Five Signs of an Anxious Leader

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Israel Galindo

Every so often, we need to be challenged with the question, “Do you want to be liked, or do you want to be effective?” In one sense, it is a false choice—sometimes, we can have it both ways. Still, leaders often have to choose along those lines. An anxious leader whose primary concern is to be liked, affirmed, or appreciated will find their effectiveness compromised. Here are five signs of an anxious leader. Continue reading →

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Four Facts About Reactivity

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Israel Galindo

At the back of the sanctuary, after the final hymn, the minister stood by the doors doing what they always did on a Sunday morning: smiling, shaking hands, offering a quick word of blessing. A longtime parishioner approached with a tight jaw and eyes that would not meet the minister’s. The minister reached out warmly and said, “Good to see you. I’m glad you’re here today.” Without warning, the parishioner’s voice rose. “Glad I’m here? After what you pulled?” The words came sharp and hot, as if the minister had already been arguing for hours, and the minister felt the jolt of it land in the chest. Continue reading →

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What to Do When Your Industry Is Dying

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Israel Galindo

Before my father became a minister he was in the office machine repair business. He worked for several firms over the years and at one time had a shop of his own. He lived during an era when craftsmanship was still a vocation. I’d watch him dismantle a manual typewriter or large crank-operated office calculator piece by piece and toss every spring, screw, bolt, and component into a large metal vat of degreaser. Each piece would plunk and clink into the vat, disappearing into the solution.

After a few hours he’d pull out each piece and reassemble the typewriter, with no parts left over! The machine gleaned like new and had that machine-oil fresh-from-the-factory smell. Continue reading →

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A Leader’s Response When Self-Interest Becomes an Impasse

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Israel Galindo

Every leader will encounter the challenge when self-interest becomes an impasse to progress, especially when significant changes need to be made in the system. When new initiatives threaten change, people protect status, resources, identity, and autonomy. In healthy doses, self-interest can fuel initiative. But when anxiety rises, self-interest can harden into a stalled pattern: departments hoard information, teams defend turf, people hoard resources, and leaders get trapped in reactive bargaining. Bringing about change becomes a push against resistance and inertia. Progress becomes an impasse not because the goal is unclear, but because the system cannot move without someone feeling they are losing face, influence, or resources. Continue reading →

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Homeostasis finds a way

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Israel Galindo

One phenomena of the power of homeostasis, that dynamic in biological and relationship systems that works to move things toward “balance,” is that whenever a leader attempts to bring about change in a system he or she will most certainly encounter sabotage. While we can find some comfort in the notion that reactivity is unimaginative, and therefore predictable, sabotage has a thousand faces. The fun thing about sabotage (if one can be non-reactive about it), is that while we can expect it, we will always be surprised at the forms it takes. For most of us, we never see it coming. Continue reading →

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How to give an awesome presentation

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Israel Galindo

Delivering a presentation can be an overwhelming experience for beginning teachers or novice presenters. Sadly, we’ve all learned that some presenters never become much better with experience. But the fact is that anyone can become a very effective presenter—in a classroom or giving a workshop—by applying some basic practices of effective presentations. If you consistently put the following into your repertoire you’ll see immediate positive results in your students or audience. Continue reading →

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Ten Toxic Leadership Types

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Israel Galindo

The measure of successful leadership is how well a group performs, over time, in terms of valued outcomes, or the realization of the organization’s mission. Benjamin J. Inyang considers leadership as process which “involves the use of non-coercive influence to shape a group’s or organization’s goals, motivate behavior towards the achievement of those goals and help define group or organization culture.” By extension, leadership is a process of influencing people so that they strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the realization of group goals. In other words, effective leaders encourage agency through the distribution of authority. Continue reading →

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Lead like a pirate!

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Israel Galindo

I have a couple of friends who are really into “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (September 19 in case you’re wondering). One dresses up like a pirate for the day  (in Johnny Depp “Pirates of the Caribbean” style) and plays the part to the hilt, sometimes visiting local elementary schools to the delight of children. I think there may be some things pastoral leaders can learn from pirates. While pillaging and looting to help offset the church budget may not be recommended, here are nine ways you can lead like a pirate:

Continue reading →

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Family Secrets in Multigenerational Patterns

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Israel Galindo

Rev. Sarah Chen had built a reputation as a transformational leader in the congregations and nonprofit religious organizations. As executive director of a regional nonprofit foundation, she was known for her collaborative approach, her ability to bring diverse stakeholders together, and her commitment to transparency. Yet those who worked closest to her noticed a pattern: whenever discussions turned to financial matters—particularly around estate planning, major gifts, or family wealth—Sarah became noticeably tense, her usual openness replaced by a guarded formality. Continue reading →

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Emotional Integration in Organizations

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Israel Galindo

At the conclusion to a recent presentation on leadership in organizations someone asked, “How would you define emotional integration in an organization?” While I did not use that phrase in my presentation, it was a good question.

The term integration refers to a unification toward a whole. The term “emotional” was in reference to Bowen theory. In that context “emotional system” refers not primarily to feelings, rather it describes the evolutionary automatic instincts and dynamics that govern biological life, including how they influence the way people function in relationships. Continue reading →

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