Every person who has been wrongly accused, shoved, hurt, or persecuted wants justice. If we try to balance the scal… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…1 day ago
CEO Or Pastor?
The sheep aren’t in the pasture to serve the shepherd, but the shepherd is in the pasture to serve… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…1 day ago
God isn’t angry at you. He loves you and wants to be in a relationship with you❣️ Jesus has made this possible for… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…1 day ago
There has never been anyone as perfectly healthy as Jesus. He was wise, physically healthy, spiritually strong, and emotionally resilient. My co-host Greg and I talked about this on a recent episode of our leadership podcast The Craig And Greg Show. Check out this snippet. I dive deeper into this topic in five chapters in my book Shepherd Leadership.
Fight The New Drug reports how easily sex trafficking happens in the porn industry. They also share a recent survey of how many teens are watching pornography while at school.
Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.
As leaders, it’s our responsibility to help our organization grow. As Greg and I discuss in this episode of The Craig And Greg Show, one of the best ways to do that is by focusing on your own personal development. It might seem counterintuitive, but by focusing inward we make ourselves more flexible, robust, and prepared leaders. This, in turn, enables us to better influence and encourage others in our leadership roles.
[17:21] Check out some of the benefits of personal development.
[19:15] It’s important to self-reflect on the areas where we’ve already grown.
[20:34] More benefits that come with personal development.
[23:10] Personal development is the best resume.
[25:07] I have seen that as I develop myself I am able to be a greater help for my team’s development.
[26:14] Comparing is a personal development killer.
[27:24] Progress is exciting!
[29:22] Greg and I would love to help coach you in your personal development.
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.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
There are so many things a leader can do to develop themselves and develop the people around them. In fact, at times there may be too many things from which we could choose!
So how do we narrow it down? How do we know which things to guard in our schedule, which things to drop, and which things to add?
One thing that has been immensely helpful for me is asking the question, “Why do I want to do this, or learn this, or make a commitment to this?” And then answer the question with these two words, “So that….”
What is the “so that” I am aiming for? How will that thing enhance my leadership or develop me personally? I need to keep asking that question again and again until I hit upon the key factor that needs to be added to my schedule and then guarded in my schedule.
I co-host a leadership podcast called The Craig And Greg Show with my lifelong friend Greg Heeres. On a recent episode, we were discussing the value of personal development and we got into this “so that” topic. {{Take a listen…}}
A mark of a godly leader is one who is regularly asking the question, “Why am I doing this?” and then continually drilling down to a solid “so that” reason.
If I can help coach you through this process in your leadership journey, please reach out to me.
This is part 68 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.
[1:47] What are some reasons people don’t set goals?
[3:10] The trap of comfort zones.
[5:14] Are you afraid of achievement?
[5:57] The balance of internal and external discipline.
[9:21] We would love to help you stretch to the next level!
[10:30] Why do people set goals?
[13:42] Why are goals hard to attain?
[14:31] Time is not manageable.
[15:30] Self-awareness and clarity are tools to help set goals.
[17:48] Be a goal-influencer by supporting others’ goals.
[19:20] Take time to celebrate reaching goals.
[22:40] Sharing goals with others lets them know what’s important to you.
[23:31] Celebrating steps toward a goal helps maintain motivation.
[25:00] I love this quote from Andrew Wood on incremental steps.
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.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
An interesting comment that Jesus made that should catch the attention of every leader is this: “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me” (John 10:14). Jesus is telling us that He knows the uniqueness of every person.
Combine this with David’s encouraging words about Jesus as our Good Shepherd in the opening words of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need” (Psalm 23:1 NLT).
This tells me that quality shepherd leaders…
…are around their teammates enough to know them personally.
…can quickly ascertain when their teammates are feeling stress or anxiety.
…know how to give their teammates what they need to destress in a healthy way.
My friend Greg and I discussed how leaders can use playtime as an effective tool to keep their teammates at their healthiest. Check out this short clip—
If you would like to watch this full episode from The Craig And Greg Show, please click here.
I also talk about how wise leaders take care of those under their care in my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter. It’s available in print or ebook, and in audiobook through either Audible or Apple.
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 how the first episode of The Craig and Greg Show debuted over two years ago on September 15th, 2020, and was appropriately titled “Leaders are Learners.” However, the discussions that became this show go back years before then.
