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It’s good to be good, but good is never great. As leaders we have to consciously work to avoid the trap of good. Join Greg and me as we discuss how to make your good better, and your better best.
[1:09] What happens to our leadership if we become satisfied?
[2:10] Striving for perfection is also a terrible trap for leaders.
[4:12] What happens if leaders settle for merely “satisfied”?
[5:40] How to send the message to your team that we’re going to keep raising the standard.
[8:17] Some people are looking for excuses to remain complacent.
[9:59] At some point, leaders will have to take a risk to raise the standard.
[10:49] Why do people want to cut corners? How do we avoid this trap?
[13:19] How do we get motivated to go farther?
[15:45] A couple of great examples of leaders who pulled people to excel.
[17:36] We have to keep working or it’s going to be more work!
[19:10] A quote from Charles Sorenson that is insightful.
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Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
After examining Jesus himself and then getting a report back from King Herod, Pontius Pilate announces to the crowd of religious leader, “I find no basis for a charge against Him. But…” (John 18:38-39).
The “But” signals the language of an unsure leader.
Pilate knew the truth. He knew the Roman law. He had soldiers around him to protect him from physical harm. No recrimination or rebuke would have come from Rome for letting Jesus go free. Yet Pilate wavered.
He was unsure of his leadership position. “Did I earn this position or did I manipulate my way into it? What will others think of me if I make this decision? Is there a way that I can keep everybody happy?”
Pilate gave himself an out: “…but it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Would you like me to release Jesus?”
Pilate was hoping to satisfy the fickle mob that was pressing in on him and pestering him to give in to their demands, even if it meant he would be perverting justice. Unsure leaders are always trying to find a way to navigate the current situation, just to get on to the next chapter of their leadership.
A godly leader who is sure of his calling can make tough calls while still preserving justice and maintaining truth.
A mark of anungodly leader is one who is bothunsure of his leadership authority andunstable in his leadership activities.
I talk more about a godly leader’s sure calling in my book Shepherd Leadership. And in this blog post, I give a three-word statement that can help godly leaders navigate through the toughest of decisions.
This is part 79 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.
When a teammate seems to choke in a pressure-packed situation, good coaches help them learn from their mistake and get right back into the game. This is how leaders help their teammates go from choke to clutch. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had about this.
I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.
“Most of us who aspire to be tops in our fields don’t really consider the amount of work required to stay tops.” —Althea Gibson, tennis great
“There is only one way forward when vindication is delayed: total forgiveness. And I can give you a motivation to forgive totally greater than any other that could be conceived: you do it for an audience of One. Yes. That’s it. That is how you do it! Total forgiveness comes easily when you realize you are doing it for God and the glory of Jesus Christ!” —R.T. Kendall
ICR reports: “Millions of years of erosion should have toppled all the beautiful sandstone arches out West, yet many hundreds remain.” But following the biblical timeline of Creation and the Flood makes it unsurprising that the arches are still standing.
“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” —John Wooden
October is the month Protestants remember the start of the Reformation. The folks at Desiring God have a wonderful resource available by email every day during October called Here We Stand. Each day you will receive an email with a mini-biography of a key character in the Reformation. I am thoroughly enjoying these each day. Sign up here.
None of us are self-made. God created us on purpose and for a purpose. He gave us the gifts we need to accomplish that purpose. We will only find our fulfillment in life in stewarding those God-given gifts and opportunities in ways that glorify God. Not only fulfillment here, but then eternal satisfaction when we hear our Savior say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into your Master’s happiness!”
I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field. So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. To be in charge of the storehouses, I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen. (Nehemiah 13:10-13)
According to the Hebrew definitions:
“considered” = accountable
“reliable” = trustworthy
Both words mean someone who has passed the test and someone who is still passing the test. These men were faithful leaders before they were given this important job, and then they continued to prove themselves faithful even as their work was carefully scrutinized.
A title doesn’t make you a leader, and a title doesn’t sustain you as a leader. Your faithful, God-honoring, trustworthy accountability makes you a leader—even if you never get the title, God sees you and He will reward you.
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Would you like to be known as somebody who’s “full of it”? I know that phrase usually has a negative connotation, but I would like to make the case that this is actually a really good thing.
I have blogged and talked and written quite a bit about a godly leader’s reactions being a strong indication of what a leader is truly full of. Three notable leadership posts are:
Having too many items listed as “priorities” on your To Do list can actually paralyze you. You have keep your list manageable to keep your leadership effective. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on setting goals and making changes. This is also an important aspect of maintaining good mental health.
I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.
According to Leslie T. Lyall, the secret of Hudson Taylor’s life and ministry could be summed up in four simple propositions: “There is a living God. He has spoken in His Word. He means what he says. And He is willing and able to perform what He has promised.”
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” —G. Michael Hopf
In lamenting the rise of worldliness in our churches, John Piper said, “About forty years ago, David Wells wrote a book called No Place for Truth, which made the case that in the American church, God rests far too lightly on the people of God. He doesn’t have weight. It was the same heart cry from Dr. Wells as from J.B. Phillips. God is marginal. God has little weight in our worship services and little weight in our lives. He’s taken lightly. He’s simply one among many factors rather than the all-consuming factor, and I have thought that if I were to write a book today with a similar burden, it might have this title: Your Christ Is Too Cheap, Your Heaven Is Too Distant, Your Earth Is Too Big.”
