Unseen Leadership

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Lisa Whittle who is a sought after Bible teacher, founder of Ministry Strong, and host of the popular Jesus Over Everything podcast. She is the author of seven books, including her newest Bible study release Jesus Over Everything.

During their conversation, they discuss what it means to be a natural-born leader, needing a revival of the soul, and the benefits of being patient in the wait.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 56:

"I never meant to be in these roles that I am in today, I just sort of led with my gifts where I was and it took me where I am.""One of the most important lessons to me was that their response is not your responsibility.""One mistake I made was wasting time worrying about some fake arrival point.""I did not realize the value of community.""In 2012, I was going to quit everything - writing, speaking, my blog - and I thought to myself, why can't I?""The Lord really spoke to my heart and gave me a picture of revival.""If you leave Jesus, your leadership is doomed.""It's really about any books that drive you closer to the Father, because that is the relationship that is going to hold your leadership together.""Some of the most powerful ministry I have ever done has been in a room with five people.""Making plans isn't a bad thing, but hold them loosely because God will likely change them.""Wait with belief that God is going to do something amazing with your life, but you are not on pause. There is a world in front of you that needs to be served.""It is to your benefit to be exercising your gifts and practicing.""Your leadership will only be as good as your relationship with Jesus is."

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Jesus Over Everything by Lisa Whittle

Jesus Over Everything Podcast

Ministry Strong

Revolution by George Barna

The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen

Called Creatives

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Bruce Ashford who is a Professor of Theology and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has also worked on the mission field in over 40 countries, and the author of multiple books, including Letters to an American Christian, One Nation Under God, and his latest, How to Survive an Election Season.

During their conversation, they discuss being shaped by and serving institutions, learning to move past unfair criticism that comes with being a leader, and stepping up during moments of crisis.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 55:

"It is quite the change from leading a movement of your own that you and your friends started moving into an institution that has history, tradition, rules, and an authority hierarchy.""Institutions are good things and they should shape us.""We really ought to not say everything we want to say sometimes. We need institutions to shape us.""If you are going into a leadership role, there will be naysayers and critics.""When I was younger, I thought that if I was a good leader I would get universal acclaim.""If you are really leading out you will get some serious criticism, much of it will be unfair or inaccurate, and you have to learn to deal with it and move past it.""If your leadership role at a given institution is far and away the most important thing in your life, maybe rethink your life a little bit.""Unless it's a biography of Jesus Christ, you are dealing with a deeply flawed human being and you don't want to imitate everything that person says or does.""All of the people we admire, if they have done something big in life as a leader, they have probably also messed up big time.""It's really during moments of crisis and criticism that as a leader you've really got to step up and show resolve and humility."

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Letters to an American Christian by Bruce Ashford

One Nation Under God by Bruce Ashford

How to Survive an Election Season by Bruce Ashford

A Time to Build by Yuval Levin

Churchill by Paul Johnson

Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny by Andrew Roberts

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Trevin Wax who is senior vice president of Theology and Communications at Lifeway Christian Resources. He is also the general editor of The Gospel Project, and the author of multiple books, including Rethink Your Self, This Is Our Time, and Gospel Centered Teaching.

During their conversation, they discuss how to produce high-level content, the cultural trends for young leaders in the years to come, and how to create a habit of writing.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 54:

“We should first look up to God to see who we were created to be, then look around to the people of God that we belong to, then last we should look to yourself to understand who we are.”

“God doesn’t just lead us to the valley. He leads us through it.”

“Indecisiveness can be very counterproductive in leadership for your young leaders.”

“It takes a certain level of mental energy to consistently be creative over the long haul.”

“If you want to write consistently, then you need to learn to write and not be afraid of your reader.”

“You need to write to serve the reader.”

“If you want to write constantly, you have to read constantly.”

“One of the misconceptions I had earlier on was that once you step into greater leadership was that the weight of the execution work you have to do would get easier. But it doesn’t.”

“In a remote work environment, it will be harder for young leaders to stand out and rise up in an organization.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Rethink Yourself by Trevin Wax

4 Disciplines of Execution by Sean Covey

The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry

Strong and Weak by Andy Crouch

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm by William Manchester

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Christy Nockels who is a wife, mother, podcaster, and worship leader for global movements like Passion Conferences and IF:Gathering. And she is also now an author with her debut book The Life You Long For.

During their conversation, they discuss how to rest in God as a leader, how to protect ourselves from comparison, and the benefits of collaboration in leadership.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 53:

“I was living for God, but I found myself in a place where I didn’t know how to live from God.”

“We need to learn to live from a heart of rest, and when I say rest, I don’t just mean weekly Sabbath. I mean a soul rest.”

“Resting in God is a posture of trusting God to make a way for us and not hustling for it on our own.”

“When you live from your own belovedness, you lead from a place for contending and fighting for it in others.”

“As leaders, it is easy to “yes” ourselves into exhaustion.”

“I’ve tried to view social media as a place of serving others instead of feeding my soul.”

“It is a gift to be able to collaborate with others.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

The Birkman Personality Test

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Andre Grey who is a Congregation Pastor at the Austin Stone Community. 

During their conversation, they discuss how our gifts can outpace our character, leadership lessons that Andre learned from the military, and the difference between relational leadership and hierarchical leadership.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 52:

“My gifts as a young kid were so forward facing that they pulled me into rooms and doors that quite honestly, I didn’t have any business being in at that point.”

“There are times where your giftings will take you where your character cannot sustain you.”

“If we are going to be a leader in the kingdom of God, we have to be willing to dig into the deep, dark places of my soul and really deal with my flaws and lean into my weakness and trust in the Lord.”

