Team Culture
We’ve all heard the analogy that leading pastors is like “herding cats.” Leading a leader can be an adventure. But rookie pastors need mentoring—and the old-timer pastors sometimes need a fire put under them to help get them out of their “this-is-how-we’ve-always-done-it” mentality. Articles by experienced Executive Pastors and other church leaders can help you find direction.
Implementing Great Ideas After a Conference
Did anything change after that Conference? That is Tim Samuel’s question. He has attended the XP-Seminar for many years. Tim offers a practical perspective about coming back from any event and trying to implement [...]
Case Study: Team Building Never Stops
How Flatirons Strengthened Their Staff If you lead in a church, you already know the truth: The work of building teams never stops. Team members shift. Ministries grow. Needs evolve. Leaders are stretched into [...]
4 Principles for Creating a Culture of Accountability
We've all been there ... We had a great meeting. We built a great plan. And then days or weeks later we discover no one has taken action. Why do so many [...]
How to Build Strong Teams
Leading a team made up of diverse individuals is always a challenge. Balancing different work styles and approaches requires ongoing communication, empathy and flexibility. Successful leadership involves fostering an environment where team [...]
Busy Isn’t (≄) Productive: 5 Productivity Hacks to Accomplish More & Juggle Less
God may grant us each the same hours every day, but no two people’s days look the same. Unlike a business, your day-to-day operations go far beyond the brick-and-mortar of your church. [...]
Building a Splinter-Free Team Culture
Addressing Small Irritations Before They Derail Momentum Recently I was helping my husband and my dad on a renovation project. We’re restoring a home built in 1900, complete with all the character and quirks [...]
Leading Creatives
There is a tension between leaders and creatives within any organization. Leaders cast clear vision. Creatives craft subjective art. Leaders push for advancement. Creatives push the envelope. There isn't a complete binary difference between [...]
Healthy Venting as a Staff
We’ve all inappropriately handled our emotions at work. We’ve either stuffed our emotions when we should have shared them or we’ve spewed emotions when we should have stayed silent. Venting in the workplace is [...]
Resisters Are Not the Enemy
This article is adapted from Mike Bonem’s forthcoming book, The Art of Leading Change: Ten Perspectives on the Messiness of Ministry. In many arenas of life, we neatly divide people into two groups: friends [...]
Roles, Responsibilities and Decision Making in 2022
for a Staff Led and Elder Oversight Church Polity This article is from 2022 and expands on Bob's article from 2007 which can be read here. At some point in the life of many churches the [...]
Tips for Coaching Your Staff
Let's talk about tips for coaching your staff for their personal and professional development. This discussion will be with members of the Lead Self Lead Others Team. The ability of your staff [...]
Switching Off in an Always On World
There is much conversation these days regarding the Great Resignation. Is it coming? Yes, for some. For those of you that would actually prefer to retain your best team members, start by creating a culture of [...]
6 Proven Tips for Keeping Remote Team Members Accountable
We would love to share a top list of proven tips for remote teams around accountability. Our team gets asked these questions very often: How do you know the job is getting [...]
A Rough Road and How to Align Staff with Vision
Rough roads are tough on any vehicle. They jar, bounce and stress the machine and driver, often knocking things out of alignment. When wheels, tires, steering, shocks and struts are out of alignment it [...]
5 Practical Ways To Lead More Effective Meetings
Church leaders usually fall into one of two categories: you love meetings or you hate them. But meetings are a critical part to building a healthy staff culture, communicating effectively, and developing [...]
Water Cooler Conversations While Working Remotely
Good team communication is a challenge anytime, but even more so when working remotely. While that topic can address many things, let’s focus on how to have those comfortable and helpful water-cooler-type conversations with [...]
Hospitality: Shake Shack, Southwest Airlines, Chic-fil-A, Buckingham Palace and the Bible
Danny Meyer is known as one of the world’s top restaurateurs. He leads the Union Square Hospitality Group and is founder of Shake Shack. He was one of the keynote speakers at a Willow [...]
Confident Leader
Fletch talks with Dan Reiland about Dan’s latest book, Confident Leader! This will be a fast paced discussion on a vital topic. Come and learn—bring your questions! Dan says about Confident Leader! … [...]
Want to help your team? Give them autonomy
The one thing you can stop doing that will have immediate results As soon as I sent the text message in response, I knew I had made a mistake. It was a relatively simple [...]
Cultivate an Extraordinary Team Culture
Fletch talks with Jenni about Team Culture. Crisis either unites or divides us. And my guess is that you are seeing this more than ever with your team. You want your team [...]
Speed Racers
Speed Racers are just getting started at 60 mph. Racers are built for speed, topping out at over 200 mpg. While you can go fast, it’s easy to run out of gas—or worse, crash!At the 2018 [...]
Spiritual Trucks
Trucks are built solid. On a dirt road, you can easily drive from 30 to 60 miles per hour. On a paved road, a truck could top out at 100 mph. Trucks are built [...]
Seven Productivity Tips Every Pastor Should Master
Do you arrive at work hoping to tackle your to-do list, only to slog to your car feeling defeated? Do you look back on your days and feel disappointed at how much time you [...]
Seven Keys to a Successful Church Event
From Back-to-School parties, to Thanksgiving outreaches, Christmas Eve candlelight services and more, churches host many events throughout the year. These special events are a great way to reach more people, disciple various groups within the [...]