4 Hacks for Easier Leadership

Leadership and responsibility can get overwhelming... i know. No one is saying that it's easy! It takes effort and dedication, but i think it's simpler than you're making it. Here are 4 tips that have helped me through overwhelming times:

4 hacks for easier leadership

1. Stay honest
- honesty isn't a standalone character trait... it's linked to your overall integrity!
-if you don't feel bad about a small lie, chances are you won't feel bad about a big lie.
-whatever you can't talk about OWNS you... stay open and stay free.

2. Do the right thing
-you always have choices in every situation.
-when it gets hard to make decisions, ask yourself and ask God, what's the right thing to do here?
-every decision might not be easy or even preferable, but you'll never regret doing the right thing.

3. Invite accountability
-accountability doesn't mean someone checks in on you, it means you check in on yourself to someone.
-people won't enforce it if you don't invite it.
-get accountability from people who you want your life to look like!

4. Stick to the golden rule
-how can anyone respect you as a a leader if you treat people badly?
-treating someone the way you'd want to be treated means not always taking the easy route.
-this simple value will not only get you in the door, but will keep you in the room. 

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I love inspiring and pouring into church leaders!

That's why I formed the Fearless Leadership Network.

Discover how you can go further, faster in 2025.

Rob Little on Comedy, Dealing with Rejection, and Creating New Material

Rob Little is today's guest!  Having established himself as one of the funniest, most progressive, comedians in the country, it’s easy to understand why The Detroit Free Press selected him as the “Best up and Coming Comedian,” and he was selected as a feature performer at the Chicago and Boston Comedy Festivals.  Rob was excited to be named Budweiser's “Real Man of Comedy."  Last Comic Standing on NBC named him, “The Happiest Comic in America”. Campus Activities Magazine named him “College Comic of the Year” and Maxim Magazine named him "Comedian of the Year".  

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How to Deal w/Chronic Critics Online and in Your Church

This was a Facebook livecast of a Staff Meeting from 7 years ago. The content is still great so I thought I’d share it here!

Top 5 Leadership Lessons from When I Served On-Staff at NewSpring Church

I love Perry Noble.  God has used him in my life as a friend, a coach, a cheerleader, and once as a boss.

You see, a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was on the Senior Management Team at NewSpring Church. 

I loved that team, I continue to have a strong loyalty toward Perry, and I learned a TON while serving on staff under him.

Recently I was reflecting on my time in Anderson, South Carolina and came up with the Top 5 lessons that stretched and shaped me as a leader:

5.  Work Hard Together, Play Hard Together - Church-work is passionate business - - we're a rescue organization with eternity on the line!  That's why it's important for team members to enjoy each other.  It's not about a job; it's about doing life together.  My fondest memories at NewSpring were the random silly moments in hallways and hanging out together at someone's house watching LOST.  

4.  Loyalty is Everything - Relationships are built on trust which is expressed through loyalty.  One thing I loved about that season at NewSpring was their strong sense of loyalty to one another.  Loyalty means I have your back no matter what - - if I see a truck coming your way, I give you a big heads up.  Loyalty produces staff confidence which in turn fuels bigger steps of faith together.  If loyalty is broken on a staff, I guarantee you that the team will whither and disband.

Case in point: the 1998 Chicago Bulls team.  They were championship-caliber with back-to-back threepeats in the NBA.  Sadly, upper-management (the two Jerry's) said some dumb things in the press and made some amateur moves.  This quickly broke the Bulls' (and public's) trust.  Within a year, their all-star team of players like Jordan, Pippen, Rodman had all disbanded.  Disloyalty hijacked the vision and broke the team apart.  It took Chicago over twelve years to recover from that fiasco.

3.  Boring Inspires No One - Life-change is stunted in a church if everyone's drowsy.  It's OK to be creative in presenting biblical truths (just like Jesus!).  God is creative, we are made in His image, so when we are creative, it's an act of worship!  It's hard to create momentum with boring.  As I've said before, Boring Preachers Can Actually KILL You!

2. Open-Handed with Other Leaders - Perry always encouraged us to be completely open-handed with other church leaders.  I love that!  There is NO competition/jealousy/insecurity between churches (and if there is in your church, its a reflection of your leadership's hearts, not God's heart!).  If we all love Jesus and serve the same King, can't we learn to like each other and share what the Spirit gives?  Whether it's sharing techniques or leadership tips or ideas, I still strive to do ministry transparently and in a posture of humility.

1.  Family First - Most important of all, Perry has always ingrained in me that I can always get another church, but I can never get another wife and kids!  When it comes to my schedule, my family will always win.  If they call my cell, wherever I am, even if it's a big meeting, I answer the phone.  My wife and kids need to know that they always, always come first. 

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I love inspiring and pouring into church leaders!

That's why I formed the Fearless Leadership Network.

Discover how you can go further, faster in 2025.

You Are Not a Failure

Everybody wants to experience a miracle in their lives, yet we run from the impossible situations that precede miracles.

If your back is up against the wall, good; you are well positioned to experience a miracle!

God found Gideon in a hole.

He found Joseph in a prison.

He found Daniel in a lion's den.

God has a curious habit of showing up in the midst of trouble, not the absence.

Where the world sees failure, God sees future.

Embrace tough situations and see what God can do through you!

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You Can Do This, I Can Help

God's heart is to see you lead your church to growth.