The Institute for Creation Research reported, “In July of 2024, Science magazine confidently reported, ‘The last ancestor shared by all living organisms was a microbe that lived 4.2 billion years ago, had a fairly large genome encoding some 2600 proteins, enjoyed a diet of hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide, and harbored a rudimentary immune system for fighting off viral invaders.’ That’s quite a statement that details an unknown creature living somewhere on this planet 4.2 billion years ago.” Of course, this is an unobservable, unprovable claim, but that’s part and parcel of the evolutionists’ claims.
“What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.” —H.P. Liddon, nineteenth-century theologian
Lenny Esposito has a great podcast for Christian apologists called the Come Let Us Reason podcast. On a recent episode, Lenny used a passage in the Book of Jeremiah to talk about the inspiration of Scripture.
“God will work when He pleases, how He pleases, and by what means He pleases. He is not bound to keep our time, but He will perform His word, honor our faith, and reward them that diligently seek Him.” —Matthew Henry
As the first Christian church dealt with a serious complaint that could have split the church internally, there are a number of leadership gifts that are in play to provide a wise solution. Most of these leadership gifts get overlooked by the casual observer, but they are all absolutely indispensable. This is new exclusive content I regularly share with my Patreon supporters. Would you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry?
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The game-winning field goal, the bottom of the ninth home run, the last-second fadeaway jumper! In sports we are quick to recognize a clutch player. You might not perform in front of millions of fans, but you can be a clutch player for your organization as well! Join Greg and me as we discuss what it means to be clutch for your team, and lay out how your leadership can help empower others to do the same.
[0:23] Some people’s clutch-ability makes them stand out from the crowd.
[2:20] A clutch person won’t always succeed, but when it matters most they’re the one you trust to deliver.
[3:20] How do people gain the confidence to be clutch?
[5:05] Greg talks about his first college football play, and how the experience helped him learn how to succeed in the long run.
[6:50] As leaders we can’t be afraid of mistakes, we need to view them as learning opportunities.
[10:55] How much can we do as leaders to help our team be clutch, and how much do they need to figure out themselves?
[13:10] Setting the right tone helps your team feel empowered to learn from their mistakes.
[15:23] We can name a lot of greats by looking back at their career, but in the moment they didn’t always feel like greats.
[16:29] As the leader, you have an extra responsibility to acknowledge your mistakes to your team.
[18:11] Why do people quit, and how can we help them stay in the game?
[22:37] Greg shares some wisdom about preparation.
[23:50] Greg tells a story about a compliment he received while coaching high school football.
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.
Both mentoring and coaching are valuable skills in leadership development, but they are not interchangeable skills. Check out how Greg and I unpack this important distinction.
Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.
You might be checking out this episode with the hope of one day being a leader. Well, Greg and I have good news for you—you already are! Leaders are not just the person at the top, but if you have a leadership mindset you can be a leader in whatever position you currently occupy. Join us as we chat about how important it is to start being a leader before you have the “leader” title.
[0:24] What if you’re not the point leader in your organization?
[1:22] Regardless of your title or position, you are still a leader.
[3:13] Leaders—whether at the top or in the middle—need to try to raise up other leaders.
[5:29] One trait that will increase your value to the organization is cross-training.
[8:20] Another trait is curiosity that keeps you a lifelong learner.
[11:07] An example from Tom Brady about how important passion is for those who aren’t starters yet.
[13:47] Two other important traits for emerging leaders is patience and self-discipline.
[14:37] How do point leader keep their bench players engaged until there is a new leadership position available for them?
[17:07] Mentoring and coaching aren’t the same things. How do we know which one to use in our organizations?
[23:21] What you can do if you don’t have any mentors within 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.
Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.
In today’s episode we’re going to—IMPATIENCE! Yes, we’re talking about impatience. As a leader it can be hard to resist the temptation of impatience, but Greg and I believe that developing patience is a vital skill for leaders. In this episode we’ll explore some of the pitfalls of impatience, and share strategies for you to develop into a more thoughtful and patient leader.
[0:14] We’re looking at the leadership builder vs. killer of patience vs. impatience.
[1:41] Patience is sometimes misperceived as not being in control—like we’re simply waiting around for something to happen.
[2:27] Can patience be developed?
[3:50] Patience allows a process to mature, and helps people grow.
[7:35] Warning: patience can cross a line into procrastination.
[8:30] Leaders need to avoid the temptation of impatiently answering too quickly.
[10:50] What leadership pressures make us give in to impatience?
[12:59] Leaders can help their teammates with their own impatience by asking some thoughtful questions.
[15:28] Ego + Bad advice = Dangerous impatience
[16:40] Patience helps leaders trust both the process and the people around them.
[18:33] Leaders need to be aware of what’s happening in themselves when their patience is stretched. Patient leaders grow their leadership influence.
[22:24] Greg quizzes me about the origins of patience.
[24:45] I make a confession about my impatience in my early years.
[25:55] Greg shares an insightful quote about the value of patience.
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.
It’s good to be good, but good is never great. As leaders we have to consciously work to avoid the trap of good. Join Greg and me as we discuss how to make your good better, and your better best.
Craig T. Owens 