Podcast: Motivated Leadership

September 20, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:48] What does the dictionary say about motivation? What do we say about motivation? 
  • [2:03] Motivation comes in “different packages”
  • [3:48] How can we individualize motivation?
  • [5:53] How does coachability mesh with motivation?
  • [7:20] Is 100% self-motivation possible?
  • [7:49] Greg’s story about a leader’s frustration with unmotivated people 
  • [9:44] Does yelling ever motivate people?
  • [12:52] A teammate’s love language can give you insight into how to motivate them.
  • [13:56] How do leaders “call out” what’s in our team members?
  • [16:01] A leader’s self-assessment is key to how well we motivate others.
  • [18:23] Are company-wide benefits demotivating? How can we switch this up?
  • [20:30] Does the carrot-or-stick method of motivation actually work?
  • [21:10] Greg shares a quote about how dreams can help motivation.
  • [22:51] Great leaders don’t assume, but they ask important questions.
  • [23:53] Our coaching huddles can help you individualize your leadership motivational skills and practices.

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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Links & Quotes

September 10, 2022 — Craig T. Owens

I co-host a leadership podcast with my good friend of 30+ years Greg Heeres. In an episode that came out last week, we were discussing the importance of friendships for leaders. All of us need friends that are investing in our lives. You may check out the rest of the conversation Greg and I had by clicking here.

Jonathan Woodward writes, “The right use of authority or power can make people glad. In our age, however, power is often immediately viewed with skepticism or outright disdain.” He also talks about our responsibility to the incorrect use of leadership authority: “It’s absolutely necessary to identify, challenge, and rebuke sinful leadership. It ensures that people are cared for and God is honored.” Check out The Power to Bless: Six Dimensions of Good Leadership.

More and more scientists are dissatisfied with the lack of evidence supporting the theory of evolution. ICR reports, “Indiana University Biologist Armin Moczek told The Guardian, ‘We still do not have a good answer. This classic idea of gradual change, one happy accident at a time, has so far fallen flat.’”

The churches in my hometown of Cedar Springs, MI, have partnered together to make sure students who are food insecure on the weekend are supplied with nutritious food to carry them through the weekend. If you would like to know more, or if you would like to help us, please check out the Cedar Springs Ministerial Association website.

“Because we love something else other than this world, we love even this world better than those who know no other.” —C.S. Lewis

This is one of the best interviews I have done. I so enjoyed this! And the good news is this is only part 1. We had such a good conversation that the hosts asked me to stick around to record another episode with them. Here is the first session…

“Here’s the deal: the better you get, the harder you have to work.” —Albert King, speaking to Stevie Ray Vaughan

Here is a brief clip from a teaching I did for some ministry interns. You can check out more of this by clicking here.

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Podcast: Leaders Need Friends

September 6, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:31] Can a leader have friends at work?
  • [1:22] Can a leader mix work friendship and personal relationships?
  • [2:25] You can’t be friends with everyone.
  • [3:21] How many true friends can you maintain?
  • [4:47] Bringing someone into your confidence can be a challenge.
  • [6:01] Tell people their story, not someone else’s.
  • [7:45] Greg talks about getting naked with your team.
  • [8:58] I explain why you need a Paul and a Barnabas in your life.
  • [10:01] Leaders need play time to recharge and refresh.
  • [11:08] I make the case for “sabbathing” to be a verb in my book Shepherd Leadership.
  • [11:55] We discuss being intentional about how you spend your time.
  • [14:31] I describe the qualities I look for in a strong leadership friend.
  • [16:45] We discuss how a “yes man” isn’t a true friend.
  • [18:12] Leaders need to be careful not to end up on an island.
  • [21:52] How do you navigate friendships through organizational groups and silos?
  • [23:20] I shares a humorous note Greg left me to illustrate the friendship tradeoff.
  • [24:22] Greg says you need a trusted friend to help you monitor your energy level.
  • [25:30] I say it’s important to thank friends for paying attention to you.
  • [26:14] We use Jesus’ relationships with His disciples to model their own friendships.
  • [27:40] We would love to be your leadership friend in our coaching huddles.

