The Most Important Question a Leader Asks
I recently began a management and leadership degree and realized something very important about leading others. I’m working on two classes and both challenge me to grow by answering a critical question, possibly the most important question- Who am I? The better I understand myself as a leader (strengths, weaknesses, personality, leadership style), the better I’ll be able to lead. This idea was reinforced in The Leadership Challenge when the authors ask, “WHO ARE YOU? This is the first question your constituents want you to answer. Finding the answer is where every leadership journey begins” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. ...
I Believe in Leaders Who…
Last week I was meeting with a group of 15 leaders from Velocity and I asked them to finish the sentence, "I believe in leaders who..." I thought I'd share the list of characteristics they came up with. I believe in leaders who... Listen Don't ask people to do things they aren't willing to do themselves (leads by example) Value people on the team Give constructive criticism Help you grow Are Approachable... Kind Patient Reliable Genuine Involved Open to ideas Balanced Courageous Consistent Creative I'm sure there's many more things we could have come up with, but this was our ...
The Best Part of Leading a Group
I remember this past fall, peering around the room at my new small group. I wondered how well this group was going to go. Yes, I’d been through this many times before, but sometimes you wonder if this is the group that just won’t click. Connection was slow the first few weeks, but people consistently came. Everything was fine but not necessarily great. That is, until the night we began to talk about family. As I asked a question about how our family has influenced who we are today, one of my group members took a deep breath and said ...
Video: Would You Let These Guys Lead a Small Group?
Fun Friday: Each Friday I'm going to share a funny or interesting video I've found online. Most will relate to small groups, but some might be about church in general. Would you let these guys lead a small group? http://youtu.be/34G_R0svxWk I love that God uses normal people to do cool things. If God could use the guys in this video, He can use you as a small group leader.
The Secret to Gathering a Group (to do anything)
You’re standing in front of the movie theater, waiting for people to show up- and the movie starts in 5 minutes. You begin to panic- what if no one shows up? What if only that one “somewhat weird” person shows up and it’s just the two of you? You think back through your invites- you sent out some e-mails and invited a few people at church. A few told you it sounded like fun and they’d try to make it. But, there you are- waiting. You’re about to give up and go home and then…...new guy shows up. On a ...
Is Your Church Better Than Starbucks?
I worked at Starbucks for almost 3 years and absolutely loved it. I worked in the drive thru and opened most mornings. I would get to the store at 4:15 in the morning and we would open at 5. Our goal at Starbucks was to give each customer a “Legendary” experience. We didn’t want to just be nice or kind to customers, we wanted to connect with each one in a legendary way. This idea meant a lot to me. It’s why I had too much energy every morning at 5:00am when I would greet the customers. It’s why I ...