Category Archives: leadership

Thoughts on leadership

Traits of the well-defined leader

I came across some notes from a presentation by my friend Ken Hurto (who recently pleasantly surprised me by finding me on Facebook). Ken’s presentation on leadership was titled “Being a Lighthouse and Not a Bulldozer.” In it he used … Continue reading

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Easier said than done

The concept of the self-differentiated leader is attractive. And those who work toward being a self-differentiated leader strive toward a high goal. But while the concept is relatively easy to define, it’s easier said than done when it comes to … Continue reading

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Winter issue of Leadership in Ministry Workshops newsletter

The winter 2009 issue of the Leadership in Ministry Workshops (LIM) newsletter is now available. You can download a copy of the newsletter by visiting the LIM website and selecting the link to the newsletters from the main menu. The … Continue reading

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Rethinking consulting

I’ve been doing formal consultation since 1989, when I started Educational Consultants. The venture achieved all the goals I had for it, including covering the college tuition for the boys. While success is its own reward, there’s a downside to … Continue reading

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Book review: Leaders Who Last, by Marcuson

Margaret Marcuson touches all the right bases in her first book for congregational leaders, Leaders Who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry (Seabury Press, 2009). It is a primer on effective ministerial leadership based on perennial principals and much influenced … Continue reading

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Pondering the imponderables

Some of my students in my philosophy course are starting to get annoyed that the professor doesn’t answer their questions. More often than not, when a student asks a question, the professor will respond, “That’s a good question,” or, “What … Continue reading

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Homeostasis finds a way

One interesting phenomena of the power of homeostasis is that whenever a leader attempts to bring about change he or she will most certainly encounter sabotage. And while we can find some comfort in the notion that reactivity is unimaginative, … Continue reading

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What will they say about you?

Leaders who are shortsighted worry too much about what people say about them. Whether it’s because of insecurity, a need for affirmation, issues related to competence or image, many leaders measure success in the metrics of immediate change. More often … Continue reading

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Nattering Nabobs of Negativity

One of the most important qualities for leaders is the capacity for vision. Extraordinary leaders, however, are visionaries. The dilemma for visionaries is that they often are ahead of their time. Leaders with vision see the horizons and lead people … Continue reading

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A classic pastoral triangle

I’ve experienced the third instance in recent months of a classic pastoral triangle. It’s “classic” in the sense that it has all of the components of an “elegant” emotional process triangle: (1) it is generated by anxiety, (2) its source … Continue reading

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