It's My Fault

What does it take to win? I pray every single week that the lakers take a win home. And while you can have some of the best skills and the best players...it sometimes isn't enough.

Ultimately, it's about finding a way to win, even when the odds seem stacked against you. It's about leading with integrity, humility, and an unshakeable commitment to continuous improvement.

how to develop a winning spirit

1. Own your reactions
- How you respond to adversity can determine the ultimate outcome.
- When we encounter difficulties or setbacks, it's natural to point fingers and blame others.
- We as leaders should step back and own our reactions, this will allow us to regain control of the situation

2. Learn from mistakes
- Mistakes are inevitable.
- Instead of dwelling on mistakes see them as opportunities to learn and grow.
- It's not about being perfect; it's about being better.

3. Build resilience
- By embracing responsibility, you'll develop the resilience to face even the most challenging situations. 
- When we embrace responsibility for our outcomes, we develop the resilience and adaptability required to bounce back from setbacks and keep moving forward.  

5 Statements of Humble Leaders

Humble leaders seem to practice these five statements regularly:

1. “I CAN IMAGINE _______.” "I can imagine that was difficult... I can imagine you were stressed... I can imagine the situation was complex..." The heartbeat of this statement is an awareness that other leaders and teammates have experiences that must be thought about and imagined in order to be relevant. A humble leader stretches to think of others and what they go through rather than become self-consumed.

2. “I MIGHT BE/WAS WRONG.” No know-it-all leader is humble… or even correct most of the time. They just think they are right. A hallmark of a humble leader is the ability to apologize and admit shortcomings. It sends a powerful message to the team that mistakes both will happen and are safe to happen… even by those in leadership.

3. “I WOULDN’T KNOW, YOU’D KNOW BETTER.” A humble leader knows both what they know and what they don’t know. They know the limits of their skill and knowledge. They aren’t afraid to step aside and default to someone else. In doing so, they ensure the team is equipped in the most effective and trustworthy way.

4. “I DID THAT WELL.” This seems counterintuitive, but a humble leader actually knows what they do well. Similar to the previous point, they know their limits, but they also know their attributes, gifts, and talents. They know they don’t do all things well, but they unpretentiously qualify themselves into their roles.

5. NOTHING. Humble leaders listen well. They ask great questions, and then they shut up and learn. They don’t automatically fill in answers or strategies, but let the team or rising leaders work out solutions. Often, a humble leader can say more by what they don’t say than a prideful leader who rambles on.

Which of the previous statements do you wish you’d say more often?

8 Qualities of a Great Leader

I’m always looking for common denominators when I get around great leaders. What do they have in common? What habits do they have in their life? Here are 8 qualities that I have observed all great leaders have in common:

1. THEY LIVE A MISSION > ME LIFESTYLE

Great leaders are mission-driven, not me-driven!

They never give their life to a WHAT, they always give their life to a WHY. See how this changes when you define your true motives in life!

Take some time this week with a pen and paper and write down your why. Write down why you exist, why you have your gifting and talents, and why you have a grace for a particular area of your life.

2. FAILURE DOES NOT DEFINE THEM

Great leaders understand that they might have MADE a mistake, but they are not a mistake. They know that they are defined by their relationships, their mission, and by the fact that they can keep on going.

Failure is a part of leadership. We should see failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. The only true failure is not getting back up and trying again.

Choose to be a leader that doesn’t let a season or decision define you. It might have been a bump in the road, but make the choice to move on!

3. THEY ARE LIFELONG LEARNERS

Great leaders don’t flex their muscles, their knowledge, or their success. They are always leaning into others with the mindset, “Teach me something I don’t know.”

We should constantly be evolving and changing because we’re constantly LEARNING. Are you amazed by how little you don’t know? I get excited about the future because I’m so excited to learn!

Be a leader that isn’t living off of past revelation of things you’ve learned, invest in learning NEW things. You can’t apply what you don’t know!

4. EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM IS BIG

When I get around great leaders, I'm amazed at their big spirit, big faith for the future, and big perspective. When you’re around leaders that are not great, you’ll notice the shallowness of their soul, their worldview, and their perspective.

Become secure in your soul so that you can expand who you are!

5. THEY ARE AN EXPERT AT WHAT THEY DO

Great leaders invest into their craft, knowing that they will be an echo before they are a megaphone.

We refer to this as the 10K Hour Rule. Malcolm Gladwell references this in relation to The Beatles. By the time The Beatles became a hit, they had been playing and working and writing together for so long, that they had become masters at their craft.

Put in the work of becoming an expert at what you do. It takes a lot of time, energy, sacrifice, and a lot of no's - but we ought to make the decision to become experts at what we’ve been called to do!

6. THEIR WORK ETHIC IS UNMATCHED

Great leaders work unbelievably hard. They don’t just show up and turn on the gift. They work hard and put in the time, energy, and focus.

