The Craig And Greg Show: “The Business Baton”

February 27, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Every business owner needs to be prepared for an eventual transition. Whether it be retirement, moving on to a new opportunity, or an M&A offer, nobody can run their business forever. In today’s episode Greg and I sit down to discuss Greg’s new book The Business Baton.

  • [0:35] “Keep your eye on the ball” is important for more than just sports, and far too often business owners forget this advice during the transition process.
  • [2:48] In chapter seven of The Business Baton, Greg discusses how to manage the pace of a transition.
  • [4:04] A Navigator can help you keep your focus on running your company during a transition.
  • [5:34] Greg talks about a few common reasons business owners take their eye off the ball.
  • [12:50] What does an owner disengaging do to the morale of the company?
  • [16:53] I share an interesting statistic from The Business Baton.
  • [19:26] An owners ongoing productivity is essential for maintaining the value of the organization.
  • [23:49] The Business Baton contains real case studies from organizations that Greg has worked with in the past, so you will likely see examples that line up with your industry.
  • [25:04] Greg and I share a section from The Business Baton about productivity.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

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Recruiting To Releasing

June 25, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Before you recruit someone to fill that next opening in your organization, I’ve got a resource that you should definitely check out. The resource I am referring to comes from the book Recruiting to Releasing by Jim Wiegand. I had a chance to sit down with Jim to talk about this eye-opening book.

Purchase your copy of Recruiting to Releasing on Amazon here, or on Apple Books here.

If you would like to check out when Jim interviewed me about my book When Sheep Bite, check out that video here.

Here are some quotes from Jim’s book.

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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De-Sizing The Church

April 16, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I’d like to tell you about a book that I think is an absolute must-read for those in church leadership. Check out my interview with Karl Vaters, the author of De-Sizing The Church, on this episode of The Podcast.

Purchase your copy of De-Sizing The Church here.

You can keep up with all that Karl is doing on his blog.

And if you would like to check out when Karl interviewed me about my book Shepherd Leadership, those videos are here.

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Talking About Biting Sheep (part 1)

March 21, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

I was so thrilled to join John Opalewski and Jim Wiegand on the Leading From Alignment podcast! 

This is part 1 of my interview with them about my new book When Sheep Bite.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Interviewing The Author Of “Sage Advice” (part 2)

August 31, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

All of us can benefit from having someone wise speak into our lives. That is the message of Sage Advice. Here is part 2 of my interview with the author of Sage Advice. Greg Heeres is my friend of 30+ years and my podcast partner on The Craig And Greg Show.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Resources for this episode:

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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The Craig And Greg Show: The Leadership Lessons Of “Sage Advice”

August 10, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.

On this episode, we are celebrating Greg! His new book Sage Advice has just been released, and everyone at Maximize Leadership is incredibly excited for you to be able to finally get your hands on the finished product. In this episode, Greg and I discuss the new book, and talk about how each chapter pairs a story from Greg’s childhood with a helpful leadership lesson.

  • [0:50] I encouraged Greg to write this book. 
  • [1:49] Each chapter combines a story from Greg’s life, a helpful leadership lesson, and an interview with a modern-day leader.
  • [3:50] How did Greg find the leadership lessons?
  • [6:00] A chapter that I especially relate to has to do with toilets! (It is another reminder of Plungerman!)
  • [9:06] What if you don’t have parents and grandparents that could give you sage advice? Where would you go to get wisdom?
  • [11:37] There are more people out there that want to invest in both emerging and seasoned leaders than most people think.
  • [13:58] We can really trust mentors who have a “limp.”
  • [15:27] Every chapter in Sage Advice is a stand-alone leadership lesson.
  • [16:08] I share my favorite chapter in this book.
  • [17:09] Greg shares a great tip for all leaders who are readers.
  • [18:02] What does a girl in a red bikini have to do with leadership?
  • [20:10] You can get an autographed copy of Sage Advice here. 

Check out my totally(!) unbiased book review of Sage Advice here.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

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Interviewing The Author Of “Sage Advice” (part 1)

July 26, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

I am thrilled to introduce Greg Heeres to you! He’s not only a great friend and my podcast partner on The Craig And Greg Show, but he is also a published author. We chatted recently about why he wrote “Sage Advice” and how it can benefit every reader. 

