Leading From Alignment

Nobody knows what it’s like to be a lead pastor unless they’ve been a lead pastor.

Today’s pod is the result of our combined 30+ years as lead pastors, as well as 6 years of church consulting and 15 years as mentors to pastors.

Between all of those inputs – five consistent themes emerge regarding what a lead pastor seems to need from an associate: Integrity, humility, hunger, interpersonal skills, and understanding.

Today’s pod will unpack those five themes.

Near the end of every calendar year, I take time to write down the two or three most important things I learned during the year. Then I spend time reflecting on those items, because I want to remember them. Practice them. Live life differently because of them.

Well . . . 2019 is in the books. And I find myself reflecting on another year of learning. Today’s pod is extremely personal. It includes the three biggest epiphanies I experienced this past year. One of them? On the other side of what I fear – God has something amazing planned for me.

Listen to the pod to discover the other two aha moments.

If you want to lead well for a long time—you have to figure out how to handle difficult conversations.

When it comes to tough conversations, some leaders tend to bully, while others tend to wimp out. Health lies somewhere between the two. How do we find the sweet spot between these two extremes?

Today’s pod focuses on six practical ideas around how to navigate these tough conversations.

Difficult people go to church. Difficult people work at the company you lead. Not all people who go to church are difficult. Not all people you work with are difficult. The vast majority are not. But the few who are difficult can make life miserable for a leader.

Leaders who intend on leading for the long-haul need steel in their spine. Today’s episode focuses on how to think—from God’s perspective—about difficult people—from God’s perspective. What should we do? Ignore them? Or be direct with them?

How do you make sense of life when you feel God is leading you down a confusing path?

Most of the time, His directives are logical. The numbers add up. The pieces fit together. But sometimes the numbers don’t add up when it comes to discerning God’s assignment for a particular season in your life.

Today’s episode will look at three quick takeaways that hopefully will help you if you’re in a season of decision, and especially if the path you feel God is asking you to take doesn’t make total sense.

It’s not easy to finish. It’s even less easy to finish well. Question is, how do we live today to increase our chances of reaching the finish line tomorrow?

Today’s podcast will explore three behaviors—going upward; going inward, and going outward. These three actions will help you finish your life’s race with a flourish.

A good night’s sleep is a leader’s cheat code. It’s an undervalued weapon in a leader’s quiver.

In today’s pod we’ll explore several reasons why sleep matters, and practical ways we can leverage its power to lead our organization better and more effectively. If you’re a leader, you’re running a marathon, not a sprint. Only well-rested leaders can run the long-distance race they’ve been called to.

According to an extensive Barna research study of 14,000 U.S. lead pastors, published in January 2017, 37% of lead pastors are at medium to high risk of burnout. A whopping 66% say they have no deep friendships. 40% are not energized by ministry work. Expastor.com reports 47% of pastors suffer from depression.

Many of the moral failures we read about (and those that never make the news) can be traced to exhaustion. One of the key contributors to this mess? Overscheduling, overcommitting, and rest-deprivation.

The truth is, the organization you lead will only go as far as your health allows it to. Today’s episode will reveal some of the most common objections leaders give for neglecting rest . . . and what a leader can do about it.

What drives you? Passion? Or adrenaline?

Passion is an intense desire or enthusiasm for something. Adrenaline is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and preparing muscles for exertion.

Passion gets us out of bed in the morning, ready to take on the day. Adrenaline keeps us up at night, unable to let go of the cares of the day. Passion produces an appropriate sense of urgency. Adrenaline makes everything seem urgent. Passion draws us, adrenaline drives us.

Today’s podcast will help you to be passionate without being driven. And devoted to your cause without being devoured by it.

Transition is a reality every leader has to deal with at some point in their work life.

The majority of leaders who leave for supposedly greener pastures do so prematurely. Some stay too long. Some leave at the first sign of sustained trouble—some stay in toxic environments that have no realistic hope of changing.

So . . . how does a leader know: “Should I stay or should I go?”

Today’s episode will zero in on five questions leaders should ask themselves before moving on to their next assignment.