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.

Lorne Michaels is the Real Star of "Saturday Night Live"

The New Yorker has a fascinating long-form piece on long-time SNL producer Lorne Michaels. I highlight this article here because there is a dichotomy between comedy and ministry: both require coming up with new material week after week and both can be lonely practices.

There is so much to learn from this article; a few highlights:

The kickoff to every episode, the weekly Writers’ Meeting, is at 6 P.M. on Monday, on the seventeenth floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in Michaels’s Art Deco office, which overlooks the skating rink. Monday, Michaels says, is “a day of redemption,” a fresh start after spending Sunday brooding over Saturday night’s mistakes… The goal of the gathering, which Tina Fey compares to a “church ritual,” is to make the host feel like one of the gang.

Although Michaels has firm rules about sketch comedy, he is more flexible about the talent-management aspect of his producer role. Different personalities, he believes, require different approaches. To some, Michaels will bark, “Don’t f—- it up.” Bill Hader, who is prone to anxiety attacks, remembers Michaels coming to his dressing room when he hosted and snapping, “Calm the f—- down. Just have fun…” With others, he is warmer. Molly Shannon treasures the memory of how, when she was nervous just before going onstage, Michaels would “reassure me with his eyes.”

Read the full New Yorker article here.

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!

15 Keys to Building a Fearless Board of Directors

Every good church needs a Board of Directors/Elders that will serve the church by leading the church on big picture issues (not day-to-day issues) and holding the lead pastor accountable.

Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety”

To that end, I submit to you these 15 keys to building a fearless Board of Directors, one that is built for the current realities of 2025 and beyond.

I will in fact be using this list of criteria, first suggested by Josh McPherson, when adding new people to Life Church’s Board in the future. For what it’s worth, I share it with you.

1. Unity, not Diversity. People are already wildly distinct, and so we want a Board that represents leaders united around the church’s vision. God blesses unity (see Acts 2) and so we want to emphasize unity on our Board of Directors.

2. Heaven Down, not Pew Up. The Board does not represent the people, the Board uniquely represents the Lord to the people. We want a Board that hears from God and does what He says. There’s no room for fear or manipulation by man.

3. Monarchy, not Democracy. Board members do not represent constituencies within the church as this causes divisions (see #1 above!). We listen to God and do what He says. This is a kingdom outpost, not a popularity contest.

4. Govern, not Pastor. The Board’s job is to represent the King’s agenda for the church. This is not a shepherding role but rather a governing role.

5. Strengthen Pastor, not Throttle Pastor. The Board doesn’t protect the church from the pastor but rather the reverse! God gives the vision to the lead pastor who then stewards it wisely with wise counsel (Board of Directors). The Board’s job is not to hold back on the strategy but rather to strengthen the pastor’s hand wisely.

6. Special Operations, not Large Platoon. The church is supposed to act like an insurgency in a dark world. Opportunities require the Board to be nimble and small enough to make decisions quickly. When the Board is under 10 people, it creates an atmosphere for healthy questions and curiosity. When the Board is over 10 people, it becomes disunified because members are advocating for their positions. At Life Church, our Board was only 3 people for the first 7 years of our existence, followed by a Board today of 5 people. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has an axiom: No team can be larger that can share one pizza for a meal. The Lord never anoints a team in the Scriptures; He always raises up a leader to quarterback the vision that is then aided by a team (think Moses). The purpose of a team, biblically, is to strengthen the leader’s hand.

7. High Relational Unity, not Resume Building.

8. Offense Oriented, not Playing Defense. We want seize-the-opportunity leaders, not minimize-the-risk leaders. I’m looking for people who only need 30% of the information to make a decision, not waiting until 110% of the info comes in.

9. Generals, not Soldiers. CEO’s and leaders understand the role of Board Members better than non-leaders.

10. Leaders of Men, not Pastors of People. We want people on the Board with the gift of governance.

11. Gift of Governance, not Gift of Compassion.

12. Solid Wife, Solid Life. This is true! I once hired a guy who was steered by his wife too much. It led to a church campus falling apart and gossip-bombs spreading in its wake. Like Dave Ramsey says, always interview the wife.

13. Not Emotionally-Manipulated. You want someone on the Board who has severed the need to be liked.

14. Mob Proof. This person should not be scared of online backlash to decisions. The loudest boo’s always come from the cheapest seats! We’re in the business of faith; you must have a high level of risk tolerance!

15. Men Who Have Been Attacked Before. You don’t want a fresh newbie on a Board where he may be eaten alive. As I always say, we don’t receive criticism from anyone we wouldn’t seek counsel from.

What criteria would you add?

Joe Rogan, Wesley Huff, and Connecting Through Humility

In what was an amazing display of gospel knowledge, Canadian apologist Wesley Huff’s appearance this week on the #1 Podcast on the planet may become one of the widest-reaching gospel presentations in history. Joe Rogan’s program reaches millions of listeners on top of his wide social media reach. Huff demonstrated apt skills in answering Rogan’s sincere questions and in posing his own toward the program’s end.

What I found most refreshing in Huff’s approach was his genuine humility. There was no ego or swagger on display as he answered complex inquiries into ancient Near-Eastern studies; instead Huff admitted what he did not know, was adequately self-deprecating and easy to talk to, and yet unleashed a sincere knowledge-base that overcomes objections to the historical gospel accounts.

My hope is that his methodology will inspire a new generation of Christian apologists to carefully study their craft and leverage debates and wide-reaching platforms in the same vein as Huff has. Truly this is a three hour interview that is well-worth your time to explore and enjoy!

PS - If 3 hours is too long for you, at the very least watch the clip below for the singular highlight of this program!

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.

Don't Waste Your Life

“I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus." 

- Jim Elliot, martyred 69 years ago today.

Friends, we all have but one life to live.

Don't waste your life.

Seize this new year, ripe with divine opportunities, for the glory of God.

Drink deeply of spiritual truths, inhaling the world and exhaling the gospel.

Use your one shot at life to help make heaven more crowded.

Don't allow a setback to paralyze you.  Press forward with selfless ambition.

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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.

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