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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Podcast: Responsibility Starts At The Top

August 24, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:55] What’s one of the biggest attributes that sets leaders apart from their peers? 
  • [1:56] Check out why Stephen Covey’s definition of responsibility is so important in our discussion
  • [3:02] Why do people like to play “the blame game”?
  • [4:18] Accountability must be a partner with healthy responsibility
  • [4:52] Greg learned the blame game early on with his younger sister
  • [5:57] I worked in an unhealthy organization where the senior leader never accepted personal responsibility
  • [8:04] How do leaders “own it” in a healthy way?
  • [9:22] Exemplary leaders demonstrate how to accept consequences in a healthy way
  • [10:34] Responsibility and coachability strengthen a team and unleash greater potential
  • [11:27] Blame is “so dang easy” and makes the blamer a laughingstock
  • [13:27] What things contribute to blaming?
  • [14:14] How Greg handled the compliments and complaints from his clients
  • [15:11] Blaming is a spreading cancer in your organization
  • [15:44] Being a control freak isn’t the same thing as taking responsibility
  • [17:01] There is a balance for leaders so they don’t “fall on their swords”
  • [18:49] Team sports give us a good analogy of what shared responsibility looks like
  • [21:07] What’s on the other side of responsibility and blame?
  • [21:47] Leaders can enhance the benefits of responsibility through self-reflection
  • [23:51] Greg has a memorable and disarming way of helping people accept responsibility
  • [24:27] Our coaching huddles can help you learn to enhance the benefits of responsibility in your personal leadership

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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Podcast: Abundance Is A Mindset

August 9, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:50] What does it mean to look at things with an abundance vs. scarcity mindset?
  • [1:45] Greg talks about his keynote on abundance mindset
  • [2:50] Abundance mindset is key to making halftime adjustments
  • [4:04] What kind of situation is a leader seeing when they decide to have Greg come speak?
  • [4:53] It doesn’t take much for one scarcity mindset person to change a culture
  • [5:58] People are naturally inclined to talk about negative experiences more than positive ones
  • [6:42] Sometimes it takes a caring outside observer to point out tough problems in the organization
  • [7:15] Abundance encourages creativity, but scarcity stifles it
  • [8:08] I talk about the growing pains of changing an organization’s mindset
  • [9:16] We talk about change agents
  • [10:53] Greg talks about meeting a “business pastor”
  • [11:28] Why is scarcity so easy?
  • [13:26] How can we get positivity back?
  • [16:20] Greg discusses the balance of considering scarcity without becoming consumed by it
  • [17:00] Are the people around you in a scarcity mindset?
  • [18:15] Create boundaries for your mindset
  • [19:17] You don’t have it all, so don’t act like it!
  • [19:43] Greg would love to help your organization develop an abundance mindset.

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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Podcast: When Craig Met Greg

July 19, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:40] Who are we and how did we meet?
  • [2:00] A little bit of Greg’s biography as he headed to college
  • [4:10] A little bit of my biography as I headed to college
  • [5:40] How Greg tweaked his major while at Hope College
  • [6:57] I added an additional major while at Oral Roberts University
  • [7:28] Greg was drafted by two professional sports teams
  • [9:14] Transitions are important for leaders
  • [10:29] Self-reflection + coach ability = superpower 
  • [11:02] Greg’s first business venture was only an entry point to his career
  • [13:37] Another decision further refined Greg’s niche in business
  • [15:03] The unforeseen changes that brought me to West Michigan where I met Greg
  • [15:59] One of the first ministries that we worked on together
  • [20:00] A leadership lesson we tried to teach to the students at an urban youth center
  • [20:40] The dream list for us going forward
  • [22:40] What do we do as consultants?
  • [24:02] Greg has some cool keynote addresses that he presents
  • [25:53] How we can help you grow your leadership capacity

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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Podcast: Live An Honor-Filled Life

July 5, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:45] Honor should be an everyday practice
  • [2:05] Greg’s pet peeve for leaders
  • [2:45] Advice from my grandpa
  • [3:20] Leaders look for ways to honor those around them
  • [3:48] Can you honor too much?
  • [4:29] How can we honor our parents and grandparents?
  • [5:13] Greg has a book releasing soon called Sage Advice 
  • [9:44] Greg explains that application is the real compliment
  • [10:36] Honor starts with noticing others and then expressing what was noticed
  • [11:49] Honoring calls out great potential in others
  • [12:32] What does it mean to “trust the person with a limp”?
  • [14:15] Honor is for people who gave, not for people who received
  • [15:28] Why is hard for leaders to acknowledge the success of others?
  • [16:27] Leaders need to looking around for opportunities to honor others
  • [17:11] Hand out compliments publicly for maximum effect
  • [17:55] Leaders receive honor by first honoring others
  • [19:45] Our leadership challenge to you 