You can do this.   I can help you GROW!

Let me personally coach you toward quickly reaching more people far from God.

🚀 LEARN MORE

Fresh Vision for 2025

I've always loved Jonathan Edwards' resolutions:

I will live for God. Even if no one else does, I still will.

Wow, talk about powerful and clear!  It's great to have New Year's resolutions, but it's even better to transform those resolutions into a singular vision for the year.

In Proverbs 29:18, we are told that where there is no vision, the people perish.  Having a vision can be a life or death thing!

I have a personal phrase I've adopted for this New Year that I want to share with you now: Fully Alive in 2025!  I want to be alert, proactive, positive, in the moment (not daydreaming somewhere else), ready to Yes, And in 2025.

I've written down my vision statement inside my trusty Moleskin to help myself stay accountable.  This is biblical; Habakkuk 2:2 says to write down the vision in plain language.

Every good vision requires sacrifice.  

To fulfill my unique vision of the future, I have to make some sacrifices:

• Scripture before Screens

• Meditation before Media

• Prayer before Posts

By painting a picture of who I want to be in 2025, I am setting myself up for success in all areas of my life: personal, professional, etc.

Having a vision of the future is powerful; it's like painting a picture ala Bob Ross, complete with happy little trees and happy little mistakes along the way.

I want you to take some time today if you haven't already to develop a short, simple vision statement for your 2025.  It doesn't have to rhyme or be overly-clever.  But it does have to be written down somewhere that you will see it.

Create your vision statement and then begin re-ordering your daily routines around your vision.  See how God can transform your New Year in new ways!

6 Requirements of a Leader

While it is a great responsibility to be a leader, it is an even greater honor to be a leader in God’s house. What is required of being a Spiritual Leader? What is required of being a Pastor? In 1 Timothy 3, Paul lays out the requirements of being a leader that you can apply to any sphere of your life.

Are you a business leader? A coach? A mom? I believe wherever you are, you are still leading spiritually in your sphere of influence. 

Here are 6 requirements of a leader according to Paul: 

1 A LEADER LIVES ABOVE REPROACH

• Great leaders are marked with integrity and character - there are no asterisks or question marks regarding their integrity.

• They don’t have a sketchy reputation. As time goes on, great leaders are building trust with people.

• The behavior of someone living above reproach is someone who exhibits self-control, righteousness, and uprightness. 

2 A LEADER IS RESPECTED

• Respect is something everyone wants, but we must give respect to receive it. 

• Leaders work hard to build trust and respect.

3 A LEADER IS RESPONSIBLE WITH MONEY

• We can’t be spiritual leaders and not give to God what is His. When you take care of money appropriately, God trusts you with spiritual riches.

• Leaders don’t love money, they steward money.

4 A LEADER IS REALLY GREAT AT HOME

• Nothing reveals your leadership more than your home.

• It’s not easy, but how can we lead God’s house if we can’t lead our own home?

• A strong leader leads a home that bears good fruit. 

5 A LEADER RECOMMENDED BY OTHERS BECAUSE OF PROVEN CHARACTER

• God will always use proven character.

• As leaders, we're after proven character, not perfect character. 

• A good leader has shown others that their character is developed and persistent. 

6 A LEADER IS REPENTANT

• Paul says that a spiritual leader is “...not violent but gentle.” One of the key signs the Holy Spirit is working in your life is gentleness. Gentleness should flow out of your life. You don’t strive or earn that, you receive that. Sometimes, the hardest part of being a spiritual leader is being spiritual. 

• A strong leader allows the Holy Spirit to work in their lives through repentance.

Today as you reflect on the kind of leader that you are, and the kind of leader you want to be, identify which areas you need God to help you with.

PS: You're doing better than you think you are! 

Are You an Energy Vampire?

In life and leadership, we are on a bus and we’re going somewhere. I think back to my elementary and junior high days… where riding the bus was more than just how you got to school. You had to get your spot, with your friends, and you definitely had a plan to cause chaos for the bus driver! 

Maybe you’re a business owner, an athlete, a parent, or you just started a new job…  ask yourself today: what metaphorical bus are you on? Who’s on the bus with you? Where are you going? And what energy are you bringing to it? I want to leave you with this..

5 THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT BEING ON THE ENERGY BUS

#1: BRING GREAT ENERGY TO THE BUS
Are you an energy vampire? You know, the people who kind of just suck the energy right out of you?When you walk into your job or a meeting, what are you bringing? Leaders know WHAT the room needs — and it's your ENERGY!

#2: DON’T CARRY OTHER PEOPLE’S NEGATIVE ENERGY
We are the sum total of our influences and if you’re not careful you’ll get swallowed up in the narrative of negativity. Now, of course you can JOURNEY with someone, but be careful that you do not CARRY their negativity or offense.

#3: IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE THE BUS IS GOING IT MATTERS WHO’S ON THE BUS
In other words…relationship over productivity!

#4: YOUR ATTITUDE IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 
Generally bad attitudes are a result of mishandled/ignored conflict and a lack of accountability. Make it right, own it, have a clear conscience, and lead with your best attitude!

#5: SABBATH REST OR YOUR ENERGY IS DRAINED

Fatigue will make a fool out of you! Take the rest you need so that you’re leading FROM rest, not FOR REST.

Wherever you find yourself today, try to add more energy than you take! You got this... LET'S GO!