Guilt Constricts Leadership

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Without a doubt, a leader plagued by feelings of guilt is a leader that is operating well-below his or her full potential. 

One of the best ways to avoid these feelings of limiting guilt is for the leader to admit that he or she isn’t an expert in every aspect of their organization. 

In this short clip, Karl Vaters and I are specifically addressing pastoral leaders, but the principles can be applied to leaders of any organization. 

You can check out more clips from this interview by clicking here. 

The two related blog posts I made reference to in this video are:

You may also be interested in a whole series of posts on godly leadership and in my book Shepherd Leadership. 

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De-Sizing The Church

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, 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.

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Talking About Biting Sheep (part 1)

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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.

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Shepherds Can’t Disconnect From Their Sheep

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Pastors are called to be shepherd leaders. Karl Vaters points out that some pastors get caught up in “the green room syndrome” that disconnects them from their sheep.

Here is another clip from The Church Lobby Podcast where Karl and I talk about this.

The biblical passage I reference in this interview is John 10:1-16. 

Check out other parts of my interview on The Church Lobby podcast here. Or check out the full conversation Karl and I had on The Church Lobby podcast here.

Get more information on Shepherd Leadership here. And pre-order my newest book When Sheep Bite here.

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How God Uses Pain

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Romans 8:28 assures us that God uses everything for His glory. Even our pain. Here is when I learned this painful but precious truth.

On the Leading From Alignment podcast, John Opalewski asked me about lessons I have learned from painful experiences.

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

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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:

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Micro-Adjustments

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I had a great time on the Leading From Alignment podcast with Jim Wiegand and John Opalewski. 

One of the loudest, most persistent advertising messages is about speed: Take action now, get immediate results as soon as you sign up, don’t miss out, act today! Because of this sentiment that appears all around us, many people often think that any life changes they make should bring about immediate and lasting results. 

I’ve often joked that I wish I had the superpower to zap myself or a friend—“<Poof!> There, you’ve got it now. You’re all set!” Unfortunately, that’s usually not how it works. 

Instead, we need to be ready for a lengthy process—possibly even a lifelong process—of the Holy Spirit helping us to make the micro-adjustments that are necessary. 

Check out this part of my conversation with Jim and John as we discussed this idea. 

 I like this line from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

The heights of great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upwards in the night.

The Holy Spirit knows exactly where we need to change and how much we need to change. Let’s trust Him in this process. Then take some time to look back and celebrate how far the Holy Spirit has matured us so that we can be re-energized to stay in this lifelong process.  

If you would like to watch this full interview on the Leading From Alignment podcast, please go here.

I’ll be sharing more clips from this interview soon, so please stay tuned. My book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter is available in print or ebook, and in audiobook through either Audible or Apple. 

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Avoiding Ministry Burnout

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It has always been extremely heart-wrenching for me to see pastors and other ministry leaders get so frazzled that they throw in the towel. Many of them not only resign from the churches where they served, but they end up resigning their ministerial credentials too. 

I know this breaks God’s heart as well. 

When I was interviewed on The Church Lobby podcast, Karl Vaters wanted to discuss some preventative steps that pastors could take to avoid this ministry burnout.

In my book Shepherd Leadership, I devote five chapters to the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health of those in ministry leadership. I hope you will pick up a copy for yourself or for your pastor. 

To listen to the full interview on The Church Lobby, please click here.

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

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, 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:

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How Plungerman Taught Me Humility

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As I was being interviewed on the Leading From Alignment podcast, Jim Wiegand and John Opalewski were asking me about back-to-back chapters in my book Shepherd Leadership where I discuss how a leader’s confidence and humility should be in a healthy tension with each other. 

There is an alter-ego superhero I created to help me learn this lesson—his name is Plungerman! 

You can also check out more of my book Shepherd Leadership by clicking here. 

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