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Resources:

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Links & Quotes

February 18, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Writing Shepherd Leadership opened the door for me to have a lot of conversations with pastors, and I discovered just how beat up so many of them feel. As a result, I am working on a new book called When Sheep Bite as a way to help these pastors not just survive, but thrive in their ministry. I am self-publishing this book, and I could really use your financial investment in this project. I’ve got some special offers for you. Please check out this link and prayerfully consider helping me help these hurting pastors.

I love learning more about the historicity of the Bible! If you do too, check out this archeological biography of King Jehoram. And if you would like to keep the history of the kings and prophets straight, this side-by-side chart is one of the most downloaded resources I have ever produced.

“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” —Michael Jordan

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It’s Time To Write Another Book!

February 14, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Thank you to my many friends who helped make Shepherd Leadership a reality! My first book would not have been published, and been such a blessing to so many Christian leaders, if it hadn’t been for such amazing people who helped me fund this project!

Shepherd Leadership opened the door for me to talk with so many pastors. In my conversations with them, I discovered how beat up so many of them were feeling. This began to stir in me the desire to write another book to help them out, which prompted the thought for yet another book.

The first book has the working title When Sheep Bite: How shepherds should respond to attacks and abandonment. This book will be presented in three sections:

  1. Cultivating a shepherd’s heart toward the sheep
  2. Handling the various bites and kicks that come from the sheep
  3. Staying faithful to God’s call to shepherd His flock under your care

The second book has a working title of Amen Indeed! This is a book of prayers for the variety of situations that pastors face. The first part of this book lists the different scenarios that call for prayer and then presents a prayer that is rooted in biblical texts. The second part of the book is a prayer for pastors for each Sunday of the year.

But in order to help these ministry leaders, I once again need some help from you. One of the lessons I learned from my first publishing experience is that a lot of money was spent on a publisher that could have gone toward getting the book out to more people. So this time I will be self-publishing these books. 

Would you consider being a sponsor of these books? 

  • For a donation of $35, you will get an advanced, pre-release copy of the ebook. You will be reading this book before anyone has it! [UPDATE: 1 sponsor at this level]
  • For a donation of $75, you will not only get the pre-release copy of the ebook but also an autographed copy of the pre-released print version of the book. [UPDATE: 2 sponsors at this level]
  • For a donation of $200 or more, you will get all of the above, AND you will have access to the opening paragraphs of each chapter as they are written, as well as some behind-the-scenes videos throughout this journey. [UPDATE: 3 sponsors at this level]

All of my supporters will receive immediate access to the audio version of the introduction to When Sheep Bite.

To support this project, please click here to be taken to PayPal.

Thank you in advance for helping me to help our pastors not just survive, but thrive in their ministries! 

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Practical Health Questions

August 24, 2022 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I had a great time on the 200churches podcast with Jeff Keady. 

Jeff wanted to know if I had a favorite chapter in my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter. That’s an easy question to answer because it is the chapter I didn’t write—the Preface of the book was written by Dick Brogden and sums up my book better than I could have on my own. 

But there is a chunk of five chapters in Shepherd Leadership that I keep going back to quite frequently. This section is also one that has resonated with other leaders who coach and counsel pastors. 

Dr. Luke summarized the wholly healthy development of Jesus in just one verse: And Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God, and in favor with men (Luke 2:52). I think this gives us the perfect pyramid for our healthy growth—

  • It starts with our mental health (wisdom) 
  • Which helps us make good decisions for our physical health (stature)
  • Which creates an ideal environment for our spiritual health to flourish (favor with God)
  • Which is ultimately realized in our relational health (favor with men) 

This is why, when I am coaching other pastors that are struggling with relationships with their board or parishioners, I start with…

Oftentimes the answers to these questions reveal a deficit in mental, physical, or spiritual health that is preventing a breakthrough in strong, healthy relationships. As soon as health is being restored at the lower levels of this pyramid, positive changes in spiritual and relational health begin to blossom as well. 

Pastor, please pick up a copy of my book to help you get into the healthiest place you can be. You cannot give health to the flock under your care if you are not at optimal health yourself. 

If you want to catch up on some of the other clips I’ve already shared from this interview, you can find them here. I’ll be sharing more clips from this 200churches interview soon, so please stay tuned. Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter is available in print or ebook, and in audiobook through either Audible or Apple.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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