“Cancel culture is not a thing with the Lord. God can redeem our story.”

“As a leader, I want to be supportive of the people I’m leading. I don’t want to use people to get tasks done. I want to use tasks to get people done.”

“Anyone going into leadership for the very first time needs to relentlessly commit to the development of their character and learn to lead with all humility.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

Leadership as an Identity by Crawford W. Loritts

When by Daniel Pink

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by JT English who is the lead pastor at Storyline Church in Colorado. Before that, he was a pastor at the Village Church where he led The Village Institute. He also co-hosts the Knowing Faith podcast and is the author of his new book Deep Discipleship.

During their conversation, they discuss how to grow in discipleship, how to get constant feedback from those you are leading, and what it was like taking over a church in the midst of a global pandemic.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 51:

“We should not have to leave the church in order to lead in the church.”

“I had this conviction that what if we were to take the best that a seminary has to offer and offer it to every day Christians in the local church. Because Christians really want to grow.”

“We typically ask the question, “What do disciples want,” instead of asking the better questions of, “What do disciples need.””

“It is never too early to start reading the Bible.”

“There is nothing more off-putting about a leader than overconfidence. If we are calling ourselves Christian leaders, the only leader who could have been overconfident is Jesus. That’s not how Jesus leads.”

“If your priority list is your email, then you are probably not leading well. You are being led by your email.”

“Leaders need to maintain a soft heart and a firm spine.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Deep Discipleship by J.T. English

Dwell App

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Dianne Jago who is a military wife and mother of three residing in Pensacola, Florida. She is the founder and chief editor of Deeply Rooted Magazine, where she works with her team to encourage, inspire, and equip women to be deeply rooted in Christ alone. She is also the author of A Holy Pursuit . 

During their conversation, they discuss how to lead a remote team, how to bring a dream to a reality, and how to lean into our weakness as leaders.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 50:

“When leading a remote team, I learned we had to clearly communicate the vision and set clear expectations.”

“I needed to make sure I was leading my kids and leading in my home first before my business.”

“Oftentimes leaders desire influence and they want to change the world, and that really starts in the home.”

“I wish early on I had the ability to delegate. I was a perfection, and now I’m a recovering perfection.”

“God’s grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness, even in our weakness as leaders.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Deeply Rooted Magazine

A Holy Pursuit by Dianne Jago

Discipline by Elisabeth Elliot

Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity by Tim Challies

Be Still My Soul by Elisabeth Elliot

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Barnabas Piper who is on staff at Immanuel Church in Nashville, TN. He is also the author of The Pastor's Kid and Help My Unbelief AND He co-hosts the popular Happy Rant podcast. Exciting news…..he also just released a new book called Hoping for Happiness.

During their conversation, they discuss how to wait on the Lord in your work, growing in humility as a leader, and  living up to expectations as a pastor’s kid.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 49:

“Happiness is not promised to us in our work. Go back and read Genesis 3. Genesis 3 basically says our work is going to be a pain, often.”

“Keep the room clean where you are until God opens the door to the next place.”

“Every time I have ever tried hard to change my work situation, I’ve screwed it up. When I’ve decided to faithfully work where I am and God handles the transition, I’ve been put in a spot that is clearly the best spot for me to be in.”

“To be humble takes a profound amount of security in the Lord. Because you are volunteering to be lower than other people.”

“More is expected of leaders. That’s part of the job.”

“I liked passing the buck and taking the credit, which is the opposite of leadership.”

“If we are marked by the things that we are trying to avoid, we are aimless.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

5LQ Episode 1: John Piper

Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

The Son by Philipp Meyer

Working by Robert A. Caro

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Dorena Williamson who is a proud mother, a passionate teacher, and a devoted bridge-builder. She is also the author of ColorFull, ThoughtFull, and GraceFull, which are children’s books that celebrate God’s diverse kingdom.

During their conversation, they discuss what it means to be a bridge-builder, the necessity of listening and learning from others, and how to focus on pleasing God more than people.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 48:

“Oftentimes, bridgebuilders get walked on because that is what bridges were designed for.”

“The ultimate bridge builder was Jesus the Messiah. He gave his life to create a bridge for us to God.”

“We must posture ourselves as listeners and learners.”

“We need to do what we are called to do and that is not to please people, that is to aim to please God.”

“Support and loyalty are not always the same thing.”

“If someone is more loyal to me than they are to Christ, then I have failed them.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck

Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience by Sheila Wise Rowe

In this episode of the Unseen Leadership podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter are joined by Matt Chandler who is the lead pastor of teaching at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas, and the president of Acts 29. He has authored several books, including To Live Is Christ to Die Is Gain, Creature of the Word, and The Explicit Gospel.

During their conversation, they discuss how Matt was diagnosed with brain cancer as a young leader, how to understand yourself as a leader, and how to create an ideal week and schedule your days.

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 47:

“I’m all gas and no brakes. So I needed some brakes around me. Or we were going to do 6,000 things and none of them well.”

“As leaders, we need to flank our weakness and bolster our strengths with the people around us.”

“The biggest pivotal moment that changed my life was when I got brain cancer, and honestly, it was both the scariest and coolest season of my life.”

“My heart when coming to the Village Church was that I didn’t want to make it my church.”

“What’s going on inside of me is a question leaders don’t pay attention to often enough.”

“Without repetition, there is no formation.” - Jon Tyson

“As a young leader, I had the misconception that people would just do what I said.”

“There is a game we play of winning over people and learning to take an idea from our head and to its inception and not destroy people along the way.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger