close your heart and say ‘I’m not trusting anyone.’”

“Character is what will keep you alive and fresh in the long run.”

“I don’t want to be that cynical old guy.”

“When you become older you become more of who you already are.”

“I think the key to the future is curiosity. I look at the people I admire most and they’re curious people, they’re open, they’re interested, they haven’t arrived.”

“If you don’t develop curiosity and character at 20 you won’t have it at 60 or 70 or 80.”

Recommended Resources

CareyNieuwhof.com

The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations that Will Help Your Church Grow

Leading Change Without Losing It

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Freakonomics Podcast

The Tim Ferriss Podcast

The School of Greatness Podcast

The Genesee Diary by Henry Nouwen

Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, & Annie McKee