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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Podcast: Playtime Can Be A Leadership Tool

June 21, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:30] Summertime is a good time to review our work vs. leisure balance
  • [1:21] I share how a leader can realize the organization needs some downtime
  • [2:51] Leaders need to recharge themselves
  • [4:13] Self-care is not selfish; self-care needs to be built into a leader’s schedule
  • [5:40] Greg reminds leaders that there isn’t an award for not taking a vacation
  • [6:46] Greg has seen the fallout from overly-tired leaders, and I share some ideas for leaders to help themselves and their teammates de-stress
  • [9:31] How do leaders build playtime into their regular work schedule?
  • [11:10] Share your ideas with us!
  • [11:34] Greg shared some playtime activities he used in his organizations
  • [12:27] Why do leaders think they have to be so serious?
  • [15:15] Some thoughts for leaders to help their teams
  • [16:51] Greg emphasizes again the importance of self-care and they guys talk about how we can help other leaders practice self-care
  • [19:03] Our coaching huddles can help you grow your leadership
  • [20:02] Is it possible to find work-life balance?

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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Podcast: Generous Leaders Unleash Potential

June 7, 2022 — 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 of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:15] I adapt a verse from the Bible to talk about generosity and Greg agrees with me. 
  • [1:00] Generosity is so much more than donating money.
  • [2:15] Generous leaders are proactive, and have appropriate boundaries.
  • [2:48] Leaders cannot fake generosity.
  • [3:42] Generosity isn’t in the big things, but the everyday things.
  • [4:25] Time, talent, treasure are all important components in generosity.
  • [6:00] Greg shares a telling statistic about how Americans give to charities.
  • [6:45] Greg says giving your network can be one of the most generous things a leader does. 
  • [7:37] Generosity requires an abundance mindset.
  • [8:52] What holds us back from being generous?
  • [10:00] Comparisons kill generosity.
  • [10:27] Being generous expands our influence, but stinginess strangles it.
  • [12:55] Our teammates are looking for places to be generous.
  • [13:53] Generosity opens doors for new opportunities.
  • [14:51] Greg shares an insightful quote from Anne Frank 
  • [15:17] I make a connection to the change in Ebenezer Scrooge’s life.
  • [16:11] How we define a generous leader.
  • [17:38] Our leadership challenge: how can you view generosity differently?

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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Links & Quotes

June 2, 2022 — Craig T. Owens

Dan Reiland shares 5 reasons leaders stumble and fall.

Max Lucado addresses the sickening news of sexual abuse coverups in the church. He wrote, “[Jesus] defended the weak, stood up for the forgotten. The idea that His church would be unsafe for His sons and daughters disturbs Him deeply. And you can bet your Bible that He’ll turn a few tables. If history teaches us anything it is this: Jesus will not sit idle while His church drifts from His cause. ‘I will rescue My flock from their mouths,” He declared through a prophet. ‘It will no longer be food for them’ (Ezekiel 34:10). 

“Repentance is necessary; heartfelt, tear-stained, face-on-the floor repentance. By all of us in positions of leadership. Will we see it? I pray so. Regardless, I pray that you will pursue the difficult path of seeking Christ in spite of Christians who have let you down. His pastors have failed to pastor. But when they don’t, He still does. Let Him pastor you.”

Darren Carlson wrote, “Healthy pastors experience the fullness and complexity of their emotions, and then hold them up against the sinlessness of Christ. How might Jesus respond to the pain and loss and victory and neediness in front of me? We grow emotionally as leaders by studying the heart of Jesus as he walks among sinners and sufferers.” His post ‘Healthy Pastors Have Emotions: How to Test and Cultivate Your Feelings’ is an excellent read. I explore the emotional health of shepherd pastors in my book.

Nicky Cruz’s story is a fascinating one. His message for America today should be heeded!

My friend Greg Heeres and I had a helpful discussion about leaders and forgiveness on our Craig And Greg Show podcast. Here is a brief snippet:

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