On our 50th episode, Greg and I take you into the bagel shop where many long conversations about leadership became the show you see today.
Thank you for your support over the last fifty episodes. The entire Craig and Greg Show team wishes you a very merry Christmas, and we’re so excited to share more leadership insight with you in 2023 and beyond!
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.
[0:30] Change is a four-letter word for some people.
[2:05] What holds people back from embracing change?
[4:39] How does a leader’s pride play into successful change?
[5:50] People don’t buy-in to change overnight, which is why a change catalyst is needed.
[9:00] Improvement committee can work well to help an organization make changes.
[10:49] The unselfishness of leaders is key for making effective changes.
[12:22] Who should be on your improvement committee?
[14:34] The benefit of diversity on your teams.
[16:55] The right and wrong ways to roll out changes.
[19:59] Give and get lots of feedback during the change process.
[21:14] What is unacceptable for a leader in the arena of change?
[23:16] How can leaders overcome the fears that your teammates have about changes?
[27:13] We can help you with changes in your organization.
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.
[3:18] Is this just “a generational thing?” The guys say “no.”
[3:52] Why are workers quiet quitting?
[6:12] Quiet quitters infect the whole organization.
[6:44] Leaders need to share a compelling vision.
[8:16] How do leaders create an environment that excites workers to contribute?
[9:00] Leaders can unleash the potential in their teammates.
[9:43] What do leaders need to know about quiet quitters?
[11:06] How do leaders really gauge productivity?
[12:39] How do leaders “push the button” to motivate their teammates?
[13:44] Leaders need to defend a high-productivity culture.
[14:28] Craig adapts five principles from a book he read to help us motivate our team.
[19:56] The sad fate of leaders who quiet quit.
[20:47] Leaders need empowered teammates to expand their influence.
[22:22] We celebrate the behaviors we want to see throughout the organization.
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.
[0:38] We prefer preventative care both physically and in our leadership health
[1:40] When should we use assessments?
[3:10] Assessments can help leaders get an objective perspective on themselves and their team members
[4:36] We need windows of insight into ourselves first before we start working with our teammates
[5:40] What’s the goal of assessments?
[7:40] There are no “wrong answers” in assessment results
[9:39] How do leaders share the results of assessments with the whole team?
[13:31] When we have insight about our teammates, it helps us grow and understand each other
[15:34] Intuition and assessments work really well together
[17:01] What if an assessment appears to raise a warning flag?
[18:02] Leaders should use their assessments to setup their teammates for consistent success
[19:35] Assessments allow leaders to craft a complete team
[20:37] An outside coach can help your organization know what assessments to use and how to implement the results of any assessments
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.
Premier athletes know the value of flexibility for keeping them in the game. I think we would be wise to practice flexibility in our relationships too—this is definitely a game-changing move! Check out my weekly Monday Motivation videos on my YouTube channel.
“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger like, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.” —Thucydides
One of my YouVersion friends (Nikki) commented a great reminder: “God can do way more with my surrender than with my striving.”
Thomas Zimmerman was an influential leader in the early days of the Assembly of God fellowship’s history. “Over a 50-year period, Thomas F. Zimmerman (1912-1991) served the Assemblies of God as pastor, district official, department leader, assistant general superintendent, and general superintendent. His leadership greatly increased the influence of the Pentecostal movement in the evangelical world, as well as in the broader American religious landscape.”
I post quality content nearly every day. If you don’t have time to read all that I share, please let me read it for you. The Craig T. Owens Audio Blog is just like this blog, except you get to hear me read my blog posts. Check it out my podcast on Spotify, Apple, and even Audible.
“The word ‘hell’ is used in the New Testament fourteen times, twelve times by Jesus Himself. It is not a myth created by dismal and angry preachers. It is a solemn warning from the Son of God who died to deliver sinners from its curse. We ignore it at great risk.” —John Piper
Christian apologist and cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace wrote, “the battleground on the abortion issue is beginning to shift, and this shift is going to cause us to rethink our approach to the debate.” Pro-life advocates need to check out Wallace’s post Justifying Homicide: The Future Battleground In The Abortion Debate.
Craig T. Owens 