most people don’t think this leadership killer impacts them [0:30]
we share our personal experiences of leaders placing “me” in front of “we” [2:06]
here’s what this killer does to our teammates [2:58]
sharing is better than taking—this is a key part of an abundance mindset [3:53]
discontentment and low self-esteem lead to feelings of greed [5:14]
what squashes greed? what is our leadership builder? [5:20]
discontentment is the path of least resistance, so we have to choose to be contented leaders [6:43]
Greg shares a contentment lesson he learned while on a missions trip [9:11]
how the senior leader should address discontentment or greed in other team members [10:56]
leaders are the thermostat for their team [13:20]
where does work fit into the overall scheme of life? [14:14]
Greg gives us a leadership challenge to help us win the battle against greed [15:40]
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I have five chapters in my book to help ministry leaders get mentally, physically, spiritually, and relationally healthy. In this short clip, from “The Craig And Greg Show” leadership podcast, Greg Heeres and I talk about how important it is for leaders to self-care. To see the full episode, please click here.
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Greg confesses a leadership mistake he had to correct in himself [9:20]
character is vital in emerging leaders [10:59]
compassion is valuable in emerging leaders [11:44]
consistency helps emerging leaders develop into solid leaders, and it helps the team leader to excel … great insight from Patrick Lencioni about being present [12:15]
teams must embrace diversity and find commonality [13:08]
I elaborate on Greg’s point about a leader’s presence and consistency [14:10]
the team leader has to take the initiative in identifying and raising up new leaders [15:47]
leaders need to continue to replenish themselves [17:22]
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David was the gold standard for every king of Israel who followed him. Numerous times throughout the history of Israel, we will see a note that a certain king either followed God like David, or turned from God unlike David. Yet there exists a wart on David’s portrait: an adultrous affair with the wife of a man in his inner circle, and then subsequent lies and a murder to cover up the affair. “The thing David had done displeased the Lord” (see 2 Samuel 11).
But I’d like to turn your attention to when this affair occurred: “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war … David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). He was without his usual comrades. The men who knew David best, who could probably sense if something was amiss, weren’t around to warn him. When David tried to find out the identity of the bathing beauty on the roof next door to his palace, an unnamed attendant tried to remind him, “Isn’t that Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah?” but David dismissed him.
Elijah was arguably the most forceful and fearless prophet in Israel’s history. Not only did he stand up to the evil kings of Israel, but he spoke out against the kings of surrounding nations, too. In answer to Elijah’s prayer, God brought a drought on the land, and again in answer to Elijah’s prayer, God sent rain. Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of the god Baal and the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah to a duel to the death, which ended up in a decisive victory for Yahweh. Yet, shortly after this massive victory, Elijah was depressed to the point that he wanted to die.
What led to Elijah’s depression? Something very similar to David’s slide into adultery: He was alone. Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel’s death threat, left his servant behind, and proceeded all by himself into the desert. It was when he was without a comrade that he prayed to God, “I’ve had enough. Take my life” (see 2 Kings 17–19).
And what about Peter? He boldly claimed his loyalty to Jesus, even to the point of wielding a sword at the guards who came to arrest his Master. But when Peter was alone, after the other disciples fled, he denied three times that he knew Jesus (Matthew 26:33, 51, 69–75).
God designed us to be in relationship with others. His statement to Adam in some of the earliest words of the Bible—“It is not good for you to be alone”—are words for us still today.
In a recent episode of “The Craig And Greg Show,” Greg and I discussed one of our favorite verses in the Bible: Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Proverbs 27:6).
If you want to go far, don’t try to go alone. If you want an accountability partner that can keep warts away from your leadership legacy, don’t go alone. If you want to extend your leadership influence, don’t go alone. If you want to honor God’s investment in you, don’t go alone. Get those friends around you who love you enough to speak the truth!
I have known Greg Heeres for almost 30 years. During that time we have grown as close as brothers, partnering on numerous projects, both personally and professionally. One of our shared passions is developing leaders. Out of this passion we began a video and audio podcast called The Craig And Greg Show.
I was also thrilled to receive an endorsement from another church leadership blogger that I greatly admire:
“In his new book, Shepherd Leadership, Craig T. Owens gets to the heart of pastoral ministry and caring about people with great wisdom. Jesus sets the example for us as the good shepherd, and Craig delivers practical principles for healthy leadership that allows you the opportunity for freedom as God intended, joy in serving, and ultimately experiencing the full blessing of God.” —Dan Reiland, Executive Pastor, 12Stone Church, Lawrenceville, GA
You may listen to the audio-version of Greg’s interview of me on the player below, and I’ve also shared the link to watch the video of this interview.
Greg wonders why leaders get trapped using metrics of success that don’t really matter [4:10]
I talk about why the subtle shift from “servant leadership” to “shepherd leadership” is important [4:50]
Greg and I discuss the tension between a leader’s confidence and a leader’s humility [6:25]
I explain how my wife helped me see my leadership in a better light [8:00]
my favorite definition of humility comes from C.S. Lewis [9:45]
Greg asks how leaders can develop the right kinds of relationships that will help them continue to grow [10:35]
I share the dangers when leaders try to fly solo [11:40]
Greg talks about the vital need for leaders to refresh themselves [14:00]
who will benefit from reading Shepherd Leadership? [14:50]
I share a humorous story of a way I advised a church to grow their numbers overnight [16:54]
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what is the difference between unity and conformity, and how do leaders promote the right thing [7:20]
we need to help independent people choose to be interdependent [8:27]
we unpack a quote Greg shares about trading doing what we want to do for doing what we ought to do [8:54]
we don’t want to be told what to do unless we understand why we need to do it—helping a team grasp this is how leaders get buy-in [10:23]
Greg shares a quote from Francis of Assisi about living out what we are talking about [12:00]
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the difference between patriotism and nationalism both in our country and in your organization [1:35]
Greg explains how leaders need to lead inside out [2:42]
I share one sure-fire way for leaders to evaluate potential new leaders, and how this relates to citizenship [3:27]
leaders can change the culture without having an office or a title [4:25]
the value of team building and how it relates to patriotism [5:10]
Chuck Colson said politics are downstream from culture, so what happens in your backyard will ultimately affect Washington, D.C. [5:45]
how my grandfather changed his business culture [6:43]
Greg explains how gratefulness and patriotism are directly related [8:13]
wherever you are, you can make a difference—your daily actions have a cumulative effect [12:43]
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a previous episode where we discussed how leaders handle general problems [0:28]
the distinction between conflict management and conflict leadership [1:30]
managers who try to make people get along vs. leaders who empower people to solve their own issues [2:44]
my 3 tips to prepare yourself before a meeting with your teammates [3:38]
how to look beyond the “triggers” to the root issue of a problem [5:04]
most people share the same values but conflict happens when they express that value differently [6:17]
leaders allow for the differences in style and personality [7:15]
how leaders can proactively prepare themselves and their team members to navigate personnel conflicts [8:00]
Greg relates conflict leadership to parenting terminology [10:15]
leaders need to stay among their team members [11:29]
what “peace” really is and where conflicts usually originate [12:50]
team members bring their past experiences with them [14:20]
Craig & Greg are ready to help coach you [16:30]
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.
most people don’t think this leadership killer impacts them [0:30] 
Craig T. Owens 