Anybody that doesn’t have a great work ethic will not be great.

Choose to outwork everyone else. Work hard, because the gift is not the result - your work is.

7. THEY ARE NOT AFRAID OF CHANGE

Great leaders evolve and can change with the times.

What’s important is that you’re open to change. Always remember to hold things with an open hand.

Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely!

8. THEY KNOW WHY THEY’RE HERE

Great leaders know why they’re here and why they do what they do.

Discover your WHY and the rest will take care of itself.

Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

3 Simple Tips that Create Momentum in Winning Organizations

Leadership Tune-Up

It's Time to Go Offense

Stop playing defense; offense is so much more fun.

There's for sure different seasons of your life. Sometimes we play offense... sometimes, we have to play defense. But if you played for too long… you're just letting life happen to you. You're not pursuing.

Are you making things happen or letting things happen? It’s time to become Fully Alive in 2025!

Here’s 5 simple ways to switch to offense:

1. Wake up ready

-How you wake up will set the tone of your whole day.

-If you lay in bed and hit snooze you'll be doing that all day.

-Get up with urgency and excitement!! You've got stuff to do!

2. Use the HALT method

-You're not playing offense if you're: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired (HALT)

-Sometimes you're playing defense because you're just trying to catch up.

Stay on top of your meals, take a sec to cool off if you need, get in community, and get good rest. Otherwise you don't have a shot.

3. Perfect your to-do list

-Your to-do list doesn't have to be perfect... but perfect your method!

-Is it best on your notes app? Written in a journal? Morning of? Night before?

Find out what works for you to be most productive, and stay on it! there's nothing better than checking things off...

4. Know your weaknesses

-We all have stuff that sets us back.

-Make a plan to attack those things, and try to predict when they'll come for you.

Maybe you need to set a reminder on your phone, tell a friend to let you know when you're acting some type of way, or set boundaries. just don't ignore it!

5. Stay focused on the present

-The past is just the past and the future isn't here yet,

-What's most important is what's right in front of you.

When you worry about tomorrow or overthink about yesterday, you're wasting the most valuable thing you have... the present!

Fight for Real Friendships

Something I’ve learned over the past five years:

Friends are revealed when you’re at your worst, not your best—when you're at the bottom, not the top.

When you have nothing to offer but liability to anyone who comes close, that’s when you take notice of who is still with you.

For pastors, it is very, very hard to experience true friendships.

Many times, it turns out that they weren’t really your friend to begin with.

Carey Niuwhof writes: “They were using you, or rather, using your power as a leader.

Beyond the power to hire and fire, you also hold the power to determine the mission and direction of the organization. Your words weigh more, and you have the clout that simply accompanies the position you hold, whether you feel like you do or not.

As a result—and here’s the dynamic—people build relationships with you for reasons other than just pure friendship.

Sometimes they’ve built a relationship with you because they want to be close to their leader or they want some influence over the organization’s future direction. Other times, they’re just drawn to the leader’s charisma.” (See: Why They’re Not Really Your Friends)

But here’s the thing: pastors need friends — real friends — they can depend on.

And so you have to fight for them. You have to double-down, grit-it-out fight for real friendships as a leader. And you have to learn to trust again after you’ve been burned.

If you’re like me, you’ve experienced friends leaving your life. For whatever reason.

If you have a grudge or a hurt or a misunderstanding that needs attending to, pick up the phone and make the first move.

Contrary to our instincts, hard conversations usually don't kill relationships.

They save them.

It's choosing the short, life-saving pain of surgery over the long-term, fatal pain of cancer.

You've Gotta FAIL If You Want to SUCCEED

Did you know that the average small business owner fails 2.7 times before finally reaching success? That means they have to publicly fall flat on their faces and lose everything over two times before they learn all the secrets necessary for full-time success! The term “Overnight Success” is an oxymoron.

I believe the same is true in ministry: you’ve gotta FAIL if you want to SUCCEED!

In failure:

• You learn how not to treat the people you lead

• Discoveries are made in scheduling and planning for major events

• Emotional IQ is enhanced and increased

• Persistence is stirred up for later reliance

• WHO you can trust and count on during tough times is revealed

• Humility is accepted as the pathway to greatness.

Every crisis is an opportunity.

Dream Again.  Dream Bigger.  Dream Better.

The Dream is the Distance: Everything looks different from a distance.

Even though you see empty seats, there is an opportunity for growth.

Genesis 41 tells us the following:

• The dark room is where he develops the negatives.

• The more God uses you, the more He humbles you.

• Purpose Over Position -- Believe this and you will never get offended!

• No Mess, No Ministry

• No Drama, No Dream

God did not say this would be easy; He said He would be with you.

If you are currently experiencing or feeling failure, GREAT! It’s a necessary prerequisite to achieving greater ground for Kingdom expansion! Keep your chin up, your head low, and your posture as a servant-leader. In Christ, the best is yet to come!